HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-Animal Control
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CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO - REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION
From: Deborah L. Biggs Subject: Set a Public Hearing for the establishment
of cat licensing fees.
Dept:Animal Control
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Date: 8-11-97
Synopsis of Previous Council action:
8-11-97 Legislative Review Committee recommended forwarding a cat licensing proposal
to the Mayor and Common Council
Recommended motion:
Set a Public Hearing to establish Cat Licensing Fees for Tuesday, September 2, 1997
at 10:00 a.m.
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Signature
Contact parson:
Deborah L. Bi90S. Director of Animal Cont~bne: 384-5048
Supporting data attached: Staff Report
Ward:
FUNDING REQUIREMENTS:
Amount: N/ A
Source: (ACCT. NO.)
(ACCT. DESCRIPTION)
Finance:
Tabled
Council Notel: _
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75.0262
Agenda Item No.9
STAFF REPORT
On August 11, 1997 the Legislative Review Committee recommended a
proposed cat licensing ordinance to go to the Mayor and Common
Council. The first reading of the ordinance is set for August 18,
1997.
Fees referenced in Title 6 of the San Bernardino Municipal Code
(Animals) are set by resolution of the Mayor and Common Council;
they are not contained in the body of the proposed ordinance.
Therefore, a public hearing needs to be set to establish fees for
cat licensing. This hearing will coincide with the final reading
of the ordinance.
.
RE: Cat "Tax"; Cat Licensing OrtJjnance
Entered into Record It
CouncilfCmvDevCms Mtg:
by
re Agenda Item
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August 18,1997
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To: City Council City of San Bernardino
City Hall
300 North "D" Street
San Bernardino, CA 92415
~itv Clerk/CDC See,
ell, of San Bernardino
Dear Council Member,
It is important to have the facts when voting on an issue. In this package you will find
observations, statistics and conclusions from experts.
.
They adtlress issues such as:
1. Cat licensing: success or failure.
2. Controlling feral cat population.
3. Trap, Test, Vaccinate, Alter, and Release Programs (TTV AR)
4. Spay/Neuter programs
5. Low cost/no cost spay/neuter clinics.
6. Public Education and awareness programs.
These reports are based on ACTUAL case studies. Their findings are detailed.
accurate accounts of successes and failures.
You will find that cat licensing:
1. Does not increase revenues.
2. Does cost tax payers money.
3. Does not decrease the feral cat population.
4. Does increase the number of cats euthanized.
5. Does not increase number of cats claimed at shelters.
6. Does increase number of cats in shelters.
7. TTV AR programs are less expensive than trap and kill programs.
8. TTV AR programs are kinder and work better to achieve the same results - less feral
cats.
9. TTV AR programs result in less cats at the animal shelters.
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Please take the time to educate yourself.
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Thanking you in advance for your interest in making the smart decision regarding cat
licensing.
Mandi Wooldridge
CFA member
Legislative Liaison, Poinsettia City Cat Fanciers
P.O. Box 146
Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352
Nancy WeUs
NPA member
P. O. Box 1968
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91729-1968
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Due Credit
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Due Credit
"Lets give responsible breeders the credit they deserve."
For years I have tried to find statistics on how much, if at all, breeders contribute to
cat overpopulation. Representatives of various humane groups have told me that
breeders contribute "significantly", but no one has yet been able to cite any figures.
Breeders often suffer the stereotype that they are reckless, profit-hungry people,
each producing hundreds of cats a year. Such a generalization is as accurate as
saying that all cat owners are irresponsible because some don't spay and neuter
their pets. Do you want to be classed in the same category as a neighbor who lets
her calico produce dozens of kittens year after year?
According to Michael Brim, public relations director of The Cat Fanciers'
Association, the typical person registering kittens with CFA is a hobby breeder -
someone who produces a few kittens a year in an effort to obtain one or two that fit
a breed standa rd. Kittens fitting the standard compete in shows, and as they
mature, a few are selected for breeding.
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Most kittens produced do not fit the standard and are sold as pets. A buyer signs a
contract that states that the kitten will be spayed or neutered at 6 to 8 months of
age. If it is not spayed or neutered, the contract says, the breeders can repossess
it.
Critics like to point out that these contracts are often unenforceable. Most
breeders, long frustrated by repossession efforts, agree. They dread the thought
that they have played a part in the production of unwanted kittens. But just how big
a part have they played?
In 1990, 19,873 breeders registered litters with CFA Of these, half produced only
one litter. T\Nenty percent produced two litters, and 15 percent, three or four.
Fourteen percent produced from 5 to 20 litters, and 1 percent produced 21 litters or
more. As the number of litters increases, these people registering them are less
likely to be hobby breeders and are more likely to be breeding for profit.
If \Ne estimate that each litter contains an average of four kittens, then the hobby
breeders (the 85 percent producing not more than four litters a year) produced a
total of 111,708 kittens in 1990. If half of these kittens \Nere sold as pets with
neuter/ spay agreements, and if, in tum, half the pet kittens \Nere spayed or
neutered, then in each state an average of 500 unaltered cats \Nent to new homes.
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This figure will alarm hobby breeders as much as it will animal \Nelfare workers. But
consider this: most humane societies use similar spay/neuter contracts when
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)ue Credit
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placing kittens, and some pounds place kittens with no spay/neuter agreements at
all. Clearly, animal 'NEllfare groups face the same problem breeders do: how to
ensure that kittens going to new homes will be spayed or neutered.
In 1991, The Winn Feline Foundation joined the American Veterinary Medical
Association to fund a University of Florida studv on the spaying and neutering of
kittens younger than 4 months of age. If the study shows that kittens this young
can be altered with no unhealthy consequences, breeders and humane societies
may have a solution: spay or neuter kittens before they go to new homes.
The Winn Foundation, which is contributing $24,400 to the study, is supported by
donations from corporations, individuals and, especially, cat clubs - groups whose
memberships consist primarily of hobby breeders. CFA covers all administrative
and operati onal costs.
Hobby breeders have promoted neutering and spaying for more than 25 years.
They sponsor household pet competitions to emphasize the beauty and good
health of spayed and neutered cats. They offer free booth space at cat shows to
groups that encourage spaying and neutering, and they donate show profits,
cages, cents-off coupons and volunteer time to humane organizations throughout
the country.
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While it is true that some breeders are producing cats indiscriminately, many more
have taken conscientious steps toward alleviating pet overpopulation. These
responsible breeders don't deserve our anger; they deserve our encouragement.
Let's give them the credit they deserve.
K.E. Segnar Editor, Cat Fancy Magazine reprinted from the June 1991 issue of Cat
Fancy Magazine
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images which are Copyright @ by the individual photographers. Many people have contributed to
this site. Please send comments to cfa@cfainc.ol'Q.
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8/15/97 4:09 PM
2012
CFA Legislative Committee
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CFA Legislative Committee
The CFA Legislative Committee is charged with providing guidance to those
individuals or member clubs who are opposing unreasonable animal control
legislation in their geographic area. The committee members review and analyze
proposals, offer opinions, and provide information to those working to overcome
the pressure to limit and control the activities of pedigreed cat breeders as a way
to end what has been termed "Pet Overpopulation".
We continuously put forth a broader perspective, and this has led to our
preference for the term, "cat and dog population surplus" since "pet"
"overpopulation" implies that too much reproduction is the sole source of the
problems which result in unnecessary euthanasia in shelters, and that people's
pets are entirely responsible. Neither premise is correct.
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The CFA Legislative Committee has instead emphasized that there are many
complex factors involved, including shelter operation policies, abandonment and
relinquishment of once wanted animals, unnecessary limit laws, and lack of
acceptance of pets in rental housing. Though we recognize that overpopulation is
an important factor, it is the uncontrolled matings of feral cats and the
unplanned reproduction of free roaming pet cats which need to be the focus.
The numbers of cats of a recognizable breed found in shelters is negligible to
extremely low in proportion to that of cats which are random bred, homeless, feral
and/or unweaned kittens.
Euthanasia of dogs and cats can not be completely eliminated. There will always
be some animals for whom this is the most humane option when they are suffering
or dangerously aggressive, yet many animal control agencies are unable or
unwilling to provide the data needed to understand the true extent of this factor.
CFA has worked with other organizations to initiate standardization of basic animal
control information throughout the country.
The Legislative Committee has also urged cat fanciers to oppose laws that unfairly
target responsible pet owners in addition to breeders of pedigreed cats. Some of
these laws are primarily designed to find new sources of funds for animal control
and actually serve to discourage pet ownership without effecting the problems
leading to shelter euthanasia.
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Our objectives over the last five years have included the encouragement of
acceptable and effective alternatives to legislative restrictions. We have circulated
and published information and reports of innovative community action plans and
successful programs. A recent mailing to cat fanciers of the San Francisco SPCA
"Adoption Pact 1995" report describes a dramatic example of a major city and
county which has eliminated euthanasia of all adoptable dogs and cats without
government mandates.
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CFA Legislative Committee
hlIp://www.cfainc.orgforgllegal.html
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During 1994 the CFA Legislative Committee increased our network of informed
contacts across the country. These highly talented people within the cat fancy
provide grass roots opposition to detrimental laws and also actively work on
positive programs. The Committee continues to put forth CFA's views to reinforce
the value of preserving the breeding of pedigreed cats and to encourage ethical
breeding practices that will help reduce the number of unwanted cats.
In the past few years the CFA Legislative Committee members and other cat
fanciers have been successful. We have defeated many unreasonable laws,
assumed positions on community Task Forces and councils, effectively presented
our views at hearings, and established beneficial association with dog fancy
groups and feral cat trap/alter/release groups. The Legislative Committee Matching
Fund has provided for mailings of flyers and reports and other grass roots
activities. We have supported the collection of data and initiated epidemiology
studies which have given us useful information. At the American Humane
Association October 1993 meeting in Baltimore, the "cat lobby" was stated as
being a major detriment to the forces in favor of coercive laws.
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Since 1993 we, and aligned groups such as the National Pet Alliance, the Texas
Coalition and the San Francisco SPCA, have defeated several critical state bills in
California, Texas, Florida and elsewhere along with numerous county and city
ordinances. The Legislative Committee, its network and our partner groups have
had an impact on detrimental legislation.
We urge cat fanciers to be alert to laws in your state and community, and to
become active. We appreciate the courage and willingness of those who go to
hearings and fight for the ability of all cat fanciers to breed pedigreed cats without
bureaucratic, expensive and coercive restriction. We need everyone's help to
support those willing to speak out and to make telephone calls, write letters and
send faxes. The pressure does work.
. San Francisco SPCA Position Statement Aaainst Mandatory Cat Licensina _
January 3. 1995
. Whv Not Coercive Leaislation?
. Cat Overpopulation - CFA's Position
. Due Credit
. Pediareed Cats Face Extinction
To correspond with the CFA Legislative Committee, please send email to
leaislation@cfainc.ora
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CFA Legislative Committee
http://www.cfainc.org/orgllegal.htrnl
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Copyright C 1995-1997 The Cat Fanciers' Association, with the exception of the photographic
images which are Copyright C by the individual photographers. Many people have contributed to
this site. Please send comments to cfa@cfainc.ora.
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CAT OVERPOPULATION - CFA'S POSITION
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CAT OVERPOPULATION - CFA'S
POSITION
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The Cat Fancier's Association, the United States & World's largest registry of
pedigree cats and the largest sanctioning body of pedigreed cat shows, wishes to
reaffirm its commitment to the promotion and protection of all cats, pedigreed and
otherwise, with the following representing our position on cat overpopulation.
. Needless euthanasia of healthy, adoptable cats is offensive to all cat lovers.
. To reduce the numbers of animals euthanized in the United States, cat lovers
should be willing to cooperate with others in the animal field to find solutions
which will:
1. Decrease the number of unwanted births of cats, both random bred and
pedigreed.
2. Decrease the number of homeless stray cats and increase the return of
lost cats to their homes.
3. Increase the number of cats adopted into permanent homes and
decrease the number surrendered to the shelters.
. The responsible breeding of pedigreed cats is of value to society in order
preserve the domestic cat breeds and to provide animals with desirable and
predictable physical and personality characteristics. Further, our position is
that 'We are opposed to any law or regulation which would prevent the
exercise of these activities.
. Those who are involved in the responsible breeding of pedigreed cats should
recognize that, while the proportion of pedigreed kittens produced is small
compared to kittens born at random to random bred cats as a result of
indiscriminate or unplanned matings, this group should promote ethical
breeding practices which will help reduce the number of unwanted cats.
Adopted by the CFA Board of Directors on June 20th, 1991 in Philadelphia, PA.
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Copyright C> 1995, 1996 The Cat Fanciers' Association, with the exception of the photographic
images which are Copyright C> by the individual photographers. Many people have contributed to
this site. Please send comments to cfa@cfainc.ora.
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National Pet Alliance
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(0 CAT fAN C I E R S mailing !iSl . web lite . community @
Rational Pet IIlliance
"Helping our Companion Animals Today"
The National Pet Alliance (NPA) is a non-profit corporation
formed to promote the well-being and responsible ownership
of domesticated cats and dogs. We are involved with a
variety of animal welfare issues, such as improving the
standard of animal care, controlling the surplus of dogs and
cats at the shelters, and defending the rights of responsible
pet owners. Through our in-depth studies, we discover the
facts behind the issues, and we use these facts to help
animals.
Join us for a tour of our site which includes information
on:
. Brief Historv of the National Pet Alliance: Our Commitment
to Animal Welfare
. Trap. Test. Alter. Vaccinate. Release Proaram: Humane and Effective Population Control
for Feral Cats
.Opposition to Coercive Leaislation: Protecting the Rights of Responsible Pet Owners
.Studv Reports: Research and Information on the Issues
The National Pet Alliance supports and defends the following principles:
· Dogs and cats add to the quality of our lives and should be treated at all times with love,
understanding and respect.
· Dog and cat owners should be allowed to keep their pets without having narrow
restrictions imposed, provided the animals are well cared for, kept responsibly, and do
not disturb or cause harm to others.
· Most dogs and cats not designated for a responsible breeding program should be
spayed or neutered. The enactment of spay/neuter programs should be accomplished
on a voluntary basis through public education, not through coercive legislation.
. All animal shelters and humane societies should enact a program to ensure that every
dog and cat they place for adoption is spayed or neutered, either prior to adoption, or
through a legally enforceable contract.
8111/9110:58 AM
National Pet Alliance
hItp:ltwww.fanciers.comlnpafnpaintro.html
e Support the NPA!
National Pet Alliance depends upon the generous support of individuals and groups to enable
us to gather and disseminate research, information and statistics.
National Pet Alliance continues to gather demographic information on dogs and cats. We are
in the planning stages for two new research projects in 1996. The information gained from
both studies will be very useful tools to those who are facing restrictive pet ownership
ordinances, and will help everyone to understand the real situation between owned and
unowned cats. Help support our ongoing research efforts, by making a donation today. All
donations are used directly for the effort. There is no overhead for mailings, solicitations, or
paying employees.
We appreciate your contribution toward the cause when requesting that information be sent to
you.
Every dollar received is one more phone call, and several more letters we can send out.
Thank you for your support!
National Pet Alliance
PO Box 53385
San Jose, CA 95153
e Tel: (408) 363-0700
[National Pet Alliance] [!:Iistory] [TTVAR Proaram] [Leaislation] [Studies]
Copyright @ National PeMfliance.
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National Pel Alliance - Study Reports
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hlIp:/Iwww.fanciers.comlnpalstudies.html
(g CAT fAN C I E R S mailing list. web site' community @)
R~tional Pet IlUiililce
STUDY REPORTS:
the facts and figuresl
Statistics show that pet overpopulation is on the decline.
Projections indicate that it will take approximately twenty-five years to achieve the end
result. These numbers can decrease significantly faster with programs such as the TlVAR
prooram. Efforts must continue to educate the public on the benefits of spaying/neutering all
companion animals (not used in responsible breeding programs), prior to six months of age,
and for those who feed stray cats, to catch and alter them. The following studies, conducted
by the NPA, contain actual facts and figures that support this.
· A Report on Trap-Test-Alter Proorams
· San Dieoo County - Survey and Analysis of the Pet Population
· San Jose's Spay/Neuter Voucher Proaram
· Survey Report on Santa Clara County's Pet Population
· Fioures on Cat Euthanasia at Shelters in Santa Clara County 1994
· Feral Cat Conference. Denyer CO. Aua 9-10/96
· A Survey of Chanaes in HSSCV Shelter Population from 1994 to 1996: Do free
spay/neuter vouchers work?
Other Related Links:
· San Francisco SPCA Position Paper on Cat Licensino
(a report by the San Francisco SPCA)
· The San Mateo County Pet Overpopulation Ordinance: A Leoislative Failure
(a report by The Animal Council)
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[National Pet Alliance] [History] fTTVAR Proaram] [Leaislation] [Studies]
Copyright @ Nationa/ Pet Alliance.
8/13/9719:33 PM
NPA HISTORY
http://www.fanciers.comlnpalhistory.html
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A Brief History of the NPA
Our Commitment to Animal Welfare
National Pet Alliance was formed by a group of visionary dog and cat owners, to promote the
care and well-being of cats and dogs within the context of the purebred dog and pedigree cat
fancy. Our original intent was to set a standard of excellence among dog and cat fanciers with
regard to the care and housing of animals, and to establish a mentoring program for those
who were new to the world of animal breeding and exhibition.
We were diverted from our original goals by the type of anti-animal legislation which began in
1990 with the introduction of the San Mateo ordinance to ban all breeding of dogs and cats.
We began to look into the facts, and found that this sort of legislation not only infringes on our
rights as responsible pet owners and breeders, but also does nothing to address the real
issues of surplus dogs and cats at the shelters, and the well-being of animals.
We resolved to work towards real solutions to these issues. Our comprehensive studies get at
the facts. Our practical programs help animals and the people who care for them. Our
legislative work protects the rights of responsible owners and breeders.
Our Studies and Programs
In 1991, in recognition of the fact that the vast majority of animals handled in animal shelters
are unowned cats, the National Pet Alliance initiated a TIVAR oroaram. TIVAR means Trap,
Test, Vaccinate, Alter and Release, which the directors and supporters felt was one humane
alternative to animal control's wholesale trap and euthanize approach.
The National Pet Alliance has made a commitment to separating truth from fiction on
the very complex and little understood problem of how many. what kinds and for what
reasons unwanted doas and cats are euthanized in shelte rs, and to present that
information in a factual format.
Data gathering began during the time of the San Mateo County Community Animal Task
Force, and continues today on the efficacy of the San Mateo ordinance. In 1993, through a
matching funds grant from The Cat Fancier's Association. Inc. (CFA), National Pet Alliance
undertook a major random sample survev of Det ownership of Santa Clara Countv
households. That survey gave new light to the numbers of homeless cats maintained in a
community, the percentage of altered versus unaltered amongst the population of owned
household cats, and a fresh insight into which pool of cats are being impounded by animal
8/15/97 12:54 PM
NPA HISTORY
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tlllp:/Jwww.fanciers.comlnpa/history.hlml
control shelters.
National Pet Alliance directors have also provided a balancing perspective on a number of
local and statewide panels and national symposiums convened for the purposes of working on
various aspects of animal control, public health and safety, and animal welfare issues.
National Pet Alliance plans to continue to serve as a front line source of information for dog
and cat advocates and legislators who are confronted with the complexities of animal issues in
our society today.
We Depend on Your Support
National Pet Alliance depends upon the generous support of individuals and groups to enable
us to gather and disseminated research, information and statistics.
We appreciate your contribution toward the cause when requesting that information be sent to
you.
Every dollar received is one more phone call, and several more letters we can send out.
Thank you for your support!
National Pet Alliance
PO Box 53385
San Jose, CA 95153
Tel: (408) 363-0700
[National Pet Alliance] [History] [TTVAR Proaram] [Leaislation] [Studies1
Copyright @ National Pet Alliance.
8/151!l7 12:54 PM
TlVAR Program
hllp:/Iwww.fanciers.comJnpalllvar.html
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NPA's TTVAR Program
Trap, Test, Vaccinate, Alter and Release
Free roaming and feral cats account for the majority of animals euthanized at humane
societies and animal shelters each year. Two studies, one in Santa Clara Countv and one in
San Dieao County. have shown that stray and feral cats comprise 36-41 % of the entire known
cat population.
These unowned cats are fed by 9-10% of all households. Yet, few households will take the
initiative to capture the cats and take them to the vet to be altered. These cats reproduce at
an alarming rate which compounds the problem on a daily basis. It is suspected that a some
of these cats have or are carriers of the fatal feline diseases FeLV (feline leukemia virus) and
FIV (feline immunodeficiancy virus).
As an answer to this problem, the National Pet Alliance has initiated the TTVAR Program.
_ TTVAR means Trap, Test, Vaccinate, Alter and Release. The TTVAR program encompasses
_ the trapping of the cats with humane traps, testing the cats for FeLVlFIV, euthanizing those
cats which test positive vaccinating (distemper, FeLVand rabies), altering and releasing those
cats that test negative.
Related links:
· Are Owned Cats Causina Our Overpopulation Crisis?
· Trap/Alter/Release Proarams for Feral Cats
Another resource for TTVAR is the Feral Cat Coalition. The following excellent articles by
Alley Cat Allies are hosted at the Feral Cat Coalition web site, and are also listed here as a
source of further information on feral cats.
· Feral Colonv Manaaement & Control
· Health Care for Feral Cats
· Notes for Veterinarians Treatine Feral Cats
· Rabies and Feral Cats
· Relocatine Feral Cats
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[National Pet Alliance] [History! [TTVAR Proaram] [Leaislation] [Studies]
Copyright @ National Pet Alliance.
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NPA Opposition to Coercive Legislation
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&; CAT FAN C I E R S mailing list. web site . community &;
R;:ttional Pet KUimlce
NPA Opposition to Coercive Legislation
Protecting the Rights of Responsible Pet Owners
The National Pet Alliance acts as a support group to individuals and groups to assist in the
never ending battle to stop coercive legislation. It gathers and disseminates facts, figures and
documents to help educate the public and lawmakers as to the real problems, Le. the number
of unaltered straylferal cats. The NPA supports rescission of limit laws, and longer "hold"
periods at animal shelters as an incentive to pet owners to license/register their companion
animals.
The National Pet Alliance supports the issuance of vouchers (as in the San Jose Voucher
Proaram), and/or low cost spay/neuter clinics to control the problem with free roaming cats,
which substantially contributes to pet over population, injury, death and disease among cats,
The National Pet Alliance advocates the provision of low cost spay/neuter clinics with hours
_ convenient to working people, and strongly support the use of trap/alterlrelease programs to
.,manage the large population of unowned cats, as it is the only met hod which will reduce the
number of stray cats which end up atthe shelters.
The National Pet Alliance is opposed to laws mandating that companion animals be altered.
Related Links:
· San Francisco SPCA Position Paper on Cat Licensina
(a report by the San Francisco SPCA)
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[National Pet Alliance] [Historyl [TTVAR Proaraml [Leaislationl [Studies]
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San Diego County Survey
http://www.fanciers.comlnpa/sandiego.html
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&: CAT FAN C I E R S mailing list. web site' community (Q;:
RZllional Pet KUinnce
San Diego County
Survey and analysis of the pet population
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make the news.
In the past few years, national concern has grown regarding the
number of animals euthanized in shelters. Because of this
interest, many communities - including San Diego County - are
considering various actions to manage their dog and cat
populations. Well-directed, enforceable proposals require a firm
knowledge of the community and specifics of its population-both
human and animal. Lack of such information, however, has been
a stumbling block with many proposed solutions. Data, when
available, is often incomplete and inconclusive.
.\ Hastily enacted proposals, driven by emotions, can cause
\ harm to the very animals they seek to protect.
.
.; Emotions flare over animal issues. Media sensationalize images
of animals behind bars or dead from euthanasia to fan these
emotional fires. Thoughtful topics regarding pet ownership rarely
The lack of reliable information stems mainly from many humane societies across the country
not keeping detailed records. There are no central clearing houses for data collection.
Numbers conflict even to the country's number of shelters, and what data there is regarding
the number of animals being handled varies by several million.
~ order to truly solve a problem, it must first be carefully defined. To solve an animal contr;Jo
problem, there must be adequate knowledge of what kind of animals are being discussed,
where they are coming from and in what kind of numbers. Without this information no effective
solution can be presented.
National Pet Alliance (NPA), a San Jose based, nonprofit organization was hired to conduct a
comprehensive survey on the nature of pet ownership in San Diego County (SDC). Karen
Johnson and Laura Lewellen recently completed a similar survey and analvsis on pet
ownership for Santa Clara Countv on behalf of NPA.[1] This study was conducted to examine
several important and diverse questions concerning animals in SDC, both owned and
unowned.
e The following report is based on a telephone survey of a cross-section of San Diego County.
1 sf 2 S/1S197 11,24 AM
San Diego County Survey
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htlp:llwww.fanciers.comlnpalsandiego.html
The independent firm, Nichols Research of Sunnyvale, CA conducted the phone survey.
Johnson and Lewellen performed the statistical analysis. The methodology is given at the end
of this report, along with a sample of the survey form and the results for each question.
· Survev Results
· Analvsis and Discussion
· Definina the Problem
· Prooosed Solutions
· MethodoloQv
· Biblioaraohv
This report was prepared by by Karen Johnson and Laura Lewellen for the National Pet
Alliance
@ 1995 San Diego Cat Fanciers, Inc.
591 Camino de la Reina,
San Diego, CA 92109
Tel: (619) 295-5422
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by
any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or
information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission of San Diego Cat
Fanciers, Inc.
[HomeDaael [Historv! [TTVAR Proaram! [Coercive Leaislation! [NPA Studies!
Copyright @ National Pet Alliance.
8/15/97 11 :24 AM
San Diego Study: Survey Results
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San Diego Study: Survey Results
Pet ownership distribution
Over half (53.9%) of SDC households do not own dogs or cats. The pet owning households
break down as follows: 21.3% own dogs only, 15.5% own cats only, and 9.2% own both dogs
and cats.
8.9% of all SDC households feed cats they do not own. This includes those who own pets and
those who do not. These households feed an average of 2.6 roaming cats each. Roaming cats
are defined as unowned feral or stray cats
Chart One shows these four main population distributions. Based on the survey results, and
given 887,403 households in SDC,f2] the owned animal population was determined. The
owned dog population of SDC is 374,732, with 30.6% of the county owning an average of 1.4
dogs each. The owned cat population is 371,928, with 24.8% of the county owning 1.7 cats.
e
CHART ONE.
Owned Dog and Cat Distribution
------------------------------
No Pets 54 %
Dogs Only 21%
Cats Only 16%
Cats and Dogs 9%
------------------------------
Similarly, the number of known, unowned, roaming cats is calculated to be 205,345. This is
based on the number of households feeding cats they do not own. Roaming cats make up at
least 35.6% of the entire known cat population in the county.
(205,345/(205,345+371,928)=.356) It is important to stress the IMlrd "known" here. This
percentage (35.6) can be considered the minimum number of roaming cats, as many cats are
not actively fed by humans. Many more live wild in the countryside or forage in city alleys.
Homeowners made up 70.6% of cat owners and 84.6% of dog owners. Not surprisingly, far
fewer renters own pets. Renters comprise 29.4% of cat owners and 15.4% of dog owners.
Gender distribution of pets
The dog population was found to be 51.4% female and 48.6% male. The cat population,
e however, changed dramatically over the age of the animals. The gender ratio starts out
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equally, but by the time the cats are in the five-year-old age group, 60% are female. By the
age of ten years, 70% of the owned cats are female.
Of the owned SDC cats, 5.6% are purebred with registration papers, while another 3.5% are
claimed to be purebred but do not have registration papers.
Owned dogs are much more likely than cats to be purebred. In SDC 38% of owned dogs are
purebred with papers, and 20% are claimed to be purebred without papers.
Source of pets
Only 4% of SDC's owned cats are obtained from breeders, whereas 26% of dogs come from
breeders. Pet stores account for 6.6% of cats and 7.9% of dogs. Over 60% of owned cats are
obtained either as strays or were gifts. Only 6.3% of dogs are obtained as strays, but a
sizeable 34% were gifts.
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Reponsible pet ownership
The percentage of cats kept indoors only was 37.2, compared to 17.4% which were kept
outdoors only. The remainder were indoor-outdoor cats.
Residents of SDC are spaying and neutering their pets. Owned cats are altered at 84.2%.
Intact female cats, old enough to breed, comprise only 3.3% of the owned cat population.
Only 1.2% of the cats were kept intact for planned breeding purposes.
Of all owned dogs, 67.7% are altered-58.9% of the males, and 76.0% of the females.
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San Diego Study. Survey Results
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The distribution of spayed and neutered pets was fairly constant throughout the county. No
area stood out as having a significantly higher or lower percentage of unaltered dogs or cats.
Lost pets
In 1993, 3.3% of SDC dogs disappeared for a day or more. Of these, 42.9% returned on their
own and 7.1 % were never found. Most of the owners checked at humane shelters, where
21.4% of the lost dogs were found. The number of permanently missing dogs, with no hint as
to their fates, accounts for only 0.2% of the dog population. Less than one percent (0.9%)
either were, or could have been, handled by Animal Control.
During the same time, 6.4% of owned cats disappeared for a day or more. Most (74.1 %) ~
returned on their own. Of the missing, 14.8% were never found. None were found in humane ~
shelters, although all of the owners of the permanently missing cats did check with shelters in
search of their lost pets. The number of permanently missing owned cats accounts for less
than one percent (0.9%) of the entire owned cat population. Calculating from these figures,
roughly 3,500 of the cats handled by SDC Animal Control and the shelters are owned, stray or
dead, pet cats.
[National Pet Alliancel [Historyl [TTVAR Proaraml [Leaislationl [Studies]
Copyright @ National Pet Alliance.
8/15/9712:49 PM
San fliego gfudy. AnalysiS ancl Oiscussion
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San Diego Study: Analysis and Discussion
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The purpose of this survey was to see if San Diego County has an animal population problem
and, if so, to pinpoint the source(s). This done, it is then possible to target solutions.
In addition to learning from the survey of this community, it is possible to learn from national
trends and from successes and failures of other communities.
Pet ownership distribution
Nationally, 31.7% of households own cats, 37.7% own dogs and 15.3% own both dogs and
cats. There is also a national trend of increasing cat ownership and decreasing dog
ownership.@]
San Diego County has a lower pet owning population than the national projections would
- predict, with half of the County owning no pets at all. The NPA survey of Santa Clara County
., (SCC) also showed pet ownership lower than the national projections, with 51.3% owning no
pets, 19.4% owning cats, 18.5% owning dogs and 10.8% owning both.~
Roaming Cats
Good Samaritans, those households which feed cats they don't own, comprise a sizeable
9.0% of all households in SOC. This was very similar to the finding in SCC, where 10.0% of all
households fed roaming cats.
