Volunteers aim to create community cat cafes
(CNS): A new charity has been created to try and take a different approach to dealing with the islands growing numbers of stray cats. The founders of Feline Friends, a group, of concerned volunteers is proposing humanely trapping homeless cats and kittens, having them spayed or neutered, de-wormed, ailments or injuries cared for and then return them to the location where they were found, the place the volunteers say is what the cat’s see as their home. The plan then is to establish feeding stations or ‘Cat Cafes’ around the island to promote healthy cat colonies that can play a role in the community by keeping down the number rodents.
“Our focus is to educate and enlighten the populace as to the benefits of homeless cat care,” the volunteers said.
Feline Friends say that removing cat colonies by euthanasia does not work but only creates a vacuum which is filled by other cats.
“The population of homeless cats plays an important role by keeping down the rodent population,” they said. “But we do need to control their ever-growing numbers. The fact is, a pair of breeding cats, which can have three or more litters annually, can exponentially produce 420,000 offspring over a seven-year period! The record for one single female cat alone produced 420 kittens over her lifetime.”
In order to make the goals a reality Feline Friends are looking for more volunteers to help feed a number of colonies already established and donations of cat food would be very much appreciated.
Email FelineFriendsCayman@gmail.com to help.
Category: Science and Nature
TNR Rocks !!!! People who disagree are ignorant and clearly have not ever seen the awesome results achecived through spay / neuter!! Pure ignorance….Feline Friends ..do your thing , you are making a difference !
You say you respect my opinion, and in the very same sentence you say my opinion is "laughable". Maybe you could "begin" by trying to be consistent when you make your case?
What are the facts?
"Feline Friends" is catching and neutering feral cats, then releasing them back into the wild and feeding them to establish managed colonies. To quote the Compass article of yesterday "So far, the volunteers have established two colonies in West Bay, one in Safehaven, two in Bodden Town, one in East End and one off Crewe Road."
(I hope we can agree on this – it is after all a quote from a Feline Friends article?).
What is the problem?
The problem is that trapping schemes never catch all the cats. This is because some cats are naturally trap-shy. You obviously know a lot about cats, so you must already know this. Why did you not mention this fact in your reply to me? Is it because this fact undermines your case? "Feline Friends" is no exception – there are trap-shy cats in your colonies which you have not been able to catch and which you will likely never catch… and which you are currently feeding atyour Cat Cafes, even though they are not neutered.
(In addition to being a general fact of Trap and Release, a supporter of Feline Friends told me this was true at their specific colonies – I am assuming it is true).
So, we missed one or two cats, what is the big deal?
The big deal is spelt out very clearly in the statistics… "A pair of breeding cats, which can have three or more litters annually, can exponentially produce 420,000 offspring over a seven-year period,” she said, adding that the record number of one mother cat producing kittens is more than 420 kittens in her lifetime".
(This statistic is quote from Feline Friends in yesterday’s Compass article – I am assuming it is true)
So, what happens in reality?
Feline Friends may do very well. They may catch, spay and neuter 8 out of ten cats, maybe even 9 out of 10… but if they miss just one cat, that one cat can apparently have 420 kittens… and those kittens can have 420,000 more kittens. That’s an awful lot of spaying to do… and don’t miss one of those kittens, or you will soon be back to square one and then some! Of course, in a normal situation, most of these feral kittens would die of starvation, neglect and ill-health… but this is not the case anymore, because the cat colonies are now managed and well-cared for by Feline Friends, with food hand outs, which will mean many more kittens will survive.
What is the core of the problem?
The core of the problem is feeding the cats. Cats are naturally territorial and tend to spread out, but when you feed animals their natural instincts break down, and that includes territoriality. That is the reason why you can sit in an outdoor cafe in any place around the world and have five cats sat under your chair waiting for you to drop a piece of sandwich. Invariability there are signs on these restaurant walls which read "DO NOT FEED THE CATS BY ORDER OF THE MANAGEMENT"… What the restaurant owners seem to understand, and you do not, is that feeding cats attracts more cats and makes them become a pest.
What is the future for Feline Friends?
Feline Friends will do a lot of hard work spaying and neutering cats, and at the same time will undo all their hard work by feeding cats that have slipped through the net and escaped neutering. Feline Friends will waste donor’s money and volunteer’s time and goodwill, and eventually everyone will get fedup and go do something more worthwhile… like adopting a stray cat from the Humane Society and caring for it and feeding it in the comfort of their own home. The only problem will be that the huge, artificially healthy colonies of cats will remain, dotted around all around the island – thanks to Feline Friends. When the feeding stations fail, the cats’ natural instincts for territoriality will come back into play and their drive to search for food will cause them to spread out once more, into the environment, surviving off wildlife and garbage until they meet their traditional end, dead in the bush or dead on the road. The only difference will be that there will be more of them – thanks to Feline Friends.
