EXECUTIVE BOARD COVERAGE

Wording about mandatory spaying or neutering of cats was taken out of the AVMA policy "Free-Roaming Abandoned and Feral Cats" on Executive Board approval during its June 4-6 meeting.

The provision that state and local agencies should adopt and enforce ordinances that "Require mandatory spay/neuter of cats unless the owner purchases an intact permit or breeder permit" was struck.

The Animal Welfare Committee had examined the policy in accordance with the directive that all AVMA policies be reviewed every five years. Meanwhile, during the board's April 2009 meeting, it approved revisions to the AVMA policy "Dog and Cat Population Control" to indicate nonsupport for mandatory spay/neuter proposals. The AWC recommended the deletion in the feral cat policy to ensure consistency among policies referencing mandatory spay/neuter.

Background information provided with the recommendation stated that "Because the results of research regarding the effect of managed cat colonies remain ambiguous, and because the profession is so philosophically divided on this issue, the AWC continues to believe that a policy neither opposing nor supporting managed colonies is the most appropriate one at this time."

For the full position statement, visit www.avma.org/issues/policy/animal_welfare/feral_cats.asp.

Speaking on Behalf of Cats

Alley Cat Allies representatives are speaking on behalf of cats at a variety of conferences this spring. This past weekend, Becky Robinson was a featured speaker at the Massachusetts Animal Coalition Whole Cat Workshop, at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton, MA. The workshop addressed humane and effective options available to communities to stabilize the feral cat population. And in May, Law & Policy Director Wendy Anderson will address using the legal system to halt threats to cats and protect their lives at a national conference at George Washington University's Law School in Washington, DC.

See our calendar for upcoming workshops, events, and conferences »

Thanks Tere. I've noted the new news story and forwarded it.

Society & Culture  (tags: activists, crime, death, murder, Jaltenco, dogs, cats )

Teresa
- 8 minutes ago - youtube.com

http://www.care2.com/news/member/531904814/1079305

Thanks Angela

Thanks Teresa, both news stories noted and letter sent.

/>

Society & Culture  (tags: celebrity, culture, education, ethics, animals, good news )

Teresa
- 53 minutes ago - youtube.com

http://www.care2.com/news/member/531904814/1072696

Mexico Needs Your Help! Note About the Massacre of Dogs and Cats in Jaltenco.

/>

Animals  (tags: AnimalCruelty, cats, crime, dogs, killed, suffering )

Teresa
- 55 seconds ago - care2.com

3089. Angela VanCleve This is an atrocity that must not go unpunishedUnited States  

Thank you Teresa; I noted and signed. I am forwarding the link to the news story and petition. 

http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=3109&pst=1134640&reply=1#1135368

and read there other options to complain:

Massacre of Dogs and Cats in Jaltenco, Mexico

NOTE PLEASE

http://www.care2.com/news/member/531904814/1064376

Animals  (tags: abuse, AnimalCruelty, cats, death, dogs, investigation )

Teresa
- 15 minutes ago - petitiononline.com

/>

EVERYONES needs to check out this website and get to know the opposition.

http://www.tnrreali tycheck.com

Make sure you also visit their links page so you get a feel for who else is on
board with the anti TNR movement

You need to know this stuff to counter act their talking points.
Don't slack off ....... visit and get to know this group and their supporting
orgs

Please check out their legislation page and give the cities and counties
they are going after a hand making sure feral cats are kept safe.

We are lucky in our city and surrounding area's because our songbirds
and fowl rescue/rehab groups have folks within the groups that do TNR
and our Peta Spin off groups Kinship Circle and St Louis Animal Rights
Team also tend to be pro-TNR. Other cities are not no lucky.

Just like the Pitbull people fans of TNR MUST get more vocal and active
helping each other protect their rights and the cats they care for.

While The Cat's Away: How Removing An Invasive Species Devastated A World Heritage Island

This information is from a reliable source, someone who has worked directly with the Rancho cats.

The city council has granted full access to the property to the caretakers to care for the cats and have stopped trapping them, but they will have to be re-located soon.

It is unfortunate that the council does not recognize the effectiveness of TNR.

Just wanted to update everyone on the Rancho cats.