As stated in the previous section, these roaming cats make up 35.7% of the entire known SDC
cat population. That number itself is enough to bring pause, but when it is realized this
percentage must, by its very nature, represent the lowest end of the population, the
significance becomes staggering.
Roaming cats are generally not spayed or neutered. They reproduce at will. They do not have
medical care and do not get vaccinations of any kind.
Gender distribution
In a general discussion of an animal population, one would assume 50% males and 50%
females, with perhaps a small deviation to more females. The dog population fell into this
e pattern.
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However, as discussed above, the cat gender ratio changes over time. By the age of ten, 70%
of the owned cats are female.
To look for a possible explanation, the ratios of sexes were compared to how the cats were
obtained. The theory was, perhaps some of the stray females were finding owners. There was
no significant difference. See Chart Three
CHART THREE.
Sex Ratio in Owned Cats by Age
Age
I Males
Females I Unknown
Under 4 mos. 43% 52% 5%
4 mos to 1 yr 40% 60%
1 yr to 5 yrs 38% 62%
5 yrs to 10 yrs 37% 63%
Over 10 yrs 31% 69%
Although the information was not included in the study, so this is purely speculation, males
may not be as long lived as females. One reason may be that males are much more likely to
suffer from Feline Urologic Syndrome, which can be deadly if not detected early. Another
reason may be that male cats are more likely to mark territory by spraying pungent urine. This
is generally undesirable behavior, and may cause some owners to euthanize the cats for
behavior "problems" or to tum the animal loose.
It should be noted that neutered males are far less likely to spray than intact males, and cats
neutered at a young age (before they begin to spray) also are unlikely to spray.
Gender ratios are significant because the number of females determine the number of litters.
One female can have only one litter at a time, whereas a male can have many. In a population
of seven males and seven females, there will be seven litters; and, in a population of one male
and twenty females, there will be twenty litters.
Purebred population
According to John Mandeville, Vice President of the American Kennel Club
(AKC), there are twelve million AKC registered dogs, and about another
twelve million that are eligible for registration. AKC accounts for about 65%
of all purebred dog registrations. Eleven other dog registries hold the
additional six to eight million registrations. The total purebred dog
population is between 30 to 32 million dogs. Mandeville states the Pet Food
, Institute estimates there are a total of 50 to 52 million dogs in the USA.
Purebred dogs make up 60% of the country's dog population.
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This assumption is born out by both surveys of SDC and SCC. In San Diego,
9.1 % of the owned cats are claimed to be purebred, with or without papers.
Santa Clara claimed 10.7% purebred. (The owners were not questioned as to
the possession of registration papers in SCC.) At first these numbers would
appear to be much higher than the 3% to 6% projections expected from CFA's
report. However, when questions regarding origin and registration are examined, the answer
to the discrepancies appear.
e
On the other hand, according to the Cat Fanciers' Association, Inc. (CFA), three
percent of the nation's cats are purebred. CFA is the oldest and largest
registering body of purebred cats in the United States. Their estimate is based
on CFA registry alone. There are, however, other cat registering associations,
and many cats are registered in more than one association. Because CFA is by
far the largest registry, it can be safely assumed that its numbers represent at
least half of the purebred cats. Therefore, it would be reasonable to estimate of
no more than six percent of owned cats are purebred.
The general public has problem identifying cat breeds. Purebred dogs generally have very
distinct physical characteristics-ranging from the tiny Chihuahua to the large Irish Wolfhound.
The characteristics which distinguish purebred cats from domestic varieties are much more
subtle. All cats are roughly the same size and shape. Coat colors and lengths of purebred
cats can be found, to some extent, in the natural population of domestic cats. To the
uninformed, if the cat has long, soft fur it is a Persian; if it is slate gray it is a Russian Blue; if it
is a big, brown tabby it is a Maine Coon Cat. If people admit their cat is not purebred, they
often will say it is "part" purebred.
e
Two reliable sources of true, purebred cats or dogs are breeders and pet stores. Animals with
registration papers can safely be assumed to be truly purebred. If the animal is without
papers, the source of the animal may indicate if it is a purebred. The animal is much less likely
to be a purebred if it is found or bought from a source other than a breeder or a pet store.
Of the owned SDC purebred cats, 5.6% came with papers. "Purebreds" without papers
accounted for the other 3.5% of the total 9.1 %. However, of the cats without papers, only one
cat came from a breeder and none came from a pet store. From reliable sources, 6% of the
animals can be considered purebred. The other 3.6% are dubious.
The likelihood of a dog being purebred is more than six times higher than for cats. There may
be several reasons for this occurrence. Because of the widespread, stringent and enforced
leash laws, roaming and free breeding dogs are relatively few. Dogs are much less likely than
cats just to show up stray at a house and be adopted. So, to get a dog, people have to make
some effort to go somewhere to get one-breeders and pets stores with purebreds being two
common options.
Furthermore, dogs are bred to specific purposes, such as hunting, guarding and herding.
There is a certain status symbol to owning purebred dogs, which can be walked in public or
taken for rides and displayed in the owner's car. (Purebred cats are usually indoor only pets,
e who retaliate against leashes for public walks, are distressed at car rides, and too short to see
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out of the windows anyway; and so, they are less on display for the owner's ego gratification.)
Purebred dogs are also more familiar to people than purebred cats, as purebred dogs have
been recognized and bred for centuries. The Western cat fancy is a relative newcomer. All of
these factors can help explain why owned dogs are more likely to be purebred animals.
Cats, on the other hand, have a large population of free roaming, free breeding animals
producing a ready supply of litters. Potential cat owners are not required to see a breeder to
obtain a cat. Leave a dish of food on a front porch and it is easy, and probable, to be adopted
by a cat. With a large, free of charge, at-your-doorstep population of cats, there is no need to
look any further for another cat, let alone spend several hundred dollars on a purebred.
In many regards, cats are not as highly "valued" as dogs are in this society. Some of this bias
is based on long-standing prejudice and superstition. Cats also have the stigma of being
"aloof' (think Garfield) whereas dogs are "man's best friend" (think Lassie). Cats are
becoming more popular pets, and so are slowly rising in perceived value to the society.
However, with the ever present supply of roaming cats, it is unlikely the percentage of
purebred cats owned will reach the rate of purebred dogs.
Whenever discussions of animal regulation occur, suggestions for restrictions on purebred
animal breeding usually follow. The surface rationale is, "If there are too many animals in the
shelters, it is because too many animals are being bred. Purebred animals are purposely
bred. Therefore, breeders must be the problem, and we must regulate them."
This reasoning does not hold up under scrutiny, as this survey
clearly shows. At most, purebred cats make up 6% of owned
cats, which is 3.8% of the entire known cat population.
Purebred cats are much more likely to be indoor-only cats,
and less likely to be randomly bred. Roaming, free breeding
cats, on the other hand, make up well over a third of the
known cat population. It is clear where the problem lies. Cities
are not being overrun by herds of wandering Himalayan and
Devon Rex cats.
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There is also no evidence that purebred dogs are a problem. While it is possible to find
purebred dogs in the shelters, the shelter population would need to exceed 60% purebreds to
have them be over-represented. The percentage of purebred dogs in the shelters is estimated
to be 25%. Stray dogs do not produce enough randomly bred litters to supply the dog owning
population. Beside providing animals bred for specific tasks, breeders of purebred dogs are a
necessary source of planned, wanted pets for the public.
Responsible pet ownership
People are altering their pets. A very high percentage of all owned cats and dogs are either
spayed or neutered in San Diego County.
_ San Diego is following the national trend in regards to spaying and neutering pets. Five
. studies from 1981 to the present, !2J,[Z],rnJ in various areas of the country, show the vast
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majority of owned cats are altered. See Chart Four (below). Female dogs are altered in
greater number than male dogs, although there appears to be a growing acceptance of
neutering males.
CHART FOUR.
Altered Status of Owned Dogs and Cats
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
San Diego
CA
1994
Santa Clara I Las Vegas I
County, CA I NY I
1993 I 1981 I
Tufts
MA
1991
I MSPCA
I MA
I 1991
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEMALE DOGS:
Spayed
Whole
76.0%
23.3%
77 .2%
22.8%
87.8%
12.2%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MALE DOGS:
Neutered
Whole
59.9%
40.0%
26.4%
72.5%
45.0%
55.0%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALL DOGS:
Altered
73.0%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEMALE CATS:
Spayed
Whole
82.8%
18.2%
86.9%
13.1%
85.7%
14.3%
91. 5% I
8.5% I
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MALE CATS:
Neutered
Whole
87.1%
12.9%
85.9%
14.1%
78.9%
21.1%
90.3% I
9.7% I
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALL CATS:
Altered
87.0%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Owned cats are altered at the rate of 84.2% in SOC. This is a few percentage points lower
than in other areas of the country. But intact females, old enough to breed, comprise only
3.3% of the SDC owned cat population. Only 1.2% of this county's owned cats are kept intact
for planned breeding.
Even the most negative of nay-sayers must admit public education is working as to the
benefits of neutering pets. To have so many pets "fixed" in such a large and diverse
community as San Diego County is tremendously positive. The community should be proud of
its achievements.
While the spay rate is high, especially in owned cats, all is not wonderful. Roughly 19% of the
female cats had a litter prior to being spayed. This falls in line with the 16-20% of females
which had a litter prior to being spayed found in other studies.lm,[1.Q],[1.1l Far and away these
were accidental pregnancies, which NPA dubbed the "oops factor." The oops factor accounted
for 58.3% of the pregnancies before spaying.
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Typical responses to the question, 'Why did your cat have a
litter?" often began with, "Oops," followed by, "I didn't know the
cat could get pregnant so young" or, "I didn't realize the cat
was in heat when she went out." Many of these owners had
planned to spay their cats before the cats became pregnant, but once they were, they did not
want to abort the litters.
An even closer look at the 19% of female cats who had litters prior to being spayed revealed
only 5.6% of these were adopted as strays. A shocking 14.3% of the cats were adopted from a
humane society or animal control. Cats given away to new homes accounted for another
15.2%. Cats born at home were responsible for another 20.9%, but these were usually
planned breedings. The survey also showed that 10.7% of pet store acquired cats, 11.8% of
cats bought from breeders, and 7.1 % of cats found through ads had litters prior to being
spayed.
Lost pets
The number of permanently missing dogs accounted for only 7.1 % of the 3.3% of the owned
dogs that went missing for a day or more. This is only 0.23% of the entire dog population to
disappear without a hint of their fates. Most of the owners of missing dogs contacted humane
shelters, and 21.4% of the missing dogs were found at shelters.
In 1993, only 0.94% of the owned cat population disappeared with out a trace. This closely
compares to SCC's 0.58% permanently missing pet cats. Most of the lost cats came back on
their own and none were found at humane shelters.
These numbers indicate that only a minute percentage of the animals handled at local
shelters are missing, owned pets.
Euthansias
Communities and their local governments, including San Diego County, have been deluged by
the cries of, "Huge numbers of animals are killed in our shelters! It is out of control! Do
something!" While these may be emotionally satisfying statements, they do not actually solve
anything.
Are huge numbers of animals killed in the shelters? National
figures have shown euthanasias dramatically decreased in the
last decade. While animals are euthanized, it is not in the
out-of-control, upward spiral of which we often hear.
National Trends
In the late 1980's, nationwide reports of euthanasias were estimated to be in the range of
twenty million annually. In 1991, the estimate was thirteen million. Current projections, by the
Humane Society of the United States, put the number somewhere between five and eight
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million. A 1990 Tufts University study projected the number at 2.3 to 3.0 million.[jl] By either
estimate, there has been a tremendous drop in the number of animals euthanized nationwide.
Apply these numbers to any other social problem facing our country, and the 30-50% drop in
incident rates in a decade would be heralded a tremendous success. No doubt such efforts
would be linked to expensive, government programs.
There are no such government involvements for lowering the
number of animal euthanasias. However, various private
organizations promote spay/neuter programs and provide public
education as to responsible pet ownership. These organizations
raised public awareness. Additionally, leash laws for dogs reduce
the number of roaming, and possibly breeding, dogs. Societal factors may be partially
responsible for the lower number of animals being euthanized. For example, it is possible the
increase of families in which both parents work outside the home may be lowering the number
of families letting their pets have a litter for fun, since these litters require a large amount of
time and care.
The Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley (HSSCV) is the third largest Humane Society in
the country based on the number of animals handled. As is typical of many shelters, the
number of cats euthanized is far more than the number of dogs. At HSSCV they are
euthanized at four times the rate of dogs.
e
A study of HSSCV shelter statistics from January 1 to November 30, 1994 revealed interesting
information regarding their cat population. Cats that are sick, feral and "too young" amount to
almost two-thirds of the total number of dogs and cats euthanized during this time period.
Overall, euthanized cats represent 81 % of the dogs and cats euthanized. Kittens under the
age of four weeks, which would be unweaned, account for 14.4% of the all euthanasias. Sick
and injured cats were another 36.6%, feral (wild and therefore not adoptable) cats comprised
16%. Only 2.4% could be categorized as adoptable but euthanized because the shelter ran
out of time and space to keep them.
The same study found sick or injured dogs accounted for 50% of the total dog euthanasias at
HSSCV, which is 9.5% of the total euthanasias. Behavior problems in dogs accounts for
another 8.6% and dogs that are euthanized because the shelter ran out of time and space are
only 1.7% of overall euthanasias.
For fiscal year 1992-93, San Mateo County's Peninsula Humane Society (PHS) showed
similar numbers for cats euthanized: 38% unweaned kittens, 27% feral, and 24% sick or
injured.
Locally
SDC Animal Management Information System reported nearly a 10% annual increase in the
number of cats handled from 1988 to 1992. The increase peaked at 13% from FY91 to FY92,
with a total of 19,077 cats. The figures then reversed to an overall drop of 35% from 1988 to
e 1993.
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San Diego Animal Control Cat Statistics 1988-1994
Total I Claimed I Adopted Euth. I Research I Other*
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
88-89 13929 202 2130 10976 7 614
89-90 15394 230 2224 12349 591
90-91 16849 238 2426 13561 7 617
91-92 19077 248 2577 15525 6 721
92-93 14143 180 2297 11121 545
93-94 12446 223 2386 9296 568
* Other includes: return to wild, transfer to correct jurisdiction,
wildlife rehab, stolen, escaped, DOA, died in kennel, died in truck,
died at contract vet, misc.
This sharp decline will be discussed further in the following section, Proposed Solutions. Feral
Cat Coalition
Animal Management Information System's report for dogs during the same period shows a
different pattern, The number of dogs handled and euthanized has been steadily decreasing
since 1988, following the national trend.
San Diego Animal Control Dog Statistics 1988-1994
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total I Claimed I Adopted Euth. I Research I Other
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
88-89 24070 5147 4355 13313 526 729
89-90 24177 5213 4540 13215 324 885
90-91 22549 4749 4357 12155 320 968
91-92 22707 4847 4493 12216 233 918
92-93 19544 4342 4385 9791 239 787
93-94 18275 4014 4721 8592 159 789
Effect of punitive laws on shelter statistics
Stringent, punitive legislation, such as mandatory spay and neuter laws, do not reduce the
number of euthanasias. In some cases, enactment of such laws result in increasing the
euthanasia rates.
San Mateo
San Mateo County made national news when its controversial mandatory spay/neuter
legislation went into effect in March 1992, Many communities quickly followed suit, without
waiting to see if the new legislation was effective or even enforceable. It was neither.
A 1991 analysis of historical trends in San Mateo, predicted that without the new law the
Peninsula Humane Society would handle between 12,400 and 13,500 animals in 1993. During
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that time the PHS would have euthanized between 7,100 and 7,500 animals.(13)
tit The actual number of animals handled in 1993 by PHS-with the new legislation-was 13,379
with 7,479 euthanized.
Further predictions, based on historical trends, estimate in
1995-96 euthanasias will be between 5,078 and 6,068, with
incoming live animals between 8,976 and 11,354. For 1994,
the actual total euthanasias performed by PHS were 6245,
confirming the downward trend as predicted.
The law has no overall effect on the number of animals handled or euthanized by PHS.
The mandatory spay/neuter laws apply only to the unincorporated areas of San Mateo County,
where an effect has been seen. Euthanasias have increased. In 1992, in unincorporated San
Mateo County, the dog euthanasias were 53. In 1993 they were 78. For cats in 1992, 377
were euthanized, while 437 were euthanized in 1993.
New figures for the 93-94 fiscal year show the number of cats euthanized as "surplus" (out of
cage space and/or time) by PHS for the unincorporated county to have increased from 28 to
63 from the prior year. Surplus dogs euthanized for the unincorporated county increased from
39 to 66 during the same time.
_ The number of cats handled by PHS over the past year for the entire county dropped by 17%,
_ yet at the same time the number of cats euthanized for medical reasons dropped by 48%.
Either the cats which were previously being euthanized for medical reasons are now being
treated in an attempt to artificially lower euthanasia numbers by changing protocol, or cats
were incorrectly categorized previously.
The total net costs for implementing the new law were $57,390 between 1992 and 1993.
King County, WA
King County, Washington is another example of how punitive
pet ordinances do not have the intended effect on
euthanasias. 14 King County's 1993 ordinance is even more
restrictive than San Mateo County's. Before 1993, King County
was following the national downward trend in euthanasia statistics since 1988.
tit
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Chart "he
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However, after their restrictive ordinance was implemented, it is significant to note their
percentage drop in euthanasias from 1993-1994 was drastically curtailed:
1991
1992
1993
1994
DROP in # euthanized I 2,181 I 1,074 I 1,478 I 187 I
% drop I 15.8% I 9.2% I 14.0% I 2.1% I
Because of the difference between 1991 and 1992-93, it appears the ordinance may have
been responsible for an initial increase in euthanasias in 92-93, as people turned over their
pets to animal control.
Based upon the historical, steady decline of euthanasias prior to ordinance enactment,
euthanasia figures for 1994 should have been around 7,800. If the ordinance was effective,
the 1994 total should have been well below 7,800. Instead, after ordinance enactment, the
1994 total was 8,738. The new laws actually greatly increased the number of euthanasias.
-_._---_._---_._-------------_._-----_._-----_._~_._--"--.-.------...
. ,_......., ,-- -, .., ,_... .., ,_.... ...... -,..,. --- - -,-, -, .... .... .., . ....,... ,_.. '. ,..... -.
[National Pet Alliance] [History] [TTVAR Proaram] [Leaislationj [Studies]
Copyright @) National Pet Alliance.
8/15/9712:25 PM
San Diego Study. Analysis and Discussion
htIp:/IYMw.fanciers.comlnpa/sddefine.html
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& ( A T FAN C I E R S mailing lilt. web site' community (?!J
R~honal Pet mIIllilce
DEFINING THE PROBLEM
When the pet population of San Diego County as a whole, and the animal population of the
shelters are examined, the "problem" areas become clear.
Animals are euthanized in the shelters, that much is true. But dogs and cats are brought to the
shelters for various reasons. They are euthanized for various reasons. Dogs and cats are
euthanized at different rates, with cats being euthanized in far greater numbers.
This survey has shown the overwhelming number of owned pets, especially cats, are spayed
or neutered. Lost, owned pets make up a tiny percentage of animals handled. Purebred cats
are owned, and bred, by very few people. Purebred dogs have available homes and are under
represented in the shelters when compared to their numbers in the owned pet population.
Stray dogs are few due to stringent, enforced leash laws.
_ There will always be some animals euthanized in shelters. Animals too sick and injured to be
_ treated will always be present, as will owner surrendered animals for humane euthanasia.
Animals too young to survive without extensive, and expensive, hand-rearing will also
generally need to be "put down" given realistic shelter budgets.
The general problem can be stated, "How can San Diego County reduce the number of
animals euthanized at its shelters?" More specific aspects of this general problem can be
identified as follows:
Roaming Cats
The major animal problem that exists in San Diego County is the unowned, roaming cat
population. With over a third of the known cat population being unowned, roaming, free
breeding cats, and with the vast majority of animals being euthanized at the shelters being
unowned cats, the direct cause and effect link is apparent.
Problem statement: How can San Diego County reduce its roaming cat population
effectively and humanely?
Litters prior to spay
While SDC has a high percentage of altered pets, this survey also pointed out that (like other
e areas of the country) many of these cats had litters prior to their spay. These litters also
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contribute to the cat populations in the shelters.
e Problem statement: How can San Diego County prevent the unplanned litters of owned
pets?
Homes available for pet ownership
This survey revealed that most pet owners own their homes, while relatively few renters own
dogs or cats. If more people are available to own pets, the numbers of animals adopted from
shelters would increase (thus decreasing euthanasias).
Problem statement: How can San Diego County increase the number of pet owning
households?
[National Pet Alliancel [Historyl fTTVAR Proaram] [Leaislation] [Studiesl
Copyright @ National Pet Alliance.
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San Diego Study: Proposed Solutions
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Trap & Kill versus Trap, Alter, Release Programs
As this study has shown, a minimum of a third of all known cats in San Diego County are free
roaming. Address this problem and the general question of how to reduce the number of
animals euthanized in the shelters is greatly answered.
There are several tried approaches to managing roaming cat populations. The most
commonly preferred method put forth by animal control organizations for control of cats has
traditionally been to capture and euthanize unowned, roaming cats.
Others, who refer to this as the "trap and kill" method, consider it inhumane and objectionable
on several fronts. One objection is that it is ineffective.l1ID It has been shown as soon as a cat
is removed, a new one will move in, assuming a steady food source.f161 Another protest to
e trap and kill, less objective and more subjective-but still valid, is unless a cat is making a
threat to human welfare or is causing unusual harm, it is worthy of life, even though it does not
have a human address.
After a six-year study and daily observation of a feral cat
colony, it was documented that stray female cats start having
heat cycles when they are 4-6.9 months old, or as soon as
daylight hours are plentiful.[1Z] January and February are the
start of the breeding season, with the litters bom in March and
April. Strays have an average of 2.1 litters per year of 4.25
kittens.f181 By the age of two months, 42% of the kittens will die of natural causes.[1gJ Of the
kittens who survive, many go on to perish in the shelters. Those who escape early death and
the shelter go on to be prolific bearers of kittens over their short life span of approximately
three years.f201
Taking the mortality into account, along with birth and death rates, the average stray female
will have 5.25 litters in her lifetime, encompassing 22.3 kittens. At age two months there
should be 12.9 survivors, roughly six females and seven males. These six females will go on
to have thirteen surviving kittens each. Realistically, over twelve years, one unspayed female,
with all her unspayed female offspring can reasonably expected to be responsible for over
3,200 kittens if there is no human intervention.
e Cats are territorial. They don't allow other cats into their territory to steal their food. Altered
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cats will stand their ground and guard their food source, will not have kittens, and will die in a
few years. To simply remove the cats from the habitat without changing the habitat will see
other, reproducing cats move in.{211
In 1994 the Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley found 37% of their cats euthanized over an
eleven month period were either wild, or the unweaned offspring of feral and stray cats. Once
these wild kittens are over six months of age, it is nearly impossible to socialize them to the
degree necessary to be placed as house pets. An unsocialized cat is an unadoptable cat.
Cities and counties pay for the handling of these stray cats and their offspring. Reducing the
number of kittens born to these cats would substantially reduce the number of cat
euthanasias, thereby reducing the costs born by the taxpayers.
Unowned cats are routinely euthanized at shelters. Even though the kittens can often be
socialized for placement, it takes a minimum of two to three weeks of intensive work. Shelters
simply don't have the time, personnel or cage space to socialize kittens. Unweaned kittens are
generally euthanized, again due to lack of time, funds and space.
Stanford Cat Network
In 1989, Stanford University officials announced a plan to trap
and kill approximately 500 stray cats living on campus. In
response to this drastic announcement, Stanford Cat Network
(SCN) was formed. SCN was able to present an alternative
solution to stop the progression of cat reproduction on the
Stanford campus. They proposed a TTVARM program, (trap,
test, vaccinate, alter, release and management), which they would organize.
Because of SCN's work, Stanford cats now have zero population growth and the population is
declining through natural attrition. Over 60 kittens were caught, socialized and adopted out
during the first season. By 1994, only four kittens were found on campus. The campus
population is now estimated at approximately 300 cats. Stanford's current cat population is
healthy and well-cared for, and its maintenance involves students, staff, and faculty.
SCN has accomplished all of this without financial support from the University. SCN's
successful five year program with a very large cat population demonstrates that feral cat
colonies can be managed and kept under control. Workable, viable alternatives to
extermination do exist.
TTVARM programs
A typical TTVARM program works very simply and methodically. Cats are humanely trapped.
The traps are monitored so the cats do not spend a long time in them.
The trapped cats are then tested for lethal diseases, most often Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)
and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). Both of these illnesses are common in feral
populations, they are contagious to other cats, and are lethal viruses. (They do not pose a
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e
threat to humans, as these are species-specific viruses.) Cats which are found to have these
diseases are humanely euthanized. Euthanizing FeLV or FIV positive cats is humane to the
cat, as these diseases are always lethal and cause pain and suffering to the ill animal. It is
also to the benefit of the originating colony, as these are contagious diseases. Removing sick
animals increases the health of the colony.
Cats too sick or injured to be treated are also humanely euthanized.
If a cat is found to be negative for FelV and FIV, it is then vaccinated for common upper
respiratory illnesses and rabies. Minor cuts, abscesses, and parasites are also often treated.
The cat is surgically altered. The cat's ear is notched for identification and monitoring.
The cat is then released back into its originating environment, providing it is a safe one. The
colonies are managed by continued trapping and altering.
There are some variations on the TTVARM programs. Some groups do not test and vaccinate.
Some do not mark cats. Management care varies. However, the most successful groups follow
the plan as outlined above.
Feral Cat Coalition
In San Diego County, the non..profit Feral Cat Coalition has handled in excess of 3,100 cats
over the past two years in its TTVARM program. In addition to these cats, which YJere over
. five months of age at the time of altering, an unknown number of kittens YJere also trapped,
socialized and adopted into new homes.
Prior to this project, San Diego County Animal Management Information System reported an
increase of roughly 10% per year in the number of cats handled by San Diego Animal Control
shelters from 1988 to 1992. The increase peaked at 13% from Fiscal Year (FY)91 to FY92,
with a total of 19,077 cats handled. After just two years, with no other explanation for the drop,
only 12,446 cats YJere handled-a drop of 35%. Instead of another 10% annual increase,
euthanasias plunged 40% from 91-92 to 93-94.
Of the 3,153 cats trapped by the Feral Cat Coalition which YJere altered, 54% were female,
46% YJere male. Of the 1,639 females spayed, the following characteristics were noted:
453 Normal 28%
691 In heat 42%
218 Pregnant 13%
216 Lactating 13%
61 Post queening 4%
1639 100%
Only 3% were found to have been already altered. 17 cats were refused surgery for being
under five months of age, or too ill. 18 cats died during surgery. 679 cats (22%) needed
.. additional medical treatment-generally antibiotics and anti-parasitics. Cleaning and suturing
_ of wounds and abscesses was also very common.
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Of these stray female cats, 72% were either in heat, pregnant, or had recently had kittens.
This is at least a three and a half times higher rate of pregnancy than found among owned
cats.
Clearly, the project to trap, alter and release cats in San Diego County has had a dramatic
effect on the number of cats handled and euthanized at their shelters, which even historical or
nationwide downward trends cannot explain.
Financial feasibility
Financially, TTVARM programs make sense.
For the FCC program, veterinarians donated their services and supplies were purchased
through donations. However, the cost of these services and supplies would average about
$52 per cat in a low cost clinic
Looking at the figures from San Diego, for a cost of $163,956 (3,153 cats x $521cat), the
shelter numbers have dropped by at least 6,500 cats. The average three day stay for a cat in
a California shelter is estimated at $70 per cat. By reducing the number of cats handled by
6,500, San Diego saved $455,000 over a two year time span. This successful track record
shows that in actuality no additional funds need be raised-the program will pay for itself
through less shelter costs. Additional funding for altering could be taken from the shelter
budget.
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Following TTVARM programs, mating behavior and noise associated with breeding are
eliminated. The male urine spray smell is eliminated.r221
other concerns
Disease transmission from cats to humans is a negligible factor due to the few diseases which
are transmitted this way.
The human health risk of rabies is often touted as a concern in
the management of roaming cats. In California the risk is
nonexistent. There has never been a case of a human
acquiring rabies from a cat in the recorded history of the state.
There were only two case of cat rabies found in 1993 in the
entire state of California, out of a current population of some 13
million owned and stray cats. Skunks, bats, and rodents are more of a real rabies threat.
By removing roaming cats, vector problems should increase until such time as other rodent
predators take the place of the missing cats. Other predators are less desirable, as most of us
would probably prefer to have a small, healthy feral cat population, rather than a larger
Norway rat and seagull population.f231
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In addition to TTVARM programs, the issuance of vouchers for residents to take their stray
and "loosely owned" neighborhood cats in for free altering is another method which is proving
to work.
Voucher programs
The city of San Jose has enacted a spay/neuter program beginning in October 1994. The
program has so far been well-received, and while it is still early, the Humane Society is
reporting an unusually "light" kitten season, with no other explanation other than the voucher
program. HSSCV also reported they had an 11 % decrease in the number of stray cats for the
two month period of March-April 1995 compared to March and April 1994. At the same time,
stray cat intakes for three surrounding cities to San Jose has increased 4% at the same
shelter. A similar program for dogs was begun in San Jose on May 1, 1995.
The veterinarians have control over whether or not thev will alter the animal. If an animal is
too sick. or has other problems. the veterinarian can decline to do the suraerv. Attached to the
voucher is a short. anonvmous Questionnaire for the owner to fill out at the veterinarian's. This
form asks ownership Questions useful to monitorine the proeram's success and to determine
who is usinQ the prOQram. The Questionnaires are sent back to the department handline the
proaram.
So far. the reports from San Jose have been all positive. The veterinarians have had no
problems. the people redeemina the vouchers like the prOQram. and the citv department
e handlinQ the proaram have reported that all is workinQ smooth Iv.
For the first six months of the proaram. approximate Iv 2.500 vouchers were issued. 2.000
have alreadv been redeemed. As of Mav. 1995 the city is redeemina 150 per week.
San Francisco SPCA also has an active, successful, free altering program. Any feral cat
brought to the shelter is altered free of charge year round. Owned cats are altered for free
during May, June and July each year. The rest of the year owned cats are altered at a low
cost. Starting in 1995, SF SPCA also started paying a $5 "bounty" for every owned cat
brought in for altering.
King County, Washington has recently passed some of the
most stringent, punitive animal related laws in the country. This
includes differential licensing for dogs and cats, where owners
of unaltered pets pay a substantially higher license fee. They
also have a voucher program. Instead of being an open
program, as in San Jose and San Francisco, vouchers are sent to those people who have
purchased unaltered animal licenses.
