More Ferals in the News

From this morning's Herald
Rescuing feral cats one at a time
Woman who uses trap-neuter-return method helping colony on fish company property By MICHELLE JONDREAU Thu. Apr 16 - 5:36 AM

Sonya Higgins tries to find a group of feral cats near H&H Fisheries in Fishermans Cove in Eastern Passage on Wednesday. (Photos by Darren Pittman / Staff)

Sonya Higgins feeds a group of feral cats who have taken up residence on the H&H Fisheries property in Fishermans Cove, Eastern Passage. Ms. Higgins not only feeds the cats but traps some to be taken to the vet for neutering and medical treatment.(Photos by DARREN PITTMAN / Staff)

An Eastern Passage woman has taken it upon herself to help out with the feral cat problem on a property in the Fishermans Cove area.
Sonya Higgins, who lives about a three-minute drive from the property owned by H&H Fisheries Ltd., goes twice a day to visit the cats, who have taken up residence among crates and rubber bins scattered across the property.
"Sometimes I come across as the crazy cat lady," Ms. Higgins, 36, said with a laugh. "The cause for the cats is what’s important."
Ms. Higgins got permission from landowner Reg Hartland to care for the cats. She not only feeds them but traps them to take them to a vet for neutering and medical treatment, if needed.
"People come here and let their kids run around and just drop off their cats," Mr. Hartland said.
He said it becomes a real problem when the cats have kittens and they all start multiplying. He said Ms. Higgins is doing wonderful work.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, reacting to a phone call, inspected the property early last month.
"The main concern was that the cats might be getting in" to the fisheries building, agency spokesman Etienne Chiasson said from Moncton.
He said the inspection turned up no evidence to support the theory.
Ms. Higgins said she started getting calls in November about cats on the property. Since then, she has rescued seven but she said there are still 10 that need help.
"People like me would like to see all the cats put into homes, but that’s not realistic," she said.
Ms. Higgins is a strong supporter of the trap-neuter-return method of dealing with cat colonies. She humanely traps them, pays for their neutering and any needed medical treatment at the Eastern Passage Village Veterinary Clinic, and then returns them to the surroundings they came from.
She raises money through projects such as bottle drives to help offset her expenses.
Ms. Higgins said she has rescued about 185 cats from all across Halifax Regional Municipality in the past three years and found homes for all but about a dozen.
She said people who decide to take in strays must be sure they don’t overextend themselves.
"Don’t take in a cat unless you can afford it," she said. "One lady had 18 kittens within nine months, from feeding one cat."
She estimated it costs at least $300 to get a feral cat properly taken care of at a veterinary clinic. For this reason, she would like the province to step in and provide low-cost services.
( mjondreau@herald.ca)
I am certainly relate to her statement about not taking in strays unless you can afford it. I am lucky that my vet practices at at a clinic with reasonable rates.... and even so, by the time Dora and Oscar were tested, vaccinated, Dora was spayed and we had the followup appt for their boosters, the tab was easily over four hundred. It would have been higher if Oscar hadn't already been neutered when he showed up.

It is mind boggling at how quickly the population of a cat colony can multiply. But spay neuter isn't just about population control either. All the experts, including SCAR agree that altered pets are also healthier and much less prone to wandering.

On a personal level, I can tell you that having Dora spayed really cut down on the 'foot traffic" of every Tom, Dick and Harry throughout the yard. ( Bearing in mind out here in the country in Kings County, very few barn cats are "fixed.... and toms will travel quite a distance. The Kings SPCA is working on county funding for TNR but that's still in the works)

I have the worlds smallest cat colony because I know that with all the pets that I already have, that I don't have the resources to invite in a whole crew. It might not seem like much, although I expect to Dora and Oscar it means a lot : )))
Its really wonderful to see this story in the news and I hope that all the media keep on doing stories about the great folks who have been doing the frontline TNR work. People might not read the animal welfare websites as a rule, but if we get enough stories out there in the media, maybe they'll get the picture.