According to someone in a feral caretakers group I belong to the council has agreed to stop trapping the cats and is allowing the caretakers to feed and water the cats without any further harrassment. However since all 7 buildings are to be torn down, all the cats must be relocated. They DID NOT agree to implement TNR as the advocates had hoped.

8 cats from the colony have been adopted. All the cats that were trapped and held at the shelter have been pulled and released to the caretakers for return.

Real-life Mowgli kept alive on freezing streets by wild cats

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:11 PM on 20th December 2008

A young boy was kept alive by wild cats while living rough on the streets, it emerged today.

The one-year-old, whose ordeal mirrors Jungle Book character Mowgli, was discovered by police in Misiones, in Argentina, surrounded by eight of the animals.

The cats snuggled up with him during freezing nights that would otherwise have killed him, doctors believe.

Rescued: The child is taken away by policewoman Alicia Lorena Lindgvist

The boy was seen eating scraps foraged by his feline friends while they licked him.

And they hissed as police approached the child.

Officer Alicia Lorena Lindgvist said: ‘I was walking and noticed a gang of cats sitting very close together. It is unusual to see so many like that so I went for a closer look and that’s where I saw him.

'The boy was lying at the bottom of a gutter. There were all these cats on top of him licking him because he was really dirty.

‘When I walked over they became really protective and spat at me. They were keeping the boy warm while he slept.’

The officer, who noticed scraps of food near the boy in the Christ King district, also told The Sun: ‘The cats knew he was fragile and needed protecting.’

Police have found the boy’s father who is homeless and said he had lost the boy several days ago while out collecting cardboard to sell.

He told officers cats had always been protective of his son.

I wanna be like you: The boy, like Jungle Book character Mowgli, left, was  protected by animals. The cats, like right, snuggled with him to keep him warm

A spokesman for Thames Valley Animal Welfare, which deals with feral cats and strays in Berkshire, said: ‘They would have viewed the baby like a big hot water bottle.

‘Cats will cuddle up to anything to keep warm, even dogs.

He added: ‘In our experience of cat colonies, when a mother has a litter, all the other cats will go and fetch food.

‘The baby could have been feeding off the scraps they brought. Cats in Argentina stay in large packs to survive - much more than cats over here.’

In the Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book, Mowgli is raised in the Indian Jungle by wolves.

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The link to the story.There is also a  video that did not appear  in the previous message.

Help Save the Rancho cats.

http://cats.about.com/b/2008/11/20/help-save-the-rancho-los-amigos-cats.htm?nl=1

Help Save the Rancho Los Amigos Cats

This makes me so upset.I have no words just tears.

Chrissy

Natalie, I have no words to express how sick this makes me, how another human being can be so heartless to an animal that is helpless.

I hope they are tried and get the maxiumum sentence.

Thanks ,Angela!

You can read more in the Code of conduct" in the PDF file.The link is in the article.It is quite lenghty.I wish it was a law everywhere,not just a non binding suggestions.

So we would not have to see pictures like that.It is a bit off topic ,because it is about dogs.Please, read.The pictures did not come thru.But here is the link :

BERKELEY COUNTY, WV - Animal control officers are calling it one of the worst cases of animal abuse they've seen.

A pit bull was found in an attic with evidence that its mouth had been duct-taped shut and chained.

The three-year-old dog was emaciated, neglected and abused, with open wounds on its face that are too graphic to show.

Witnesses say the abuse had gone on for weeks.

Berkeley County Animal Control and city police found the dog Wednesday.

On Thursday police arrested Randall Siford, Jr. and Breshannon Devereux.

Angela Brown moved into the neighborhood recently and has two pit bulls of her own.  She says she never knew the two had a dog because she never saw them with one before.

Statements given to police say the dog named Ice was beaten repeatedly.

“That saddens me because pit bulls already have a bad name, and it's because of stuff like that I think that's why half of them are viscous,” Brown said.

Ice is now getting a warmer reception in the hands of Berkeley County Animal Control until the case goes to court.

Riford and Devereaux are charged with felony animal cruelty.  If they're not convicted, Ice will be turned back over to them.

Felony animal cruelty carries a maximum five-year sentence in West Virginia.

