Saving Ferals
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Saving Feral Cats - Animals Voice Magazine 1996
Last
year, a dramatic headline in an Italian newspaper that an AIDS-like virus
was spreading throughout the stray cat population caused an immediate panic
among cat lovers. Thousands of
feline companions were literally dumped out of households into the streets
of Rome. Monica Cirinna, the
director of Italy’s Office of
Animal Rights, finally appeared on national television to assure the
nation that the disease, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), was only a
distant genetic relation of HIV and could not be transmitted to humans.
It
is easy to be panicked by rumors and sensational newspaper headlines.
In the U.S., similarly horrifying stories written about rabies have
induced fear into people and caused thousands of healthy animals to be
killed. There is a way to deal
with these subjects and take reasonable precautions without creating
pandemonium. When I discovered
a rabid raccoon on my front porch (he was eventually trapped and euthanized
by animal control). I was very
impressed by the sensible attitude of our local health department.
They interviewed those who had come into contact with the raccoon,
established that no one had been bitten or had touched the animal, and dealt
with the situation in a calm and professional fashion.
Humane
officers often deal with appalling cases of cruelty to companion animals,
animals tortured and dumped out like garbage, many struggling to survive on
the streets with no survival skills. Lack
of care, food and shelter lowers cats’ resistance to infections and many
become sick. Some shelter
workers have made statements that all cats who live outdoors carry disease
and are health hazards to humans – a claim that can be very detrimental to
cats in general, make people afraid of stray or feral cats and may prevent
them from helping a cat in need. It
can indeed support the ridiculous statement quoted in 1949 that cats are
“disease carriers.”
What
about alley cats? After years
of working with and observing feral cat colonies, it has become obvious to
me that when alley cats are sterilized and are cared for with food, water
and shelter, they live good, healthy lives.
This doesn’t mean they’ll never get sick or die; after all, such
is the nature of life for all animals, human and otherwise.
Many caretakers report colony members who live to ten years old and
older.
For
humane officers and health officials to make vague general statements that
alley cats are “health hazards” is very detrimental, can cause people to
panic, and may result in mass eradication of colonies.
Myths are spread through ignorance and fear.
INFECTIOUS
DISEASES: Most
people acquire infectious diseases from other people.
Humans can also acquire deadly infections from contaminated food,
especially meat products. Salmonellosis
is a bacterial disease that can contaminate food like eggs, mayonnaise and,
of course, dead animals used for food – such as chickens.
More than five million people in the U.S. get sick from consuming
contaminated meat products, causing more than 9,000 human deaths annually.
There are more than 200 diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans, although only a few can be transmitted from companion animals. These diseases are called zoonotic diseases. They can be categorized into parasites, viruses, fungal and bacterial diseases.
PARASITES:
The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is probably a zoonotic
disease people are most familiar with because if pregnant women become
infected, there can be severe damage to their fetuses.
The oocyts of this parasite can be shed in cat feces.
However, if a woman leaves the litter box chores to others during her
pregnancy, or uses gloves when changing litter, the chances of her acquiring
this disease are minimal. Some
doctors are responsible for encouraging people to abandon their cats when a
woman becomes pregnant.
These
same doctors would do a far greater service if they advised their pregnant
patients to give up cooking and eating meat – toxoplasmosis is usually
found in raw and undercooked meat.
According
to the Cornell Feline Health Center: “research
has put the hazard of cats as an immediate source of Toxoplasma infection
for man in a much less alarming perspective.
In controlling transmission to man, the first concern should be the
most probable source of the infection, which is ingestion of incompletely
cooked meat. The second concern
would be hand-washing after handling raw meat.”
This certainly sheds a more reasonable light on this disease and
could save many cats’ lives, as so many felines are euthanized when
caretakers become pregnant.
Fleas,
ticks and ear mites can be common in colonies of feral cats, which can be
treated when a cat is anesthetized for sterilization.
Flea powder or sprays should also be used around the sleeping
quarters of alley cats. Once a
colony has stabilized and nutritious food is supplied, overall health
improves and parasitic infection lessens.
Roundworms,
hookworms, tapeworms and coccidiosis are also common in feral colonies and
should be treated on the first visit to the clinic.
After that, caretakers can add crushed worm medication in canned food
from time to time. Outdoor cats
often eat grass to eliminate parasites from their systems.
One can also add wheat or oat bran to canned food as roughage to help
carry worms out of the system.
FOLLOW
GUIDELINES AND USE COMMON SENSE. While
we should not treat any of the health problems or zoonotic diseases that
occur lightly, we need to get a proper perspective on what constitutes real
health hazards or risks. The
fact is that many thousands of caretakers have safely been caring for
sterilized and unsterilized colonies in many countries for centuries.
More than 60 million domestic cats are companion animals in homes in
the U.S., with approximately 30% coming into homes as strays off the
streets.
Taking
simple precautions and following prescribed guidelines when dealing with
stray or feral cats greatly lessens any risk to humans.
These precautions include getting rabies shots for both feral
colonies and caretakers, keeping feeding stations and litters areas clean
and tidy, providing nutritious food, water and shelter.
The sterilization of feral cats cuts down on many health and
“nuisance” problems, such as cater-wauling, roaming, and fighting.
CONCLUSION:
Sterilized feral cats in managed and monitored colonies are usually
very healthy. If ferals survive
kittenhood, they often become immune to local viruses and can be very robust
and healthy animals, provided they are sterilized.
The
Egyptians befriended the African wild cat, Felis Iybica, the ancestor of the
domestic cat, more than 3,500 years ago, with little risk to their lives.
They found the feline to be a captivating creature.
Felis catus has occupied a special place in the lives of many people
over thousands of years. Cats
give companionship and love and enrich our lives.
