The panel discussion on the last day of the National Alumni Summit For Urban Animal Strategies always provides opportunity for lively discussion and information sharing. In effort to remind alumni of the importance of this dialogue, and to keep these issues top of mind, here are a few powerful quotes excerpted from the session:
On the issue of managing TNR Colonies:
“[With many feral cat colonies] people don’t realize that there is a community caregiver. Occasionally the cats are trapped and taken to Animal Services… and we go and pick them up. [Upon their return to the colony] we distribute pamphlets in the neighbourhood, to let people know these community cats are being cared for, with tips on keeping the cats out of their yards if they don’t want them there.”
Debbie Nelson ~ MEOW Foundation, Calgary
“Sterilization may be the key [to controlling the number of unwanted cats and kittens] but in our minds, the biggest issue for feral cats is finding someone to be the caretaker of that colony. If we just spay and neuter cats and then turn them back out on the street, there could be health issues immediately after surgery. There is also a concern with neighbourhood acceptance. Some people don’t necessarily care whether the cat will reproduce or not… they still consider them to be a nuisance.”
Tim Dack ~ (Retired) City of Winnipeg Animal Services
On the issue of feral cats, as an ‘invasive’ species:
“In one of the presentations, cats were referred to as ‘second only to rats’ in terms of being an invasive species. Since cats are not [technically] native to Canada, there are concerns about predation on migratory birds and the fact that they may be a food source for coyotes, etc. Have any communities looked into this?”
Patricia Cameron ~ Calgary Humane Society
“In Calgary we studied coyote scat and discovered that [judging from the fecal analysis] inner city coyotes had minor predation of cats. More often, they ate bird seed and garbage. Coyotes are inherently lazy and would rather eat garbage than chase cats. Foxes, on the other hand, are a concern since they can follow a cat over a fence. TNR cats are well aware of predators. The real victims here are the household cats that are put outside every night… and they think every animal is their friend!”
Bill Bruce ~ City of Calgary Animal & Bylaw Services
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