I am impressed with the U.K.'s Code of Practice concerning cats. I wish the U.S. would adopt something similar. They are way ahead of us when it comes to ensuring the welfare and treatment of cats!

New U.K. Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats

Survey Reveals Significant Gap between Public Opinion and
Animal Shelter Policies on Killing Cats

Alley Cat Allies Marks National Feral Cat Day, October 16

(Washington, D.C.) October 15, 2007 – An overwhelming majority
of Americans believe that leaving a stray cat outside to live out his
life is morehumane than having the cat caught and killed by animal
control, according to asurvey conducted by Harris for Alley Cat Allies,
the national nonprofitorganizati on dedicated solely to issues affecting
stray and feral cats.

The survey results were released around National Feral Cat Day,
which is observed annually on October 16 as part of a national
movement that seeks to end the common practice of killing all
cats—stray, feral or pet—that enter the nation's animal pounds
and shelters.

Of the respondents to the Alley Cat Allies national survey, 81
percent said that it is more humane to let a stray cat live out its
life than to kill it now.Respondents were then asked to consider
the most humane outcome if they were to assume the stray cats
would be hit and killed by a car in two years; 72 percent
said it was still more humane to let the cat live out his natural life.
The Alley Cat Allies survey also found that more than two in five

Americans have put out food or water for a stray cat, with more
than one in five respondents reporting to have done so in the
past year."Many people do not understand that contacting animal
control agenciesto remove outdoor cats means literally handing
these animals an immediatedeath sentence," said Becky Robinson,
president of Alley Cat Allies. "Feral catsare not a threat, yet they are
not socialized to humans and cannot be adopted, somost shelters
capture and kill them. Not only is this practice cruel, it is also a
waste of money and resources and is not effective in reducing the
total number of cats who live outdoors."

FERAL CAT DAY / PAGE 2
These results from the Alley Cat Allies Survey were released at the
National Feral Cat Advocacy Seminar, Oct. 12-13, where experts
and advocatesfrom across the country gathered in Alexandria, Va.
to overhaul our nation'sanimal control policies and end the killing
of cats in animal pounds and shelters.National Feral Cat Day was
inaugurated by Alley Cat Allies in 2001 toeducate the public about
stray and feral cats and how Trap-Neuter- Return (TNR)
improves the lives of outdoor cats.

During October and throughout the year, Alley Cat Allies
conductsspecial events, programs and workshops to educate
humane societies andgovernment agencies on the basics of TNR,
as well as empower residents toquestion their local animal control
policies and to implement TNR programs in their communities.

In addition, thousands of concerned citizens, volunteers and
localorganizations across the United States will mark National
Feral Cat Day with aseries of events throughout the month, including
spay/neuter clinics,community rallies, shelter-building projects and
leafleting campaigns seeking toraise awareness and end the killing
of cats by animal control agencies and shelters. A complete listing
of local events can be found at www.nationalferalca tday.org.

I remember Scarlett, she was a brave, selfless mama.

I am sorry to hear she passed but I am glad she had many long years in a loving forever home and was able to live the rest of her life in peace and safety. It was wonderful that her kittens were adopted in pairs so they would always have one of their littermates with them.

R.I.P. brave Scarlett, you will be most honored at the Rainbow Bridge.

Scarlett, the cat that saved kittens from 1996 Brooklyn fire, dies

By LARRY McSHANE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Friday, October 24th 2008, 11:18 AM

Murray/News

Scarlett the cat in 1997

Scarlett the cat, a calico hero who drew worldwide acclaim after rescuing her five kittens from a 1996 Brooklyn fire, has passed away.

The aging cat - believed to be at least 13 years old - succumbed to multiple illnesses, leaving behind the sad Brooklyn family that adopted her after the blaze.

"She was the most precious and loving cat, and in our household, it was all about Scarlett," said her owner, Karen Weller.

Scarlett's ascension to stardom began in an abandoned Brooklyn garage, where she was tending her litter of five when a fire broke out in March 1996.

Firefighters spotted Scarlett, despite burns to her eyes, ears and face, toting each kitten out of the building to safety. Once outside, Scarlett nudged each baby with her nose to make sure she found all five.

The hero cat was taken to the North Shore Animal League with her offspring - and their story soon attracted attention from around the globe.