Colony caretakers are just as devoted to “their” wild cats as
they are to the cats who share their homes.
Saving Feral Cats; Part 2 - Animals Voice Magazine 1996
It
was in the beautiful
As
one of the most adaptable mammals on earth, the domestic cat can become
feral fairly easily. In the
CURRENT
AnnaBell
Washburn, founder of Pet Adoption and Welfare Services of Martha’s
Vineyard, was one of the first to introduce non-lethal control methods to
the
WHAT
DO YOU DO WHEN YOU FIND A FERAL CAT OR A COLONY?
When I speak at conferences about managing feral colonies, many
people relate their individual experiences with ferals.
I often hear statements such as, “Please don’t think that an
older feral cannot be tamed. My
Jack was a wild three-year-old, and today he sleeps on my bed.”
Many want to scoop up all ferals and place them in homes, but we must
understand that this is impossible. The
Donna
Wilcox, Alley Cat Allies’ administrative director, found a seven-month-old
black feral at a construction site in
If
the cats are from a long established colony, they are probably too wild to
be placed indoors. Relocation
is possible, but is difficult and time-consuming.
Farms with barns are the most suitable places for relocation, but
require a very understanding and caring individual willing to spend time
with the cats to acclimate them to their new home.
Some folks want “barn” cats for rodent control without offering
proper care (an unacceptable solution).
Successful relocations depend on strict procedures.
But,
as with the cat named Jack, there are always surprises in store for those of
us who rescue ferals. I trapped
a two-year-old feral male, Magic, who had been shot with a BB gun and needed
surgery. I kept him indoors to
recover, and he surprised me by responding well to human attention.
Magic still lives in my home. He
has few “human” social graces, and is still inherently wild, but
nevertheless he is happy to be with me.
CONTROLLING
COLONIES When
Alley Cat Allies (ACA) co-founder Becky Robinson took me into an alley in
Nancy,
the caretaker of this colony, had been feeding them for the past few years.
There had always been high mortality among the kittens and she had
exhausted her resources for placing the healthy ones.
The
management of this colony proves that the trap-neuter-and-release program
does work to control populations. Cats
in such colonies can have a good life, provided caretakers supply them with
food, shelter and veterinary care when needed.
This requires a long-term commitment from people and such dedicated
caretakers should be not be forced to euthanize
the animals or be penalized for feeding stray and feral cats.
Dr.
Andrew Rowan of
TAMING
KITTENS Do
not be fooled by cute little feral kittens!
When you first bring them into your home, treat them with caution.
They can inflict painful bites.
Place them in a covered, warm carrier with food, water and litter.
Move quietly and talk softly when you enter the room.
Leave a radio playing soft music so they get used to human sounds.
Usually, you can cover them with a towel and hold them firmly on your
lap within twenty hours. Scruff
them gently but firmly at the neck (this will not hurt them, but immobilizes
them and allows you to work with them without injury to them or yourself!).
Use interactive cat toys. They
love playing with “Cat Dancers.” If
handled carefully, feral kittens can become tame within a short period,
though, the older they are, the longer it will take.
Tamed
kittens should be checked by a veterinarian and treated for parasites and
fleas. Roundworms and coccidia
are two problems most kittens seem to be infected with and they need to be
treated immediately to prevent any major health problems.
Ferals
often bond with the first caretaker who helps them, and some find it
difficult if not impossible to bond with another human.
If you are taming them for adoption, let them become exposed to many
different people, and place feral kittens in new homes as soon as possible.
They eventually make very lovable companions.
OTHER
USEFUL TIPS: 1.
If necessary, do some fundraising to help pay the bills.
Initially, controlling colonies can be expensive.
Ask your vet to consider a cost break, as you are helping to fix a
neglected social problem. 2.
Get others involved. You
will need help and support with feeding, trapping and placing kittens.
Ask your local companion animal store to assist with adoption days
and donations of cat food. 3.
Be careful not to take in too many cats.
You may end up with a houseful of unplaceable animals.
Be prepared when you adopt out ferals that some
will be returned to you, as many people cannot cope with cats
who are the least bit “unfriendly” or timid.
4. Tell people the cats
they are adopting are feral. It
is better for them to know what they are in for and that it may take weeks
or months before they may finally have a lap cat, or that perhaps the feral
may never be a lap cat. 5.
Make sure the cats you place are all neutered before placing, or that
the new caretaker will neuter them. Have
them all vet-checked and treat any health problems before placing.
Have new caretakers sign an adoption agreement, and do house checks.
6. Consider your local
print and broadcast media for TV and newspaper coverage.
The media is usually sympathetic to “Good Samaritans.”
Stanford
Cat Network formed in 1989 after the University planned to exterminate the
500 feral cats on campus. Today
the numbers are down to 300 and, in 1994, only four kittens were born.
The San Francisco SPCA, one of the first humane societies in the
The
Feral Cat Coalition of Portland was formed by veterinarians who have taken
the lead in helping their city’s feral cats.
The group holds monthly one-day spay/neuter clinics for ferals and
the vets run the program without compensation.
Many institutions, such as hospitals and nursing homes, have colonies
of feral cats. A hospital in
The
veterinarians from the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary
Medicine, who initiated a non-lethal control scheme, concluded that the new
cats entering the colony were introducing new diseases and exacerbating the
very behavioral problems that were causing the “nuisance” in the first
place, such as caterwauling females and spraying tom cats.
At
the
In
1990, Alley Cat Allies (ACA) formed as the national feral cat network to
promote non-lethal control of feral colonies.
Through workshops, conferences, articles and educational fact sheets,
a large network has formed to support those wanting humane methods of
control. In 1994 a resolution
proposed by ACA for a policy of non-lethal feral cat control was adopted at
the “
As
we have seen, the
