Overpopulation of stray and feral cats

Ever since I was young, I have watched my grandma take in stray cat after stray cat.

My family has always loved cats, but when my grandma moved into her new neighborhood, we

noticed a very large and unkept population of feral cats. My grandma, who had previously

worked in a cat shelter, started leaving food out daily for the cats. I was introduced to “Trap and

release” (TNR) when I was very young. TNR is for cats who have lived outside for too long and

cannot be socialized with humans anymore. TNR, is to control the population of feral cats by

spaying and neutering. Veterinarians clip the tip of the cats’ ears to show they are fixed. This

way does not hurt the cat and can save both humans and cats from the stress of being trapped for

fixing again. However, with a cat population as big as in my grandma’s neighborhood, and with

my grandma being one of the few people willing to TNR, it is impossible to fix every cat before

they have kittens. TNRing can take a few days or longer. In the case we find newly born kittens

from ferals, we take in the kittens before they begin to fear humans. We bathe, feed, fix and

socialize the kittens until around 8 weeks, and they're ready for adoption. Saving these kittens

from a feral life has always been the most rewarding and fun to me. When I was 6, I even got to

keep one of the kittens I had helped my grandma raise. My parents and I agreed on the name

Hazel, and she's the most loyal and loving cat I've ever known. She's been my best friend and

stuck by my side since the day we rescued her. I could not ask for a better best friend than her.

Every afternoon and night my grandma would leave food out for the cats. It's easy to

recognize the ones that come by often. Some who had been coming to my grandma for food and

shelter since they were very young would even let my grandma pet them. But, one day my

grandma told me that one of the ferals that usually comes around daily, had suddenly

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disappeared. This cat was a brown tabby we had even named because of how often he came

around. He hadn't been seen in the neighborhood either. With my grandma being the only trapper

in the area, we knew something was wrong. Cats like to stay in areas they’re familiar with, a

place that they know has a stable source of food. It's where their family is too. If a feral

disappears, it's usually nothing good. We started to suspect that one of the neighbors had left

poison out, and our tabby had found it. We don’t know if the poison was left out intentionally for

a cat to find, but we do know some of the neighbors have shown hatred for the ferals and strays,

and try to discourage feeding them. We were devastated. I had heard of cruel people leaving

poison out for feral cats before, but I never expected it to happen to one of ours. I was

heartbroken for the cat, and the thought that someone would do that intentionally made me feel

sick. But it also made me wonder, if it was intentional, why would anyone do that? What effect

do strays and ferals have on people and how do they impact the environment, that could lead

people to such drastic measures? What are kinder ways for these people to reduce the number of

the strays?

To help answer these questions, I met with my mentor, Marie McAlpine. She is a long

time cat rescuer in Fremont, the city I grew up in. She is also an old friend of my mom, and I

remember the times we’d go to her house for dinner when I was younger. She even used to baby

sit me for my mom when I was really young, but I still remember how much fun I'd have at her

house. I have not seen Marie in many years, so meeting her for this interview was nice. The first

thing I noticed just walking up to her door, there were rows of food bowls for cats. This was

definitely the right place. Upon walking in, her house was very clean despite the fact that there

were 6 cats just inside her house, and in her backyard were about 30 more. Marie took me to tour

her backyard, which has been made into a cat sanctuary. On top of the very tall fence that

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surrounded the yard, was a net ceiling to keep the cats from escaping. The sanctuary had plenty

of hiding places for all of the cats, who were mostly feral to feel safe in. Food and water was left

out for the cats in rows of bowls. The whole place was again very well kept and clean. Feral cats

tend to spray to mark territory, but clearly it is cleaned regularly as nothing smelled. I could tell

these cats were being very well taken care of.

Marie tells me the difference between stray and feral cats. Feral cats are born from stray

cats who have been abandoned by owners in the past. Feral cats are unable to trust humans.

Marie says, “Humans created this problem.” I asked Marie why she does TNR. “Female cats can

have from 3 to 8 kittens in one litter. By TNRing, we’re able to steadily bring the number of cats

down by preventing new ones” Marie also mentioned to me how one of the colonies of cats she

had been taking care of, started off with about 200 cats. Over the years, with TNR she had

managed to get the population down to only 30 because of no new kittens. This greatly shows

how much of an impact TNR and taking in feral kittens can make, and that it is a much kinder

and effective way of dealing with overpopulation, giving these animals the respect they deserve

rather than treating them like pests.

I asked Marie what her opinion on people owning outdoor cats is. Letting your cats

outside can increase the chance of them getting into fights with other cats, or catching diseases

and in turn giving you a higher vet bill. If you adopt a cat, you are responsible to feed it and take

it to the vet when needed. This is true for unfixed cats and fixed cats. But, Unfixed cats tend to

be a lot more aggressive, and will fight with other cats and humans more often. Especially males

can be very territorial. They can also produce outside kittens, adding to the population of feral

cats. And female cats can come home with kittens, which owners often are not ready for, and

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may have trouble caring for the newborn kittens. It is always best to fix any cat. Fixed cats will

live longer, happier lives.

The amount of feral cats have been known to cause an impact on the environment, and

communities of people in places where TNR does not happen. Many feral cats can pose a health

and safety risk as they have not been treated for rabies, parasites and other diseases that are

transferable to humans. In addition to health impacts, people who leave food out for feral and

stray cats, risk bringing other wildlife into neighborhoods that could pose danger or a nuisance.