Calls about the fearless feline's health came in from Japan, the Netherlands and South Africa, while other admirers sent Mother's Day cards to Scarlett.

She became the main character of a book, "Scarlett Saves Her Family," and received mentions from Oprah Winfrey and CNN.

In her new Brooklyn home, Scarlett was top cat. Four of her five kittens survived the blaze and they were adopted in pairs.

Scarlett died on Oct. 11, after battling kidney failure, a heart murmur and lymphoma, Animal League officials said.

Messages

Just wanted to thank you both for these news stories.

There is nothing compassionate in killing animals just because we cannot  adopt all of them and keep them at home.PETA's policy on TNR is disgusting!

Because of the huge number of feral cats and the severe shortage of
good homes, the difficulty of socialization, and the dangers lurking
where most feral cats live, it may be necessary—and the most
compassionate choice—to euthanize feral cats. You can ask your
veterinarian to do this or, if your local animal shelter uses an
injection of sodium pentobarbital, take the cats there. Please do not
allow the prospect of euthanasia to deter you from trapping feral
cats. If you leave them where they are, they will almost certainly
die a painful death. A painless injection is far kinder than any fate
that feral cats will meet if they are left to survive on their own.

Found on their website:
http://www.peta. org/mc/factsheet _display. asp?ID=141

Thanks Natalie! That is great news for the Hemingway cats at the museum. I knew that the case had been ongoing for years, but I did not know it had been settled in favor of the museum and the cats. 

Hemingway Cats Victorious After 6-Year Battle

A Fox News story discloses the end of a long battle between the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum and the federal government, with an agreement issuing the museum an "animal exhibition license" which will allow the 50 cats there to roam the grounds.

In 2006, after the feds threatened to impose a $200/day per cat fine ($10,000/day), the museum took the battle to Federal Court, asking for a ruling. The legal question is whether the cats are "on display for profit," as the U.S.D.A. maintained, or merely "residents of the museum" as the museum asserts. In 2007, the museum won a small battle, in the form of an exemption by the Key West City Commission from a law limiting the number of cats per household to four. This week's ruling signifies the end of a six-year fight between the Hemingway House and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's been a long time coming.

The Hemingway cats are polydactyls, distinguished by their extra toes, and are direct descendants of Snowball, a cat received as a gift by Ernest Hemingway in 1935. They are so famous that the term polydactyl has become synonymous with Hemingway Cats over the years. Although most breed registries consider polydactylism a fault, these cats are very popular with the humans who love them. Pictured here are the toes of Squeaky, a polydactyl cat.
_{Photo Credit: © Maya Schlegel}

More on Hemingway Cats

The Amazing Hemingway Cats
Polydactyl Cats Picture Gallery

Alley Cat Allies has formed Metro Cat Action Team (MCAT) to bolster and promote Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) services in the Washington, DC metro area, encompassing the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, and suburban Maryland. ACA’s monthly Northern Virginia No-Cost Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Clinic, founded in 1997, is the cornerstone of the area’s growing resources.

If you live in the DC metro area, check out www.MCATdc.org.  If not, click here for resources in your area.

San Antonio, TX - Nydia Montero, a concerned citizen who used her own money to TNR feral cats in her neighborhood, has been charged with allowing the cats to roam without wearing a county license and a rabies tag.

"It is so illogical," Jenny Burgess, who runs Animal Rescue Connections in San Antonio, told the newspaper. "If it weren't tragic, it would be laughable."

Alley Cat Allies is in Animal Fair magazine (volume 27) where feral cat photos by David Tanen are featured. The feral cat colony at Brighton Beach in New Jersey is the subject of the 2006 calendar by David is used to raise awareness of feral cats and support Alley Cat Allies programs.

Order your calendar today. Limited quantity available for only $5!

I was originally searching pigeons when this came up, and the first part of the article had me concerned, but reading through it I think Cape Town is handling the situation well- Robben Island on the other hand...

Gulls' nesting site sets cats among pigeons

March 28 2006

Cape Town's Hartlaub's Gulls, a southern African endemic species that breeds only between Cape Agulhas and Swakopmund in Namibia, have been chased from Robben Island by feral cats that annihilated their breeding attempts there.