In 1993, 4,931 vouchers (worth $25) were mailed to people who had purchased unaltered
animallicenses-212 vouchers (4.3%) were redeemed. In 1994, there were 5,654 vouchers
mailed and 633 (11 %) were redeemed.[291
e King County's approach of sending out unsolicited vouchers to only those who purchase
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unaltered animal licenses is not a big success. Obviously those people who have purchased
the more expensive, unaltered animal licenses are the very group of people who have chosen
to keep their animals intact. Linking the licensing program to the voucher program also tends
to make people wary of ''the catch" in dealing with a government program, even if there is no
catch.
Reducing the number of owned cats having litters
As has been cited several times above, while most owned cats are altered in SOC, 19% of pet
cats had litters prior to being altered. Are these owned cats causing an overpopulation crisis?
Assuming an average litter of 4.25 kittens per litter,[24]nd assuming an average life span of
seven years,r25] it turns out there are not enough owned cats reproducing to sustain a zero
population growth among the owned cat population in SOC. See Chart Six.
CHART SIX.
Comparison of Owned vs. Roaming Cats
ASSUME 1000 OWNED CATS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASSUME 1000 ROAMING CATS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 year life span
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Owned cats produce 33% of the owned I
kittens necessary to maintain the I
owned cat zero population level I
I
143 will die annually. To sustain
zero population growth in the
owned population, 143 cats will
need to be replaced by new births.
500 will be female
500 x 16% will have a litter
prior to being spayed
= 80 litters over 7 years time
= 11 litters per years
11 litters x 4.25 kittens
=47 kittens per year/per 1000
owned cats
143 for zero population - 47 born
=94 kittens less than the level
needed to maintain the owned cat
population
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3 year life span [26]
333 will die annually
350 will be female [27]
97% of mature (approx. 6 mos or older)
females are capable of reproduction.
Some will be altered through trap/
alter/release programs. A few will be
stray, previously owned cats.
350x97% = 340 litters born two times/yr
340 litters x 1.4 kittens
alive at 1 yr[28]
=476 kittens --
476 kittens x 2 cycles per year
=952 kittens per year/per 1000
non-owned cats
94 of these kittens are assumed to be
adopted or obtained as strays to
sustain the owned cat population
952 born - 94 adopted = 858 surplus/
unwanted feral and stray kittens per
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(A small percentage may have a I year, per 1000 stray/feral catsa
second litter prior to altering) I
Owned cats produce only 40.6% of the kittens necessary to sustain zero population growth of
owned pets. (While a few may have a second litter, these are negligible.) Without the
adoption of kittens from the roaming population into the ranks of owned cats, the olM'led pet
cat population would decrease at a rate of 8.5% per year.
In a similar situation, the stray dogs have unplanned pregnancies at a substantially lower rate
than unolM'led cats. This requires some dogs, some where, to reproduce in order to sustain
the species. If every dog were altered, within ten years there would be few dogs left. The
average dog lives 9.57 years,f30] and with no replacement puppies, approximately 10% of the
dog population would die out every year.
So, while the owned cat population is not vastly contributing to the euthanasias at the
shelters, these numbers can be reduced. Unless animals are part of a planned, wanted
breeding program, they should not be bred.
Most of the litters born to owned cats were from accidental breedings. People were simply not
aware that cats can become sexually mature quite young. An education program targeted at
this problem is in order. Education has already been shown to be effective in other areas of
pet ownership. There is no legislation which is going to prevent well-meaning, but uninformed,
pet olM'lers from having these types of accidental litters.
tit Many studies~ have sholM'l early surgical altering of pets is safe. Again, educating the
public is the way to get this message across. The safety of early surgical altering and its
procedures may not be well known to all area veterinarians. This group should also be
targeted for education, and then be involved in educating their clients.
All dogs or cats should be altered before leaving the shelters. In SOC, 14% of the cats having
litters prior to spay were obtained from shelters! Policies should immediately be enacted to
bring this number to zero. In effect, the shelters are now providing some of the litters with
which they must ultimately contend. This is unacceptable.
The spaying and neutering of dogs can be increased. Some may be reluctant to alter their pet
dogs because of the close psychological extension some olM'lers have toward their dogs.
Some reasons for owners balking at "fixing" their dogs-especially male dogs-are historical
and some arecultural. Most of these issues can be directly approached through education,
sometimes targeting specific groups.
As shown, few people own or breed purebred cats. There is no animal control problem with
this population of olM'led cats. In fact, purebred cats are less of a problem, as they tend to be
indoor-only cats. If these cats are bred, they are planned, wanted litters. Even though the
number of purebred dogs is substantial, there is no indication there is any animal control
problem with this population either. No special action is needed regarding purebred animals,
tit their breeders or olM'lers.
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Homes available for pet ownership
tit A renter-landlord adoption incentive program, such as the San Francisco SPCA has instituted,
is recommended. This program provides landlords with bonds against pet damages caused by
cats and dogs acquirad from the SF SPCA There are many potential pet homes in the rental
community. Providing an open-door policy will result in more animals being adopted from the
shelters, lowering the euthanasia rate of healthy, adoptable animals.
RECOMMENDA liONS - IN SUMMARY
tit
· Continue, expand, and provide funds for the TTVARM program already started by Feral
Cat Coalition.
· Create a county funded voucher program for free altering of "loosely" owned cats.
· Target educational programs to address the realities of early cat maturation, early spay
and neuter benefits, and debunk myths surrounding the altering of dogs - particularly
male dogs.
· Immediately enact shelter policies to ensure all adopted animals are altered prior to
release.
· Create a renter-landlord pet adoption incentive program.
· Punitive, coercive, bureaucratic solutions are not appropriate for San Diego County, and
they have been shown to be ineffective in other communities. Restrictions on breeders
of purebred animals are unnecessary. These types of proposals should be rejected.
[National Pet Alliancel [!:.Iistorv] [TTVAR Proaraml [Leaislationl rStudies]
Copyright @ National Pet AI/iance.
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METHODOLOGY
Survey Methodology - Questions asked and methodology for the survey INere developed
under the guidance of Dr. Roger Nassar, a nationally known statistician, with many published
pet populations studies to his credit.
Each telephone prefix in SDC was researched to determine the number of listed residential
households within that prefix. The number of survey calls made within each prefix was based
on the number of households in each prefix, in relation to the number of households in the
county.
A list of randomly selected telephone numbers was then developed. Using this list, the
research company (Nichols Research, Sunnyvale, CA) was instructed to attempt to contact a
specific number of households within each prefix. If contact could not be made, the phone
number was called at least four times before going to another number on the list. All calls to
businesses INere disconnected.
6346 calls INere attempted. Contact was made at 1711 households. 659 refused to participate.
21 surveys INere randomly discarded due to too many calls placed in Escondido. 1031
households completed the survey.
SURVEY QUESTIONS AND RAW RESULTS
Note: The actual survev Questions, as asked by the intervielNers, follow this chart.
DOGS:
1. How many dogs, if any do you own
430 / 311 Households
2. How many of the dogs are Male/Female
209 Male / 221 Female
3. Please describe your Dogs. How many are purebred with papers
165 - Purebred with papers
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87 - Purebred w/o papers
173 - Mixed Breed
5 - Don't know
4. What are the ages of your dogs
13 - under 4 months
50 - 4 mos to 1 year
190 - 1 to 5 years
114 - 5 to 10 years
54 - 10+ years
9 - Don't know
5. How did you obtain your dog(s)
27 - Stray
8 - Born at home
146 - Given
34 - Pet Store
112 - Breeder
5 - Rescue group
53 - Animal Control/Humane Society
30 - Ad in paper
8 - Front store/flea market
2 - Veterinarian
5 - Other
6. Have your dog(s) been spayed or neutered
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123 - Neutered Male
168 - Spayed Female
86 - Whole Male
53 - Whole Female
6A. What was the reason for not altering your dog(s)
27 - Too young
36 - USed as breeder
17 - Don't want to
14 - Expensive
27 - Not necessary
2 - Wrong
16 - Other
68. How many females had a litter prior to being spayed
20 - Total
6C. Why did they have a litter
4 - planned
6 - Breeder
2 - Wanted
7. For the time period January 1, 1993 to December 31, 1993, did
any of your owned dogs disappear for 24 hours or more
14 Yes / 416 No
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6 - Came back on own
1 - Ad/flyer
3 - Found at Animal Control
1 - Never came back
3 - Other
7B. Did you check at Animal Control or Humane Society for your
missinq doq
10 Yes / 4 No
CATS:
8. How many male or female cat{s), if any, do you Owu
425 / 252 Households
171 - Male 253 - Female 1 - Don't know
9. Please describe your owned cats.
361 - Domestic
24 - Purebred with papers
15 - Purebred without papers
25 - Don't know
10. How many of these cats are kept indoors? outdoors?
indoor/outdoor?
158 - Indoor
74 - Outdoor
193 - Indoor/Outdoor
11. What
are the aqes of your cat(s)
21 - under 4 months
60 - 4 mos to 1 year
181 - 1 to 5 years
79 - 5 to 10 years
55 - 10+ years
29 - Don't know
12. How did you originally obtain the cat(s)
125 - Stray
43 - Born at home
132 - Given
28 - Pet store
17 - Breeder
10 - Rescue group
28 - Animal Control/Humane Society
14 - Ad in paper
16 - Front of store
4 - Veterinarian
8 - Other
13. Have your cat(s) been spayed (F) or neutered (M)
150 - Neutered male
208 - Spayed female
21 - Whole male
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45 - Whole female
1 - Don't know
13A. What was the reason for not a1terin9 your cat
31 - Too youn9
5 - Used as breeder
6 - Don't want to
8 - Expensive
2 - Not necessary
1 - Cruel
13 - Other
13B. How many females had a litter prior to bein9 spayed
48 - total
13C. Why did they have a litter
28 - Ooops
8 - Breeder
2 - Came pre9nant
7 - Wanted
3 - Other
14. For the period January I, 1993 to December 31, 1993 did any
of your owned cats disappear for 24 hours or more
27 Yes / 398 No
e 14A.what
happened to the cat(s)
20 - Came back on own
4 - Never came back
3 - Other
14B. Did you check with Animal Control or the Humane Society for
your misin9 cat(s)
7 Yes / 20 No
15. Do you feed any stray nei9hborhood cats which you do not own
235 Yes/ 91 Households
16. Have you cau9ht and altered any of them
8 Households Yes / 83 No
17. Have any of the females had kittens
17 Households Yes
39 No
35 Don't know
17A. Did you rescue the kittens
8 Households Yes / 39 No
e GENERAL HOUSHEHOLD QUESTIONS:
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18. tlow many persons live in the household
1017 Households
2.96 persons/household
19. Describe your dwelling, is it a home, duplex, townhouse,
apartment or mobile home
20. Are you the owner or renter
Own I Rent
---------------------------------------------
540 - Home
13 -
23
31
35
2
Duplex
Townhouse
Condominium
Mobile home
Other
103 - Home
18 - Duplex
11 - Townhouse
236 - Apartment
3 - Mobile home
2 - Other
----------------------------------------------
Actual Survey Questions
Hello, my name is I am calling from
an anonymous survey on cats and dogs in
selling or soliciting anything. May I ask you some questions?
to conduct
We are not
1- How many dogs, if any, do you own? (IF NO DOGS, SKIP TO QUESTION 8
)
e 2. How many of the dogs are Male Female Don't Know
3. Please describe your dogs. How many are Purebred with papers
How Il1an yare
How Il1any are
Don' t Know
What are the
A) <4 mos
Purebred without papers
mixed breed
4.
ages of your dog(s):
B) 4mos-l year
C) 1-5 years
D) 5-10 years
E) Over 10 years
F) Don't
know
5. How did you obtain your dog(s)? (DO NOT READ LIST)
A. Found as stray F. From a rescue group
B. Born at my home G. From Animal Control/Humane
Society
C. Given by a friend/relative H. Replied to an ad
in the paper
O. From a pet store 1. In front of store or flea
market
E. From a breeder J. Veterinarian
K. Other
6.
Have
A.
C.
your dog(s) been
Yes, Male
Yes, Female
spayed or neutered?
B. No, Male (ASK
(ASK 6B) D. No, Female
6A)
e
(ASK 6A)
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OA: What was the ~eason fo~ not alte~inq you~ doq(s)
TO EACH REASON) :
A. Too younq
B. Used as breeder E.
C. Don't want to F.
6B: How many females had a
6C: Why did they have a
li tter?
(INDICATE M OR F NEXT
D.
EXpensive
Not Necessary
Othe~
litte~ prior to
being spayed?
7. For the time period January 1, 1993 to Decembe~ 31, 1993, did any of you~
owned doqs disappear fo~ 24 hou~s or mo~e?
A. Yes (ASK 7A & 7B) B. No (SKIP TO QUESTION 8)
7A: What happened to the
Came back on its own
Ret'd from ad/flyer
Found at Anim. Control
7B. Did you check with
missinq doq?
Yes
A.
B.
C.
dog(s)?
D. Neve~ came back
E. Found dead
F. Other
Animal Control or Humane Society for your
No
8. How many male or female cats, if any, do you own? (IF NO OWNED CATS, SKIP
TO QUESTION 15)
Male Female
9. Please describe your owned cat(s). How many are (READ LIST):
A. Domestic B. Purebred with papers C. Purebred without
papers
Da Don't Know
10. How many of these cat (s) are kept?
e A. Indoor only B. Outdoors only C. Indoor/Outdoor
What
11. are the aqes of your cat(s)?
A. <4mos B. 4 mos-l year C. 1-5 years D. 5-10
years
12. How did you oriqinally obtain the cat(s)? (DO NOT READ LIST)
A. Found as a stray F. From a rescue group
B. Born at my home G. From Animal Control/Hum Sac
C. Given by a friend/relative H. Replied to ad in paper
D. From a pet store
I. In front of a store/flea market
E. From a breeder
K. Other
13. Have your cat(s) been
A. Yes, Male
B. Yes, Female
13A. What was the
M OR F FOR EACH REASON
A. Too younq
B. Used as breeder
C. Don't want to
13B. How many females
J.
Veterinarian
spayed (F) or neutered (M)?
5. No, Male
(ASK 135) C. No, Female
reason fo~ not altering you~
(ASK
13A)
(ASK 13A)
cat (s) INDICATE
D.
Expensive
E. Not Necessary
F. Other
had a litte~ prio~ to
being spayed?
ASK
13C
13C. Why did they have a
litter?
e
14. For the period January 1,1993 to December 31, 1993 did any of your owned
cats disappear for 24 hours or more?
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No (SKIP TO 15) Yes (ASK 14A & B)
14A. What happened to the cat(s)?
A. Came back on its own D. Never came back
B. Returned due to ad/flyer E. Found dead
C. Found at Anim. Cont./Hum Soc F. Other
14B. Did you check with Animal Control or the Humane Society for your
missing cat(s)?
A. Yes B. No
15. Do you feed any stray neighbor hood cats which you do not own? How
many
16. Have you caught and altered any of them?
A. Yes B. No
17. Have any of the females had kittens?
A. Yes B. No C. Don't know
17A. Did you rescue the kittens?
A. Yes B. No
17B. What did you do with the
kittens?
18. Please tell me the number of persons living in your household
19. Please describe your dwelling, is it a (CIRCLE ONE)home, duplex,
townhouse, apartment, or mobilehome?
Other
20. Are your the (CIRCLE ONE) owner or renter?
Thank you for your time. May we have your initials or first name for
verification reasons only? Thank you.
Phone Number
City
Interviewer
Date
[National Pet Alliancel fHistorvl [TTVAR Proaraml ILeaislationl fStudiesl
Copyright @) National Pet Alliance.
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San Diego County Survey: Bibliography
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San Diego County Survey
Bibliography/Reference List
1. Johnson KJ, Lewellen L, Lewellen J. "National Pet Alliance's Survey Report on
Santa Clara County's Pet Population." The CFA Almanac. Jan. 1994.
2. California Department of Finance, Population Research Unit. California Cities,
Towns and Counties. Information Publications Palo Alto, CA.
3. The NPD Group. Pet Incidence Trend Report. Pet Food Institute March 14,
1994.
4. Johnson, et al.
5. Mosier JE, Williams LW, Nassar R. "Study of feline and canine populations in
the Greater Las Vegas Area." AmJ Vet Res. Vol 45, No 2.1984: 282-7.
6. Manning AM, Rowan AN. "Companion Animal Demographics and Sterilization
Status: Results from a survey in four Massachusetts towns." Anthrozoos. Vol. V,
NO.3.
7. Handy FL. "Measuring your community's pet population, owner attitudes."
Shelter Sense. Vol 16. No 5. May 1993: 3-12.
8. Johnson, et al.
9. Manning, et al.
10. Mosier, et al.
11. Johnson, etal.
12. Clifton, M. "Net\wrk." The Animals' Agenda. Mar, 1992:10.
13. National Pet Alliance. San Mateo Report Card. , 1993.
14. Animal Legislation Awareness Net\wrk. An Analysis of King County, WA
Animal Control Ordinance #10423. 1995.
15. Zaunbrecher Kt, Smith RE. "Neutering of Feral Cats as an Alternative to
Eradication Programs." JAVMA. Aug 1,1993. Vol 203 No 3: 449-452.
16. Neville P, Remfry J. "Effects of neutering on t\w groups of feral cats." Vet Rec.
1984: 144:447-450.
17. Jochle W, Jochle M. Reproduction in a feral cat population and its control with
a prolactin inhibitor (Cabergoline). 2nd International Symposium on Canine and
Feline Reproduction. Liege, Belgium.
18. Pedersen N. Feline Husbandry. American Veterinary Pubs. 1991: 3-12.
19. Berkeley EP. Maverick Cats. New England Press. 1982.
20. Berkeley.
21. Zaunbrecher, et al.
22. Palo Alto Humane Society. Non-Lethal & Non-Punitive Solutions to The Cat
Overpopulation Problem at a Glance. 1994.
23. Clifton Merritt, Ed. "Animal People." America On Line 12-1-94 Animals and
Society Board.
8/15/9712:48 PM
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24. Pedersen.
25. Mosier, et al.
26. Berkeley.
27. Berkeley.
28. Berkeley.
29. Animal Legislation Awareness Network.
30. Mosier, et al.
31. Hosgood G. "The Pros and Cons of Early Spaying and Neutering." Breeder
Forum. Vol 2, No 1. 11 :15.
[National Pet Alliance] [Historyl [TTVAR Proaraml [Leaislationl [Studies]
Copyright @ National Pet Alliance.
8115/97 12:48 PM
Santa Clara County Survey of Pel Population
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@1 CAT FAN C I E R S mailing list. web site' community (g
R'll'ionZ1l Pet ITUiillice
Survey Report
Santa Clara County's Pet Population
In the past years, proposals to reduce the numbers of animals euthanized at animal shelters
have been made at all levels of government throughout the country. These proposals claim to
solve ''the problem".
However, a problem cannot be solved until that problem is DEFINED. In this case, it first
needs to be determined if the number of animals being euthanized, under the current system,
is remaining static, increasing or decreasing. This information is available from national and
local authorities.
Once that information is analyzed, it is then necessary to determine the source of the animals
entering the shelters and being euthanized. Differentiation between dog and cat populations
must be considered, since cats as a species have unique traits, and cannot be considered as
simply small dogs! Specific questions need to be answered regarding pet ownership in our
communities, to gain insight into regional trends. Once this is done, then the problem can be
assessed and appropriately targeted solutions can be formed.
Up until now, though, these essential questions have not been asked. And up until now, any
recommendations and proposals, no matter how well-meaning, were simply guesswork guided
by people's emotions and beliefs - not hard data.
Certainly, people's beliefs about animals, and animals being euthanized in the shelters, are
highly charged, highly emotional issues. Media seize upon the sensational images of animals
behind bars, animals being euthanized, barrels of dead animals, serving to fan these
emotional fires. Thoughtful questions regarding pet ownership aren't nearly as exciting for the
nightly news!
Sadly, hastily enacted proposals, based on emotions, can actually cause harm to the very
animals they seek to protect. good, well-directed, enforceable proposals cannot be based on
knee-jerk reactions; they require a firm knowledge of community and facts.
· Summary
· Backaround
· Are Euthanasias Goina UP or Down?
· Results of the NPA Survev
· Discussion
· Recommendations
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· FY 93 Animal Statistics - Santa Clara Vallev Humane Society
· Methodoloav of the Survey
· Survey Questions and Raw Results
· Credits and Copvriaht
SUMMARY
In August 1993, National Pet Alliance sponsored a scientific survey of pet ownership in Santa
Clara County, California. While questions were asked regarding cogs and their owners, the
majority of questions related to cats - because four times as many cats area euthanized in our
shelters as dogs. We wanted to see if we could determine why.
Our survey discovered:
· The vast majority of owned cats, 86%, are already altered. Another 6% of owned cats
are too young to be altered. Only 4% of the owned cat population is female, unspayed
and old enough to have kittens. Education as to the importance of altering pet animals
has obviously been effective in our community.
· We did find 16% of the currently spayed females did have a litter of kittens prior to their
being altered. Most of these were accidents, often because the owner was not aware
young cats can become pregnant. Also, HALF of the females that had a litter before they
were spayed were cats adopted as strays "off the street", and often they were already
pregnant. Only SIX of the cats in this group were allowed to have kittens on purpose.
· Most people received their pet cats as gifts from friends, or adopted a stray off of the
street. only 3% of all owned cars came from breeders, and these cars were MUCH more
likely to be indoor-only pets, and so less likely to become accidentally pregnant or to
stray.
· Unowned cats constitute a whopping 41% (minimum) of the known cat population. 10%
of all Santa Clara County households feed stray cats.
· Only 0.58% of owned cats disappear, with no indication as to their fate. Through
statistical projects, the number of owned, stray and DOA animals handled by Animal
Control is only 8.5% of ALL stray and DOA cats handled by Animal Control.
Further information, not from our survey, reveals that national numbers of animals being
euthanized has dropped dramatically over the last decade. Locally, Animal Control reports a
drop of almost 10,000 cats handled from FY92 to FY93. While at first glance, one would
assume that this is due to cutbacks in services, there is a one-third drop in the number of cats
being owner surrendered!
Our community should be proud of the high number of responsible cat owners who have their
animals altered. Clearly, the main cat population in question consist of unowned cats. Any
proposal which purports to reduce the number of animals being euthanized at the shelter
MUST address this issue, or it will fail in its efforts.
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BACKGROUND
A problem cannot be solved until the problem is defined. Accurate data is essential. The
proponents of anti-breeding legislation commonly use raw numbers in an effort to condemn all
breeding - purposeful or not.
Broad, undefined statements such as: "All were killed because they were homeless" or
"1 0,000 HEALTHY killed" are meaningless. They may be healthy but were surrendered for
biting children. They may be homeless, but they may not have been put up for adoption as
they were unweaned.
In an effort to find out what the true source of the animals and ownership patterns are,
National Pet Alliance sponsored a first-ever survey of Santa Clara County, California
residents designed to find out how many unowned cats are in the community and what the
reproductive habits of the owned cats are.
Shelters do not tell the public that the commonly cited "25% of the animals handled are
purebreds" are actually dogs. Since 50% of owned dogs are purebred, they are NOT over
represented at the shelter. Further, since the vast majority of euthanasia are cats, the fact that
25% of the dogs handled are purebred cannot justify restrictive breeding ordinances for
pedigreed cats. The shelter has no idea how many of the cats are owned cats. We do.
This survey needs to be duplicated in various parts of the country, the data pooled, and a
comprehensive report issued. If you have volunteers willing to input the data and compile the
results, it is possible to duplicate the survey for approximately $6000. The bulk of the cost is
for an INDEPENDENT research company to make the calls. To obtain the results we did, over
7200 calls were attempted. Great care must be taken in designing the calling pattern or the
results will not be scientifically valid. One cannot simply buy a list of working residential
numbers. The calls MUST BE RANDOM.
Now that this labor intensive six-month task is finally over, NA would like to get on with what
we do best: helping communities fight by finding solutions that WORK
We need your support with dollars. Our treasury was completely drained by this survey. We
need you help both writing to legislators and editors, and to NPA, to let us know where the
problems are. We now have hard data which proves OWNED cats are not the case of any
major problems at the shelters. Help us if you can. If you truly wish the pedigreed fancy to
continue, we must stand together and fight.
- Karen Johnson
ARE EUTHANASIAS GOING UP OR DOWN?
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National Trends
In the late 1980s, nationwide reports of euthanasias were estimated to be I the range of 20
million annually. In 1991, the estimate was 13 million. Current projections put the number of
animals euthanized some'<lA1ere between 5 and 8 million. These reports are from the Humane
Society of the United States, but there is a recent Tufts University study that puts current
projections at about 3.5 million. By any method of calculation, there is a tremendous drop in
animal euthanasias.
Locally
According to the Santa Clara Valley Humane Society (SCVHS) and the Santa Clara County
Animal Shelter (SCCAS) figures, the number of cats and dogs euthanizes in our county has
remained fairly steady over the past eight years - approximately 32,000.
However, the number of animals surrendered to be euthanized by their owners has increased
300% over the same time period, and was 4,748 for fiscal year 1992 (FY92). If the total
number of animals euthanized has remained constant, but the portion of owner surrendered
animals is dramatically increasing, then the number of animals being euthanized for other
reasons must be decreasing.
Also, during the past eight years, '<IA1ile the number of animals being euthanized in SCC is
remaining constant, the human population has been steadily increasing. Figure 1. Shows the
population of San Jose from 1985 to 1992, versus the total number of animals handled at the
shelter.
Figure 1: San J~se ?op. lIS. Anlmlls Hlnc:lled
s
.20
-----...P;;j,;&4Mi....."HM"d"IOdto"Mitc;,POIi:&MhU 48000..,; 1
... :t:: A60DD;; 'V ~
<C4DDO 1= !i
. ~u
..2000 ': ~ b'
.!x~
40000 :e '; ~
- ....
31000 ~ e i
...".,
3GOOO .,.
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"
i THO
- -
" ..
t 1 T6D
.....
: i '...0
-..
... ~ 720
co
.
.. TOO
----............................
\985 188& 11187 111&8 Itlt \990 111tl 1'992
The number of cats entering the shelter far surpasses the number of dogs. Euthanasias for
cats in FY93 was 14,207 versus 3,564 for dogs. Unfortunately, the SCVHS has not provided
the data on the number of cats euthanized simply because they are underage kittens - an
automatic death sentence '<IA1ich no ordinance will solve.
Recently released figures from Animal Control (AC) show a FY93 total of 17,771 animals
e euthanized. This is a drop of close to 10,000 in ONE YEAR!
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Why such a drop? The most obvious reason is AC ceased picking up stray animals halfway
through the fiscal year due to drastic funding cutbacks.
But, that is not the entire story. The number of animals surrendered by citizens decreased by
3,578 last year. Are more people keeping animals they would have normally turned in to AC,
or are more people deciding to dump these animals on country roads rather than taking them
to the shelters? Will we see an explosion of litters of stray animals which will be the product of
these roadside abandoned animals?
Conculsions
National trends show a dramatic drop in the number of animals being euthanized by shelters.
Locally, even while the number of animals euthanized has remained constant, the source of
the animals has changed dramatically. The number of animals being owner-surrendered has
increased 300% over the past eight years. And while the local human population gas grown
considerably, again, the number of animals euthanized has stayed fairly constant.
These figures indicate rather good news. And while animals are still being euthanized, it is not
the explosive, upward spiraling problem we have been led to believe. Something is working.
Education to the importance of spay and neuter cannot be overlooked as a possible cause.
The dramatic drop of animals handled by AC last year can be directly linked to the reduction
of services, but cannot be entirely explained by that situation. There is concern as to whether
"bad press" regarding the shelters' services is causing people to abandon animals. Also, the
sensational media coverage of animals being euthanized on television, and photos of barrels
of dead cats, may also be scaring the public away from the shelters.
RESULTS OF THE NPA SURVEY
Introduction
National Pet Alliance (NPA), a San Jose based, non-profit organization of cat and dog
fanciers and owners, decided to determine the nature of the pet ownership in Santa Clara
County.
One purpose of the survey was to try to determine the number of UNOWNED cats in the
county. The survey concentrated on cats because, as stated above, cats are euthanized at
the shelters in much greater numbers than dogs. In addition, this survey was to determine
various aspects of pet ownership in Santa Clara County. Questions were asked regarding
number and type of animals owned, if these pets were altered, where the pets came from, and
several other related questions. Survey respondents were also asked if they owned or rented
their homes, to see if there was any relationship between home ownership and pet ownership.
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The details of the methodology of this survey appears at the end of this report. A sample
questionnaire also is included at the end of this report. Briefly, the survey was conducted by
the independent firm of Nichols Research (Sunnyvale) during the months of August and
September 1993.1031 households were surveyed. This includes households that do not own
any pets. All areas of Santa Clara County were surveyed, with the exception of Palo Alto. Palo
Alto was not included because the survey needed to be compared with the numbers obtained
from Santa Clara Valley Humane Society. Palo Alto operates its own shelter.
Who owns what in Santa Clara County?
Figure 2 shows the breakdown of households which own no pets, own cats, own dogs, or own
both cats and dogs.
FIGURE TWO
Pet Ownership in Households
No Pets
Dogs Only
Cats Only
Dogs & Cats
51.31%
18.53%
19.40%
10.77%
tit
Of the households which own cats, there is an average of 1.7 cats. Of the households which
own dogs, the average is 1.3 dogs. However, another question asked how many households
fed cats they did not own. 103 households (49 of this 103 owned no pets) fed an additional
351 cats.
Purebred cats or domestic variety?
Only 10.7% of the cat owning households claim to own purebred cats. We emphasize the
word "claim" because it is sometimes difficult for people who are not experts to accurately
identify an animal as purebred. Some people mistakenly believe any cat with long hair must
be a Persian, any cat with "points" is Siamese, and big, furry tabbies are Maine Coon Cats!
Purebred cats have very specific characteristics, come from breeding programs, and can be
registered with various registering bodies, such as the Cat Fanciers' Association.
When we further examine where people obtained their "purebreds" further doubt is raised that
all of the cats claimed are truly purebred. Of the purebreds, 47.3% were either found or had
been given to them! Only SIXTEEN purebred cats came from breeders, and seven came from
pet stores.
Perhaps, in hindsight, a question could have been asked if the purebred was or could have
been registered. But even with this gray area, the highest possible number of purebreds is
only 10.7% of all owned cats! With only 3.1 % of the entire cat sample coming from breeders,
this clearly points out that cat breeders are not creating an over-population problem, nor are
tit they over-represented at the shelters.
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Furthermore, 81.3% of the breeder obtained purebreds were indoor only pets, as opposed to
33.3 % of all the cats in the survey. (See Figure 3.)
FIGURE THREE
Indoor va. Outdoor Cats
Indoor Only 14.20%
Outdoor Only 33.27%
Indoor/Outdoor 52.53%
Indoor-only cats are less likely to become strays. Therefore there should be extremely few
contacts between the shelters and breeder obtained purebreds due to this factor alone.
