The American Bird Conservancy has released a 9 minute video on YouTube coming out against Trap, Neuter and Release programs for feral cat colonies. Watch out at a minute and forty seconds, there’s some really cool footage of three different warbler species bathing.
I have to say that I am having trouble getting on board with this message. I do agree that feral cat colonies are not good for birds, wildlife, cats, and humans. I don’t think cats should be free roaming, they have a shorter lifespan, they spread disease, and birds that are facing challenges at every turn from windows, cell phone towers, pollution, the added pressure of a non native predator doesn’t help.
I know some pro feral colony groups say that cats aren’t the reason for bird species decline, it’s habitat loss. Cats are habitat loss. If you have an introduced predator–especially one that is chasing birds for play and not a source of food, that is a loss of habitat. These birds did not evolve with this predator so there is no balance for evading them. Cats are not the sole source of bird species decline, but they certainly do contribute to it in a significant way.
But here’s the issue I have. The video profiles a Key Largo feral cat colony that peaked with over 2000 feral cats. The home owners association put together a trap, neuter and release program and they now have less than 500 cats–and that’s even with idiots still dumping cats into the colony…yet ABC calls this ineffective.
What? I’m sorry, how is reducing a colony by over 1500 not effective?
Okay, they haven’t eliminated the cats entirely, but the cat issue is not going to be solved overnight. I think this makes the ABC look a little fanatical and a little off base.
Because it took SO many years to go down to 500, and it is likely to never go down any further, because you can never catch them all and a feeding colony encourages continued abandonment. TNR is simply done because people are uncomfortable with euthanasia. The only truly effective solution is trap, neuter, adopt or shelter. Releasing a cat back in to the environment is bad for wildlife AND bad for the cat. It sends a message that cats are okay outside and will do fine. Sure, they might, for a while….but what about the birds, herps and small mammals they will kill over the course of their short brutal existance. TNR is sold as a solution, but it has never eliminated a colony (ANYWHERE). Trap & remove & adopt out (or euthanize unadoptables) has worked in Bidwell Park (Chico, CA) and on Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
Personally I think ABC is taking the truly humane approach. Humane for the birds/herps/small mammals AND humane for the cats. Hell, even PETA doesn’t support TNR (and there’s no one more fanatical about humane treatment then they are)!
Okay, there’s more feral cats than pet cats, that tells me that there aren’t enough homes for ferals. Especially, since people are dropping off unwanted pet cats. Honestly, that’s why the release started, people didn’t want to just euthanize.
Impose fines on “dumpers”! Where I live, shelters of all kinds are filled to the max. To trap, neuter, and release seems a better alternative than simply euthanizing every single poor creature that is dumped by an ignorant human. I have found three dead birds in my backyard in the past two weeks and have reached out to local rescues who are unable to help because of lack of funds, fosterers and/or space to catch and care for the five stray cats in my neighborhood. I don’t blame the cats for trying to survive – I blame the idiot humans who dumped them. PEOPLE are the real problem!
2000 feral cats?!?! that sounds like the genesis of a hitchcock film.
Do I think this is an legit threat facing neotropical migrants (especially those who’s pop.s are alarmingly shrinking)? Honestly, I don’t know, and I am skeptical. In the case of the Black-capped Vireo and the Golden-cheeked Warbler, it might be; but Cerulean Warbler, Bell’s Vireo, even Bicknell’s Thrush? Every bird victim by cat that I’ve seen, or heard about, was of a species that is essentially abundant (e.g. N. Mockingbird, A. Robin, M. Dove, Chickadee, Chip. Sparrow, H. Finch, etc.). I grew up with lots and lots of cats, and frankly my family was negligent when it came to neutering and what was to be done with the unwanted offspring. Sure, we gave many away, but the truth is many more became feral. If a study, or even reliable observation, can clarify that these cats are actually taking species of concern; then I’m all for even more aggressive population control measures. If so many cat owners in a community so irresponsibly created this problem, what is wrong with the community agreeing to do what the owner couldn’t – euthanize. This can be done humanely, and I can only imagine it costs less than the TNR or any other trap and neuter program. As someone has already stated many, if not most, shelters are at capacity with adoptable felines.
People think the Stanford cat colony is effective, too. But, look at things this way: That has gone on for 20 years, at the cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars – the annual budget is 50K if I remember correctly.
Who knows just how much of the fauna was impacted there over two decades!?
Trap, remove, get rid of the food source – end of story
500 cats x 1 bird/day x 365 days = a lot of dead birds/year just around Ocean Reef in Key Largo, a major migration site. I agree with Steve, 15 years to eliminate 1500 cats seems awfully slow and not terribly successful.
Trying to promote a Cats Indoors program must be difficult with so many TNR programs around. Why should catowners keep their cats inside when TNR promotes sterilized feral cats in the outdoors as perfectly natural? Why would people stop dumping their cats if TNR volunteers continue to take care of them?
I respect everyone’s opinions on TNR programs and how it can effect bird populations but I think that it is important to always educate yourself on both sides of the story. Feral cats are completely different from outside pet cats. Feral cats have had zero human contact and are never adoptable unless they can be caught as brand new kittens. Feral cat colonies won’t allow a pet cat in and will most likely kill the cat if they enter their “territory”. Feral cats are a huge problem and the only effective solution is to sterilize them so they can’t reproduce. We can’t adopt our way out of the problem either. In Las Vegas alone over 40,000 animals were put to sleep year just because there wasn’t room for them in the shelter. These are healthy, adoptable pets that die. If we try to adopt ferals (which isn’t possible) That number would be tremendously higher. The cost to maintain a pet in a shelter is also significantly higher than a TNR program. The only true answer to our vast pet over population problem is to promote spay and neuter practices. If you would like more info, please feel free to visit our site, http://www.hcws.org