So this year, several hundred of the gulls have bred in an empty field under the flare stack at the Chevron (formerly Caltex) oil refinery at Milnerton, and more appear to be joining them.

The refinery is a proclaimed national key point and security is ultra tight, so the gulls are extremely safe from human interference.

But feral cats at the refinery very quickly discovered the new arrivals and wiped out the first 50 or so nests.
Now the refinery's managers have instituted several anti-cat measures.

Because no firearms may be discharged at the refinery, the cats are being spared the fate of their cousins on Robben Island where a sharp-shooter is preparing to resume a lethal removal programme.

Instead, the refinery has temporarily employed watchmen to chase cats away while the fence around the field is repaired.

"But no fence is going to be 100 percent effective against cats," explained Derek Bredenkamp, a birder in the refinery's planning department who noticed the first gulls arriving in the flare field about a month ago.

As a more permanent measure, the refinery has called in the Animal Anti-Cruelty League to remove the moggies.

"The process they use is very humane and no cats will be harmed," said Phumi Nhlapo, the refinery's public affairs manager, adding operational safety was the main reason for removing the cats.

"We will start feeding them from today in specific areas, and from next week the league will start to trap and remove them."

The cats will be neutered and the league will try finding the animals suitable homes.

However, as recommended by the league, a neutered pair of the cats will be reintroduced to the refinery later "to try preventing other cats from coming onto the site," Nhlapo explained.

Les Underhill, director of University of Cape Town's (UCT) avian demography unit, described the news of the gulls' new breeding site as "excellent".

"The spot they've chosen is perfect breeding habitat.

"The refinery is to be commended for doing its best to make this area cat-free."

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=vn20060328102753672C324155

The Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project is ground zero in the Puget Sound area's efforts to curb feline overpopulation. Founded in 1997 by veterinarian Christine Wilford, the project's veterinarians have spayed and neutered tens of thousands of homeless cats for free, including more than 1,000 since Jan. 1 alone. (more)

Washington, DC - History was made in Washington, DC, when four colonies of feral cats were sterilized and vaccinated at the Washington Humane Society’s new feral cat spay/neuter clinic on March 12. Thirty-three healthy, sterile cats returned to their outdoor homes today (March 13), fully recovered from surgery. WHS’s new policy is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) for DC’s feral cats. Alley Cat Allies assisted caregivers by trapping the cats and transporting them to the all day clinic. Congratulations Washington Humane Society and DC’s feral cats!

(From www.alleycat.org )

Although there is no bird flu in the United States, fear is rising over a few cats found to have died from it in Europe. Scientists worldwide report that humans have nothing to fear from cats that may contract avian flu from eating an infected bird. Following are reports from highly knowledgeable and credible sources. Please visit our site regularly for updates as the issue develops.

H5N1 Avian Influenza in Domestic Cats
World Health Organization

"There is no present evidence that domestic cats play a role in the transmission cycle of H5N1 viruses. To date, no human case has been linked to exposure to a diseased cat."

Bird Flu: A Danger to Felines?
Cornell Feline Health Center

"Can cats catch the bird flu? These reports, along with recent studies, say "yes." Might it also be possible for cats to get the flu from us--or for humans to get the flu from cats? The short answer is 'no.'"

From: www.alleycat.org

Feral cats are not the only victims of misguided public policies. In 2004, Wildlife Services, a branch of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, killed 2.7 million “nuisance” animals, including but not limited to beavers, opossums, prairie dogs, black bears, coyotes, wolves, and many bird species. The 2004 kill was more than one million animals higher than 2003. Read this report from Public Employees for Environment Responsibility (PEER) here.
Source: www.peer.org

Washington, D.C. - Alley Cat Allies’ DC Cat Assistance Team (DC CAT) is the primary Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program for feral cats in Washington, DC and has neutered more than 1500 cats in less than two years. Washington Humane Society is now working directly with ACA to develop a formal animal control program that will for the first time include nonlethal humane control, Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), for feral cats in Washington, DC. (more)

WHS Already Showing Support for TNR

(more)

Please pass this on to anyone and everyone you know. I've been keeping my eye on this handsome guy for months and I would take him if I could. I have 5 cats, a rabbit, a 2.5 year old son and a baby due any day. I wish I could take him!