Where do Santa Clara residents get their cats?
Over 65% of the households obtained their cats either
as "gifts" from family, friends, neighbors, etc. OR, one
day they opened their front door to find a cat!
Again, only 3.1 % of the entire cat sample came from
breeders.
Other sources of cats included pet stores, Animal
Control or the Humane Society, from vets, in front of a
store, or as a response to an ad in the paper. Figure 4
(right) shows the percentages for each.
Are owned cats spayed or neutered?
Resoundingly, the answer is, YES!! People are altering
their cats. 86.2% of all owned cats are already altered!
Of the remaining 13.7% which are not altered, 5.8% of
them are too young and the owner intends on altering.
Furthermore, less than 4% of the owned cats were
unaltered females old enough to reproduce.
Even the most negative nay-sayer must admit that
having an 86% rate of altered pets, in this large
community, is tremendously positive. We should be very
proud of our community. And, it is obvious from this
number that education DOES work.
Figure 5 (right) shows the number of owned cats altered,
and if they are not altered, the reasons given.
r_4:_~o.o_.c.o.
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The "Oops" factor
e While the NPA survey discovered that 86.2% of owned cats are altered, it was also
discovered that 16.3% of the owned, altered cats had a litter of kittens before they were
spayed. Far and away the leading cause of this was the "Oops" factor. The survey respondent
indicated that "Oops, I didn't realize the cat could get pregnant so young," or "Oops, I didn't
realize the cat was in heat and she went outside."
Figure 6 (right) shows the reasons given for 16.3% of all
owned, altered females having had a litter before they
were altered. As shown, the two major reasons were
either some variation of the "Oops" factor, or a
previously unowned cat showed up pregnant on
someone's doorstep, and the household took the cat in
as a new pet.
........ "lI'b7 c.to -__
......
-
lNs:."t a:-..
<W. ......
,..,........1IIftIO
-......
Iloo'_
..............
The people whose cats had litters prior to spaying are
not the chronic, socially irresponsible, evil people as are
often portrayed. These litters were, for the most part,
accidents. And this survey showed 50% of the litters born to females that later were spayed,
were born to cats adopted "off of the street", often already pregnant. Legislation is not going to
prevent either of these incidents from happening.
0....
. .
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"
..
~ !C. :!G
<lI,aI.....lD_iIIoYiIolI..-
e
While education as to the importance of neutering pets not in planned breeding programs is
obviously sinking in, there does appear to be a need for further education as to the
importance of not putting off the surgery.
People need to learn that, yes, a six-month old kitten can and will get pregnant, especially if
that kitten is born in the summer. January and February are the times when cats start their
heat cycles.
There has been some exciting strides in the veterinary community in the past few years
regarding the spaying and neutering of animals at VERY young ages, and this issue bears
further examination.
Only SIX cats in the survey were allowed to have kittens on purpose.
Owned pet population of Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County has 495,480 households (not counting the 24,700 households in Palo
Alto). With 30.16% of the surveyed households owning 1.65 cats, the projected number of
owned cats is 246,571.
Similarly, 29.29% of the households owned 1.34 dogs, for a projected total of 194,636 dogs.
e
If you are an owned cat, you live with a home owner
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If you own a cat, you are most likely a home owner. 74% of our county's cat owners own their
own home (which includes condos, mobile homes and townhouses}. Whereas only 59% of the
overall population are homeowners.
Only 7.4% of cat owners rent apartments. It is generally recognized that cats are "easier"
apartment pets than dogs, and the survey bore that out, with only 3.2% of dog owners living in
rented apartments.
One method of getting more cats adopted out of the shelter is to open up more prospective
homes. Making it easier for renters t<l own a small pet would do this. However, landlords must
be comfortable that pet-owning tenants won't ruin the property.
The San Francisco SPCA has an innovative program, called The Open Door, which provides
bonds against damages t<llandlords of tenants who adopt pets from the SPCA. When we last
checked with the SFSPCA, they had yet to make a single payment for damages!
Owned cats at the shelters
NPA survey respondents were asked if their owned cats had disappeared for 24 hours or
more over the last year. 57 of the cats had done just that, but the good news is that 51 of
these returned on their own.
e
10 of the owners of the 57 missing cats checked with the shelter. Of the 6 cats which did not
come back on their own: 1 was redeemed at Animal Control; 1 was found dead; 1 returned to
a previous home; 2 never showed up; and one respondent had no answer.
One of the owners of one of the two cats which never showed up did call AC.
With one cat which was redeemed from animal control, we have a total of 3 cats in our sample
which either were handled by, or could have been handled by AC.
Projecting these numbers out to the owned cat population, .58% of owned cats (1421 cats)
should be, or couIcJ be, handled by AC annually. Of these cats, two-thirds of their owners
should check with AC to recover their lost cats.
Due to the extremely low number of owned cats which disappear, never to be seen again, we
project that only 8.46% of the stray and DOA cats handled by AC are owned cats. (4,576 DOA
+ 12,220 strays=16,796. 1,421 owned cats/16,796=8.46%)
Estimation of the unowned cat population
103 households fed cats they did not own. Some of these good Samaritans owned animals
and some did not. These 103 households fed a total of 351 stray cats. So, an average
household that feeds strays feeds 3.4 of them. 103 households was 10% of all households
surveyed.
e Projecting 49,548 Santa Clara County household feeding strays, the KNOWN stray population
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will be 168,463. The total owned population is 246,571.
e The total known cat population, including fed strays is 415,034.
FED STRAYS ARE 40.6% OF THE TOTAL KNOWN CAT POPULATION.
Common sense would also lead one to believe that this is the LOW END figure of stray cats,
as there are any number of feral cats not being fed.
DISCUSSION
The previous pages indicate just a portion of the information which can be gleaned from the
National Pet Alliance survey. For the sake of brevity, we have concentrated on the most
important aspects of the study.
Before a reasonable solution to a problem can determined, first the problem must be defined.
Cries of, "Huge numbers of animals are being killed in our shelters, and something must be
done!" are emotionally stimulating but do not serve to solve anything. Specific Questions need
to be asked, and answers analyzed.
First, we must look at the assertion "huge numbers of animals are being killed in our shelters."
a Are they? Well, yes AND no. National figures (from the Humane Society of the United States)
.. show that euthanasias have dramatically decreased in the last decade. Locally, while the
human population of just the City of San Jose has grown by over 100,000, the number of
animals euthanized in our shelters has remained fairly steady. The number of owner
surrendered animals has risen by 300% over the last eight years.
While animals are being euthanized at our shelters, it is not in the out-of-control, upward
spiral we have been lead to believe.
The "problem" now can be better stated as: We would like to further reduce the numbers of
animals being euthanized at our shelters. Now we need to look to "how to do this?"
Our survey discovered Santa Clara County cat owners are very responsible. 86% of all owned
cats are neutered! Furthermore, less than 4% of the owned cats were unaltered females old
enough to reproduce. Clearly the message that pet cats, not in a planned breeding program,
need to be altered has taken hold.
In the past few years, we have heard that "education just isn't working"! Now we know that for
the false statement it is. Of course education works! That doesn't mean we should now be
complacent Our community should continue the message. Additionally, this study indicates a
need for more education when it comes to letting people know YOUNG animals can get
pregnant
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Proposals with flOes and licensing aimed at the irresponsible pet owner are not appropriate in
our community. No legislation is able to prevent the accidental litters lIIIhich happen to
otherwise responsible cat owners.
With only 3.1 % of all the owned cats coming from breeders (people actually breeding their
cats on purpose, usually in a purebred breeding program), it is obvious that claims that the
"breeders" are to blame is just not true.
In fact, 81 % of breeder obtained cats are strictly indoor -only pets, and these are MUCH less
likely to get pregnant accidentally by the "Oops" factor, and they are MUCH less likely to wind
up at Animal Control. Again, common sense would bear this out, as one simply does not see
the hills and the alleys teaming with packs of Persians and Abyssinian cats!
What you DO see is 10% of Santa Clara County households feeding several cats they don't
own. These unowned cats account for a MINIMUM 41 % of the ENTIRE known cat population
of Santa Clara County.
Unowned cats do not get themselves neutered. Unowned cats do not buy licenses. When the
vast number of known unowned cats is analyzed against the large number of altered owned
pets, it becomes clear that the unowned cat population is THE "problem" in our County. Any
proposalllllhich ignores this huge cat population is doomed to failure.
Unowned cats are just that, unowned. They are a community problem. A "solution" lIIIhich puts
the burden of the unowned cat population only on responsible cat and dog owners is unfair.
e We live in a unique part of the country, with very special, creative citizens. This survey doesn't
pretend to have asked and answered ALL of the issues surrounding domestic animals and
their interactions with humans. But we have uncovered some heretofore unknown, and frankly
exciting information.
It is time for us to come together to find solutions to the proven needs of our community.
RECOMMENDA liONS
The following contains our recommendations, based on our knowledge of our community and
its needs.
National Pet Alliance has always been in favor of proactive, specific solutions to our
community's pet-human interaction. With this survey we can now target specific areas
lIIIhich need the most attention. We can now analyze lIIIhat is appropriate and lIIIhat is not.
Santa Clara County has a very large unowned cat population. The number of unowned cats
amounts to AT LEAST 41 % of our total cat population. The solution to reduce the number of
these cats entering, and being euthanized at the shelters MUST be addressed.
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We recommend a Trap, Test, Vaccinate, Alter and Release (TTVAR) program. There are
many such programs operating nationwide. Feral cats are HUMANEL Y trapped. Cats are
checked for any signs of ownership, and barring that are tested for two major diseases of
cats-Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). Both the
diseases are infectious, both are fatal, and neither have a cure. Cats testing positive for these
diseases are humanely euthanized. Cats testing negative are altered and then released back
to where they came from, or if that is deemed unsafe, to a safe area.
This is one type of program, there are several variations; one of the more prevalent is where
only MALE cats are altered.
Whatever the type of TTVAR oroaram, the long term gain for Animal Control in this valley FAR
outweigh the initial costs. Furthermore, with an aggressive TTVAR program, results would be
seen in just a few years time.
We do not believe that unowned cats, simply because they have no "human" address,
are necessarily a problem. Certainly they can be, but just as often they can be providing a
valuable cog in an ecological system. Raccoons and rabbits, for example, also don't have
human owners, and we don't find it necessary to kill them for it. This is part of the reason we
recommend the "release" part of the TTV AR system.
We believe TlVAR is a safe, effective, humane and fiscally feasible solution to the
unowned cat population.
e
Every cat, no matter how young, must be altered prior to leaving any animal shelter. This
simple step will solve the manpower problems of the follow-up calls to determine if the animal
adopted has been altered. This will also prevent the shelters from being unwitting participants
in the number of litters produced accidentally (which our survey found to be the main reason
owned cats had litters).
Education is clearly one of our best tools. We already have an 86% rate of altered, owned
cats! But we can do even better. We need to let people know that young animals can get
pregnant. Many people whose animals had litters had planned on having their animal
sterilized but it got pregnant before the owners got around to having the surgery.
We recommend the education continuing from the shelters, and also a cooperative education
program from our veterinary community. Recent years have shown some amazing progress in
the art of sterilizing domestic animals at very young ages.
We recommend a renter-landlord adoption incentive program such as the San Francisco
SPCA has instituted. There are a lot of potential homes out there in the rental community. By
providing such an open door policy, more animals can be adopted from the shelters.
In these tough fiscal times, when we don't even have enough money for the libraries, it would
be fiscally irresponsible to implement a costly, unneeded licensing program. We suggest
a using the amount of money the city would lose on cat licensing to fund the positive, TTVAR
. program instead! Furthermore, the vast numbers of unowned cats in our community are
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everyone's problems, and the funding for handling them should not be placed solely on the
responsible pet owners of our community.
We do NOT recommend punitive, coercive, bureaucratic solutions. They do not VIIOrk and they
are not appropriately targeted for our County and City.
We recommend positive, community interactive programs!
STATISTICS
Fiscal Year 1993 Animal Statistics - santa Clara Valley Humane Society
Humane Mountain
Society County View Totals
------- ------ ------- ------
All number s are total:
Dogs DCA* 1,220 1,178 0 2,398
Cats DCA 2,999 1,577 0 4,576
Total Animals DCA 4,219 2,755 0 6,974
Quarantined Dogs 98 221 0 319
Quarantined Cats 159 121 0 280
e Total Quarantined Animals 257 342 0 599
Stray Dogs 1,957 4,601 0 6,558
Stray Cats 9,169 3,051 0 12,220
Total Stray Animals 11,126 7,652 0 18,778
Surrendered Dogs 4,107 196 0 4,303
Surrendered Cats 7,169 70 0 7,239
Total Surrendered Animals 11,276 266 0 11,542
Incoming Dogs w/o DOA 6,162 5,018 0 11,180
Incoming Cats w/o DOA 16,497 3,242 0 19,739
Total Incoming Animals
w/o DOA 22,659 8,260 0 30,919
Dogs euthanized w/o PTS* 1,663 1,857 44 3,564
Cats euthanized w/o PTS 11,075 3,112 20 14,207
Total Animals Euthanized
w/o PTS 12,738 4,969 64 17,771
Dogs PTS-OR* 1,569 0 0 1,569
Cats PTS-OR 2,044 0 0 2,044
Totals Animals PTS-OR 3,613 0 0 3,613
Dogs Reclaimed 574 1,862 14 2,450
Cats Reclaimed 310 77 0 387
Total Animals Reclaimed 884 1,939 14 2,837
Dogs Adopted 2,363 1,215 27 3,605
e Cats Adopted 2,998 133 1 3,132
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Total Animals Adopted 5,361 1,348 28 6,737
e Outgoing Dogs 6,169 4,934 85 11,044
Outgoing Cats 16,427 3,332 21 19,552
total Outgoing Animals 22,596 8,256 106 30,958
Dogs on Hand 702 947 0 1,649
Cats on Hand 1,837 387 0 2,224
Dogs Died in Cage 4 3 7
Cats Died in Cage 16 10 26
Dogs Missing 3 7 10
Cats Missing 14 5 19
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Figures include special hold/police impounds
Figures include previous month~s dispositions
*DOA : Dead On Arrival
*PTS : Put To Sleep
*PTS-OR : Put To Sleep at Owner's Request
w/o : Without
COPYRIGHT 8T A TEMENT
Analysis and editing by Karen Johnson, Laura Lewellen, and John Lewellen
Funding for this project provided by grants from: The Cat Fanciers' Association. Inc. (CFA),
Tails and No Tails Cat Club, The White Glove Society, Tri-County Cat Club, Crow Canyon Cat
Club.
@1993 National Pet Alliance. All rights reserved. No portion of this report may be reproduced
without express permission of National Pet Alliance, P.O. Box 53385, San Jose, CA 95153.
[HOmeDaael [Historyl [TTVAR Proaraml [Coercive Leaislationl r.~PA Studiesl
Copyright @ National Pet Alliance.
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Ri:l.tional Pet Kl!HTIlCe
The San Mateo County Pet Overpopulation
Ordinance: A Legislative Failure
We sought to evaluate elements of the San Mateo Ordinance by obtaining county records on
specific provisions prior to and following enactment. We requested fiscal year data, as
applicable beginning with FY 1988-1989 through 1993-1994. If boundaries changed we asked
that this be noted and if data are not maintained or not available, the reasons why.
(Responses did not include reference to any boundary changes, Le. counting unincorporated
city addresses as unincorporated rather than city.)
We addressed a list of questions, keyed to ordinance provisions and set forth below, to each
member of the Board of Supervisors with a cover letter requesting the review. By
memorandum of March 17,1995, Connie Urbanski, San Mateo County Animal Control
Services Program Manager responded to these questions. These responses have been
incorporated below with the original questions. In the following evaluation, "ACS" refers to
Animal Control Services. Peninsula Humane Society is "PHS". Other data was obtained
independently from county or other public records and sources, as noted. We developed
analysis and calculations.
We sought to document specific costs and revenues associated with the ordinance, change in
euthanasia numbers and significance thereof, enforcement results and other information to
determine whether this has been a cost effective and successful means of reducing the public
processing of cats and dogs. This is critical, because 18 cities have not adopted the
ordinance. If it is ineffective, it should be discontinued now rather than expanded. ACS has
now obtained amendments to the county ordinance based on difficulty of different
administration requirements among the administered jurisdictions. With ACS's compliance, the
cities of Belmont and San Mateo had already adopted ordinances substantially incorporating
the proposed amendments with certain differences from each other as well as the county.
· Evaluation of Statistics and Reports
· Analvsis of Statistics and Reports
· Licensino and Permits
· Enforcement
· Fanciers Permits
· Animal Population Trust
· Relationship to Cities
· ACS Recommended Chanoes
· Peninsula Humane Societv Communitv Liaison Committee
· The Animal Council Recommendations
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· Credits and CODvriaht
e AN EVALUATION OF STATISTICS AND REPORTS
Summary
· Year One of the San Mateo County Pet Overpopulation Ordinance coincided with an
increase in euthanasia in the affected unincorporated county and a reversal of the prior
dOlMltrend, never returning to previous levels.
· The dOlMltrend continued in the unaffected cities.
· The ordinance "findings" were never investigated or shOlMl to exist and are of no
significance.
· Unavoidable euthanasia has been decreasing over the last 25 years and cannot be
eliminated entirely if any animals are to live in the community
· The responsible agencies refuse to use quantitative methods to reveal the actual cost of
euthanasia.
Historical Timeline of the Overpopulation Crisis
e
· Fall 1990: Peninsula Humane Society campaigned for moratorium on breedings cats
and dogs and mandatory spay and neuter. Claimed "10,000 healthy" pets euthanized.
· Board of Supervisors began hearings and adopted modified ordinance with details to be
developed.
· Spring-Fall 1991 : 2 part Community Animal Control Task Force analyzed existing law,
produced "Consensus" and "Minority Reports". Supervisors adopted ordinance.
· Summer 1991 - Winter 1993: Planning staff and commission developed zoning and
planning issues.
· Spring 1993: Kennel/Cattery and Fancier Permeit provisions adopted by Board
· Summer 1994 - Winter 1995: PHS/County sought and obtained adoption of ordinance by
cities of San Mateo and Belmont. These versions contained changes from the county
ordinance and were not identical to one another.
· Spring 1995: Animal Control Services proposed ordinance amendments
ANALYSIS OF STATISTICS AND REPORTS
Tracking of Findings and Provisions
The ordinance was based on legislative findings of alleged facts justifying use of police power
to protect the public. We sought to gauge the efficacy and progress of the programs by
comparing data in each fact category of the findings for periods prior to and during enactment:
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Euthanasia statistics by breakout categories in use for reporting periods
e
ACS replied that ''the data available prior to the FY 91/92 was not collected in a manner to
reflect categorical comparisons accurately". ACS provided only information beginning with FY
91/92 under the prior format and beginning with FY 92/93 in the revised format. We added
data from prior years on a spread sheet we obtained from the City of San Mateo. Following
each species, we calculated the percent of change from the prior year.
CHART ONE:
County Wide Euthanasia Statistics:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Euthanized % Euthanized % Dog Lie.
Dogs +/- Cats +/- Issued
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1970 15,884 21,796 n/a
1971 21,191 +27% 19,025 -13% n/a
1972 11,720 -42% 12,323 -35% n/a
1973 13,113 +12% 12,742 + 3% n/a
1974 9,255 -29% 8,856 -30% n/a
1975 8,321 -10% 8,413 - 5% n/a
1976 7,108 -15% 6,443 -22% n/a
1977 6,326 -11% 6,070 - 6% n/a
1978 5,772 - 9% 5,624 - 7% n/a
1979 4,349 -25% 4,698 -16% n/a
1980 3,648 -16% 4,775 -15% 54,100
1981 4,115 +13% 5,461 +14% 51,747
e 1982 4,292 + 4% 6,436 -16% 51,095
1983 4,028 - 6% 5,892 - 8% 51,018
1984 3,969 - 1% 5,434 - 8% 50,946
1985: Change to FY reporting 52,100
1985-86 3,502 -12% 6,988 +29% 50,458
1986-87 2,807 -20% 7,089 + 1% 54,233
1987-88 2,461 -12% 7,409 + 4% 51,955
1988-89 2,068 -16% 7,228 - 2% n/a
1989-90 1,738 -16% 7,300 +1% 48,761
1990-91 1,298 -25% 7,080 - 3% 50,213
FY 91/92 (Ordinance 3/92)
Unadoptab1e 1,256 7,164
Unwanted 76 253
Total 1,332 +3% 7,417 + 5% 48,393
FY 92/93
Surplus 598 653
Unweaned 37 2,372
Medical 405 1,502
Wild 5 1,656
Wolf Hybrid/Pit 178
Biter 46 24
Total 1,269 - 5% 6,207 -20%
FY 93/94
Surplus 669 936
Unweaned 36 1,899
e Medical 184 785
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Wild
Wolf Hybrid/Pit
Biter
Total
15
150
57
1, III
1,492
22
5,134
-12%
-17%
--------------------------------------------------------------------
CHART TWO:
Unincorporated San Mateo County Euthanasia and Rates of Change:
---------------------------------------------------------
Euthan. % Euthan. %
Dogs +/- Cats +/-
---------------------------------------------------------
1988-89 90 223
1989-90 72 -20% 212 5%
1990-91 38 -47% 168 - 21%
1991-92 53 +39% 377 +124%
*3,142
1992-93 77 +45% 437 + 16%
*2,050 -35%
1993-94 86 +12% 312 -27%**
----------------------------------------------------------
* Unincorporated licensed dogs. County +.5% same period.
** Unincorporated cat euthanasias 93-94 were 46% greater
than 1990-1991, the year prior to implementation, compared
to 27% decrease county wide for same period. Any boundary
expansion is inconsistent with decreased licenses.
-----------------------------------------------------------
CHART THREE:
Compare County Rate of Change/Euthanasia Vs. Unincorporated:
---------------------------------------------------------
Dogs
All VB. Uninc.
Cats
All vs. Uninc.
---------------------------------------------------------
1989-90 -16% -20% - 2% 5%
1990-91 -16% -47% + 1% - 21%
1991-92 + 3% +39% + 5% +124%
1992-93 - 5% +45% -16% + 16%
1993-94 -12% +12% -17% -27%
----------------------------------------------------------
Comment: Gross euthanasia numbers for the county have declined exponentially over the
past 25 years, and actually increased during the first year the ordinance was in effect. In the
affected unincorporated area, euthanasia has increased above years preceding
implementation for both dogs and cats.
Substantial numbers of animals handled by public agencies must be destroyed due to safety
or humane reasons, as required by state law. The proportion that can be release for the public
varies with agency policy and effort. The City and County of San Francisco no longer
euthanizes cats and dogs as "surplus". Public euthanasia of a residual number of domestic
animals not having slaughter value is unavoidable. This residual euthanasia is not
"overpopulation", as these animals are at the end of their useful lives.
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Comparing rates of change in euthanasia of both dogs and cats since 1971, we find no
statistical basis for a positive causative relationship to the ordinance. The downward rate of
change county wide actually reversed upward in the affected area after implementation and
have not yet reached pre-ordinance levels.
County wide the largest declines during the ordinance period are in cats. No cat breeding
permits have been sold and few cat licenses issued. We find no relationship between these
provisions and the declines in cities. We speculate that licensing and breeding permit
provisions may have actually caused increased euthanasia for unincorporated county.
Total Euthanasia Cats, Broken Out for Each Euthanasia Category, for Each Reporting
Period
ACS stated that euthanasia costs were not available and reiterated the components of
operating a euthanasia facility: "staff time administering euthanasia (daily activity), training (at
least quarterly formal training and ongoing on-the-job), selection of animals for euthanasia,
stress management, public education, client counseling and dispute resolutions, etc.; fees for
disposal of animal bodies, the actual cost of the drugs and materials used for euthanasia, and
intangible costs such as those caused by employeelvolunteer turnover promoted by
euthanasia stress".
Comment: Euthanasia is a mandated public function for which a contractor is used. As such, it
is not unreasonable to determine costs, especially in view of the decreasing utilization and the
allegation that cost justifies a controversial ordinance.
Breakout as to Cats and Dogs, or the Following reported Incidents Caused by Strays for
each Reporting Period
· disease transmission: no data from ACS
· attacks on persons: ACS only compiled state required bite report forms. Bite reports as
follows:
Year Dogs Lie. Dogs % Lie. Strays* Cats
-------------------------------------------------------
1990 803 379 47 49 nfa
1991 733 360 49 76 403
1992 792 351 44 82 322
1993 759 350 46 91 290
1994 768 ** ** 240
*Data provided by California Department of Health Services, VPHS
*VPHS has not prepared 1994 data as yet.
Note: currently 67 dangerous animal permits in county.
· attacks on pets: no data from ACS
· attacks on livestock: no data from ACS
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· traffic accidents: no data from ACS
ACS provided "stray" and field return (shown in parentheses) numbers. We calculated
the percentage of stray dogs who bite:
County Wide Strays:
------------------------------------------------------------------
Dogs
% Stray Biters
Cats
------------------------------------------------------------------
1991-92
1992-93
1993-94
4,482 (203)
3,963 (235)
3,686 (183)
2%
2%
1%
10,249 (12)
6,760 ( 7)
5,789 (15)
------------------------------------------------------------------
· uncategorized incidents: no data from ACS
Comment: There is no factual basis for any of the public safety factors cited in the ordinance
findings. The number of dog bites by strays has increased substantially during the period,
although stray biters as a percentage of strays has decreased along with the number of
strays. The percentage of stray biters has always been minute and would never have
warranted regulation of the general public.
LICENSING AND PERMITS:
FOR EACH CATEGORY PROVIDE NUMBER ISSUED AND GROSS REVENUE PER
CATEGORY, INDICATING RATES IN EFFECT
1. Licensing statistics, broken out by males, females, intact, altered; for cats as applicable:
------------------------------------------------------
Unaltered
$15
Altered
$5
Revenue
------------------------------------------------------
91-92
92-93
Total 180 (no breakdown)
65 1,189
55 1,445
$ 966
$ 5,565
$ 5,103
93-94
------------------------------------------------------
Comment: These are county wide cat licenses. For FY 92-93, Unincorporated cat
licenses: 43 altered, 330 altered, 373 total. Other cat licenses were distributed among
the 20 cities.
o As to cats, the total cat adoptions from Peninsula Humane Society for each
reporting period:
Total Licenses Issued
including Renewals
91-92
92-93
93-94
1,899
1,766
1,862
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o Any written complaints, refusals or requests for clarification regarding the "not
allowed to breed without first obtaining a breeding permit" requirement for the
unaltered permit/license. ACS stated none known and at most 10 queries about
breeding permits.
o The number of breeding permits issued, broken out as to cats and dogs, including
he following categories: ACS did not indicate, however all permits are for dogs. No
breeding permits for cats have ever been issued.
Breeding Permits
Original Issue for
Permitted Animal
Consecutive Renewal for
Permitted Animal
91-92
92-93
93-94
3*
34
13
o
o
8
*9/18/93 report to Board of Supes. Showed 10
Non-consecutive renewals for same animal: none
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o As to breeding permit conditions and minimum standards, the following:
. any written complaints by permit holders: none
. any complaints against permit holders: one verbal complaint made in March
1994, resolved May 1994.
. an explanation of recommendation for repeal of Item 6, requiring sterilization
agreements: ''There is a conflict within the original verbiage. It basically
exempts any animals - purpose bred as a concept relates to everything".
. an explanation of the consequences of a complaint:
. permit revocation
. issuance offuture permits
. fine
No response was given.
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o Hybrids: ACS did not indicate whether caninelfeline.
. current hybrid licensing information broken out as to cats, dogs, intact and
altered: 23 intactl26 altered
. whether self-identified by owner or through contact with animal control: owner
and veterinarian
. procedure for resolution of disputed identification: licensed veterinarian
. breed permits: ACS states "not applicable"
Comment: The same principles apply to hybrid cats, including the popular Bengal,
and both canine and feline species should be tracked, if any. ACS does not state a
method of resolution in case of differing veterinarian opinions. Presumably, some
veterinarian would be or has offered such opinions. We would assume that hybrids
could be bred without permits or none have applied.
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ENFORCEMENT
1. Number, if any, of breeding permit revocation proceedings, giving circumstances of
complaint, method of investigation and disposition: "None"
2. Number of inspections of permitted animals/premises, reasons therefor, method of giving
notice, details of inspection process. "None - no complaints received"
3. Violations of any ordinance section, broken out as to dogs and cats, by following
category:
o number of offenses for each animal or person
o intact/altered
o picked up in field
o impounded from premises or vehicle
o resulting from complaint
o fine/revenue per incident
ACS stated tracking available only in following format:
o 3332.4(a) Unaltered or breeding permit required"
91-92 0
92-93 13
93-94 28
ASC states these numbers are what is currently
available and relate to one breeding animal each.
o 3332.5(d)(3) Breeding permit ..... responsible for 1 year
91-92 0
92-93 3
93-94 3
o 3332.5(d)(4) Advertising
91-92 0
92-93 0
93-94 5
o 3332.5(d)(6) Sale or adoption on public street
91-92 0
92-93 0
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Comment: These reports did not indicate whether persons cited held breeding permits
and were cited for violation of conditions and requirement after expiration of the permit.
However, nonpermit holders violating permit conditions and requirements would only be
cited for unauthorized breeding if they would have been required to hold a permit for
having bred the applicable animal. Only the public sale of adoption provision is a
violation independent of breeding permits.
4. A detailed report on Sections 3330.8)b) and (c) (mandatory sterilization for impounds),
including:
o collection and disposition of deposits
Collections
91-92
92-93
93-94
8
35
27
Total 70 - 44% refunded
REFUNDS: 31 for entire reporting period
o number of mandatory sterilizations: 15
o number performed by private veterinarian: none reported
o any hearings conducted and disposition: 6 hearings, only one mandatory neuter
was upheld
Comment: Of sterilization deposits collected for unaltered impounds, 56% were NOT
refunded. Presumably, the animals - 39 of 70 -- remained intact. As applicable for 2
impounds within a 3 year period, there were 20 mandatory sterilizations order of which 6
were appealed and only 1 upheld (15 actual). 30% of violators appealed. Thus, only
75% of intact multiple impounds were actually altered under the ordinance, and owners
prevailed on appeal 83% of the time. Total impounds for the three year period were 34,
929 of which .0043 percent were subject to mandatory sterilization. It is likely that this
provision has no statistical impact on population and administrative costs exceed
revenue. We have no information as to whether these cases resulted from running at
large (intended by Task Force) or impounds for other reasons.
ANIMAL POPULATION TRUST
1. History of appointments, reappointments, resignations: Original (5) committee members
appointed July 1993, informal meeting 917/93. Two members resigned. One new
appointment.
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Comment: The Committee is chaired by the ACS Program Manager, i.e. county staff.
