A Rose by any other name isn't always a rose

Its summertime .... and according to a popular punk inspired fast food ad that means 'tis the season to be jolly'. Its also moving season..... which along with newly discovered allergy season, having a baby season and the perennial too stoopid to spay the cat season .... means that tis the season for homeless kitties.
So Ms Kindhearted animal lover wakes up one morning and finds a hungry cat on the doorstep or skulking around the edge of the yard. She puts out a bowl of food ... and with a little encouragement and patience coaxes kitty to the dish. After a few days, she notices that her new friend is in heat. Does she:

• Call animal control? No .... because she's fed the cat for more than 48 hours, so according to animal control, it is now her cat.
• Call the hard working TNR group working in her area to get the cat tested/vaccinated and spayed? No .... because they only work with feral cats.
• Call her local SPCA to take the cat? No .... because they do not take stray cat surrenders ... and once again... she has been feeding the cat.
• Make an appointment with a vet to have kitty tested/vaccinated and spayed? Great option, if she happens to have the resources to do this. But in a world where far too many folks have to choose between paying the rent and the utilities, that's not always in the cards
• Call the radio stations/animal clinics/etc to list a found kitty. Good idea and good luck with that.
• Call her local rescue or shelter and ask for help with the spay? Another great option... as long as there is one in her particular area.
• Take the cat for a drive and dump it somewhere else?
• Tape the cat up in a box and leave it at the local shelter late at night?
• Take the cat to the vet to have it killed?
• Take the chance on the Five Dollar fine and drown the cat?
• Keep feeding the cat.... and eventually the kittens ... and their kittens.... and their kittens. The obvious flaw with that plan is that if she didn't have the resources to alter one cat that the situation will soon get out of hand and she'll find her face on the news with the SPCA van in her dooryard.

TNR groups do amazing life saving work for feral cats. Most of these hardworking groups are operating on a shoestring, so its not realistic to expect them to be responsible for all the homeless cats. They play an important role, but TNR is not the only solution needed for homeless cats. TNR is the best and most humane solution for managing existing colonies of feral cats when the cats can safely be returned to their original site.

What can be done when cats cannot be safely returned? Or when the colony caregiver passes away and the property is sold? The problem with the idea of 'backup' colonies is that of course the original locations will still continue to attract ferals unless drastic site changes are implemented.

All too often, stray cats are left out in the cold. First generation strays may be the mother of all ferals, but they are too friendly and well socialized to qualify for assistance from TNR groups. There is a new term that is being used in a Best Friends Feline Campaign that I really like - Community Cats, because the word stray implies that they are nobody's responsibility.

Basically how the campaign works is that instead of taking strays to a shelter, local resources are combined to test/vaccinate and alter the Community Cats. Just imagine if all the kindhearted folks who start feeding a stray could have access to such a resource.

What a better option than the status quo..... with rapidly escalating populations of unvaccinated and vulnerable stray cats. This is a program that would complement TNR and help create healthier communities. It would provide the same health and population control benefits for the strays that TNR offers for the ferals. Its almost frosting on the cake that communities would reap the almost immediate benefit of a reduced number of first generation strays producing the first generation feral kittens.

Does that mean there is no need for humane education? Of course not. There will be no meaningful long term solution for homeless pets until humane education is part of the public school curriculum in this province. Nor does it dismiss the importance of a Low Cost High Volume Spay Neuter program.

Its important to recognize that TNR is a cornerstone and not the entire solution. Unless the issue of stray cats is addressed in a meaningful way, their offspring will continue to overburden the hardworking TNR groups. The beauty of the Community Cat idea is that it is a proactive solution that has the potential to reduce community friction.... instead of the unhappy tails that can result from letting things go until the society has to react and step in. The genius of the idea is that by engaging the community, there are no sheltering costs needed ... no building, no staff, no operating costs ....just the initial test/vaccine and spay or neuter.

What time is it? Its time to remind your municipal councillors that you want your tax dollars spent saving lives instead of ending them. ( for contact information for your area - http://www.unsm.ca/membership-directory/ )