“These animals may become habituated to people and aggressive toward food resources left by

people for the cats, leading to more conflicts.” (Dutcher, 3) ”

When cats are not spayed or neutered they can become aggressive towards each other in

an attempt to mate. “Unneutered male cats fight for territory and mates, yowling loudly late at

night.” (Dutcher, 3) In addition to aggression, male cats tend to roam more when it is time to

mate. This roaming can lead to an increase in the cat population as male cats father multiple

litters (Horwitz and Landsberg).

Cats kill native species including rodents, birds and insects. “For example, predation by

feral cats…has led to the decline or extinction of two thirds of Australia’s digging mammal

species over the past 200 years” (Doherty et al). Many countries struggle with overpopulation of

feral cats and do not have the same access to TNR resources that we have here in the United

States. Marie McAlpine notes that in her experience in the United States feral cats do not

significantly impact overall species population. I agree that in neighborhoods with TNR this

usually isn’t a problem.

Euthanizing feral cats in shelters is another cruel way people deal with the

overpopulation of feral cats. Many shelters will euthanize healthy feral cats because they’re

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unadoptable. The worst part about this, is it is only a temporary solution, so many of these cats

are being killed and the problem is not being solved. “Feral cats are not unhealthy creatures that

deserve to be euthanized - they are able to survive in the wild and live out a long and happy life”

(Havaheart). When methods like this exist, I really respect what Marie does by taking care of

these feral cats despite how unsocialized with people they are.

Oftentimes people have a negative perception of feral cats, and assume the worst of them.

Ultimately, the effects these feral cats can have on a community is not worth making these cats

suffer with cruel methods like poison, euthanizing or even discouraging feeding. Some argue that

feeding these ferals attracts them into neighborhoods, and then they "kill all of the song birds."

But, in both my and Marie's experience, feeding these feral cats actually greatly helps in stopping

them from hunting native wildlife. If they know they have a consistent source of food made for

them, there is no need to hunt. And with TNR, these cats are able to receive medical treatment

for any diseases they have that could be transmitted to humans. Colonies of feral cats that aren't

TNRed and fed are where these problems come from. Like my mentor, Marie said, we shouldn't

punish these cats for problems humans gave them. People need to be more compassionate for

these cats, especially when humans are the ones abandoning these animals in the first place. The

best way to prevent overpopulation of feral cats is for people to not abandon their cats or leave

them unfixed.

Trap and release unfortunately does cost a lot of money, time, and space in your home. It

costs between “$300 to $500 for a female cat and around $200 for a male when it’s done at a

private, full-service veterinary practice” (Miller). This cost can go even higher for any illnesses

or injuries they may have, or vaccines they need. However, some shelters or cities will offer to

fix cats for free. At very least, for people who do not have the time or money to help in TNRing

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or feeding, the best way anyone can help is by alerting these passionate and hardworking

community cat rescuers about feral cats in the area. But of course, the more people doing TNR,

the faster results will be.

To help this cause, I decided to trap and socialize a feral kitten. With this experience, I

will also create a how- to showing the best way to trap a kitten, care for it, and get it adopted. I

hope to make this easy to understand and encourage more people to help in trap and release, or at

least to be kinder to these feral cats. This will be a challenge because of how long the kitten has

been outside for. It can take a long time to socialize a feral kitten depending on how old it is.

This kitten is 8 weeks old and has already been trapped before, but escaped. Because of this,

trapping this kitten might not be as easy. Cats are surprisingly smart animals. If a feral has

already been trapped before, they may recognize the trap and learn to avoid it. In my experience

and watching my grandma, the best way is to use different types of traps they’ve never seen, and

my mentor, Marie, says the best way to lure a cat into a trap is to use fried chicken.

In conclusion, Trap and release is so important for our feral cat colonies. Instead of

harming stray cats, people can spay or neuter stray cats to prevent kittens and keep the

population down. In some cases, younger cats also have the opportunity to be rehabilitated and

placed in loving homes where they can be well cared for. These cats need help, and it is up to the

community to save them.

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 Works Cited Page

Published Articles

Doherty, Tim S., et al. “Invasive predators and global biodiversity loss.” Proceedings of the

National Academy of Sciences, vol. 113, no. 40, 2016, 11261.

Electronic Sources:

“Catch and Kill vs. TNR: A Look at Sustanability.” APA Adoption Center, October 16, 2019.

https://apamo.org/catch-and-kill-vs-tnr-a-look-at-sustainability/

Dutcher, A., Plas, K., Grant, S., Vantassel, S.M. Free-ranging and feral cats.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/reports/Wildlife%20Damage%20Managem

ent%20Technical%20Series/free-ranging-and-feral-cats.pdf

Horowitz, D., Landsberg, G. “Cat Behavior and Training - Cat Neutering and Behavior”. VCA

Animal Hospitals,

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/cat-behavior-and-training-cat-neutering-and-beha

vior. Accessed 3/26/23.

Miller, Lynne. “How Much Does it Cost to Spay a Cat?” PetMD,

https://www.petmd.com/cat/care/evr_ct_how-much-does-it-cost-to-spay-a-cat Accessed

4/13/2023.

“The Benefits of Feral Cat TNR Programs vs. Euthanasia.” Havaheart,

https://www.havahart.com/articles/benefits-tnr-programs-euthanasia#:~:text=Trap%2

DNeuter%2DReturn%20programs%20have,a%20long%20and%20happy%20life.

“Tackling Feral Cats and Their Impacts.” Australian Government - Department of Environment

and Energy.

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 https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/factsheet-tackling-feral-cats-

and-their-impacts-faqs.pdf

Primary Sources:

Marie McAlpine. Personal interview. DATE