Only one member of the Task Force was appointed. Others had no background in or
commitment to the purposes of the Fund. Meeting attendance has been poor and
sporadic, with meetings canceled altogether or disbanded for lack of quorum. PHS has
not directly participated.
2. Projects: "The main focus has been on aSSisting with spay/neuter surgeries. Requested
Board and received permission to disburse fund in May, 1994. Recently developed
guidelines on administering funds. Second project has been the next addition of the
Animal Services guide. The Guide is at the printers and will be ready for distribution
within the next couple of months."
3. Expenses: First Service Guide, FY 92/93: $3,842.86
Comment: The second guide has recently been published. Listings are so minimal as to
make the publication of little value as compared to a phone book. A section listing public
parks open to dogs was taken from a commercially published book, The Dog Lover's
Companion, and duplicates the book's many inaccuracies, e.g. contrary to the Guide, all
..parks in Millbrae.are .open.to leashed dogs.
4. Use of Funds:
o development of programs (include documentation): "Service Guide was a direction
from the Board."
o compliance with intended purpose or need for re-evaluation: "Education and
assistance with spay/neuter surgery costs was the major intention for this fund.
The committee is working on this goal."
o procedures for and history of disbursements: ''There have been no other
disbursements at this point."
o balance on hand: Ending FY 93/94: $18,828.23
o projected needs and relationship to proposed changes in revenue structure:
"Please see fee changes were originally initiated with this group after much
discussion and review of funds available they endorsed the changes."
Comment: The primary purpose of Trust Fund was to subsidize private sector
sterilizations for the following reasons: (a) increase the total number performed in the
county; (b) provide locations more accessible than PHS; 9c) encourage establishment of
veterinary-client relationships; (d) provide an alternative to PHS's facility for those who
would not use it. The anticipated vehicle for the subsidy was a voucher with
development of a list of participating providers. The mechanism for partial
reimbursement of providers was to induce veterinarians to participate and allow
surgeries to be performed without actual payment of market fees, which can run several
hundred dollars for large dogs. The Fund was never intended to support PHS's
sterilization program, nor be a source of haphazard grants. The ordinance requires PHS
to alter all adoptees as early as medically possible (now 8 weeks) and that cost is
supported by the contract, PHS's nonprofit activities and the adopters. Other PHS users
do pay fees. Application of these funds to PHS surgeries requires a new analysis and
suggests designation of specific user categor~ ~vch as feral cats, "mandatory"
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procedures or special campaigns.
e RELATIONSHIP TO CITIES
1. County staff role in promoting ordinance: "Under direction of the Board, promotion of
cities to adopt the ordinance is a major goal."
2. Staff time and related costs: "I have attended all city council meetings on my own
personal time."
3. Rejections by cities: "There have been no rejections from cities since I became Program
Manager. "
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Comment: Agenda Report of April 6, 1993, to Brisbanae City Council from police Chief
Hitchcock stated ''Though we have decided not toadopt the "breeding ordinance"
chapters of the County ordinance, I have enclosed copies of them for your information."
A San Bruno Council member (oral communication) reported that the San Bruno Council
refused to consider the ordinance in early 1995. PHS has campaigned through letter
writing programs, media and ACS encouraged the City/County Task Force members (all
employees, not citizens) to work for enactment. ACS replies that the cities ''wanted to
wait until there were two full years of stats ..."
4. Reasons for promoting amended versions to cities prior to presentation to County,
including fee reductions in unaltered permiUlicense: ''The cities wanted two years of
statistics before they would entertain adopting the ordinance. Two cities requested
information and went forward. The changes in the ordinance habe been in the works
since the summer of 1994. The review by many groups, City Counsil, and the
re-numbering of the County's entire ordinance system delayed the iten being put on the
Board's agenda. There is no "hidden agenda" here."
Comment: The cities did not persue the ordinance of their own initiative but in response
to concerted lobbying, including a spread sheet of projected savings and revenues
based on adopting specific ordinance provisions. ACS's division projections over the last
decade have exceeded actuals.
5. Justification for asking County to reduce fees for ease of uniform administration when
County staff helped induce the two enacting cities toadopt different fees: "I dod not
induce any city to adopt the ordinance. They requested information and I provided it.
The uniform licensing rates have been discussed for the last two years. It is a nightmare
to administer. The overall change also provides for $.50 per licenses regardless of
where an individual lives, or whether or not their animal is intacU, to be deposited into
the Trust Fund to assist with spay/neuter surgeries and education throughout the
County."
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Comment: The most effective way to achieve uniform administration would be for the
county to conform its fees to those of 18 cities rather than adopt fees different from all
cities and expect 20 cities to change. There has been no justification for funding the
Trust Fund at this level (currently Belmont and San Mateo are at $1.00 license, the
county $5.00 for intact only and 18 cities nonparticipating).
ACS RECOMMENDED CHANGES
Please detail each change and the reasons therefor. If change effects revenue, please
calculate projections for all affected categories. ACS stated that these were contained in a
memorandum to the Board of Supervisors dated March 17, 1995.
1. Regarding the questions of legally licensing hybrid cats or dogs in Califomia, the
attached California Compendium of Rabies Control, 1995, California Department of
Health Services, Veterinary Public Health Section, faxed March 15 from DHSVPS.
Comment: This Compendium is the opinion 0 fits authors at DHSVPHS and neither
accurately reflects state law nor has the force and effect of law or regulation.
2. A memorandum to the Board, dated August 18, 1993 was attached as an example of
reporting. Points made:
o Drop in numbers receivedleuthanized at shelter
o opinion that education/awareness is cause, not Ordinance
o Nightmare of administering different fees for unincorporated
o Hope for passage of state cat rabiesllicensing
o Impossible to locate cat owners without license ID
Comment: Recent attempts to mandate cat licensing and rabies vaccination in the state
legislature as well as through the Department of Health Services have failed.
Owners of lost cats do look for them at the shelter, by posters and advertisements.
Unowned stray cats, the majority of the shelter population, have no owners to search for
or reclaim them, purchase licenses or obtain veterinary care.
3. Copy of "Budget Request Workshop" dated 1/3/95 was attached in place of accounting
requests. This lists fund balance categories with no explanations.
Comment: this does not reflect revenue specific to ordinance provisions, such as
breeding permits, fancier permits or specific violations, nor indicate the status of the
Trust.
4. A statement that written letters from The Peninsula Humane Society Community Liaison
Committee, the Peninsula Veterinary Medical Association and the Animal population
Trust Fund endorsing respective proposed amendments are on file. ACS did not provide
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copies of such letters but did provide copies of minutes of the Trust Fund Committee
(meetings of 1/18/94 and 6120/94) as "indicating that they endorse the fee changed as
well as other items in the proposed amendments".
Comment: The minutes do document mention of proposed license fee changes and
possible exemption of cat feeders from licensing. However, these minutes contain no
record of any committee action constituting endorsement or review of proposed
amendment language. Ms. Urbanski chairs the Committee and prepares the minutes.
The Liaison Committee is chaired by PHS Executive Director Kathy Savesky and
discusses a planned top at quarterly meetings. No proposed ordinances have ever been
presented or considered, nor has any type of action been taken, including authorization
for any endorsement.
The proposed wolf hybrid registration process would resolve identification questions on
the opinion of a licensed veterinarian. Since there are no scientific means to make such
identifications and extra-label use of biologics issues are involved in this area,
documented and comprehensive professional group acceptance of these specific legal
responsibilities seems problematic. (Adopted 5/16/95 by Supervisors; registration fee
equal to dog license fee.)
PENINSULA HUMANE SOCIETY
COMMUNITY LIAISON COMMITTEE
The Peninsula Humane Society Community Liaison Committee was an indirect result of the
ordinance. Due to public complaints about the exclusionary philosophy of PHS as a public
contractor and PHS's refusal to change its policies to become more inclusive of the spectrum
of community values, the County negotiated creation of this committee as part of its animal
control contract. While the operation of the Committee has allowed somewhat more access to
PHS by interested persons who had previously been systematically excluded, PHS has sole
control over selection of members (there are designated categories based on the contract and
only approval right for the County) and all aspects of operation. Meetings consist of PHS
presenting materials supporting its point of view and conducting informal discussion.
Nonmembers may communicate in writing or by submitting a speaker slip for a 3 minute
speaking allowance. The Committee has become a vehicle for PHS's interests and a means
for it to augment it own support at the expense of community values. For example, PHS
presented their own "Feral Cat Coop" program as a voluntary joint effort whereby cat feeders
would receive support services in exchange for meeting PHS requirements. Shortly thereafter,
the ordinances containing cat feeder registration surfaced with claims that the Committee
endorsed the proposed law. Had the committee actually reviewed any laws or proposed laws,
they might have uncovered various flaws such as lack of definitions, etc. Using the Committee
as an attribution, PHS developed its own version of a rental housing program which requires
sterilization for tenant pets. While committee members are well meaning in volunteering their
time and attention, attendance is sporadic. Most members have little knowledge of existing
law, applicable agencies or animals generally beyond their personal involvement.
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· Repeal breedings permits and unaltered permits
· Repeal cat licensing
· Repeal all non-commerciallimit laws for dogs and cats
· Do not enact hybrid or feral cats amendments
· Emphasize basic, affordable dog licensing for rabies prevention, identification and
reliable revenue
· Implement subsidy plan for private vet sterilization
· Establish a public animal commission reflecting broad spectrum of community values, to
act as an overseer of animal control, a forum for public complaints, an evaluator of
animal control data and advisor to the Board of Supervisors.
CREDITS AND COPYRIGHT
@ 1995 The Animal Council
P.O. Box 168
Mil/brae, CA 94030
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by
any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or
information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission of The Animal Council.
[National Pet Alliance] [Historv] [TTVAR.'proaram] [Coercive Leaislation] [NPA Studies]
Copyright @ National Pet Alliance.
8/13/9710:35 PM
The Animal Council
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@' CAT fAN C I E R Smalling hst . web site . community @'
Rational Pet ill.liunce
The Animal Council
The Animal Council (TAC) was founded in 1991 to combat San Mateo County's (California)
action to enact legislation forbidding cat and dog breeding, and mandating sterilization of all
cats and dogs. TAC is a California nonprofit, public benefit, tax-exempt (501 c4) corporation.
TAC's goal is to seek positive, humane solutions to the challenges of animal rights activists
through study, analysis and application of animal husbandry, statistics and law, and at the
same time preserve human benefit for all species, breeds and registries.
T AC is supported by individuals' donations, grants and the personal contributions of its
directors.
For further information please contact TAC at:
The Animal Council
P.O. Box 168
eMil/brae, CA 94030
The San Mateo County Pet Overpopulation Ordinance: A Leaislative Failure
[National Pet Alliancel [Historvl rTTVAR Proaraml [Leaislationl [Studiesl
Copyright @ National Pet AI/iance.
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NPA STUDY - DO VOUCHERS REALLY WORK?
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&; CAT FAN liE R S mailing list. web site' community (0
Rational Pet mJiilllce
A Survey of Changes in HSSCV Shelter
Population from 1994 to 1996:
Do free spay/neuter vouchers work?
By Karen Johnson
April, 1997
In October of 1994, the City of San Jose implemented a program to distribute unlimited free
cat spay/neuter vouchers to any resident requesting one. In an effort to determine whether or
not the program had any effect on the shelter population subgroups, shelter intake records
were gathered and analyzed for a three year time period. The resulting analysis shows
significant changes within several groups.
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· Backaround
· Voucher Proaram
· Survev Results
· Shelter Data
· Comparison with MSPCA
· Reasons for Surrender
· Are there too manv puppies and kittens enterina the shelter?
· Will Vouchers Work?
Background
San Jose is the largest city in Santa Clara County, with a current population of 846,000. Since
1985, the population has increased by over 142,000 people. The county population stands at
1,629,840 for all 15 cities and towns. The county spreads over a wide area, from the densely
populated northern half to the rural southern end, and is roughly 70 miles from north to south.
A mountain range runs along the west side, and rolling hills to the east, forming the valley
where San Jose is situated.
The Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley (HSSCV) is the largest shelter on the west coast,
and the third largest in the country. They have historically handled close to 40,000 dogs and
cats per year from 1982, until Fiscal Year (FY) 1993, when incoming dogs and cats plunged to
22,659. For the fiscal year ending in June of 1996, incoming dogs and cats, without owner
e requested euthanasias, numbered 29,100.
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Santa Clara County Animal Control performed county-wide animal control until September,
1992, with the exception of Palo Alto, on the extreme northern end, which has its own shelter.
The animals picked up by Animal Control. were taken to HSSCV for sheltering, with the
exception of animals picked up in the rural South County area. Those animals were sheltered
at the small South County Shelter in San Martin.
In 9/92 Animal Control refused to perform field services for cats in a dispute over state funds
and cut off cat service. Approximately 60% of incoming animals were brought in through field
services. For 14 months there were no field services for cats until HSSCV received the
contract and started services in 11/93 for the cities of San Jose, Milpitas and Santa Clara.
Sunnyvale started its own shelter in 7/93. Campbell, Cupertino, Saratoga, Monte Sereno and
Los Gatos banded together and started their own small shelter, however, it was not widely
known, and some 50% of their strays still ended up at HSSCV. In 10/96 those 5 cities closed
their shelter and turned over animal control to HSSCV.
Incoming stray cats plunged 21 % from FY '92 to '93 as a result of the cut off in services from
Animal Control, and only increased 1 % the following year.
At the end of FY '96, the stray cat intakes had increased to 13,512 from the '93 low of 12,303,
and the peak of 17,625 in FY 1990.
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In 1993, National Pet Alliance did a survey of 1031 random households to determine the pet
demographics in Santa Clara County. The survey found 41 % of the known cat population
were unownedlferallfree roaming/or loosely owned neighborhood cats being fed by someone,
but not claimed to be owned. 86.4% of households feeding the stray cats were feeding
between 1 and 5 cats. Additionally, we found 32.5% of owned cats were obtained as strays.
Voucher Program
The City of San Jose enacted a spay/neuter voucher program beginning in October, 1994.
After a slow start, the program took off in about February, 1995 after the local newspaper ran
two articles on the program. A similar program for dogs was begun on May 1, 1995.
The program was very simple and had a "no strings attached" approach. The vouchers were
issued by volunteers in the City Manager's office. The only requirement was that participants
must be residents of the City of San Jose. People requested vouchers, either in person or by
mail, and they took these to one of the 15 participating veterinarians. There was no limit to the
number of cat vouchers a resident could obtain. The cat was "fixed" for free. Dog vouchers
were limited to two per household, and did not seem to be in high demand except by rescue
groups.
The city reimbursed the veterinarians at a set fee of $25/female, $15/male. If the female was
pregnant the veterinarian reimbursement adjusted upwards to a maximum of $50 for a
_ full-term pregnancy. Other female problems also adjusted the price-in heat, infections, etc.
. For males with anatomical abnormalities, the fee could be increased up to $150 depending
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upon the degree of surgery necessary to completely neuter the male. Dogs \/\Iere altered at a
higher rate, depending on \/\Ieight and sex. The costs for altering averaged $23.77 per cat, and
$41.46 per dog.
As of April, 1996, female cats accounted for 60.4% of the surgeries, and males 39.6%. 4.4%
of the females \/\Iere reported pregnant at the time of surgery, 4% \/\Iere in heat. Not all
veterinarians charge extra for spaying a female in heat, which would make the 4% a low
number. The vouchers had a box which the veterinarian's office was to check off as to whether
the cat was feral or not. Only 37% of the vouchers had the boxes checked. Feral cats totaled
19.5% of those surgeries. The total cost to do the cat altering from the beginning of the
program in November, 1994 to April, 1996 was $134,735.
Dog vouchers \/\Iere made available in May, 1995.647 dogs \/\Iere altered with the vouchers,
54.3% \/\Iere female. Over 100 of the dog vouchers \/\Iere used by one rescue group who then
placed the dogs for adoption. The cost to alter the 647 dogs totaled $26,980.
The veterinarians had control over whether or not they altered the animal. Several of the
clinics do not handle feral cats. If an animal was too sick, or had other problems, the
veterinarian could decline to do the surgery. Attached to the voucher was a short, anonymous
questionnaire for the owner to fill out at the veterinarian's. This questionnaire asked
ownership questions useful to monitoring the program's success and to determine who was
using the program and whether or not they had any further suggestions for the program. The
questionnaires \/\Iere sent back to the City Manager's office for tabulation.
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In the first 16 months of the program, over 5600 cats \/\Iere altered. As of 216/96 the general
funds allocated to the program for the 1995-96 fiscal year \/\Iere used or committed. A record
2000 vouchers \/\Iere handed out in December, 1995 and January, 1996. As a result, the
program temporarily suspended issuance of new vouchers until they expired or \/\Iere used. As
of April 1 , 1996, it was determined the program could continue with modifications.
The modifications, which \/\lent into effect on 4/12/96 include eliminating the dog vouchers,
which \/\Iere less in demand and less evidently effective in 10\/\lering animal control intakes,
except for 50 dog vouchers which \/\Iere to be made available to extreme low income
households, and requiring a co-payment of $5. per cat for the surgery, plus requiring owned
cat owners to obtain a $5 license and rabies inoculation for cats. Unowned cats, and cats
which \/\Iere not to be kept were not required to be licensed. An application form to obtain a
voucher was required, along with proof of residence, and proof of licensing on owned cats.
These requirements created a chilling effect on the program, as voucher requests from April,
1996 to April, 1997 numbered only 2800. Funds for the fiscal year \/\Iere again depleted, and
the program temporarily halted until a large donation was received which will allow the
vouchers to be issued for a few more \/\leeks.
Survey Results
2733 voucher surveys \/\Iere tabulated for the 1995-1996 fiscal year, beginning 7/1/95. 32% of
a the surveys \/\Iere not completed. Of the 1845 respondents to the survey, the following
. ans\/\lers \/\Iere obtained:
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es-70% INO-24% INot sure-5.7%.
es48.6% INO.51.4%
es-72.9% INO-12% !unsure-1So1 %
ess than 6 6-12 months-52% over 1 year-25.6%
onths-22.4%
0.6% of females had
litter
litter-45% 12+ litters-40.3% loon't know-14.7%
one-2.7% 11-29% 12-36.6% 13+-31.7%
es-33.4% /NO-ee.6%
~ --- ---- 16/10-1;:5% 1~0+-12.3%
15-70%
questionnaires, VoIhere the respondent claimed their MALE cat had had a
ted the humor in attempting to pin the blame for a litter, and changed the
for those questionnaires.
refused to answer this question. If this was because they were over limit
ey were added to the 3+ category, then the distribution of ownership
one-2.4%,1-26.4%,2-33.3%,3+-37.9%.
oucher survey prior to the one listed above had an open-ended question
s and suggestions. Other than numerous thank-yous scrawled across the
ers, the most common suggestion or comment for the program was a
tions and/or FEL VlFIV testing for stray cats.
VoIhere the cats were obtained was added into the survey in the fall. There
to this question. The table below shows the differences between VoIhere
ed from those using the voucher program, and VoIhere cats were obtained
he 1993 random survey of households in Santa Clara County:
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Iwas cost a
factor?
Was the cat a
stray?
Will you keep
the cat?
IAge
Do you feed
strays?
How many
strays fed?
*We noted several
litter. We apprecia
yes answers to no
-168 respondents
in San Jose, and th
would change to: N
The version of the v
asking for comment
bottom of the vouch
request for vaccina
The question as to
were 710 responses
the cats were obtain
as reportecJ:during t
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Santa Clara Iv h S .
County Survey OUC er urvey
IFound 132.5% 146.3%
ISom at home 15.8% 19.0%
IGiven by friend or relative 133.1% 129.7%
IPet Store __n_ n 16.0% . . 12.4% ----...--
I Breeder 13.7%n .1.6%.
I Rescue 11.4% 13.7%
IAnimal Control/Humane Society 111.3% 13.5%
lAd in newspaper 11.4% 11.6%
IFront of store 1.6% 1.8%
lather 14.3%
lather 11.3%
IVets 1.4%
IFlea Market 1.7%
The vouchers were primarily being used by those households who have rescued stray cats.
e Shelter Data
Calendar year (CY)1994 is the base year for our shelter study, as vouchers could have had
no effect on cat population for any portion of the year. The following were the intake numbers
for HSSCV for the past three years.
I CY94 I CY95 1 CY96
ISurrendered DOgS 13811 13108 13437
ISurrendered Cats 15784 15508 14772
ITotal Surrender 19595 18616 18209
IStray Dogs 16141 17000 IS7S6
IStray Cats 111952113380 113120
ITotal Stray 118093 120380 119866
Surrendered dogs have decreased 9.2% and surrendered cats have decreased 17.5%, while
stray cats have increased, but are still 17% below the level they were prior to cessation of
County Animal Control services.
We also looked at the total number of kittens and puppies entering the shelter, which were not
tit broken down by stray or surrender, and include DOA's.
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These animals were defined as those 6 months of age or younger, including newboms.
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1 CY94 1 CY95 I CY96
INewbom kittens 1515 1221 1289
INewbom puppies 129 118 138
IKittens 17258 18295 17458
IPuppies 11665 11653 11909
ITotal cats handled including PTSOR 131004131962130869
Newbom kittens entering the shelter have decreased 43.9% from CY94 to CY96, while kittens
in general have decreased 10.1 % from CY95 to 96. Puppies, which would have had minimal
impact by the voucher program, increased 14% over the same time period. Kittens make up
39% of total shelter cat intakes for CY96, while puppies constitute 11.9% of dog intakes.
The number of total cats handled has dropped slightly, even though the service area has been
increasing, and the population has been increasing.
For CY94 HSSCV took in 8410 stray cats from San Jose residents, compared to CY96 when
8975 stray cats from San Jose entered the shelter. This gives us 9.4 stray impounded cats per
1000 residents.
e Comparison with MSPCA
The Massachusetts SPCA is one of the few shelters in the country who also keep data on
puppy and kitten intakes. They do not perform animal control services for their area, however
they do receive animals from Animal Control. They have used a cutoff of 6 months for the
definition of a puppy or kitten, and do not track newboms.
11994 11995 11996
IPuppies 0-6mos 11488 11771 11795
100gs Total 19034 19834 19703
IKittens 0-6mos 110437 110373 110101
ICatsTotal 123153122511123104
Puppies are 18.5% of dog intakes, and kittens are 43.7% of the total cat intakes in 1996.
Reasons for Surrender
Given the large drop in surrendered cats, we examined the individual categories of reasons
given for surrender of cats at the time of relinquishment to the shelter, and for comparison,
looked at the MSPCA reasons for surrender, to determine if their were any significant
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I Reasons For Surrender
I HSSCV I MSPCA
1111-11130/94 1 % 119961 % 119941 % /19961 %
INo Reason recorded 11680*
IToo many cats 11458 IS1.4% /1343 134.8%
IMoving/Landlord 1636 122.4% 1815121.1% 11677 118.4% 11883 121.2%
IAllergy 1154 Is.4% 117414.S% 1769 18.4% 1774 18.7
IBehavior 1150 Is.3% 1230 16.0% 11918/21.0% 11604118.1%
IOther 193 13.3% [18714.9% 1840 19.2% 1782 18.8%
IHealth of Cat 166 12.3% 1515113.4%
IDon't Want 158 12.0% 13811.0%
I? 155 11.9%
ICan't Keep 145 11.6% ~11.1%
INO Room 139 11.4% rw-1.3%
ICan't afford 137 11.3% ~1.9% 11383 11s.2% 11477 116.6%
IOwner's Health 124 1.8% r;a--I.S%
INo time 123 1.8% ~1.8% 1607 16.7% 1645 17.3%
ILitter 11928121.1% 11721 119.4%
IChange in life-style ~I.O%
IDivorce ~I.o%
IDOA 1366 19.5%
IFeral rl.1%
INew baby ~1.4%
IOwner deceased ~1.4%
IPersonal rl.1%
IQuarantine rw-1.3%
ISpecial Hold 12 1.1%
ITotals 12838* 199.9% 13854 1100.2% 19122 1100.0 % 18886 1100.0%
In a follow up study of the records in lNhich no reason was given for the surrender, the City of
San Jose hired several college students to call a sampling of surrendering owners to
determine the reason for surrender. The only category lNhich changed significantly was health
of animal (lNhich increased), otherwise, the rank order of reasons for surrender remained
basically the same. *Therefore, for purposes here, we will exclude the records for no reason
e given, and calculate reasons for surrender based only on those 1Nh0 gave a reason for
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surrender at the time of surrender.
e By 1996 the list of reasons for surrender had expanded by 9 more categories. The big change
was in the percent of cats surrendered because there were already too many cats in the
household, from 51.4% of the 1994 surrendered cats, to 34.8% of the surrendered 1996 cats.
Are there too many puppies and kittens entering the shelter?
In the shelter community it is well known that the kitten season starts in April, with a huge
influx of spring litters, continuing through the summer, and dropping off in October. Puppies at
HSSCV, however, did not have a "season." They appeared year round at the shelter,
averaging 160 per month. Owned cats have an average life span of 7 years. With an
estimated owned cat population of 246,571 in the county, over 35,000 replacement kittens are
needed annually. It would seem that the 7458 shelter kittens should all have homes to go to.
Unfortunately, an 11 month survey in 1994 of reasons for euthanasia determined 2,222 cat
euthanasias were performed because the kitten was too young to be adopted out.
Additionally, the 1993 NPA survey found only 12% of cats were acquired from a shelter, which
would give a maximum potential of 4200 cats being adopted from HSSCV along with the other
smaller shelters in the area in a given year.
e
With an estimated dog population of 194,636 in Santa Clara County, and an average life span
of 9.6 years, over 20,000 replacement puppies are needed on an annual basis for
replacement. 31 puppies were euthanized for being too young out of the 1665 received in
1994. Only 256 dogs were euthanized for lack of time/cage space at the shelter during the 11
month 1994 study. Excess puppies are not a problem at the shelter when one considers the
total number of dogs adopted are twice the number of puppies received.
Will Vouchers Work?
Santa Clara County has an estimated stray cat population of 168,000. Roughly 40% are
female, and an unknown number are capable of reproduction. 86% of the owned cat
population have already been altered, and 6% are too young to be altered. Alternatives to not
altering the strays include only two alternatives: trap and kill, or ignore. The three day cost to
the shelter to handle one stray, euthanize and dispose of, is $70. The average cost to alter a
cat under the free voucher program was $23.40. Altering one female cat saves the cost of
handling 3 kittens (or $210.) with just her first litter. Trapping and killing is morally and
ethically repugnant to those who cherish life and believe that life, even if not of first quality, is
better than death. Ignoring the cats, only leaves the burdens of stray kittens to the citizens to
adopt or turn into the shelter.
In a 1994 random study of San Diego County dog and cat populations, of the households
feeding stray cats, only 7% of the households had altered any stray cats they fed. Additionally,
of the kittens known to have been born to these stray cats, 53% had unknown dispositions.
To reduce the number of stray cats and their offspring from entering the shelter, some method
e must be found to alter as many of the stray cats as possible. The voucher program as first
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implemented was widely used. When changes to tighten up the system began, the voucher
requests dropped dramatically.
Vouchers have made a substantial impaqt on surrendered cats and kittens, while over the
same time period, puppy and dog intakes have increased. We believe the vouchers are two
steps in the right direction, and that a higher funding level will be necessary to continue
shelter cat intake reductions, coupled with more public awareness of the program.
[National Pet Alliance] [Historyl fTTVAR Proaramj [Leaislation] [Studies]
Copyright @ National Pet Alliance.
8/15/97 12:55 PM
TTVAR Program
hlIp:/Jwww.faneiers.comlnpalvoucher.html
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City of San Jose
Spay/Neuter Voucher Program
The issuance of vouchers for residents to take their stray and
"loosely owned" neighborhood cats in for free altering is
a method which is proving to work in the control of stray cats.
The City of San Jose has enacted such a program beginning in October 1994. After a slow
start, the program took off in about February, 1995 after the local newspaper ran two articles
on the program. The Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley reported as of August, 1995 they
have had an 11 % increase in the number of stray cat intakes for the San Jose this year,
however, there is a 25% increase for the surrounding cities at the same shelter. Additionally,
for the month of August, 1995 there is a 25% in crease in San Jose stray cat intakes over
August, 1994, and a 183% increase for the surrounding cities. A similar program for dogs was
begun on May 1, 1995.
tit San Jose's program is very simple and has a "no strings attached" approach.
The vouchers are issued by volunteers in the City Manager's office. The only requirement is
that participants must be residents of the City of San Jose. People request vouchers, either in
person or by mail, and they take these to one of the 15 participating veterinarians. There is no
limit to the number of cat vouchers a resident can obtain. The cat is ''fixed'' for free. Dog
vouchers are limited to two per household, and do not seem to be in high demand except by
rescue groups.
The city reimburses the veterinarians at a set fee of $25/female, $15/male. If the female is
pregnant the veterinarian reimbursement adjusts upwards to a maximum of $50 for a full-term
pregnancy. Other female problems also adjust the price--in heat, infections, etc. For males
with anatomical abnormalities, the fee can be increased up to $150 depending on the degree
of surgery necessary to completely neuter the male. The costs for altering have averaged
$23.96 per cat. Dogs are altered at a higher rate, depending on weight and sex.
The veterinarians have control over whether or not they will alter the animal. If an animal is
too sick, or has other problems, the veterinarian can decline to do the surgery. Attached to the
voucher is a short, anonymous questionnaire for the O'M1er to fill out at the veterinarian's. This
questionnaire asks O'M1ership questions useful to monitoring the program's success and to
determine who is using the program and whether or not they have any further suggestions for
tit the program. The questionnaires are sent back to the City Manager's office for tabulation.
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So far, the reports from San Jose have been all positive!
e The veterinarians have had no problems, the people redeeming the vouchers like the
program, and the volunteers have kept the program working smoothly. Veterinarians who are
not on the official list of designated clinics to do the surgeries are now cia moring to become a
part of the program. Best of all, city costs to handle stray cats will be reduced dramatically in a
very short time period.
For the first year of the program over 3800 cats have been altered, approximately one half of
which were strays, and 60% females. An additional 350 dogs have been altered in the past 5
months at an average cost of $42.00.
A complete study on this voucher program is underway, and will be included on this website
upon completion.
[National Pet Alliance! [History! [TTVAR Proaram] [Leaislation] [Studies]
Copyright @) National Pet Affiance.
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San Francisco SPCA Position statement, January 3
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San Francisco SPCA Position
Statement, January 3
Cat Licensing: Analysis of Claims
CLAIM: Cat Licensing will make cat owners more responsible.
e
Caring can't be mandated, and a licensing mandate will only end up punishing
those who care. There are millions of compassionate people who provide
abandoned cats with food, love, and shelter in their own homes. Others put aside
their own needs in order to care for a beloved pet or make sure a shy and
reclusive neighborhood cat has daily sustenance and medical attention. Still others
work tirelessly to feed foster and rehabilitate feral cats and kittens, all at their own
personal expense. For every one of these caregivers, mandatory cat licensing will
exact a heavy toll. These people will either have to pay the license fees.- or face-
citations, fines, penalties, and possible confiscation of the animals they love.
