This is in response to Frank Spiecker’s letter to the editor, “TNR Is a Misguided Attempt at Controlling Overpopulation” (Suburban, Aug. 13).
I’ve been practicing TNR (trap-neuter-return) since 1998. The colonies that I’ve TNRd have all shown a decrease in population numbers. Frank states many things that can be proven false while he quotes statistics from 2002. Animal rescue has come a long way since then.
The assumption that all cats can never be trapped is not true. I’ve never had that problem in any colony I’ve TNRd. I’ve retrapped colony cats multiple times — some were retrapped years after the initial time they were trapped and others kept going into the trap. Putting worming medicines or any other type of meds in canned food for a stray is easy.
Frank also states the cats live in miserable conditions of makeshift housing. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on cat shelters — fresh straw for insulation every winter, letting cats sleep in my heated garage in the winter, providing cat beds and litter boxes for them. Not everyone just releases a cat and dumps some food on the ground and leaves.
There are many people who take better care of their colony cats than people who have house cats do. My colony cats were provided with fresh water, canned and dry food twice a day, toys, catnip and treats. My oldest TNRd feral was 13 when she passed away after I cared for her for 11 years outside. I’ve also socialized TNRd strays years after they were released, and I was able to bring them inside or adopt them out. I’ve retrapped strays that needed medical attention, and I’ve spent thousands of dollars on medical needs. I’ve also rescued a cat with toxoplasmosis, treated her with medicine, and she no longer has the disease.
Frank states the same things other anti-TNR advocates keep saying that are just not true. The biggest complaint about colonies is about cats defecating on other residents’ properties. My solution is for the colony caregiver to provide litter boxes outside or access to a box in a garage, if possible. All the colony cats I’ve been involved with would never let a child run up to them to pet them or would seek out that attention. The colonies I’ve worked with were in residents’ own yards, so anyone trying to pet a stray cat would be trespassing.
The stray-cat problems that exist are not just with feral stray cats due to TNRd colony cats. There is a major problem with residents letting their house cats roam freely outside, most not being altered or vaccinated and adding to the cat population. I’d much rather have a colony of altered, vaccinated cats in my neighborhood than a bunch of house pets not fixed or vaccinated.
I’ve rescued friendly declawed cats that were never reported missing and never claimed because, unfortunately, most people see cats as disposable pets.
The real issue here is pushing for mandated laws regarding house pets being kept inside, mandatory spay and neuter laws and holding the owners responsible for their pets. If we tackle the problem from where it’s being started, then we wouldn’t have an issue of having to TNR because we’re left with no other options.
Cami Dukay Buffy’s Rescue
South River