Feral Cats 2

Posted Monday, August 17, 2009, at 7:35 AM
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  • Amy, I have some more math. The population of the UK is 60 million, the US 305 million. Land area in the UK- 95,000 sq miles, the US- 3.8 million square miles.

    It doesn't supprise me at all we have more feral cats given the huge difference in population and and especially land area. One thing I always enjoy is how people will align their shoddy statistics up to prove a point to an unsuspecting citizen.

    I do however agree that we have a tremendous feral cat problem that needs addressed quickly. I am supporting the new ordinances as long as all McCook citizens are paying, not juts pet owners and we have more control over the Humane Society, as it does our taxpaying community no good to take in large loads of animals from other areas only to have to turn away animals from our area because it's full. then you wonder why these animals end up on the streets.

    I hate turning animals away as much as you and can't stand to see them suffer, but can't be respponsible for everyone. At this point I think we need to focus on and solve our own problems before we go helping everyone else at taxpayer's expense.

    -- Posted by Justin76 on Mon, Aug 17, 2009, at 12:17 PM
  • Hi Amy,

    Been following the stories about all the cats.So sad.Everyone has to come together to get this problem solved.Have missed your blogs,You always have something very interesting.

    Bitsi,still here and now 16 yrs old.Still a real sweetheart.When she is gone , we will be back.

    Where we live on the lake , have no cat problems as the gators get them. Most people here keep their animals inside.Lois

    -- Posted by jonlo34788@yahoo.com on Mon, Aug 17, 2009, at 3:03 PM
  • Amy, you are saying things that really confuse me. If the great threat from feral and/or stray cats is that they are going to spread disease to cats who have owners, why are we owners vaccinating our cats? You mention feline leukemia--that's one of the vaccines my vet gives to my cats. Also, both my cats and dogs get rabies vaccines. I always treat all my animals for fleas and ticks. So now what are the odds that a feral cat is endangering one of my animals?

    I did a little research. Rabies is most often transmitted to humans through bat bites, or dog bites. How often in the whole of the United States in the last 10 years, has rabies been transmitted to a human through a cat bite?

    I think a discussion on how other cities/towns have dealt with feral cats would serve our community much better than Chicken Little scare tactics. I've read that just killing the animals does nothing to control the population. As long as there are food sources and a couple of unaltered cats out there, there will be feral cats. Trap, neuter and return appears to be the only way to control the feral cat population.

    To hear you talk, our town is being overrun by vicious, people and cat killing cats. Did you ever consider that feral cats actually serve as a barrier to disease--by killing rodents?

    -- Posted by Grandma B on Mon, Aug 17, 2009, at 3:10 PM
  • Grandma B, you mention that "I always treat all my animals for fleas and ticks" and get them vaccinated at the vet. Unfortunately, not everyone does and it is a State Law already to have all animals get rabie shots. This ordinance will just keep the pet owners honest about getting their pets vaccinated properly. Hopefully, they'll step up and treat them better also. Yes, we do have a feral cat population and it does more harm that just rabies and other diseases. They do structural damage also. I've had feral cats pee on my front door, and climb and scratch my vehicles. They aren't nice and need to gotten rid of. Do they take care of the rodents? Possibly, but I don't need a mean, ******* cat taking care of them. There are other safer methods.

    -- Posted by FNLYHOME on Mon, Aug 17, 2009, at 4:18 PM
  • Grandma B, I'm not trying to use scare tactics, just trying to keep people informed because ignorance is not bliss.

    Justin76, I'll get you statistics on how many strays and surrenders come to the Humane Society from McCook vs the other little towns they serve. I can bring it to the City Council meeting tonight if anybody would like a look at it. The Humane Society serves a 90 mile radius surrounding McCook because the closest Humane Societies would be Kearney, Hasting, North Platte and Norton KS, some but not all are not as reliable about taking care of pets as Lorie and the crew here in town.

    Lois, good to here from you. Thanks for reading.

    Everybody who reads and posts comments, keep commenting, I enjoy your thoughts on the subject.

    -- Posted by amystrauch on Mon, Aug 17, 2009, at 4:47 PM
  • Okay Justin76,

    here are those stats I promised you. In 2008, the McCook Humane Society took in 1188 animals, 224 of which were strays. 755 came from McCook. Every other town in that 90 mile radius was less than 50 with the exception of Indianola at 67. Oberlin came close at 49. I don't get the yearly breakdown of communities and counties until the end of the year which is why I don't have a year to date for this year. You remember those animals that came from the kennel in Lexington? The HS only took in 11 animals.

    Hope that helps.

    -- Posted by amystrauch on Mon, Aug 17, 2009, at 6:16 PM
  • better kitties than mice ann rats

    -- Posted by Dick on Mon, Aug 17, 2009, at 9:33 PM
  • Cool. You did more homework and did visit more sites!

    -- Posted by theTRUTHaboutTNR on Wed, Aug 19, 2009, at 12:57 AM
  • Bottom line is that we need to do something about the feral cats. It's not a joke and it cannot be set aside any longer.

    -- Posted by FNLYHOME on Wed, Aug 19, 2009, at 11:32 AM
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