These new burdens, inflicted on the very people who are doing the most to help
cats in their communities, will force many to stop caring for these animals, or at
least force them to care for fewer cats, with the net result being more cats left to
fend for themselves and fewer people able to provide them with any kind of safety
net at all.
In response to these concerns, some cat licensing proponents have said that
enforcement won't be stressed, or will only be "complaint driven." In our view,
passing laws that aren't enforced or are enforced sporadically is just as unfair and
counterproductive: Few people are likely to comply with a cat licensing mandate
that isn't enforced. (In Los Angeles, for instance, compliance rates of less than 1 %
were reported, in spite of a canvassing program.) And people who "voluntarily"
comply can probably be counted among the most responsible (and affluent) pet
owners in the community. We see little equity or sense in enacting a law that only
ends up penalizing through a licensing tax the very people whose behavior is
already exemplary.
Needless to say, truly irresponsible cat owners won't be affected. If the law isn't
enforced, they are free to ignore it. If it is enforced against them, they are likely to
surrender or abandon their animals, which will only add to the number of cats
killed.
CLAIM: Cat Licensing will help raise the status of cats.
e
In our view this claim is on a par with the suggesting that licensing poor people or
the homeless will help raise their "status." Of course, cat licensing proponents
____u. ___1_:__ _ _______~___.l_ ____1_ L...4. i._ ..J____:z __ol._ ___ 1:_____...1 1:1._ ...JI___
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arenI maKing a comparison IO people, OUI IO oogs: IT caIS are llcenseo liKe oogs
they will apparently enjoy the same "status" as dogs. Unfortunately, dog licensing
didn't confer any beneficial "status" on canines: it was and is a tool for protecting
livestock, enforcing rabies laws, and ridding the public streets of the perceived
threat posed by unowned, free-roaming dogs. Indeed, since 1933 California dog
licensing laws have explicitly authorized the impoundment of unlicensed dogs, and
millions of dogs have been impounded and killed by animal control agencies
throughout the state as a result of these mandatory licensing laws.
This is the precedent to which proponents of cat licensing appeal when they claim
that licensing will raise the "status" of cats. We doubt, however, whether cats
l,o\K)uld choose such a status for themselves. They might well prefer to retain the
unlicensed status they now share with humans. And the dogs may want to join
them.
CLAIM: Cat licensing will result in more cats being redeemed at
shelters.
Unfortunately, the evidence suggests that cat redemptions are just as likely, if not
more likely, to decline once voluntary cat identification efforts are replaced with a
coercive licensing mandate. In Los Angeles County, for instance, the number of
stray cats redeemed by their owners was reported to be down 32% following
implementation of mandatory laws.
e
Proponents have tended to ignore evidence like this, and instead point to the fact
that dogs, who have been subject to licensing laws for years, enjoy higher
redemption rates than cats. But dogs differ from cats in many ways, and there is no
reason to think licensing is the factor that results in the higher redemption rate for
dogs. Indeed, San Francisco 63% of the stray dogs at the City's Animal Care and
Control Department were redeemed by their owners in the 1993-94 fiscal year. Yet
less that 4% of the dogs impounded during that time were licensed. It seems clear,
then, that factors other than licensing are responsible for the high redemption rate
for dogs.
The most obvious reason for the difference between dog and cat redemption rates
is the fact that a much higher proportion of the dogs who are impounded are
"owned" in the first place. Few dogs are found, for instance, in the type of feral or
doorstep colonies that thousands of cats call home, nor are there many unowned
neighborhood dogs. Since most dogs impounded are likely to be "owned" by
someone, it makes sense that many more would be redeemed. And since a much
smaller proportion of impounded cats are "owned" - a Santa Clara study estimated
that less than 9% of all stray cats handled by that county's animal control agency
were owned - it makes Sense that far fewer cats are redeemed. A licensing
program obviously can't change that, unless, of course, it is accomplished by
concentrated efforts to round up and kill all unowned cats in a community.
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CLAIM: Cat licensing will help reduce the number of stray and
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abandoned cats.
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The only way cat licensing will reduce the number of stray and abandoned cats is if
it is enforced by rounding up unlicensed cats and taking them to the local animal
control agency where the vast majority will be killed. And this, we fear, is exactly
what will happen. Many individuals and groups openly advocate for cat control
measures like licensing as a vehicle for round-up-and-kill measures. And even
animal control agencies that disclaim any intention of initiating round-up-and-kill
programs will have to respond to complaints about cats from these individuals and
groups, which will inevitably result in cats being rounded up and killed.
Without round-up-and-kill measures it seems apparent that cat licensing will only
work to increase, not decrease, the number of homeless cats. Faced with citations
and penalties for not complying cat caretakers who can't afford the new license
fees will be forced to surrender their animals to the local shelter or abandon them
to fend for themselves. Neighborhood cats, cats in doorstep colonies or multi-cat
households, cherished pets owned by seniors on restricted incomes, feral cats with
caretakers on limited budgets. These are the kinds of cats who will be most at risk,
and for whom a licensing mandate could well be fatal. Of course, for the stray and
abandoned cats already in the community, licensing will do nothing.
CLAIM: Cat licensing will help decrease shelter euthanasia.
e
Since cat licensing will likely result in more cats being surrendered to shelters and
abandoned in the community, since it will not appreciably affect redemptions, and
since it may very well become a vehicle for round-up-and-kill campaigns, it is
difficult for us to see how it would result in a decrease in shelter euthanasia.
CLAIM: Cat licensing will raise money to help fund animal control
agencies.
Cat licensing will cost local governments and taxpayers money, not raise it,
resulting in a net loss to animal control and/or other vital government services.
Indeed, we doubt whether revenues raised would even cover basic administrative
expenses. For example, each license fee collected - and most proposals we've
seen set the fee between $5 and $10 - will have to cover the costs of
manufacturing, handling, storing and mailing the actual licenses (and/or implanting
microchips), handling the checks and cash received, issuing receipts, recording
and filing the necessary data on each cat and owner, updating the data as needed,
responding to public questions and comments, mailing out renewal notices and
reminders, preparing accounting statements and annual program reports, etc. This
list doesn't include overhead or initial start- up expenses, like hiring and training
staff to run the new program and developing ne computer programs and
databases.
e
And if the fees collected won't cover basic administrative expenses, they certainly
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won't cover the enormous costs of public awareness campaigns and enforcement.
As noted above, "voluntary" compliance with cat licensing mandates is notoriously
low. To raise compliance rates, the community will have to be made aware of the
new mandate: door-to-door canvassing, city and countywide mailings,
advertisements in local print media - all bear significant costs. And these
campaigns will have to be repeated on a regular basis to maintain public
awareness. Of course, these efforts alone won't ensure compliance, and they will
have to be backed by meaningful enforcement. New enforcement staff will have to
be hired, or existing staff taken away from other essential duties, in order to patrol
the community for unlicensed cats, respond to complaints, issue citations, prepare
reports,etc. And all these costs will have to be paid by local taxpayers, either
through higher taxes or through cuts in other vital government services.
CLAIM: Dog owners contribute to animal control costs through
licensing fees; it's time cat owners pay their fair share.
Just as licensing fees aren't likely to cover the real costs of a cat licensing
program, we strongly doubt whether the fees now paid by dog owners cover much
more than the basic costs of administering dog licensing programs. From a fiscal
standpoint, therefore, local governments and taxpayers, not to mention dog
owners, may well be better off if mandatory dog licensing were simply abolished. In
any event, enacting another costly government program that won't pay for itself
isn't the way to give dog owners the equity they seek.
e No doubt there will be animal control agencies and contracting humane
organizations who dispute our analysis and offer projections to show that cat
licensing will make money for animal control services in their communities. we
believe these agencies should be willing to stand behind these projections by
having their taxpayer- financed budgets cut by the projected amount. Without this
or a similar mechanism for accountability, we fear cat licensing will become yet
another expensive government program that only works to inappropriately expand
government bureaucracies at the expense of local taxpayers, responsible cat
caretakers, and the animals themselves.
CLAIM: Regulating cat owners through licensing and other
mandates is the only way to solve cat problems.
In our view, the way to teach people to be responsible pet owners and help the
cats in a communit community at large through coercive mandates, when it is the
local shelters who are the primary source of animals and whose policies and
practices have the greatest impact, for better or worse, on local animal welfare
issues.
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We realize, however that in some cases local shelter policies may have failed and
animal problems may be worsening in a community. In such cases, government
intervention might be warranted, provided it is carefully focused to have the
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greatest impact. For instance, requiring shelters to alter animals before adoption
and to devote a substantial proportion of their annual animal control and shelter
budgets (e.g., 10-20%) to offering free spay/neuter services would do far more to
help cats and reduce pet overpopulation than cat licensing and other punitive
mandates.*
Source: CAT FANCIERS' ALMANAC, Volume 12 Number 2 June 1995 page
""""""~'-'--"""""''''''''''''---''''''''----''-.--'''''---'-''.---_._-----,-_.__._-_._----,
. .. .- ..--... ',--,.. . ......... .......-. "-,... ....._,.. ,""--'" ",....... - ......., ......... .".." .." ,.. ,
Copyright @ 1995, 1996 The Cat Fanciers' Association, with the exception of the photographic
images which are Copyright @ by the individual photographers. Many people have contributed to
this site. Please send comments to cfa@cfainc.oro.
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REPORT ON TRAP/AL TERlRELEASE PROGRAMS
http://www.fanciers.COmlother-faqslfera~trap.hbnl
e
@: CAT fAN C I E R Smalling Lst . web lite . community @J
R~tionaI Pet mlli:lIlce
A Report on Trap/Alter/Release Programs
(e) 1995 Karen Johnson
National Pet Alliance, PO Box 53385, San Jose, CA 95153, 408-363-0700
....,..,..,.~"..,:,.,~,..:,."~...,:,.,.,=-,,.,=~...,:,.,,=.,.,...~:.,~...,,,.,:~...,.',.,~...,.',..,=,..,.....".....~...".,..,.,.....,..,..,..".,.,~~...,:,'~....".,.,,~...,..,.,,~-....,-.,.,:,
The most common preferred method put forth by animal control organizations for control of
cats has traditionally been to capture and euthanize ferallunolMled cats. Others, who refer to
this means of control as the "trap and kill" method, consider it inhumane and objectionable on
several fronts. A major factor has been that it has been sholMl that as soon as a cat is
removed, a new one will move in to take over the food source[Ref1]. Additionally, unless the
cat is making an unusual pest out of itself, why should a wild animal be euthanized simply for
not having a human address?
After a six-year study and daily observation of a feral cat colony, it has been documented that
stray female cats start cycling when they are 4-6.9 months old[Ref2], or as soon as the days
are long enough. January and February are the start of the kitten season, with the litters born
in March and April. These cats have an average of 2.1 litters per year of 4.25 kittens[Ref3].
A 42% of the kittens will die by the age of two months of natural causes[Ref4]. Many more will
., end up at the shelter. Those who escape early death and the shelter go on to be prolific
bearers of kittens over their short lifespan of approximately three years[Ref5].
Taking the mortality into account, along with birth and death rates, the average stray female
will have 5.25 litters in her lifetime, encompassing 22.3 kittens. At age two months there
should be 12.9 survivors, roughly six females and seven males (at maturity, roughly 213 of the
stray cat population is male[Ref6], due to the high mortality of females during first pregnancy
and birth), which will decrease to four females over time. These six females will go on to have
their 22 surviving kittens each. Realistically, over 12 years, one unspayed female, with all her
unspayed female offspring, reasonably can be expected to be responsible for over 3200
kittens if there is no human intervention.
Some continue to advocate the trap and kill eradication approach. However, if eradication
programs really worked, we wouldn't be faced with so many stray cats and their offspring at
the shelters. Cats are territorial. They don't allow other cats into their territory to steal their
food. Altered cats will stand their ground and guard their food source, will not have kittens,
and will die in a few years. Remove the cat{s) from the habitat without changing the habitat
and another cat will move in.
The Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley estimates over 50% of their stray cats euthanized
are either wild, or their unweaned offspring. Once the offspring of these feral cats are over
e about six months of age, it is nearly impossible to socialize them to the degree necessary to
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REPORT ONTRAP/AL TERlRELEASE PROGRAMS
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be placed as house pets. An unsocialized cat is an unadoptable cat. The Cities and Counties
pay for the handling of these stray cats and their offspring. Reducing the number of kittens
born to these cats would substantially reduce the number of cat euthanasias at the shelter,
thereby reducing the costs born by the taxpayers to handle and kill stray cats which cannot be
socialized.
Unownedlwild cats are routinely euthanized at shelters. Even though the kittens can often be
socialized for placement, it does take a minimum of two to three weeks of intensive work.
Shelters simply don't have the time, personnel or cage space to socialize the kittens. Many do
not have foster care available for this work. The alternative, for the most part, is euthanasia.
Reproduction Intervention as an Alternative Approach
In 1989, Stanford University officials announced a plan to trap and kiJI approximately 500 stray
cats living on campus. As a result, Stanford Cat Network was formed. SCN was able to
present an alternative solution in which they would organize to trap, alter, release and
manage the cats, to stop the progression of reproduction on campus. Because of their hard
work, Stanford cats now have zero population growth as a result of diligent and on-going
trapping and spay/neuter efforts, and the population is declining through natural attrition. Over
60 kittens were caught, socialized and adopted out during the first season. By 1994, only four
kittens were found on campus. The campus population is now estimated at approximately 300
cats. Stanford's current cat population is healthy and well-cared for, and its maintenance
involves students, staff, and faculty.
e SCN has accomplished all of this without financial support from the University. SCN's
successful five-year program with a very large cat population demonstrates that feral cat
colonies can be managed and kept under control, and that a workable, viable alternative to a
rush for extermination does exist.
In San Diego County, the non-profit Feral Cat Coalition has trapped, altered and released in
excess of 3,100 cats over the past two years. In addition to these cats, which were over five
months of age at the time of altering, an unknown number of kittens were also trapped,
socialized and adopted into new homes.
Prior to this project, San Diego County Animal Management Information System reported an
increase of roughly 10% per year in the number of cats handled by San Diego Animal Control
shelters from 1988 to 1992. The increase peaked at 13% from Fiscal Year (FY)91 to FY92,
with a total of 19,On cats handled. After just two years, with no other explanation for the drop,
only 12,446 cats were handled-a drop of 35%. Instead of another 10% annual increase,
euthanasias plunged 40% from 91-92 to 93-94.
San Diego Animal Control Cat Statistics 1988-1994
Year Total Claimed Adopted Euth. Research Other*
------- ------- -------- ------
88-89 13929 202 2130 10976 7 614
e 89-90 15394 230 2224 12349 591
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REPORT ON TRAP/AL TER/RELEASE PROGRAMS
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90-91
91-92
92-93
93-94
16849
19017
14143
12446
238
248
leO
223
2426
2571
2297
2386
13561
15525
11121
9269
7
6
617
721
545
568
From 1988-91, the number of dogs handled did not increase, but dropped a total of 5.7%. A
more dramatic 20% drop was reported from FY92 to FY94. Dog euthanasias then dropped
29.7%.
San Diego Animal Control Dog Statistics 1988-1994
Year Total Claimed Adopted Euth. Research Other*
------- ------- -------- ------
88-89 24070 5147 4355 13313 526 729
89-90 24177 5213 4540 13215 324 885
90-91 22549 4749 4357 12155 320 968
91-92 ;22707 4847 4493 12216 233 918
92-93 19544 4342 4385 9791 239 787
93-94 18275 4014 4721 8592 159 789
*Other includes: return to wild, transfer to correct jurisdiction, wildlife rehab, stolen, escaped,
DOA, died in kennel, died in truck, died at contract vet, misc.
Of the 3,153 cats trapped by the Feral Cat Coalition which were altered, 54% were female and
46% were male. Of the 1639 females spayed, the following characteristics were noted:
e 453 Normal 28%
691 In Heat 42%
218 Pregnant 13%
216 Lactating 13%
61 Post Queening 4%
1639 100%
Only 3%, 86 cats total, were found to have been already altered. 17 cats were refused surgery
for being under five months of age, or too ill. 18 cats died during surgery. 679 cats (22%)
needed additional medical treatment-generally amoxicillin for infections, or ivomectin for
mites or worming. Additionally, cleaning and suturing wounds and abscesses were very
common.
72% of these stray female cats were either in heat, pregnant, or had recently had kittens. This
is at least a three and a half times higher incidence of pregnancy than found among owned
cats. Three studies have shown between 16-20% of owned cats have a litter prior to altering.
A 1991 Massachusetts SPCA study found 20% of owned cats had a litter(Ref7], a Las Vegas
Study reported 16% of owned cats reproduced(RefS], and in the 1993 survey of Santa Clara
County residents, 16% also verified that their cats had a litter prior to altering[Ref9].
Clearly, the project to trap, alter and release cats in San Diego County has had a dramatic
effect on the number of cats handled and euthanized at their shelters, which even historical or
nationwide downward trends cannot explain.
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Santa Clara County Animal Control has estimated that the cost to handle a stray cat for the
three required days in the shelter, plus euthanasia and disposal, is $70 per cat. There are still
only three alternatives to handling the population of stray cats: 1) alterlrelease/mnagement; 2)
exterminateleuthanize; 3) ignore.
Let us now compare costs:
Test/VacciDate/Al~ = $52 on a low cost program
VS
3 Day >:equi.zecl stay at shelter = $70
VS
Randle 3200 offspring = $224,000
41 % of the known cat population in Santa Clara County is unowned[Ref10]. This equates to
188,463 cats which will, for the most part, be unaltered. Do we allow them to continue to
breed, adding ever more cost to animal control budgets and taxpayer burden, or do we take
the initiative to trap, alter and release them, reducing the number of fertile females to
manageable levels?
Now, before the start of kitten season, is the time to start trapping the cats. Every female
trapped now will reduce the number of kittens needed to be handled by animal control this
summer by at least Two. Do we spend $52 now on the spay, or $140 to handle the two kittens
estimated to survive this spring? There are volunteers in the community who care about cats.
Animal agencies should aggressively take the lead in encouraging and enabling citizens to
help out on this problem. Organization must be established within the community. This
enables volunteers to know what to do. Provide the means for the medical treatment, and
citizens will provide the services to trap the cats and take them to the veterinarians. But, for
the best possible outcome, provide both for those areas with large colonies.
Funding for a program of this type can take many forms:
1. Looking at the figures from San Diego, one can readily see that for a cost of (3153 cats
X $52 per cat) $163,956, they have reduced the expenses at their shelter by at least
6500 cats, or $455,000, over a two year time span. This successful track record shows
that in actuality no additional funds need be raised-the program will pay for itself
through less shelter costs. The initial funding for altering could be taken from the shelter
budget. (San Diego, however, did not pay for the veterinary services. All services were
donated by veterinarians and others. Medical supplies were purchased through
contributions to Feral Cat Coalition).
2. For those who prefer not to gamble with the shelter budget, an alternative is to request
the Board of Supervisors to allocate seed money for a trap/alter/release program, after
showing them the Mure savings to the animal control budget. The City of San Jose
found surplus funds in the Animal Licensing budget. Perhaps the County may also find
such a surplus.
3. Alternatively, if a restricted pet product surcharge was proposed in this county, for use
only for trap/alterlrelease program seed money, and the surcharge would end as soon
as the program was proving that the shelter costs for stray cats and kittens were
8/151974:04 PM
REPORT ON TRAP/AL TEM<ELEASE PROC>AAMS
httpjlwww.fanciers.com/other-faqslfera~trap.html
decreasing, probably few in the pet community would have an objection. The decreased
e shelter costs would then more than fund the ongoing trap/alter /release efforts.
There may be those who prefer to continue the eradication method. The concerns put forth
are usually centered around noise (cats fighting over territory or mating), smell (of spray),
vector infestation, disease transmission or possible injury. The assumption of a quick and
clean solution makes this avenue of population control especially attractive. Yet eradication
programs are ineffective(Ref11]. While attractive from a theoretical and short-term
perspective, eradication has proven to be an elusive goal(Ref12].
Following trap/alterlrelease programs, mating behavior and noise is eliminated. The male
urine spray smell is eliminated. Disease transmission to humans is a negligible factor due to
the few diseases which cats can pass to humans. Rabies is one. There were only two cat
rabies cases found in 1993 in the entire state of California, out of a current population of some
13 million ov.ned and stray cats. The risk is minimal. Vector problems should increase with
removal of stray cats, until such time as an increase in other rodent predators takes the place
of the missing cats. Most of us would probably prefer to have a small, healthy feral cat
population, rather than a larger Norway rat and seagull population in habitats where those are
the only options(Ref13].
Recommendations
We strongly recommend immediate issuance of vouchers for all unincorporated county
_ residents to take their stray and "loosely owned" neighborhood cats in for free altering. The
- sooner the program begins, the sooner the reduction in shelter costs will occur. For the fastest
method of notifying residents of the programs, perhaps a utility insert, or special mailing to
residents could jump start the program fast enough to show reductions in shelter expense
within 3-4 months.
We have estimated that due to death of ov.ned cats, in excess of 17,000 kittens are needed
annually in Santa Clara County just for replacement. These kittens will need to be altered. It
would be ideal to develop the trap/alter/release program in such a way that the 17,000 ov.ners
of kittens which need altering, and who could otherwise afford to alter their cat, do not use the
voucher funds to the detriment of the stray cat altering program.
86% of ov.ned cats in Santa Clara County are altered(Ref14]. From San Diego we know 97%
of stray cats are not altered. There is no doubt which cat population is causing the huge
numbers of cat euthanasias at the shelter. It's time to get to work and start altering the stray
cats now.
References
1. launbrecher, K., Smith, R., "Neutering of Feral Cats as an Alternative to Eradication
Programs". Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), Vo1.203, No.3,
August 1,1993:449-452.
e 2. Jochle, w., Jochle, M., "Reproduction in a feral cat population and its control with a
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REPORT ON TRAP/AlTER/RELEASE PROGRAMS
e 3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
http://wNw.fancielS.comiother-faqslferal-trap.html
prolactin inhibitor". 2nd International Symposium on Canine and Feline Reproduction,
Belgium.
Pedersen, N., Feline Husbandry. American Veterinary Publications, 1991:3-12.
Berkeley, EP., Maverick Cats. New England Press, 1982.
Berkeley, EP.
Berkeley, E.P.
Handy, F.L., "Measuring your community's pet population, owner attitudes". Shelter
Sense, Vol. 16, No.5, May 1993:3-12.
Mosier, J.E, Williams, L.W., Nassar, R., "Study of feline and canine populations in the
Greater Las Vegas Area." Am. J. Vet. Res., VoIA5, No.2, 1984:282-7.
Johnson, K, Lewellen, L., Lewellen, J., "National Pet Alliance's Survey Report on Santa
Clara County's Pet Population." The CFAAlmanac, Jan. 1994.
Johnson, K.
Zaunbrecher, K.
Holton, L., Manzoor, P., "Managing and Controlling Feral Cat Populations". Veterinary
Forum, March 1993.
Clifton Merritt, Editor, Animal People on AOL, Dec. 1, 1994, Pet Care-Animals and
Society Board.
Johnson, K.
-----------------..------------
..... .-,....._.........,............-......__..... ..-.-..--..,.,.......-............--.-...-.........-... .....-..
Karen Johnson, KarenJ115@ao/.com
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[Fanciersl [About] [GeneralllBreedlil [ClubsllVetMe~ {Welfare] ~inksl
Contact our webmaster with any questions, problems, additions or changes.
A
8/15197 4:04 PM
Are OWned Cats Causing an Overpopulation Crisis?
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(jJ;' CAT FAN C I E R S mailing IISl . web lite . community (g'
Rational Pet llliiilnCe
Are Owned Cats Causing an
Overpopulation Crisis?
A National Pet Alliance Report
(c) 1994 Karen Johnson
Adapted from the Cat Fanciers' Almanac, October 1994
......----,.-.,--.-.---,--,
......,.. .'d...... ,_,.
--------_.,---
....._...,-....,... ....",..... -,-..-,..,- ......
Consider 1000 owned cats vs. 1000 stray/feral cats.
· Which group is having the most kittens?
· Which group is sustaining itself by reproduction?
· Which group is handled more by animal control and shelters?
Table 1. OWNED CATS AND STRAY/FERAL CATS
ASSUME 1000 OWNED CATS I ASSUME 1000 STRAY/FERAL CATS
------------------------------------1------------------------------------
7 year life span. I 3 year life span.
I
I 333 will die annually
I
I 350 will be female
I
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I
I
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143 will die annually. To sustain
zero population growth, 143 cats
will need to be replaced by new
births.
500 will be female.
97% of mature (approx. 6
months or older) females are capable
of reproduction. Some will be
altered through trap/alter/release
programs. A few will be stray,
previously owned cats.
500 x 16% will have a litter prior
to being spayed.
80 litters over 7 years time.
11 litters per year.
350 x 97% = 340 litters born
~imes per year.
11 litters x 2.85 kittens = 31
kittens born from a population of
1000 owned cats each year.
340 litters x 2.85 kittens live
to age one year - 969 kittens.
143 for zero population, minus 31
born = 112 below the level needed
to maintain the population of
owned cats.
969 kittens x 2 cycles per year
= 1938 kittens per year, per 1000
unowned cats.
~ Owned cats produce 22% of the
~ owned kittens necessary to
112 of these kittens are assumed
to be adopted or obtained as
strays to sustain the owned cat
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maintain the owned cat zero
population level.
1 population.
I
I 1938 born minus 112 adopted = 1826
(A small percentage may have a I surplus/unwanted feral and stray
second litter prior to altering.) I kittens per year, per 1000 adults.
------------------------------------1----------------____________________
59% of the known cat popuJ.ation is I 41% of the known cat popuJ.ation is
owned, acoording to the NPA survey. I unowned, acoording to the NPA surve~.
------------------------------------1-----------------___________________
Food for thought:
If all stray and feral cats were caught and altered or killed, owned cats would have to produce
an additional 22 litters per year per thousand cats to sustain zero population growth. This is
twice the current rate. To balance out the cat population, it is necessary to either increase cat
ownership or reduce kittens being born to strays and ferals, or both. Programs which address
these solutions should be encouraged, i.e. elimination of limit laws, or Trap I Test I Vaccinate I
Alter I Release programs (TTVAR).
Are Owned Cats Causing A Population Crisis?
Statistics
e Cats vs. dogs at the shelter:
· At the third largest shelter in the country, Santa Clara Countv. California, 36% of the
animals handled are dogs, vs. 64% cats.
· Euthanasia totals are 80% cats and 20% dogs.
Litters produced by owned cats:
· A Massachusetts SPCA (MSPCAl studv in 1991 shows 20% of cats have a litter prior to
being altered.
· A National Pet Alliance (NPAl study of Santa Clara County in 1993 concluded 16% of
female cats have a litter prior to being altered.
· A 1981 study of Las Veaas. out of Kansas State University, found that 16% of the
unspayed females reproduced.
Stray cats fed, but not claimed:
· A HSUS national survey in 1992 found nearly 25% of households feed stray cats.
Are owned cats altered?
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· The MSPCA study reported 87% of owned cats were already altered.
· The Las Veaas study from KSU found 86% of owned female cats were spayed.
· A report from Tufts University showed 91.5% of owned female cats were spayed.
· The Santa Clara County survey found 86% of owned cats were altered.
Death rates:
· Dr. Roger Nassar, who conducted the Las Veaas study, concluded the average life span
of the owned cats, based on respondents' answers, was 7.02 years.
· Ellen Perry Berkeley, in her book Maverick Cats. from various sources indicates the life
span of feral cats to be 2-3 years.
· Also from Maverick Cats. we find only 33% of feral kittens are alive at age 1 year.
Litter sizes:
· Average domestic cat can have 4.25 kittens, and 2.1 litters per year according to Dr.
Niels Pedersen in Feline Husbandrv; 1/3 will be dead by the age of one year, with most
of the deaths occuring at birth, or shortly thereafter.
Ratio of sexes:
· 50/50 in owned domestic cats.
· 35% female / 65% male among feral cats, according to Maverick Cats.
OWned cats which disappear from their homes:
· From the Las Veaas studY, 2.7% of the cat population strayed each year.
· From the NPA studY, 0.58% of owned cats strayed with no hint to their fate.
· The NPA survey showed 10% of households fed stray cats.
Random bred YS. pedigreed cats:
· According to Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) statistics, no more than 3% of the owned
cat population is pedigreed.
Table 2. ALTER STATUS OF OWNED DOGS AND CATS
Female dogs
Spayed
Whole
Santa Clara Las Veqas, Tufts,
County, CA Nevada Mass.
1993 1981 1991
77.22% 87.8%
22.78% 12.2%
26.49% 45.0%
MS PC",
Mass.
1991
Male dogs
Neutered
8113197 10:59 PM
Are Owned Cats Causing an OVerpopulation Crisis?
Whole 73.51% 55.0%
~l dogs
Al tered 73%
Whole 27%
Female cats
Spayed 86.84% 85.7% 91. 5%
Whole 13.16% 14.3% 8.5%
Male cats
Neutered 85.9% 78.95% 90.3%
Whole 14.1% 21. 05% 9.7%
All cats
Altered 86% 87%
Whole 14% 13%
htlp:/IwNw.fanciers.oornlnpa/owned-cats.html
Bibliography
e
· Berkeley E.P., Maverick Cats. New England Press,1982:26-27, 54-55.
· Handy, F.L., "Measuring your community's pet population, owner attitudes" Shelter
Sense, Vol 16, No.5, May 1993:3-12.
· Johnson KJ., Lewellyn J., "National Pet Alliance survey report on Santa Clara Country's
Pet Population" Cat Fanciers' Almanac, Jan. 1994
· Manning A.M., A.N. Rowan, "Companion animal demographics and sterilization status:
Resuls from a survey in four Massachusetts towns" Anthrozoos, Vol V, NO.3.
· Mosier J.E., L.W. Williams, R. Nassar, "Study of feline and canine populations in the
greater Las Vegas area" Am J Vet Res., Vol 45, No. 2:282-7.
· Pedersen, Niels, Feline Husbandry. American Veterinary Publications, 1991: 133-135.
[National Pet Alliancel [HistorvllTTVAR Proaram] [Leaislationl [Studiesl
Copyright @ National Pet Alliance.
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Feral Cat Coalmon Data
http://wHN.fanciers.com/npalfcc_data.hlml
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Feral Cat Coalition
Study Data
In San Diego County, the non-profit Feral Cat Coalition has trapped, altered and released in
excess of 3,1 oOcats over the past two years. In addition to these cats, which were over 5
months of age at the time of altering. an unknown number of kittens were also trapped,
socialized and adopted into new homes.