I received a request for assistance today from Mary at Friends of the Cat, Athens, Greece.  FOTC tend to all the cats who live in the Athens Public Gardens grounds.  Unfortunately every so often the stray dogs seriously injure and even kill these cats.  It's very upsetting to the volunteers who go daily to feed, medicate and otherwise look out for their well-being.  This past week has been one of those weeks where several cats have been either seriously injured (one is currently being treated for a fractured pelvis/back) or killed.  It's a horrible way for these cats to die but there's really nothing that can be done to prevent the dogs from doing this.    They are very worried about some of the 'old times' in the Gardens so Mary has asked if I could possibly find a home for dear old Mr. Tumble who's been living there for several years.  Today she went and got him and took him to their office as she's very worried he'll be next.    Mr. Tumble is about 8 yrs old, neutered, vaccinated, viral tested etc.  He recently had dentistry so is missing a few teeth ... but is feeling a lot better from having them removed.  When they go to feed him, he's craving human attention so much that doesn't eat the food but instead tumbles all around their feet, wanting to be petted .... hence his name!  He's a wonderful cat, very sweet when he gets to know you, but he can be a bit nervous in new surroundings in the beginning.  She recommends a home without young children and if at all possible, he should be the only cat in the home.  (I know that's a tough order to fill as most of us already have cats or dogs in our lives.)  Definitely no dogs as he's been terrified by them many times from being chased up the trees and it would really stress him out.  (He might be alright with another cat if it has a gentle personality.)   Please, if you or someone you know would like to adopt Mr. Tumble, fill out the attached adoption application form and return it to me ASAP.  It would be so wonderful for Mr. Tumble to have a home of love and security in his senior years!   Thanks so much!   Dianne  
GARCanada (www.garcanada.com) is the Canadian branch of the UK registered charity,
Greek Animal Rescue (No. 802243), founded in 1989 (www.greekanimalrescue.com).   Sponsor a stray at www.garcanada.com   "You can't save every animal in the world but, for the one you do save, it IS the world!"

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Download Attachment: Tumble.jpg

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Download Attachment: Cat Adoption Application.doc

 [ send green star]

And so do you, LaurenV! Thanks for the excellent information. 

I doubt any feral cat sees anything wrong with its existence. Animals have to be incredibly sick, old, or starving, to embrace death. 

Check out this feature story on TNR and ACA in Cat Fancy magazine's December issue.
Article not available online.

But did I not post the link to the rest of the article?
Read the rest of the letter here. Scroll down to middle of page.

Actually, when you really think about it, it doesn't make sense. OK, think of it this way: Wild animals don't die of old age either, and bad things happen to them in the wild too, they get hit by cars, torn apart by predators, attacked by other animals, etc. Should all wild animals be euthanized because they may suffer from these things?

I think it is wrong to kill healthy cats because they may suffer at some point in the future. Let me give you an example: If, somehow, I were to know that you were going to come down with some horrible illness or break a bone or that someone was going to violently beat you, should I give you a lethal injection before that happens? Of course not, you'd want to enjoy life before anything like that would happen, and that's what this is about, except there are no hypothetical psychic powers at play here, just assumptions and guesses. Yes, if a cat is truly ill and cannot be saved from the illness, they should be humanely euthanized, but not the healthy ones. Innocent cats should not be killed because of the mistakes of mankind. They did not choose that life.

I do have experience with stray and feral cats too, and I have also seen kittens with maggots burrowing into their living bodies, but my mom has saved many kittens like that by pulling and rinsing off the maggots and cleaning the wounds. Granted, some kittens don't make it because the maggots went too deep, but most of the time, if caught early enough, they can be saved.

What feral cats really need are more dedicated caretakers who will spay/neuter them, vaccinate them, feed them, provide shelter to them, and properly medicate and treat them as needed. I think that hypothetical cat would much prefer to be kindly taken care of in the environment he's lived in for most of his life instead of killed at a young age.

