Trap, Neuter, and Release: Bad for Cats, Disaster for Birds

Each year free-roaming and feral cats kill hundreds of million of birds in the United States http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/index.html. One controversial solution to deal with the feral cat problem is trap, neuter and release. However, evidence is growing that this method is not eliminating the cat colonies or the predation of birds and other wildlife. There are other problems created by feral cats as well including threats to human health, and public nuisance issues. For more information see American Bird Conservancy's website at http://www.abcbirds.org

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• birds
• cats
• wildlife
• conservation
• endangered species
• environment
• predators
• rabies
• health

[johnt0148]

The problem is not the cats, it is the cat owners. Their ignorance about their cat's effect on wild bird populations in compounded by their lack of concern for the balance of nature. Educate cat owners and fine them everytime their cat steps out of their house.

[sweetvegan74]

I volunteer for Forgotten Cats and is has MANY volunteers that help. I also help people that need getting some cats fixed in their areas when need be. You can talk about your opinion to you are blue in the face. It is working for me and neutered ferals do not live as bad as you might think. They are clean and healthy.

[sweetvegan74]

Trust me hon, I have two other friends that do TNR in my neighborhood and friends that do their own area as well. If everyone just helped out then the crisis would not be so bad. Instead of removing and doubling and making things worse.

[ebolaoutkast]

If they do pour into cat-less areas, it seems as though this whole area will be under siege from them and that will permanently alter the ecosystem. Somehow someway, aside from idiots who free roam their cats, they haven't made their way here, and I don't think that's due to TNR.

[ebolaoutkast]

@sweetvegan74 With that logic we'll have thriving cat populations throughout the country that need to be 'cared for' which I find crazy.

I dunno, we had a litter of cats roaming around here, and we adopted them out, and I haven't seen anymore for years. When I do see one, they seem not to last, most likely due to their short life span. It sounds like lack or proper trapping is the real issue here, if people can't keep trapping until the populations are reduced.

[ebolaoutkast]

@sweetvegan74 It sounds to me that concentrating on one area to eliminate ferals would cause more to pour in to that area. I have a hard time believing that if the WHOLE region was dedicated to their removal that cats would 'pour' in since they have nowhere to 'pour in' from. It's like you're implying that if we eradicate the first colony, then we just...stop. People need to be more proactive with ferals EVERYWHERE. These ferals, when unpampered, have crappy lives.

[sweetvegan74]

But 2 more WILL come back. It always does. Before I came to my area, people told me they found kittens in their back yard every summer. Some of the kittens would be taken to the shelter or given away. People tried getting the adults. But they always came back. I started TNR in 2002, my neighbor across from me said since me, she has found no more litters of kits. The numbers are going down. Not up. Would you prefer 20 dozen or 2 dozen ferals? I think the birds would go for the later.

[sweetvegan74]

It's not pretty. The vacuum effect means when a large amount of cats are taken from an area. The cats left behind breed and fill up twice the cats that were taken away. Cats that are neutered keep unaltered ones away, the few ones that are accepted are also neutered. And the numbers go down since they no longer breed. Neither choice is ideal, but I prefer TNR then killing and adding double the cats later.

[ebolaoutkast]

@sweetvegan74 I wholehardly agree! They do need to be controlled. Releasing them into the ecosysytem is not the answer. Explain the 'vacuum effect' to me please.

[ebolaoutkast]

@summerbrezz74 If we destroy/ adopt out any number of cats, that will lessen the impact to the environment. It's not like if you kill one 2 more will grow back. The birds that that cat would have killed will still be living. That's how I see it. As many as possible need to go.