Prior to this project, San Diego County Animal Management Information System reported an
increase of roughly, 10% per year-in the number of cats handled by San Diego Animal Control
shelters from 1988 to 1992. The increase peaked at 13% from Fiscal Year (FY)91 to FY92,
with a total of 19,077 cats handled. After just two years, with no other explanation for the drop,
only 12.446 cats were handled-a drop of 35%. Instead of another 10% annual increase,
euthanasias plunged 40% from 91-92 to 93-94.
SAN DIEGO ANIMAL CONTROL CAT STATISTICS 1988-1994
Total Claimed Adopted Euthanized Research Other*
----- ------- ------- ---------- -------- -----
88-89 13,939 202 2,130 10,976 7 614
89-90 15,394 230 2,223 12,340 591
90-91 16,849 238 2,426 13,561 7 617
91-92 19,077 248 2,577 15,525 6 721
92-93 14,143 180 2,297 11,121 545
93-94 12,446 223 2,386 9,269 568
.Other includes: return to wild, transfer to correct jurisdiction, wildlife rehab, stolen, escaped,
DOA. died in kennel, died in truck, died at contract vet, misc.
Of the 3,153 cats trapped by the Feral Cat Coalition which were altered, -54% were female,
46% were male. Of the 1639 females spayed, the following characteristics were noted:
453 Normal 28%
691 In Heat 42%
218 Pregnant 13%
216 Lactating 13%
61 Post Queening 4%
1639 100%
e Only 3%, 86 cats total, were found to have been already altered. 17 cats were refused surgery
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Feral Cat Coalition Data
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for being under 5 months of age, or too ill. 18 cats died during surgery. 679 cats (22%)
needed additional medical treatment-generally amoxicillin for infections, or ivomectin for
mites or worming. Additionally, cleaning and suturing wounds and abscesses were very
common.
72% of these stray female cats were either in heat, pregnant, or had recently had kittens. This
is at least a three and a half times higher incidence of pregnancy than found among owned
cats. Three studies have shown between 16-20% of owned cats have a litter prior to altering.
A 1991 Massachusetts SPCA study found 20% of owned cats had a litter, a Las Vegas Study
reported 16% of owned cats reproduced, and in the 1993 survey of Santa Clara County
residents, 16% also verified that their cats had a litter prior to altering.
rHomeDaae] [History] ITTVAR Proaram] [Coercive Leaislationl rNPA Studies]
Copyright @ National Pet AI/iance.
8/1 Sill? 1 :02 I'M
Cal Euthanasia Study
http://www.fanciers.com/npalcateuth.html
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TIation41l Pet illlull1ce
Study of Euthanization of Cats
Humane Society of Santa Clara
January 1 - November 30,1994
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason
Number
% Total
% Cumulative
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Sick/poor condition 5482 43.9% 43.9%
2. Feral 2466 19.7% 63.6%
3. Too young 2222 17.8% 81. 4%
4. Behavior 1333 10.7% 92.1%
5. Time is up 363 2.9% 95.0%
6. Blank 286 2.3% 97.3%
7. Injured 167 1.3% 98.5%
8. Agressive 81 0.6% 99.2%
9. Too old 77 0.6% 99.8%
10. Overcrowded 14 0.1% 99.9%
11. Non-code 8 0.1% 100.0%
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Total
12499
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
Cats are only placed in one category, even if they fit several categories. For instance, of the
5482 cats in sick/poor condition, approximately 70% are also feral.
In the category of too young (under 4 weeks of age), these are primarily the offspring of
straylferal cats which are scooped up by someone and taken to the shelter. Ferals/strays and
their offspring are estimated to be 70% of cat euthanasias at this shelter.
In the category "Blank", no reason was given for the euthanasia on the paperwork.
The Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley is the 3rd largest in the country, and the largest on
the west coast, handling about 40,000 animals per year.
,...,..-.,..,.~-,,...,...,;-:~~."'....,..,.,...~,.~-,..,-_..,..,-....,...,....~-,-,.,..,.,...,.....,..,.....,...,-..':"':",.,,.,,.,..,..,..,..,-..,..,,...,...',-;:-...,.....-,~-"-,---,-,,..,....,...,....,...,.,.......,....,...,..............,-...,-....,...,---...,,...,-.,'-""'--.-,--.-,.,...,...,,.,...,-....,.,...,.,...,..,.,....-~
[Homepaael [History1 [TTVAR Proaraml [Coercive Leaislationl [NPA Studies1
Copyright @ National Pet Alliance.
."~s~.."'".
National Pet Alliance - Feral Cat Conference - Aug 9, 1996
htIp:/Iwww.fanciers.com/npaJfccspeech1.html
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Presentation to
AHAlCFA Feral Cat Conference
Karen Johnson, National Pet Alliance
August 9,1996
Denver, CO
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. It is a pleasure to be here with you today.
Why do we need data on unowned cats? How many unowned cats are in this country? Do we
need to know how many unowned cats there are? We cannot solve a problem until it is first
defined.
Five years ago nobody knew exactly how many unowned/stray or feral cats there were. We
suspected there were a lot, but didn't have hard data.
We knew there were lots of cats and kittens entering the shelters, but we didn't know how
many of them were unsuitable for adoption because they were wild, or how many were
unweaned kittens, or how many were sick or injured.
We knew a problem needed to be solved, but there was no data to provide solutions, or to
even pinpoint exactly what the problem was, other than a rough statement that ''too many
dogs and cats are entering the shelters."
Five years ago National Pet Alliance set out to find the answers to some of these questions.
We raised funds and received a matching grant from CFA to do a random survey of 1000
households in Santa Clara County.
For those of you unfamiliar with this county, it is otherwise known as Silicon Valley, and
encompasses San Jose and a dozen other smaller cities and towns. San Jose is the 11 th
largest city in the country. The population of the county is over 800,000.
Dr. Roger Nassar, the statistician who did the Las Vegas survey on dogs and cats, helped us
design the Questionnaire and callinQ patterns.
What we found from the survey astounded us. We asked one question on stray cats -- "Are
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National Pet Alliance - Feral Cat Conference - Aug 9, 1996
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you feeding stray cats? If so, how many?" 40% of the known cat population were unowned
strays, county wide. 40%! But in the rural areas it was 63%. This is an incredible number. We
must also understand that these cats are, for the most part, a couple of cats on the doorstep.
After obtaining these results, we were eager to delve into the unowned cat issues further, and
were delighted to have the opportunity to do another random survey in San Dieoo County in
1994.
This time we asked more questions about unowned cats and found Santa Clara County is not
the only county feeding strays.
In San Diego, 36% of households were also feeding stray cats. We also found 53% of the
kittens known to have been produced by these stray cats disappeared. No one did anything
about them.
When we know that the vast majority of owned cats are altered, and that the vast majority of
unowned cats are not, and that 53% of the stray kittens born disappear into the neighborhood
to produce more, it is easy to see where the problem lies.
There are only 4 ways to handle stray cats:
1. We can trap and kill them
2. We can trap, alter and release them
3. We can trap and tame them, if they are young enough, or
4. We can ignore them.
In San Diego, the Feral Cat Coalition decided they would try the trap/alter/release method.
With donations only, from 1992-1994, they altered over 3100 trapped cats. 72% of the
females were either in heat, pregnant or lactating. Over the same time period, Animal Control
reported a 35% reduction in stray cat intakes, and a 40% reduction in cat euthanasias. There
was no other explanation for the drop.
The City of San Jose, in an effort to appease the warring factions, decided to fund a free
voucher prooram to alter any cat. Almost two years later, over 6000 cats have been altered,
1/2 of which were strays, and 60% female. We have yet to see a large drop in shelter stray cat
intakes, no doubt due to the small number of strays altered in relation to the huge number in
the city. But, we are hopeful that the low numbers of kittens in the shelter this summer, and
the very few ads in the paper for kittens, are a result of the program.
Tomorrow, I will go into detail on the data which has been collected from our various research
projects, and compare it to other research which has been done. We feel strongly that all the
facts collected point to only one conclusion:
Owned cats al'8 not the cause or the solution to the problem of too many cats entering
the shelters. Unowned cat I'8production must be addl'8Ssed - not by new laws-but by
making it as easy as possible for citizens to round up and alter as many stray cats as
possible.
8/15/97 12:54 PM
National Pet Alliance - Feral Cat Conference - Aug 9, 1996
.
.
.
3 ef3
We believe more research is needed:
http://www.fanciers.comlnpalfccspeech1.hlml
1. What kind of stray cat populations are found in the rural, Midwest part of this country?
2. What happens to the stray cat population in the snow belt areas over the harsh winters?
3. Is California unique in feeding so many stray cats?
4. Are other major cities having the same problem in the same magnitude
5. How many stray/unaltered/ cats should there be?
We are interested in doing the research, but need funding. The more data we have, the
sooner we will completely define the problem, and the sooner all of us will be able to solve the
problem of too many stray cats entering the shelter, and raise the status of cats.
Four Studv Comparison. Alternatives and Conclusions (presented Sunday, August 10,1996)
[Homeoaae] [History] [TTVAR Proaram] [Coercive Leaislationl [NPA Studies]
Copyright @ Nationa/ Pet Alliance.
811519712:54 PM
National Pet Alliance - Feral Cat Conference - August 10/96
http://YNrN.fanciers.comlnpalfccspeech2.html
e
@ CAT FAN C I E R S mailing list. web site . community @'
H41rional Pet ffili41ilce
Presentation to
AHAlCFA Feral Cat Conference
Karen Johnson, National Pet Alliance
August 10, 1996
Denver, CO
~
----------------
.' __ ,..,......_.. .......... ,._" n._ dO'_"'" . .."",,_. ,... .
Good afternoon once again. Today, I would like to go over with you exactly what is known
regarding owned and unowned cats from 4 demographic studies.
Foursfudycomparison
e
The Massachusetts SPCA has just released a study which is actually a number of their
studies which have been combined into one report. We will be discussing those studies along
with the NPA reports in San Dieao and Santa Clara Counties. For comparison, we will also be
looking at a 1983 Las Vegas study.
These four studies were done in widely separated parts of the country, but for the most part
have very similar numbers.
MSPCA, Massachusetts
NPA Studies of Santa Clara County and San Diego County, California
Dr. Nassar's Study, Las Vegas, Nevada
MSPCA Santa Clara San Diego Las Vegas
1996 1993 1995 1983
% Cat Households 15% 19.40% 16% 24%
% Dog Households 14% 18.60% 21% 49%
%Cat & Dog
Combined
Households 7% 10.80% 9% nla
No. of cats
per Household 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.6
e No of Dogs
1018 8/15/973:19 PM
Nationai Pel Aiifance - Feral Cat Conierence - August 10/96
e Where Cats were obtained:
Stray 17% 32.50% 29.40%
Born at Home 3% 5.90% 10.10%
Given 47% 33.10% 31.10%
Shelter/HS/Animal
Control/Rescue 12% 12.60% 8.90%
Pet Stores 8% 6 % 6.60%
Newspaper Ads 3% 1. 40% 3.30%
Breeders 3% 3.10% 4 %
Veterinarians 2% 1 %
Other 4.90% 5.60%
% of cats which
died in past year 14.50%
Owned cats which have been altered
Female - Spayed 86.9% 82.8%
84%
Male - Neutered 85.9% 87.1%
e
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2018
http://wm(.fanciers.comlnpalfcc:speech2.htmi
per household
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
24.50%
9.70%
42.90%
13.90%
4.50%
4.60%
14.50%
85.7%
78.9%
The percent of households which own cats ranges from 22-30%. The percent of households
with dogs ranges from 21 to 49%. There are either 1.6 or 1.7 cats per household, and 1.2 to
1.5 dogs per household.
Most cats are obtained as either strays or gifts from someone. By combining the percentage of
cats obtained as gifts and as strays, we find that 60-67% of all cats are obtained in this
manner. Shelters provide 9-14% of cats.
Two studies show us that the average cat lives 7 years.
83-87% of female owned cats are altered.
The next chart shows us the known data on stray cats.
MSPCA, Massachusetts
NPA Studies of Santa Clara County and San Diego County, California
Dr. Nassar's Study, Las Vegas, Nevada
MSPCA Santa Clara San Diego Las Vegas
1996 1993 1995 1983
#of stray cats
fed per household 3.7
3.4
2.6
81151973:19 PM
National Pet Alliance - Feral Cat Conference - August 10/96
htIp:/Iwww.fanciers.comlnpalfccspeech2.html
The number of cats claimed to be fed by, but not owned by, the respondents ranges from 2.6
to 3.7 cats per household feeding strays. 7-10% of all households are feeding stray cats.
These strays, when added into the known owned cat population, represent between 36 and
42% of all known cats.
In two studies respondents were asked whether or not the strays they had been feeding had
had kittens, and the disposition of the kittens. In the MSPCA study, 46% of the stray kittens
had unknown fates, as did 53% of the San Diego stray kittens.
Only 7-9% of the households feeding strays had altered any of the strays.
One final note on owned cats-1/3 to 38% are kept as indoor only pets.
Are owned cats causing an overpopulation crisis?
Now, let us look at some of the data from various other sources, and what putting all this data
together can mean Are Owned Cats Causina An Overpopulation Crisis?"
e 3 studies plus the San Diego study show 16-20% of owned cats have a litter prior to being
30tB
8/15/973:19 PM
National Pet Alliance - Feral Cal Conference - August 10/96
http://www.fanciers.com/npa/fccspeech2.html
altered. The primary reason for the litters are what we like to call the "Oops factor."
e 4 studies show us 86-91 % of owned cats are altered.
Mortality is 7 years for owned cats, 3 years for unowned cats, and only 1/3 of feral kittens are
still alive at age 1 year.
Although cats can have litters of up to 8 at a time, the average litter is 4.25 kittens, 2.1 times
per year. 1/3 of the newborn kittens will either be stillborn, or die shortly after birth.
The ratio of sexes in owned cats is 50/50 initially, and by the time the cats are ten years old,
the ratio is 70% female, 30% male. In unowned cats, we find the opposite. There are
approximately 35% females, and 65% males.
Opinion is that there is very high mortality among the queens during pregnancy and delivery.
Assume 1000 owned vs unowned cats
Next, look at this chart. We are going to take all of the data from our various sources, and put
it together to show what the actual reproduction of owned and unowned cats should be. On
the owned cat side, this would be the least amount of kittens expected, and on the unowned
side, this would be the worst case scenario.
e
Assuming 1000 owned cats, half of which are female, and 16% having a litter prior to being
altered, and that 1/3 of the kittens die, we find only 31 live kittens born from a population of
1000 owned cats. But, we need 143 to replace those adults that die every year.
Assuming only 35% of the stray cats are female, and that 97% are capable of reproduction,
out of our 1000 hypothetical stray cats, 1938 kittens will be born per year. Some of these
kittens will be adopted into the owned cat population, the rest will be surplus.
Owned cats only produce 22% of the owned kittens necessary to maintain the owned cat
population at zero population growth. However, on the stray cat side, not only are the strays
producing more kittens than needed to sustain their population, they are also providing the
balance of the kittens needed on the owned cat side. Of course, the more human intervention
there is by altering the stray cats, the fewer kittens will be born.
San Diego trap/alter/release program
I touched yesterday on data from the Feral Cat Coalition in San Diego. This is the actual
report. Stray cat intakes were increasing about 10% per year prior to the base year of
1991-92, where it peaked at 19,077 cats. After two years, only 12,446 cats were handled-a
drop of 35%. Euthanasias plunged 40%.
72% of the stray cats were either in heat, pregnant or had recently had kittens. This is at least
e 31/2 times the rate of pregnancy found in owned cats (16-20% have a litter prior to altering).
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National Pet Alliance - Feral Cat Conference - August 10196
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e
Alternatives
What are the alternatives to dealing with .stray cats?
TesWaccinate/Alter = $70 on a low cost program
VS
3 Day required stay at shelter, euthanasia, disposal = $70
VS
Handle 3200 offspring = $224,000
We can trap/testlvaccinate/alter/release at a cost of approximately $70. Or, we can take them
to the shelter for a 3 day stay, euthanasia and disposal at $70. Or, we can handle 3200
offspring over the next 12 years for $224,000.
Vouchers
For those forward thinking areas who recognize that it is cheaper to fix a cat than deal with the
kittens, we have such things as voucher oroarams. In San Jose, the city provided $150,000 to
alter any cat, OVtII1ed or unowned.
tit Veterinarians who participated in the program were reimbursed $25 for females, and $15 for
males. The cats which had more extensive surgery were altered at a higher price. Pregnancy,
undescended testicles, in heat, etc., all qualified for a higher reimbursement. The overall cost
has been $23.77 per cat.
Where do we go from here
We know that most OVtII1ed cats are altered, and that most unOVtll1edlfree-roaming cats are not,
and that the majority of kittens necessary to replace the OVtII1ed cats who die naturally are
coming from the stray population. What happens when all the strays are fixed?
First, the kitten population drys up to a minimum because there are few reproducing cats,
owned or unOVtll1ed. Imagine this-to get a kitten, one must pay top dollar to a breeder of
random-bred cats! In our life time? Maybe not.
What about the rodent population? What will happen to all the rodents that cats are currently
eating? What other group of animals or birds will have to increase their population to keep up
with the rodents, and will a surge in this population be acceptable? If stray cats are truly
eating birds at the levels which have been estimated, what will happen to the bird population if
there are no feral cats reproducing? Will there be too many birds for the resources available?
(Will we have to start a permit program for feeding birds?).
e Before we can say that having no free roaming stray cats is the ideal, we must consider these
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National Pet Alnance - Feral Cat Conference - August 10196
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other issues.
e Trap/After/Release ys. TraplKiII
I want to show you 2 final graphs which a group of us have been working on- Bob Plumb, a
retired physicist in Paradise, CA, Rich Avanzino of the SFSPCA, and I, along with Ed Berry
who has designed the program which produces these charts.
What we have is a program which will tell us what happens when the various variables
regarding birth/reproduction/mortality are plugged in. This is a program which will be available
for any community to plug in their own specific numbers and parameters, so that they can
determine what needs to be done to handle their stray cat population-and how much it will
cost.
Say we have a population 1000 stray cats, and we are trying to determine if it is more cost
effective to trap/alter/release, or to traplkill to maintain the population at no more than 1000
cats. (Show spay chart). In this chart, we are going to have several types of cats-males,
females, adolescents, and altered females. We are assuming a 3 year life span, 4.25 kittens
born 2.1 times per year, 2.85 surviving kittens per litter, and 350 females.
In the population vs test year window of this chart, the top line is the dark blue, which shows
the number of remaining cats in the colony over a 41/2 year span. You will note it drops off
over time.
e
e
8/15/911:00 PM
60f8
L..___._..____
National Pet Alliance - Feral Cat Conference - August 10/96
htIp:/Iwww.fanciers.comlnpalfccspeech2.hlml
P.,utationvs life Period
Population vsTestYear
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Initial Dmbue "lif.Period
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Cost vs Test Ye:at
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10 7 6
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20 5 5
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e The green line, second from the bottom, shows the number of spays which must be done per
year to maintain the colony size. It starts at 247 initial spays, and thereafter, only 38 per year
need to be done. At $70 per cat (including testing and vaccination) the initial cost for the
medical work is $17,306. After that, it costs only $2,660 per year.
Contrast this to our other chart which shows what the costs are to manage 1000 strays by trap
and kill.
e
71<11f1ll
~~IllllN
National Pet Alliance - Feral Cat Conference - August 10/96
e
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Population V$ Life Period
600
500
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Popu~ ys Test Vear
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The top red line is the number of births per year. The second line is the blue line showing that
we want no more than 1000 cats. The third line tells us how many cats must be killed each
year to maintain the population, over and above the number which will die from other causes.
The bottom teal line tells us how many unspayed females there are, The initial cost to kill
these cats is jut under $80,000, and thereafter remains at just over $60,000. per year.
Conclusion
All of our research and data gathered to date, shows one thing only-the solution to "too many
stray cats are entering the shelter" can only be to trap/alter/release as many stray cats as
quickly as possible. This is the most cost effective method in the long run.
-~-_._--.,-,-,.......~"..~..,..-~~~._-
[Homeoaael [History] [TTVAR Proaram] [Coercive Leaislationl [NPA Studies]
Copyright ~ National Pet Alliance.
8/15/97 3:21 PM
-'ral Cat Coalition
htlp:/Iwww.feralcalcomI
e
Feral Cat Coalition
San Diego, California
*
News Flash!
Is spay/neuter/release working? The latest statistics from the San Diego Department of Animal
Control as of 6/30/97 show that while the number of cats adopted or claimed by owners has
remained fairly constant over the years, there has been a decrease of almost 50% in the
number of cats impounded and killed as compared to 1992 (when the FCC clinics started).
e Before the FCC was formed, the number of cats impounded and killed had been going up 15%
per year!
.
.
So, you ask, what exactly is a feral cat??? Read on, and you'll learn more about a problem
that's causing a lot of suffering - and costing you money!!!
Feral cats are the 'wild' offspring of domestic cats and are primarily the result of pet owners'
abandonment or failure to spay and neuter their animals, allowing them to breed
uncontrolled. Feral cat 'colonies' can be found behind shopping areas or businesses, in
alleys, parks, abandoned buildings, and rural areas. They are elusive and do not trust
humans.
Many people assume their animals will survive when they move away and leave them behind.
Contrary to popular belief, domestic animals do not automatically return to their "natural"
instincts and cannot fend for themselvesl Already, U.S. animal shelters are forced to kill an
estimated 15 million homeless cats and dogs annually. The alternative to humane euthanasia
for almost every stray is a violent end or slow, painful death. Many "throwaways" die
mercilessly outdoors from starvation, disease, abuse - or as food to a predator.
A pair of breeding cats, which can have two or more litters per year, can exponentially
e produce 420,000 offspring over a seven-year period, And the overpopulation problem carries
~Qf5
811!f11l7 :UiPM
Feral Cat Coalition
http://wwN.feralcat.coml
e
a hefty price tag. Statewide, more than $50 million (largely from taxes) is spent by animal
control agencies and shelters for cat-related expenses.
In response to this staggering problem, the Feral Cat Coalition was formed. The FCC is an
organization that traps and spays/neuters feral cats, then returns them to their caretakers.
This service is provided to the community at no cost by licensed veterinarians and volunteers
with one goal in mind: reducing the enormous number of homeless, unwanted cats.
Studies have proven that trap-neuter-release is the single most successful method of
stabilizing and maintaining healthy feral cat colonies with the least possible cost to local
governments and residents, while providing the best life for the animals themselves.
Spaying/neutering homeless cats:
. Stabilizes the population at manageable levels
. Eliminates annoying behaviors associated with mating
'" . Is humane to the animals and fosters compassion in the neighborhoods
. Is more effective and less costly than repeated attempts at extermination -
costs for repeatedly trapping and killing feral colonies are far higher than
promoting stable, non-breeding colonies in the same location. Vacated areas are
soon filled by other cats who start the breeding process over again
How can you be a part of the solution?
In the San Diego County area...
" Spay or neuter your own pet! Sterilizing animals is an important step in
maintaining their good health. In San Diego, Pet Assistance (619-544-1222) can
provide information on low-cost spay/neuter services in your area.
" Make a reservation, then bring stray, unowned cats to one of our monthly
clinics! Humane traps ( with instructions) are available to borrow. Call the number
below for upcoming clinic locations-but please be patient-we often have a
waiting list for traps, and clinics are only once a month.
. Become a volunteer and encourage your personal veterinarian to become
involved!
e
. Tell people about the FCC! If someone you know is caring for stray, unowned
cats let them know about our services. Education is the key, so make others aware
of the feral cat problem and tell them how they can help!
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811at97 3:26 PM
,-
Feral Cat Coalition
hltp:/IwwN.feralcat.coml
e
Outside of the greater San Diego area...
,. If you are interested in starting a program in your area, contact the Feral Cat
Coalition. We have detailed information that will help you get up and
running....plus, some of it is just interesting reading. Most of our printed information
is available by following the links below. If, for some reason, you are unable to take
advantage of this information in electronic form, or if your needs extend beyond the
scope of topics covered here, feel free to contact us.
Please follow these links for more information on the
subject:
Feral Cat Coalition Documents
....An excellent report on Trap/Alter/Release Programs by Karen Johnson
....A source for humane traps
....Instructions for trapping feral cats
e ....An article by Sara Pehrsson from Cats Magazine August 1995
....An article by Susan Easterly from Cat Fancy Magazine November 1994
B..Raisina Orphan Kittens ...a helpful summary of tips for dealing with abandoned kittens
....Tamina Feral Kittens ...a guide to taming and socializing feral kittens
....ComPlete details for running a high volume, FCC-type, clinic (lengthy but very valuable)
.... Comments by Dr. W. Marvin Mackie regarding the 'need for speed' in veterinary
practices. (Needs to be read carefuly from top to bottom)
.... The oft quoted studv by Dr. Karl Zaunbrecher addressing the link between altering and
feral population stabilization. (A MUST READ)
.... Please help the Feral Cat Coalition build a national registry of feral programs and no-kill
shelters.
e
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Feral Cat Coalition
htlpJIwwN.feralcat.coml
e
.... WOW!! FCC t-shirts are now available. Help our cause and look great too.
....~ A great article by Dr. David Zanders dispelling some common myths about
Spay/Neuter.
Alley Cat Allies Documents
....Feral Colonv Manaaement and Control ...a Fact Sheet from Alley Cat Allies
....Health Care For Feral Cats ...a Fact Sheet from Alley Cat Allies
....Notes For Veterinarians Treatina Feral Cats ...a Fact Sheet from Alley Cat Allies
....Rabies and Feral Cats ...a Fact Sheet from Alley Cat Allies
....Relocatina Feral Cats ...a Fact Sheet from Alley Cat Allies
.... Build An Inexpensive Feral Cat Shelter ...a Fact Sheet from Alley Cat Allies
.... Do-It-Yourself Cat Fence ...a Fact Sheet from Alley Cat Allies
.
Articles by Sarah Hartwell
.... The Great Australian Cat Dilemma ...an overview of the problem in Australia.
.... Whv Feral Eradication Won't Work ...an article pointing out the problems with
eradication programs.
.... The American Feral Cat Problem ...anolder, but still valid article.
B.. The Unsociable Cat ...are cats really solitary creatures?
Conferences, Seminars, Other Feral Related Events
... Park cats are beina killed ...an urgent plea for letters of outrage.
....m: Focus on Ferals: a one-day seminar on feral cat care by Alley Cat Allies. In
conjunction with the No-Kills in '97 Conference. 9/97 Massachusetts
e .II...~ No-Kills in '97 Conference Two days of workshops, discussion groups and
40f5
8/15/97 3:26 PM
Feral CaI Coarmon
http://www.feralcat.coml
netv.\:lrking opportunities. 9/97 Massachusetts
e This collection of FCC and related documents will continue to grow...stay tuned.
Since we began in November 1992, we have spayed/neutered over 7,500 catslll The FCC
is made up entirely of volunteers, and donations are always welcome and needed for
surgical supplies I
Please send your tax-deductible contributions to:
FERAL CAT COALITION
9528 MIRAMAR ROAD #160
SAN DIEGO, CA 92126
For more information, please call our message center at (619) 497-1599, or send us email at
rsavage@fera/cat.com
Be responsible - spay or neuter your cats
.
~o
-
Last modified Thursday, August 14, 19972:34:15 PM
Copyright 1997 Feral Cat Coalition / Ray Savage
Since December 2, 1995, you are visitor number 1 7 40 1
Scronlng Text Java appIel courtesy of Greaorv S. Poaue. Toronto, Ontario, c.-. All rights reserved.
e
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REPOIrr ON TRAP/Al TER/RELEASE PROGRAMS
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A Report on Trap/Alter/Release Programs
@ 1995 Karen Johnson
National Pet Alliance, PO Box 53385, San Jose, CA 95153,408-363-0700
The most common preferred method put forth by animal control organizations for control of
cats has traditionally been to capture and euthanize feral/unowned cats. Others, who refer to
this means of control as the "trap and kill" method, consider it inhumane and objectionable on
several fronts. A major factor has been that it has been shown that as soon as a cat is
removed, a new one will move in to take over the food source[Ref1]. Additionally, unless the
cat is making an unusual pest out of itself, why should a wild animal be euthanized simply for
not having a human address?
After a six-year study and daily observation of a feral cat colony, it has been documented that
stray female cats start cycling when they are 4-6.9 months 0Id[Ref2], or as soon as the days
are long enough. January and February are the start of the kitten season, with the litters born
in March and April. These cats have an average of 2.1 litters per year of 4.25 kittens[Ref3].
42% of the kittens will die by the age of two months of natural causes[Ref4]. Many more will
end up at the shelter. Those who escape early death and the shelter go on to be prolific
bearers of kittens over their short lifespan of approximately three years[Ref5].
- Taking the mortality into account, along with birth and death rates, the average stray female
.. will have 5.25 litters in her lifetime, encompassing 22.3 kittens. At age two months there
should be 12.9 survivors, roughly six females and seven males (at maturity, roughly 2/3 of the
stray cat population is male[Ref6], due to the high mortality of females during first pregnancy
and birth), which will decrease to four females over time. These six females will go on to have
their 22 surviving kittens each. Realistically, over 12 years, one unspayed female, with all her
unspayed female offspring, reasonably can be expected to be responsible for over 3200
kittens if there is no human intervention.
Some continue to advocate the trap and kill eradication approach. However, if eradication
programs really worked, we wouldn't be faced with so many stray cats and their offspring at
the shelters. Cats are territorial. They don't allow other cats into their territory to steal their
food. Altered cats will stand their ground and guard their food source, will not have kittens,
and will die in a few years. Remove the cat(s) from the habitat without changing the habitat
and another cat will move in.
The Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley estimates over 50% of their stray cats euthanized
are either wild, or their unweaned offspring. Once the offspring of these feral cats are over
about six months of age, it is nearly impossible to socialize them to the degree necessary to
be placed as house pets. An unsocialized cat is an unadoptable cat. The Cities and Counties
pay for the handling of these stray cats and their offspring. Reducing the number of kittens
born to these cats would substantially reduce the number of cat euthanasias at the shelter,
e thereby reducing the costs born by the taxpayers to handle and kill stray cats which cannot be
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REPORT ON TRAP/AL TERlRELEASE PROGRAMS
http://wNw.feralcatcornlferal-tr.hlmf
socialized.
e
Unownedlwild cats are routinely euthanized at shelters. Even though the kittens can often be
socialized for placement, it does take a minimum of two to three weeks of intensive work.
Shelters simply don't have the time, personnel or cage space to socialize the kittens. Many do
not have foster care available for this work. The altemative, for the most part, is euthanasia.