What is the environmental cost of feeding hundreds of feral cats?
This was a rhetorical question, but as you seem to want me to spell it out for you… cat food is made from fish. Fish stocks around the world are plummeting. One current estimate is that all current commercial fish-stocks will have crashed by 2048. (See the DVD “The End of the Line”). Some species like Cod and Blue fin tuna have crashed already, and as top-end stocks are consumed there is already a market shift towards lower end species, which puts human being food more squarely in competition with cat food. Let’s not forget by-catch, all the usual fuel and transportation costs, processing, packing, and shipment. All worthwhile for a worthy cause. All a waste of time for a useless enterprise.
If you want to support Feline Friends – kudos to you! I am quite sure you are driven to do so by humane intentions, and that is a wonderful thing. I just hope that you get bang for your buck and all your time and effort – I just don’t think you will.
I am a cat-lover. I have owned several cats during my life (but I do not have one now). I work hands on with feral cats – don’t presume otherwise (even though it is inconvenient for you). I have also rescued and re-homed stray cats around the island. I am not “criticizing from the sidelines” I am criticizing from the center.
If you are criticizing from the center, pray tell, what steps have you taken to help the quality of life for our feral island cats? And if it comes to a choice between protecting the by-catch of the world’s oceans, or the cats i encounter daily, that’s sort of an obvious choice. I cannot impact world-wide fishing tendencies, but I certainly can affect my surroundings here in cayman.Feeding or not feeding cat food on a 76 sq. mile piece of rock is NOT going to save Blue Fin tuna. Feline Friends is not concerned with world-wide fish stocks; I believe you need to address those concerns to a marine watch-group somewhere? (What actually needs to happen is the first world countries need to adopt more eco-friendly food production methods and reduce global dependence on meat consumption, thus freeing untold thousands of acres of land for better uses, but I digress.)
One point you may like to enlighten me on: how does doing nothing, or killing randomly, help the problem? And why on earth would I, or any caring animal-lover, want to sit idly by, implicitly supporting a lifestyle where "most of these feral kittens would die of starvation, neglect and ill-health"?
And, yes, I will be consistent: "Laughable" it is. Along with peculiar, unsupported factually, and close-mindedly cruel.
Feline Friends" and "cat cafes" sound like a great idea. Unfortunately they are not. Feeding stray cats makes more stray cats – end of story.
Sure, if you neuter every feral cat (of one sex at least) on the island, this plan might work… but then, if you euthanized every feral cat (of one sex at least) that plan would work also. In the real world, however, both scenarios are unlikely to happen on an island the size of Grand Cayman, and of the two approaches, catching and neutering every stray is certainly the closest to impossible. By saying "euthanasia does not work” "Feline Friends" are shooting themselves in the foot… because neutering strays and feeding ferals does not work either… unless you get them all… and if you don’t get them all, the same thing will happen… the unneutered ferals you missed will keep your "vacuum" topped up. The only way there can be no “vacuum” for new cats to occupy is if the population is already maxed-out.
In addition to eating rodents (which cats are more likely to do if they are not fed cat food each day) cats also eat things which most of us might like to see more of, such as wild birds.
Cats are wonderful pets and should be cared for by caring owners. I am a cat lover, but cats are bad for the environment. Feral cats can themselves achieve pest numbers and become a nuisance to humans. Anyone who has encountered feral cats will know that many live a very unfortunate existence – struggling to survive, eating garbage and wildlife, before succumbing to wild dogs, disease, starvation or road accidents. There is no “happy ending” for a feral cat, even one which is neutered.
What is the environmental cost of feeding cat food to hundreds of feral cats each day? If this project runs out of steam or runs out of money, what will happen to the enormous colonies of healthy, cared-for feral cats it has created? Who will look after them?
The sad fact of the matter is that euthanasia is more humane than the dreadful existence suffered by many of these animals. Perhaps "Feline Friends" dollars, and worthy objectives of alleviating suffering would be better placed by euthanizing unhomeable ferals and eradicating colonies, improving care and facilities for tame homeable strays, and, most of all, improving education and awareness amongst the irresponsible pet owners who cause this inhumane and environmentally damaging problem in the first place.
If you have a problem with vermin on your property, consider putting up an owl box. Wild owls look good, are zero-cost to maintain, carbon-neutral, and will eat many more rats and mice than a neutered feral cat which is kept going on daily handouts of cat food.
