Wellington Limits Number Of Cats For Owners

[LWolf]

39. I think the way to

lower cats' impact on the environment is to make sure that they all HAVE people. That means that more people need to have more cats, at least until every last cat outside of breeders' catteries are spayed or neutered.

When I moved into my current place, there was a colony of feral cats in and around the barn. I trapped, spayed, neutered, wormed, vaccinated and released every last one of them: 6 adults. I trapped, spayed, neutered, wormed, vaccinated, socialized, and re-homed two litters: 9 kittens.

All at my own expense.

My house cat, that moved here with me, died this spring. Someone gifted me with another feral kitten rescued at 3 weeks old and socialized . So I vaccinated, wormed, spayed, and chipped. At clinic prices, this cost me $190. When I called local vets, they quoted me prices from $400 - $600 for the same.

Reducing the cat population needs public clinics that spay and neuter for free.

Regulate cat owners, if you like. Making them keep cats indoors, or outdoors in escape-proof yards, is reasonable. At least within town limits. Living rurally, many people keep barn cats to help keep the rodent population down. That's why my place had that colony: rodent control. I think the previous owner did not trap, spay, and neuter because it's hard to keep cats outside around here. There are too many predators. Within a year of trapping, "fixing" and releasing, there were no more feral cats. Coyotes, owls, and hawks take their toll. As soon as the feral cats were gone, the pack rat and rabbit populations exploded.

Local clinics will DELIVER spayed and neutered feral cats straight to your barn here if you want barn cats. They'll deliver them every year, since they aren't likely to last longer than that.

Regulating the # of cats, as long as they are properly cared for, is risky if you really want to reduce the number of stray and feral cats.

My mother has 3 cats. She's had as many as 5 at a time. She's not a crazy cat lady. She's not a "cat nut." All of her cats have been rescues. She has the space and time.