I suggest you read the following articles and links for more information:
http://www.wildaboutcats.com/tnr.htm
http://www.theanimalspirit.com/Myths.html
http://www.alleycat.org/pdf/winograd.pdf (A brilliant article on the rights of feral cats, you'll need the Adobe Acrobat reader to open this though)
http://www.alleycat.org/pdf/buildingthebody.pdf (Adobe required)
http://www.alleycat.org/pdf/human_cost.pdf (Adobe required)
http://www.theanimalspirit.com/TNRBrochure.pdf (Adobe required)
http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=4076&pst=105440
http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=4076&pst=104022

If, after reading all this, you still do not bel that feral cats have a right to live, then maybe you are not right for this group.

Hi Laurn,

Now, I don't really like Peta..but here is half of the article that you didn't post.  I think it makes a lot of sense..

Unless they are located in a temperate climate in an area isolated from roads, people and other animals and are provided with food, water and veterinary care, feral cats struggle to survive. Feral cats don't die of old age. Many suffer terribly from contagious diseases like rhinotrachitis, feline AIDS and rabies. Others sustain puncture wounds, broken bones, brain damage, or lose eyes or limbs after being attacked by other animals, abused by cruel people, or hit by cars.

As an Animal control Officer..i see it all.  picking up feral cats..that have old open wounds and have maggits in the wound. 

Yes, it is sad that we have such a feral cat problem...but us as society is the problem of why we have this plight.  Irresponble pet owners..who think there cats need the outdoors, Society not spaying and nueturing their pets..which contribute to the pet overpopulation.

It's a sad life for feral cats and most die an agnoiizng death and alone. 

I think the above paragraph says the life that a feral cat leads.  It is truly heartbreaking and honestly I think it would be better for them to be humanely put down, then to live a life on the streets.  and I guarentee if they feral cats could talk...they would agree. 

PETA’s mission statement asserts that they are “dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals”. On the webpage celebrating their 25th anniversary they state that “animals deserve the most basic rights – consideration of their own best interests regardless of whether they are useful to humans. Like you, they are capable of suffering and have interests in leading their own lives.”

Apparently those rights do not extend to feral cats, as evidenced in a letter to the editor written today by PETA staff writer Lindsay Pollard-Post in the Lacrosse ( Wisconsin) Tribune. Pollard-Post says "...until the cat overpopulation is stemmed through spaying and neutering, euthanasia is a humane option for feral cats.

Read the rest of the letter here. Scroll down to middle of page.

In the aftermath of the failed proposal to allow shooting of feral cats in Wisconsin, Alley Cat Allies is coming to Wisconsin to give advice on how to alleviate the problem using non-lethal methods. (more)

Read more about the workshops here.

The Central Nebraska Humane Society could trap and euthanize 1,000 cats next year, thinking it made headway in solving the overpopulation predicament. The problem, though, is that it will also trap and euthanize 1,000 the year after. (more)

Read more about the Humane Society's proposed plan here.

Town Council President Bill Brooks, who chairs the Finance and Taxation Committee, said neither he nor his colleagues questioned the need to maintain steady funding. "I strongly supported it because of the great job Beth Pouncey is doing," Brooks said of the Palm Beacher who serves as the group's executive director. "We haven't had a complaint since Beth took over." (more)

http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=3565768&nav=3w6oc5xc

Alley Cat Allies: The Humane Solution
July 14, 2005, 02:20 PM

Reporter: Stefanie Silvey

New Media Producer: Kerry Corum

Historic New Harmony is filling up fast with felines. Stray and wild cats are taking over parts of town, leaving some concerned citizens to seek a humane answer to the problem. And, as Stefanie Silvey reports, they've come up with a plan.

Frank Smith is an animal lover. He says, if you feed a cat, you have other obligations to that cat and your neighbors. "If I see a stray cat, I'm going to feed it. If I can also catch that cat, I'm going to also spay and neuter it."

And in New Harmony, it's obvious on this hot summer day. When most animals are hiding from the heat, there are plenty of cats to be found. Smith tells us, "All species on Earth, that is their main goal, is too perpetuate the species and they do it well."

Phyllis Ripplemeier with the Posey Humane Society says something needs to be done - and she has a humane solution: Trap, neuter and release. "Let's just let them live their life out and eventually, through attrition, the colony will die out."

