Patricia Kinsell

Sp 151
Persuasive Speech Outline
19.April.2017

Feral Cats

I. Introduction

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A. Attention Getter

This cat had this jar stuck on its head foratleast3days.Finallysomeonefoundthecatdeadbehind
a house. The cat had been seen for approximately 6 months before getting the jar stuckonitshead
and dying (Pathos). This picture illustrates what death is often like for cats inthewild&areasons
to oppose TNR. I'm showing you this photo so you consider whether the actions organizations that
endorse TNR are performing acts of compassion, or condemning animals to a life of misery &
needless suffering.

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B. Listener Relevance Link

The feral cat problem on Kauai isnt something we can continue to ignore. If nothing is done, in a
number of years the population of feral cats can grow to numbers that will be unmanageable. Lets
consider numbers for a minute. Kauai is roughly 25 miles long and 33 miles wide.Feralcatsproduce
approximately 4.3 kittens per female cat a year. A pair of cats and their offspring can produce
420,000 kittens in 7 years. Now imagine those 420,000 cats on an island that is only 25 miles long
and 33 miles wide. Numbers like that would collapse our islands ecosystem and wipe out our
endemic wildlife. Its not amatterofcouldithappen,itsamatterofwhenitwillhappen.Everyoneof
us have a responsibility to protect our island & keep this from happening.

C. Credibility link
Kauai is my home. I was born and raised here. Im passionate aboutconservationandprotectingour
islands endemic wildlife (ethos). Ive done a lot of research into this subject and have spoken to
people from DLNR and the Humane Society regarding the feral cat problem on Kauai.
 D. Thesis
Im going to be discussing why I believe the only solution we have in dealing with the feral cat
problem on Kauai is complete eradication, and whytheTNR(trap&release)programwillnotwork.I
will be giving you factual data and showing you photographs that some of you may consider
disturbing, but need to be seen in order for you to have a full awareness and understanding about
why the only solution to dealing with feral cats must be eradication.

Transition
Now that I have told you what I will be discussing, I will explain more about the reasons why I feel TNE is
the only solution we have.

II. Body
A. TNR method
1. Trap-Neuter-Release (Trap-Neuter-Return or TNR), involves trapping cats, spaying or neutering
them, and then releasing them into the environment. A colonycaretakerfeedsthecatsindefinitely.
The goal of TNR is to eliminate colonies through natural attrition (naturaldeath).Supportersofthe
TNR method willtellyouthisisahumanemethodofdealingwithferalcatsandthebestsolutionfor
the problem. They believe feral cats are not a problem, and should be allowed to live unharmed in
colonies on Kauai.

2. All cats (whether pets, strays or ferals) are domestic animals. They are not part of the ecosystem
and do not belong outdoors. Living outdoors is neither their natural environment nor their habitat.
The domestic cat, Felis catus, was domesticated over 4000 years ago and is dependent of humans
for survival. Cats are not wild and should not be categorized or thoughtofassuch. Themajorityof
feral cats suffer and live miserablelives.Manydiebybeinghitbycars,attackedbydogsorwildlife,
starve to death, or ravaged by disease.

3. Native wildlife has not developed the mechanisms to live alongside a non-native predatorspecies.
This causes an imbalance and can decimate an islands wildlife populations. Native predator-prey
occurrences are normal and maintain an ecological balance and biodiversity. No balance can exist
between domestic cats (an introduced species) and native wildlife on the islands. According to a
report by the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University, native island
organisms lack antipredator behavioral and life-history responses. And with the diet of cats, the
impact of cat predation on island wildlife is devastating.

4. TNR does not protect wildlife


a. Every cat hasaninherentabilitytohunt.Thishasbeenextensivelystudiedandscientifically
documented. Even if they receive regular food, they are no less motivated to hunt. Studies
done by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) have found that, feral
cats released back into native ecosystem even those that are sterilized, continue to have
significant consequences for native wildlife and people.

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c. The Wedge-tailed Shearwater land just once a year to breed and nest on the coastline of
Kauai. It is a monogamous species that pair for lifeandonlyproduceONEchickperyear.It
then takes 7 years for that chic to mature and start to breed. It takes BOTH parents to
raise the chic, the loss of one parent is often fatal to the chic.

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d. These are the remains of 2 wedge-tailed Shearwater chicks found in the stomach
of a feral cat at Kilauea point.

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It isnt just wildlife on the island that are being harmed by feral cats. Feral cat feces containing
toxoplasmosis are washed down in the watershed and runoff into streams which then run into the ocean.
Toxoplasma gondii, whichonlyreproducesinfelines,hasbeenreachingthewatersoffCaliforniaandcausing
severe brain inflammation in otters. Its so bad that toxoplasmosis accounts for 17 percent of all sea otter
deaths annually. As of 2015, there have been 8 known monksealsthathavediedbecauseoftoxoplasmosis.
Keep in mind there are fewer than1100monksealsremainingintheworld.InNewZealand,25percentofa
study group of Hectors Dolphins which are the rarest dolphins in the world, died from toxoplasmosis.The
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute estimates that toxoplasmosis 12.3 billion mammals annually.

Transition
I have explained why TNR is not working. Now I am going to talk more about solution and what I am asking
from you, the audience.

III. Criteria/Solution

1. If feral cats continue to inhabit our island, Kauais endangered wildlife on land and in the ocean will be
driven to extinction. The TNR program is not asolutionbecauseitdoesnothingtostopthecountlessdeaths
of shearwaters, sea lions, bottlenose dolphins, beluga whales, sea turtles, etc that are dying from
 toxoplasmosis. The TNR program only benefits the feral cats & their advocates. Well what about the 33
different species of birds that feral cats have hunted to extinction? Or the last 27 Hawaiian crows left in
existence, that scientists tagged & released as a last-ditch effort to rejuvenate the population. 21 of them
have died from toxoplasmosis. The remaining 6 had to be returned to captivity in order to protect the
species from extinction.

2. The only way to stop toxoplasmosis from getting into our environment and killing Hawaiis wildlife is to
remove its carrier (Logos). The TNR program will not stop feral cats from defecating onto soil. And it
would be impossible for us to locate every pile of feces from a feral cat on this island and remove it.
There are endangered animals dying every day in Hawaii because of something that we are fully
capable of controlling but are doing nothing about because we as a society shun the intentional
killing of animals. But we are the cause of this problem. We are the reason there are feral cats all over
our island and monk seals are dying and there are species of birds now extinct. Our actions did this. We
have a responsibility to fix the mess we created and the only way to do that is to remove the feral cats.

IV. Call to action

4. All Im asking you to do is to consider the information I have given you today and share it with others.
knowledge is what will save Hawaiis wildlife. If the community were aware of the extent of the damage
feral cats are causing, I believe we will make the right choice and put a stop to senseless, avoidable
deaths of our endangered wildlife.

Bibliography

Kvinta, Paul. "Hawaii's Crazy War Over Zombie Cats". Outside Online. N.p., 2017. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.

NOGALES, MANUEL et al. "A Review Of Feral Cat Eradication On Islands". Conservation Biology 18.2 (2004):
310-319. Web.

"A New Threat To Hawaiian Monk Seals: Cat Parasite Carried By Runoff, Sewage Environmental Health News".
Environmentalhealthnews.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.

"Tnrrealitycheck.Com - Trap-Neuter-Release Is Not A Humane Or Effective Solution For Feral Cats".

Tnrrealitycheck.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.

Itnnews. YouTube. YouTube, 24 July 2015. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.