Feline Friends and Cat Cafes.
It is recognised by environmentalists that cats and dogs are the most destructive animals that have been imported to these islands with regard to our indigenous bird and animalpopulation, for example, all water birds that are ground nesting. I do symphathize with those amongst us, especially women who are emotionally deprived and find consolation in having pets as their motherly insincts are in play. However, I would strongly object to allowing cats to roam around where they can inflict further damage to our already depleated indigenous birds and animals.
With regard to rats and mice, we do have them controlled as it is by DoH.
Tue 23:52: I was going to reply at length to your remarkable post but decided just to let it speak for itself.Two points though: 1.The cats and dogs are here NOW, so it would be a good idea to try to at the very least to control their natural instincts to procreate and increase their numbers. 2.I trust you make your views about the “indigenous bird and animal population” well known to those mainly indigenous people who shoot them (eg doves, agouti, parrots) for sport and, apparently, to increase their mango production.
You would object to allowing cats to roam? It looks to me like they aren’t listening to you… And, as a side note: Caymanians themselves do FAR, FAR more damage to the environment & indigenous reptiles, plants & animals of this once amazing island.
Wow, where do I begin? While I respect your opinion, it is just that- an opinion, misguided at best, dead wrong at worst, not to mention laughable- "Feeding stray cats makes more stray cats"- umm, that would be a reproductive miracle. Feeding strays makes… full bellies!
You mention that neutering all males will cure the problem, as will sex-specific euthanasia. Your logic is so foreign I hardly know how to respond. I guess it is a mindset- Killing or helping- which would most people lean toward? One does not "alleviate suffering" by killing-one humanely responds by bettering the animal’s quality of life. It’s a moot point, because Euthanasia does NOT work- The DOA euthanizes regularly and has done so for years, and there has been no change in the feral problem. The "pest numbers" of ferals is exactly the issue Feline Friends is addressing, joining First World countries worldwide who have adopted this TNR strategy after much study because it works. Over time, the number of ferals will decrease- do the math!
Your comment "Anyone who has encountered feral cats will know that many live a very unfortunate existence" underscores the point of the entire program. I must say, it is obvious you have done no more than "encounter" these animals. Your statement "there is no happy ending for a feral cat" is blatantly false. Those of us who have actually WORKED HANDS ON WITH feral cats know this to be wildly untrue.
And setting up cat Cafes will not stop a cat from hunting rodents- that is innate behavior, as any cat owner can tell you. But since you seem to know so much, I invite you to join Feline Friends in, as you put it, "improving care and facilities for tame homeable strays, and, most of all, improving education and awareness amongst the irresponsible pet owners who cause this inhumane and environmentally damaging problem in the first place". There is more than enough room out there for additional hands, or did you just want to criticize from the sidelines?
You also queried, What is the environmental cost of feeding cat food to hundreds of feral cats each day?" well, what is the environmental cost?? you neglected to answer the question, so I will help you. Spay/neuter, and providing food and vet attention will only lead to fewer squashed kits on the roads, a healthier life for individuals & the colonies as awhole, and fewer numbers of smaller colonies. I say kudos to Feline Friends. I am delighted to see this group, and fully intend to support it. Count me in!
As someone who has cats, I am glad for this. However, I hope that they do not feed the cats too much as that will ensure that they really do not catch the rats that are trying to breed just as fast. I have to say that I love the fact that there are chickens roaming around my apartment complex as they get rid of the creepy crawlies that are in the grass and therefore I can walk on the grass barefoot without worrying too much about creepy crawlies biting me.
Creepy crawlies gone, yes, but now you’ll have to worry about stepping in something else while barefoot in the grass!
Mon 15;27: I am always amazed at the frequency of totally brainless comments on CNS!! Have another drink.
FYI- Cats instinctively cover their droppings. Cats are very clean animals.
Cats naturally chase rodents- it’s instinct. Even the most well-fed house cat will come home with a dead rat. And Cayman Cats appear to have little interest in the chickens, so your lawn will still be creepy-crawlie free!
I have had several cats which were strays in my yard assisted by Feline Friends and the results have been excellent. All the treated (female) cats have come back and are much healthier than before and there are no tom cats prowling and yowling around the place. Not only are rodents non existent around my place but also there are no iguanas and even the chickens are less than they used to be. If only I could get someone to deal with the very large German Shepherd/mixed with something else dog that wanders around frightening humans and animals alike! The government animal control people are useless because they have so many regulations and excuses about how and where they can trap, it’s a waste of time even contacting them. That alas is why people resort to poison – a horrible thing to do.