Just to give you an idea of how bad it can become, in seven years, one alley cat and its offspring can reproduce up to 420,000 other kittens. Ripplemeier says, "A female cat, just having a litter of kittens and still nursing, within two weeks can come back in heat and breed again and while she's weaning her first litter, can be giving birth to her second litter." And male cats are no better. "They can breed as early as four months of age, up to seven or eight female cats a day, every day and they take their job very seriously."

And if you think it's bad now, you haven't seen anything yet. Ripplemeier explains, "It's only going to get worse. Imagine emaciated kittens with eye infections, mothers that are literally killing themselves trying to nurse their kittens and there will be no end to it."

A cat's ear will be marked during the process, so it's not caught over and over again but it's a pet owner's responsibility to make sure their cats are marked as well, so they aren't caught too. The group hopes some of the cats will be adoptable. They're going before the town council later this month, hoping for some financial help.

If you'd like to help, or if you need additional information on the TNR fund, call (812) 838-3211 or click here.

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?2664

Dear EarthTalk: What’s the big environmental controversy over feral cats?

--Johanna Berg, Brooklyn, NY

According to the U.S. Census, Americans own more than 60 million domestic cats. But analysts estimate that another 40-60 million formerly pet cats and their offspring roam free. These so-called wild or “feral” cats are blamed for wreaking havoc on already stressed populations of songbirds and other small animals.

While roaming domestic cats also hunt birds and small mammals, their feral cousins--since they are beyond the control of human owners--take the brunt of the blame for the decimation of threatened species such as Least Terns, Piping Plovers and Loggerhead Shrikes.

Cat advocates, however, say the real problem is not feline but human. “Cats are not the primary culprit in dwindling bird populations,” says Becky Robinson, co-founder of the Washington, DC-based Alley Cat Allies (ACA). “The Worldwatch Institute and other environmental research groups verify that the decline in bird and other wildlife populations is directly linked to the loss of natural habitat,” she says. “Urban sprawl, deforestation, shopping malls, roads and golf courses, and increases in pesticide use and pollution are to blame. We need to put constraints on our own behavior, not the normal processes of nature.”

ACA cites a number of scientific studies on feral cat diets which indicate that their impacts on bird populations are negligible. These studies conclude that cats are rodent specialists. Birds comprise only a small portion of their diets, and cats can prey on birds on large land masses without destroying their populations. Cats are opportunistic feeders, and live mainly by scavenging and on handouts from humans.

Feral cats are also blamed for transmitting new diseases to wild animals, and this is probably a legitimate charge. Cats have spread feline leukemia to mountain lions and may have recently infected the endangered Florida Panther with feline panleukopenia (feline distemper) as well as an immune deficiency disease. Some cats also carry diseases that can transmit to humans, including toxoplasmosis and rabies.

Despite these issues, ACA endorses sterilization and long-term management of feral cat colonies, as opposed to removal and extermination programs which they deem ineffective, costly to taxpayers and wasteful of scarce animal protection resources.

Regardless of one’s personal beliefs about feral cats, individuals can play an important role in keeping cats off the “most-wanted” list. Most veterinarians recommend neutering pet cats, and keeping them well fed and indoors as much as possible to limit unwanted reproduction, predation and the spread of disease.

Perhaps most important, people shouldn't release unwanted cats into the wild. According to the Colorado-based Cat Care Society, this practice enlarges feral cat populations and is inhumane. Cats suffer in unfamiliar settings, even if they are good hunters. Contact local animal adoption organizations and agencies for help if you need to give up a pet cat.

CONTACTS: Alley Cat Allies, www.alleycat.org www.alleycat.org; Cat Care Society, www.catcaresociety.org.

The cats are back at Walter's Mobile Home Village. It's not as bad as it was back in February, when dozens of feral or wild cats were rounded up and relocated. (more)
What is the vacuum effect? Read about it here.

Julie Levy, DVM, a founder of Operation Catnip (FL) and a leader in the fight to save stray and feral cats, was recently named "Outstanding Woman Veterinarian for 2005" by the National Association for Women Veterinarians. (more)

The latest news regarding feral cats, TNR, and feral cat advocacy will be posted here. I will post each of the stories separately so I will be able to delete them when they become outdated.

If you've found a news story on feral cats that hasn't been listed here, please post it and/or the link. Thank you.