Reproduction Intervention as an Alternative Approach
In 1989, Stanford University officials announced a plan to trap and kill approximately 500 stray
cats living on campus. As a result, Stanford Cat Network was formed. SCN was able to
present an altemative solution in VIttlich they would organize to trap, alter, release and
manage the cats, to stop the progression of reproduction on campus. Because of their hard
work, Stanford cats now have zero population growth as a result of diligent and on-going
trapping and spay/neuter efforts, and the population is declining through natural attntion. Over
60 kittens were caught, socialized and adopted out during the first season. By 1994, only four
kittens were found on campus. The campus population is now estimated at approximately 300
cats. Stanford's current cat population is healthy and well-cared for, and its maintenance
involves students, staff, and faculty.
SCN has accomplished all of this without financial support from the University. SCN's
successful five-year program with a very large cat population demonstrates that feral cat
colonies can be managed and kept under control, and that a workable, viable altemative to a
e rush for extermination does exist.
In San Diego County, the non-profit Feral Cat Coalition has trapped, altered and released in
excess of 3, 1 00 cats over the past two years. In addition to these cats, VIttlich were over five
months of age at the time of altering, an unknown number of kittens were also trapped,
socialized and adopted into new homes.
Prior to this project, San Diego County Animal Management Information System reported an
increase of roughly 10% per year in the number of cats handled by San Diego Animal Control
shelters from 1988 to 1992. The increase peaked at 13% from Fiscal Year (FY)91 to FY92,
with a total of 19,on cats handled. After just two years, with no other explanation for the drop,
only 12,446 cats were handled-a drop of 35%. Instead of another 10% annual increase,
euthanasias plunged 40% from 91-92 to 93-94.
San Diego Animal Control Cat Statistics 1988-1994
Year Total Claimed Adopted Euth. Research Other*
------- ------- -------- ------
88=89 13929 202 2130 10976 7 614
89-90 15394 230 2224 12349 591
90-91 16849 238 2426 13561 7 617
91-92 19077 248 2577 15525 6 721
92-93 14143 180 2297 11121 545
93-94 12446 223 2386 9269 568
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From 1988-91, the number of dogs handled did not increase, but dropped a total of 5.7%. A
more dramatic 20% drop was reported from FY92 to FY94. Dog euthanasias then dropped
29.7%.
San Diego Animal Control Dog Statistics 1988-1994
Year Total Claimed Adopted Euth. Research Other*
------ ------ -------- ------
88-89 24070 5147 4355 13313 526 729
89-90 24177 5213 4540 13215 324 885
90-91 22549 4749 4357 12155 320 968
91-92 22707 4847 4493 12216 233 918
92-93 19544 4342 4385 9791 239 787
93-94 18275 4014 4721 8592 159 789
*Other includes: retum to wild, transfer to correct jurisdiction, wildlife rehab, stolen, escaped,
DOA, died in kennel, died in truck, died at contract vet, misc.
Of the 3,153 cats trapped by the Feral Cat Coalition which were altered, 54% were female and
46% were male. Of the 1639 females spayed, the following characteristics were noted:
453 Normal 28%
691 In Heat 42%
218 Pregnant 13%
216 Lactating 13%
61 Post Queening 4%
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Only 3%, 86 cats total, were found to have been already altered. 17 cats were refused surgery
for being under five months of age, or too ill. 18 cats died during surgery. 679 cats (22%)
needed additional medical treatment-generally amoxicillin for infections, or ivomectin for
mites or INOrming. Additionally, cleaning and suturing lNOunds and abscesses were very
common.
1639
100%
72% of these stray female cats were either in heat, pregnant, or had recently had kittens. This
is at least a three and a half times higher incidence of pregnancy than found among owned
cats. Three studies have shown between 16-20% of owned cats have a litter prior to altering.
A 1991 Massachusetts SPCA study found 20% of owned cats had a Jitter[Ref7], a Las Vegas
Study reported 16% of owned cats reproduced[Ref8], and in the 1993 survey of Santa Clara
County residents, 16% also verified that their cats had a litter prior to altering[Ref9].
Clearly, the project to trap, alter and release cats in San Diego County has had a dramatic
effect on the number of cats handled and euthanized at their shelters, which even historical or
nationwide downward trends cannot explain.
Santa Clara County Animal Control has estimated that the cost to handle a stray cat for the
three required days in the shelter, plus euthanasia and disposal, is $70 per cat. There are still
only three altematives to handling the population of stray cats: 1) alter/release/mnagement; 2)
e exterminate/euthanize; 3) ignore.
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let us now compare costs:
Test/Vaccinate/Al ter ,. $52 on a low cost proqram
VS
3 Day required stay at shelter a $70
VS
Handle 3200 offspring = $224,000
41 % of the known cat population in Santa Clara County is unowned[Ref10]. This equates to
168,463 cats which will, for the most part, be unaltered. Do we allow them to continue to
breed, adding ever more cost to animal control budgets and taxpayer burden, or do we take
the initiative to trap, alter and release them, reducing the number of fertile females to
manageable levels?
Now, before the start of kitten season, is the time to start trapping the cats. Every female
trapped now will reduce the number of kittens needed to be handled by animal control this
summer by at least Two. Do we spend $52 now on the spay, or $140 to handle the two kittens
estimated to survive this spring? There are volunteers in the community who care about cats.
Animal agencies should aggressively take the lead in encouraging and enabling citizens to
help out on this problem. Organization must be established within the community. This
enables volunteers to know what to do. Provide the means for the medical treatment, and
citizens will provide the services to trap the cats and take them to the veterinarians. But, for
e the best possible outcome, provide both for those areas with large colonies.
Funding for a program of this type can take many forms:
1. Looking at the figures from San Diego, one can readily see that for a cost of (3153 cats
X $52 per cat) $163,956, they have reduced the expenses at their shelter by at least
6500 cats, or $455.000, over a two year time span. This successful track record shows
that in actuality no additional funds need be raised-the program will pay for itself
through less shelter costs. The initial funding for altering could be taken from the shelter
budget. (San Diego, however, did not pay for the veterinary services. All services were
donated by veterinarians and others. Medical supplies were purchased through
contributions to Feral Cat Coalition).
2. For those who prefer not to gamble with the shelter budget, an alternative is to request
the Board of Supervisors to allocate seed money for a trap/alter/release program, after
showing them the future savings to the animal control bUdget. The City of San Jose
found surplus funds in the Animal licensing budget. Perhaps the County may also find
such a surplus.
3. Alternatively, if a restricted pet product surcharge was proposed in this county, for use
only for trap/alter/release program seed money, and the surcharge would end as soon
as the program was proving that the shelter costs for stray cats and kittens were
decreasing, probably few in the pet community would have an objection. The decreased
shelter costs would then more than fund the ongoing trap/alter/release efforts.
_There may be those who prefer to continue the eradication method. The concerns put forth
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are usually centered around noise (cats fighting over territory or mating), smell (of spray),
vector infestation, disease transmission or possible injury. The assumption of a quick and
clean solution makes this avenue of population control especially attractive. Yet eradication
programs are ineffective[Ref11]. While attractive from a theoretical and short-term
perspective, eradication has proven to be an elusive goal[Ref12].
Following trap/alterlrelease programs, mating behavior and noise is eliminated. The male
urine spray smell is eliminated. Disease transmission to humans is a negligible factor due to
the few diseases which cats can pass to humans. Rabies is one. There were only two cat
rabies cases found in 1993 in the entire state of California, out of a current population of some
13 million owned and stray cats. The risk is minimal. Vector problems should increase with
removal of stray cats, until such time as an increase in other rodent predators takes the place
of the missing cats. Most of us would probably prefer to have a small, healthy feral cat
population, rather than a larger Norway rat and seagull population in habitats where those are
the only options[Ref13].
Recommendations
We strongly recommend immediate issuance of vouchers for all unincorporated county
residents to take their stray and' 'loosely owned" neighborhood cats in for free altering. The
sooner the program begins, the sooner the reduction in shelter costs will occur. For the fastest
method of notifying residents of the programs, perhaps a utility insert, or special mailing to
residents could jump start the program fast enough to show reductions in shelter expense
within 34 months.
We have estimated that due to death of owned cats, in excess of 17,000 kittens are needed
annually in Santa Clara County just for replacement. These kittens will need to be altered. It
would be ideal to develop the trap/alter/release program in such a way that the 17,000 owners
of kittens which need altering, and who could otherwise afford to alter their cat, do not use the
voucher funds to the detriment of the stray cat altering program.
86% of owned cats in Santa Clara County are altered[Ref14]. From San Diego we know 97%
of stray cats are not altered. There is no doubt which cat population is causing the huge
numbers of cat euthanasias at the shelter. It's time to get to work and start altering the stray
cats now.
References
1. Zaunbrecher, K, Smith, R., "Neutering of Feral Cats as an Alternative to Eradication
Programs". Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), Vo1.203, No.3,
August 1,1993:449-452.
2. Jochle, W., Jochle, M., "Reproduction in a feral cat population and its control with a
prolactin inhibitor". 2nd International Symposium on Canine and Feline Reproduction,
Belgium.
3. Pedersen, N., Feline Husbandry. American Veterinary Publications, 1991 :3-12.
4. Berkeley, E.P., Maverick Cats. New England Press, 1982.
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5. Berkeley, E.P.
6. Berkeley, E.P.
7. Handy, F.lo, '"Measuring your community's pet population, owner attitudes". Shelter
Sense, Vol. 16, No.5, May 1993:3-12.
8. Mosier, J.E., Williams, loW., Nassar, R., "Study of feline and canine populations in the
Greater Las Vegas Area." Am. J. Vet. Res., Vo1.45, No.2, 1984:282-7.
9. Johnson, K, Lewellen, L., Lewellen, J., "National Pet Alliance's Survey Report on Santa
Clara County's Pet Population." The CF A Almanac, Jan. 1994.
10. Johnson, K.
11. Zaunbrecher, K.
12. Holton, L., Manzoor, P., "Managing and Controlling Feral Cat Populations". Veterinary
Forum, March 1993.
13. Clifton Merritt, Editor, Animal People on AOL, Dec. 1, 1994, Pet Care-Animals and
Society Board.
14. Johnson, K.
Karen Johnson, KarenJ115@aol.com
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Humane Trapping Instructions
These instructions assume that trappers are using traps from the Tomahawk Live Trap
Companv. Specifics regarding the traps may be slightly different if you are using another type
of trap. Make arrangements with the vet in advance of trapping. Be sure to tell the vet to use
stitches which will dissolve, or do not need removal, and that the animal is wild. You may want
to take a pet carrier to the vet's office and ask the vet to transfer the cat into it after surgery.
The carrier will be more comfortable for the cat if you need to care for the cat at all between
the time it leaves the vet and its release
· Preparation for trappina
· Settine the traps
· Waitina for success
· Holdina. procedures
· Releasine the cats
· Helpful hints
Preparation for trapping
If possible, get the cats used to being fed at the same place and time of day. You might try
leaving the trap unset and covered with a large towel during routine feeding so that the
.. animal will get used to seeing and smelling it in the area. Don't feed the cats the day/night
- before you are going to trap so the cats will be hungry. Be sure to notify others who may feed
the cats not to leave food out either.
Plan to trap so that you don't have to keep the cat too long before surgery. Trapping the night
before is usually the best approach. Cats should not eat 12 hours prior to surgery. Water
should be available if the cat is held in the trap for more than 4 hours after capture.
Prepare the area where you will be holding the cats before and after the clinic. A garage or
other sheltered, warm, protected area is best. Lay down newspapers to catch the inevitable
stool, urine and food residue. You may want to use pieces of wood to elevate the traps off the
newspapers. This allows the mess to fall through the wire away from the cats. Spraying the
area ahead of time with a cat-safe flea spray (like Adams or Ovitrol) will discourage ants.
Prepare the vehicle you will use to transport them as well. Plastic may be an additional
precaution. But remember that you will need to use newspapers or some other absorbent
material in addition. ( Urine will roll right off of the plastic and that isn't what you want)
Plan your day of trapping carefully. Remember that if you trap an animal and release it for
some reason, it is unlikely that you will be able to catch it again... .they learn very quickly.
If there are young kittens involved, remember that they should not be weaned from the mother
e before 4-6 weeks of age. If you are trapping a lactating female, you may want to wait until you
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have located the kittens and they are old enough to wean. If you wish to tame and foster the
kittens to adopt out, they should be taken from the mother at 4-6 weeks. If you wait until the
kittens are older than 4-6 weeks before trying to tame them you will find the job progressively
harder with age.
Setting the traps
Plan to set traps just before or at the cats' normal feeding time. This is often at night. Dusk is
usually the best time to set traps.
Don't trap in the rain or the heat of day without adequate protection for the trap. Cats are
vulnerable in the traps and could drown during storms or suffer from heatstroke in the sun.
Use common sense!
Fold a piece of newspaper to line the bottom of the trap just covering the trip plate. Cats don't
like walking on the wire surface and the paper helps to keep their feet from going through
when you pick up the trap. Be sure that the paper does not extend beyond the trip plate. Too
much newspaper can interfere with the trap mechanism or prevent the door from closing
properly.
Plan placement of traps on a level surface in the area where the cats usually feed or have
been seen. Cats are less likely to enter the trap if it wobbles. If trapping in a public area, try to
place traps where they will not be noticed by passersby (who may not understand that you are
. not trying to harm the cat). Bushes are often places where cats hide and provide good
camouflage for the trap.
Use smelly food to bait the trap. We find that canned Mackerel is very effective and relatively
inexpensive. It is best not to put any bowls inside the trap to hold food since the animal can
easily hurt itself on it in a panic or while recovering from anesthetic.
Soak a small scrap of newspaper (2-3 inches by 3-4 inches) in the Mackerel juice and place it
on the ground where you plan to place the rear of the trap.
Spoon a small amount of food onto the soaked newspaper scrap and place the trap on top of
the food so the food is as far back in the trap as possible while still not accessible from
outside the trap. (You want the cat to go all the way into the trap to avoid being injured when
the trap door closes.) Press the trap down onto the food so that it squishes up through the
wire. The idea is to make the food a little hard to get so that the cat has to go into the trap as
far as possible and has to work at getting it long enough to trip the trap. (Some cats are very
good at getting in and out of traps without getting caught. We don't want to make it too easy
for them to get away with that trick. Also, having the food essentially outside of the trap
prevents the cat from eating it in the trap before surgery and is less messy.)
After baiting the trap, open the trap door by pushing the top of the door in and pulling the
bottom of the door upward. There is a small hook attached to the right side of the trap top. It
hooks onto a tiny metal cylinder on the right side of the door. The hook holds the door in an
e open position which also raises the trip plate. When the cat steps on the plate it will cause the
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hook to release the door and close the trap.
After setting the trap, cover it with a large towel or piece of towel-sized material. Fold the
material at the front end of the trap to expose the opening while still covering the top, sides
and back of the trap. The cover will help to camouflage the trap and serve to calm the cat after
it is caught.
Just before you are ready to leave the trap for the cat to enter, you may want to push the hook
(ever so slightly) a little bit back off the cylinder to create a "hair trigger". (Don't get too carried
away with this step or the trap will trip as soon as the cat takes a sniff!)
Waiting for success
Never leave traps unattended in an unprotected area, but don't hang around within sight of
the cat (or you will scare it off). The trapped animal is vulnerable. Passersby may release the
cat or steal the trap! Wait quietly in an area INhere you can still see the traps without
disturbing the cats. Check traps every 15 minutes or so. You can often hear the traps trip and
see the cloth cover droop down slightly over the opening from a distance. As soon as the
intended cat is trapped completely cover the trap and remove the trap from the area if other
cats are not in sight. You may consider putting another trap in the same spot if it seems to be
a "hot" one. Be sure to dispose of the food left on the ground lNhen you pick up the trap. (You
don't want to litter or give out any freebies and spoil any appetites!)
When you get the captured cat to a quiet area away from the other traps lift the cover and
check for signs that you have the correct animal and not a pet or previously neutered feral.
(The FCC marks the right ear of every animal we alter so we can avoid repeat animals) If you
note that you have captured a lactating female check the area for kittens and remember that
this female must be released 10-12 hours after surgery so she can care for and nurse her
kittens. Cover the cat back up as soon as possible. Uncovered, the animal may panic and hurt
itself thrashing around in the trap.
Of course, there is always the chance that you will catch some other wild animal attracted to
the food or an unintended cat. Simply release the animal quietly as stated in the releasing
procedures here.
Holding procedures
After you have finished trapping, you will probably have to hold the cats overnight until you
can take them to the vet. (Unless you have made previous arrangements with a vet)
Place cats in the prepared protected area. Don't feed them. You can place a small bowl of
water in the trap by opening the trap door just a couple of inches and placing the bowl by the
trap door. Try to use a bowl that won't be tipped over easily. An empty catfood or tuna can
works fairly well. Don't open the door too wide or the cat may escape. (Be sure to remove the
bowl before transporting the cat to the vet.)
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Keep cats covered and check periodically. They will probably be very quiet as long as they
are covered. Don't stick fingers in the trap or allow children or pets near the traps. These are
wild animals which scratch and bite. ALL ANIMAL BITES ARE SERIOUS11F YOU ARE
BITTEN SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION AND DO NOT RELEASE THE CAT. IT MUST BE
QUARANTINED. CONTACT YOUR VET FOR QUARANTINE INSTRUCTIONS.
Wash and change clothes before having contact with your own pets as a precaution against
spreading any contagious diseases the cats might carry.
Always get feral kittens checked out by a vet and isolate them from your pets. Some deadly
diseases can incubate without symptoms. Check with your veterinarian and use caution.
Releasing the cats
If a cat does not seem to be recovering well from the surgery, consider having it checked out
by a vet before releasing. When cats are ready for release, return to the area in which they
were captured and release them there. Do not relocate the animal! It will be disoriented and
most likely die. In all likelihood, area cats will drive it away.
If the veterinarian has indicated a serious medical problem with the cat which you will not be
able to treat, you, with the advice of the vet, must make the decision on whether it is safe to
release the animal or kinder to euthanize it. Untreated abscesses and respiratory infections,
and a number of other conditions, can mean suffering and a slow death.
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Make sure the spot you pick for release does not encourage the cat to run into danger (like a
busy street) to get away from you. Keep the trap covered until you are ready to release. When
ready, simply hold the trap with the door facing away from you and open the door. The cat will
probably bolt immediately out of the trap. If it is confused, just tilt the trap so the back is
slightly up and tap on the back of the trap to encourage it to leave. Never put your hand in the
trap! If the animal still will not leave, prop the door open with a stick and leave it for a while. A
trapped skunk or possum, which is nocturnal, may decide to sleep in the trap all day and not
leave the trap until dark.
After releasing the cats hose off traps and disinfect them with bleach. Never store traps in the
"set" position (door open); animals may wander into even unbaited traps and starve to death.
Helpful hints
Bring a flashlight with you if trapping at night. It will come in handy for checking traps from a
distance and might help you avoid a twisted ankle in the dark.
Bring a cap for the top of the Mackerel can. Nothing smells worse than fish juice spilled in the
car. Don't forget a spoon!
Females with kittens will be attracted by the sound of their kittens if the previously captured
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trap if the previously captured mom is in the carrier. Females in heat can be placed in a carrier
to attract male cats who have been eluding the traps. Never place the "bait" animal in the trap
or anywhere where it may be harmed by the trapped animal. Even moms can hurt their babies
if frightened enough. Be careful not to let the "bait" animal escape.
Some kittens can be caught without a trap but are still too wild to be handled easily. Use a
thick towel to pick up the kitten to help protect you from scratching and biting. This also helps
prevent the kitten from squirming away from you.
For advice regarding the taming and/or fostering of feral or orphaned kittens consult your
veterinarian. You may also obtain information on these subjects from the Feral Cat Coalition.
II This will return you to the Feral Cat Coalition Home Page
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Friends of the Friendless
Article by Sara Pehrsson
Cats Magazine August 1995
''They're not wildlife, and they're not pets, so they don't get the advantages of either group."
So says Sally Mackler of the feral cats who roam the byways and backyards of our nation's
neighborhoods. She is one of the founding members of a unique group called the Feral Cat
Coalition (FCC), which has been operating in San Diego, California, since 1992. And
"operating" is the word, for the FCC's mission is the mass sterilization and humane release of
feral cats using completely donated funds and services.
The FCC began when a group of cat lovers, including Sally Mackler, was searching for
strategies to address the feral cat problem in San Diego. They found Dr. Rochelle Brinton, a
veterinarian who had been doing free sterilizations of ferals on her own, but was looking for a
way to make a bigger dent in those populations. The group that formed from this serendipitous
beginning was able to use Dr. Brinton's contacts in the veterinary community and combine
that with the efforts of the many concerned cat lovers in volunteer circles. Their first clinic, in
November 1992, which sterilized 22 feral cats, featured Dr. Brinton as sole veterinarian. More
than two years later, each monthly clinic spays or neuters 60 to 150 cats, utilizing the services
of four to six doctors and 20 to 30 lay volunteers per clinic. Over 4,000 feral cats have
currently been sterilized.
The cats themselves come from all over San Diego County. The FCC's services are free, but
there are some rules by which it abides. Cats treated must be unowned; for spay/neuter of pet
animals, the FCC refers people to one of many local organizations that work to help pet
owners with low-cost care. Cats captured and brought to an FCC clinic must be released into
their original territory. This is partly to keep other ferals from claiming the vacated area and
partly for humane reasons - releasing animals in unfamiliar territory dramatically reduces their
chances of survival. Each feral cat must have a caretaker to look after its well-being once it is
sterilized. In addition to being responsible for the cat during its post-surgery recuperation, the
caretaker is there to ensure the cat has food and shelter after it is released. Finally, the FCC
does not assist in the extermination of cats; if refers those requests elsewhere.
The clinics are held on Saturdays at veterinary hospitals in different areas of the county so
everyone can have access to FCC services. Though chaotic in appearance, clinic procedure
is much like that of a MASH unit, designed to operate on a large number of patients with
maximum speed and efficiency. A volunteer at the first station checks the cats in and asks
caretakers to sign a release form that allows the veterinarian to perform whatever procedures
are deemed necessary (including euthanasia). The volunteer then places identifying tags on
the cat's trap, and the caretaker is sent away with an admonition to come back promptly at
pickup time.
Meantime, at a second station, each cat receives an anesthetic injection through the bars of
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its cage. Once asleep, an 10 tag is placed on its neck, and the cat is prepped, inspected for
any medical conditions requiring veterinary attention and moved into srugery. When the
sterilization is complete, a volunteer lIIIhisks the cat on to the next station, lIIIhere its ears are
cleaned and it is given three shots: a general antibiotic, a rabies vaccination and ivermectin
for parasite control. Finally, the right ear is "tipped" to identify the cat as an FCC graduate,
and the cat is sent to the recovery area - anyllllhere there is room for an unconscious cat to lie
and be warm. A sunny parking lot often does the trick, though cats needing special attention
(such as extra fluids) are treated in the "ICU" - a Ford Explorer.
Hours later, the last few cats are carried from the operating room. At this point, it becomes
apparent lIIIhy caretakers are asked to be prompt about pickup; the volunteers have been
working in overdrive all day, a monumental cleanup task lies ahead, and no one feels like
waiting around into the night with an unclaimed cat.
But despite the hard labor, the Saturday they've given up, the hustle and bustle and the loud
complaints from unwilling patients, lIIIhat makes it all work is the cats themselves. For many
scruffy recipients, it is the only time in their lives they will be handled by caring human hands.
And lIIIhether or not the unwilling captives appreciate the efforts on their behalf, the volunteers
are touched by the extraordinary sense of cooperation and goodwill experienced by everyone
involved. The reason this group works so well is its common concern for the welfare of
unowned cats. That concern is reflected on the face of each volunteer lIIIho cuddles a limp,
anesthetized patient to her breast, and shines in the eyes of the caretaker lIIIho strokes her
feral's soft fur for the first time, knowing that the wild creature will doubtless spurn her again
as soon as it awakens.
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Looking for Feral Cats
Article by Susan Easterly
Cat Fancy Magazine November 1994
Look in alleys, parks shopping sites, abandoned buildings and rural areas and you will find
them: colonies of feral cats trying to survive in a world in which they do not fit. The number of
feral and stray cats in the United States may be as high as 60 million, according to Alley Cat
Allies, a group dedicated to the humane control of feral cat populations. This figure is rapidly
approaching the 64 million cats that have owners. Unlike cats that have homes, however, feral
cats generally are considered throwaways, unwelcome and unwanted.
Feral cats are not quirks of nature; they are most often the result of pet owners' abandonment
or failure to spay and neuter their animals. For example, many people assume their cats will
survive on their own when they move away. Such assumptions kill millions of homeless cats at
animal shelters across the country each year. Many more feral and stray cats die from
starvation, abuse, disease and predators.
A large factor in the animal overpopulation equation, feral cats also cost taxpayers big bucks.
In California, animal control agencies and shelters spend millions annually for cat-related
expenses. Feral cats, however, seem to fall through the funding cracks. In San Diego County,
thousands of feral cats ''were being ignored, neglected and swept under the rug" says Sally
Mackler, co-founder of the San Diego Feral Cat Coalition. "Nobody was dealing with these
cats." Although calls for help poured into local humane organizations, no public or private
agency in the county specifically addressed feral cats, she adds.
Until the fall of 1992. To respond to the feral cat problem in their area, representatives from
local veterinary, humane and cat fanciers' communities formed the Feral Cat Coalition. "Our
group was born out of frustration generated from trying to help these animals," Mackler says.
The arrival of FCC co-founder Dr. Rochelle Brinton, a humane-minded veterinarian, got the
program up and running, Mackler adds.
The coalition has one purpose: to reduce the numbers, problems and suffering of feral cats
through education and sterilization. Accordingly, the unique group only spays and neuters
feral cats. While under anesthesia, the cats receive rabies vaccines and antibiotics, their ears
are cleaned, and obvious wounds and abscesses are treated. Once recovered, they are
returned to their neighborhoods. FCC, which relies solely on donations, charges nothing for its
services.
To date, more than 3,000 cats have been sterilized by the completely volunteer organization,
and the numbers are growing. Up to 100 cats are spayed or neutered in clinics run twice a
month. Each clinic is staffed by several licensed veterinarians who donate their time and
hospitals and 25 qualified volunteers who handle everything from anesthesia to postoperative
care.
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While 3,000 may seem like a drop in the overpopulation bucket, Mackler believes the program
is making a difference in San Diego County. Assume, she says, that roughly 1,500 of the cats
sterilized through the organization are female. If they had not been spayed, in a year's time
each female could produce approximately 10 more cats. Add it up. "It is the numbers you don't
see that are significant," she emphasizes. ''What 'NOuld have been produced down the road
will never become an unwanted cat that suffers, a statistic in an animal control log or a cost to
the taxpayer."
Focusing only on sterilizing feral cats has provided the coalition with some clout: a smoothly
'NOrking system members are willing to share with others. As its resources allow, the group
provides assistance and information on clinic procedures and field operations and shares its
philosophy on trapping, neutering and releasing feral cats. Perhaps most important is the
group's willingness to explain how it educates people and cooperates with the public.
With more than 15 years of humane 'NOrk behind her, Mackler says 'NOrking with the coalition
has been the most rewarding experience she has encountered. To others, she advises, "It is
possible to reach like-minded people. If you want to help feral cats, realize that it can be
done."
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Taming Feral Kittens
Feral cats are homeless cats, many of whom were born in the wild; others are pets who were
abandoned or have become lost. They are for all intents and purposes wild animals. Those
adult stray cats which were once owned, or feral cats of quiet temperament, may sometimes
be tamed with patience. However, the feral kitten is often easily tamed if it is captured young
enough. Considering the short miserable lives that feral cats suffer, those kittens which can be
tamed and adopted by humans are indeed lucky.
Feral moms usually give birth in quiet unseen spots where kittens will not be visible for
several weeks. With no human contact they will be totally wild. When kittens begin to romp
and play, they are first noticed by humans but are not easily captured. They may be captured
in humane traps (available from the Feral Cat Coalition) and should be taken from the mother
at 4 to 6 weeks of age. Older kittens can also be captured and tamed but the process gets
slower and less successful the longer the kittens stay in the wild. They should not be taken
from the mother before they are old enough to be weaned at about 4 weeks. Kittens taken too
young are vulnerable to disease and may not survive. The mother cat should also be captured
and spayed to prevent future litters.
The process of taming kittens can take from 2 to 6 weeks (longer for some exceptionally
skittish kittens) depending on their age and state of wildness. Individuals can differ greatly in
_ temperament even within the same litter. Some may tame up immediately and some may take
. quite a long time. Any person attempting to tame kittens should be totally committed and
patient. The taming process is certainly worthwhile. You are saving lives and producing
affectionate loving companions.
The steps involved in the taming process are:
1. Containment (I) in a cage or large pet carrier
2. Periodic and brief handling with a protective towel
3. Containment (II) in a small room
4. Exposure to other humans
5. Placement in suitable adoptive homes
CONTAINMENT I
A feral kitten may hiss and 'spit' at humans. They are usually terrified of humans. The kitten
which acts the most ferocious is just the most scared, but it is capable of giving you a nasty
scratch or bite and will probably try to escape if given the chance. Remember that to the kitten
you may be a predator; the kitten may think it is fighting for its life.
ALL BITES ARE SERIOUS. IF BITTEN SEEK MEDICAL A TTENTION AND QUARANTINE
THE KITTEN.
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other cats before you bring them home. Keep them isolated from your pet cats, wash your
hands, and wear a smock (or change clothes between handling visits) to protect against the
spread of disease from the kittens to pets or from pets to kitten.
If a trap was used to capture the kitten, transfer the kitten to a cage or a pet carrier large
enough for a small litter box and bedding. Place it in a small room away from family pets and
children. Be careful not to allow the kitten to escape during the transfer process.
For the first tVIIO days, do not attempt handling. The kittens must learn to feel safe. Visit them
frequently and talk to them quietly, but resist touching. Always move slowly.
Food and water and bedding should be placed in the cage or carrier. Many cages and carriers
have food and water bowls attached to the doors so that you can feed and water the kittens
without having to place your hand inside. If you do not have a cage, or your carrier is too small
for a litter pan, place the kittens in a small room, like a bathroom, in the carrier. Place the litter
box in the room and leave the carrier door open so that the kittens have access to the box.
Some people use worn clothing as the kittens' bedding to get them used to the smell of
humans.
HANDLING
After 2 days, select the least aggressive kitten, place a towel over it, and pick it up in the
_ towel. If the kitten stays calm, pet it gently on the head from behind. Never approach from the
.. front. A hand coming at the kittens frightens them which may cause them to hiss or bite.
If the kitten remains calm, grip it securely by the nape of the neck, put the towel on your lap
and set it on the towel. Stroke the kitten's body while speaking in soft, reassuring tones, then
release. Make this first physical contact brief. Go through this process with each kitten. After
all have been handled, give them a special treat. Baby food or Hills "aid" brand canned food
off a spoon is always a great ice-breaker. Repeat this process as frequently as possible.
Brushing with a soft pet brush imitates the action of the mother grooming the kittens and will
help the kitten start to transfer its need for parental love to you. It is also extremely important
for the health of the kittens to remove fleas as soon as possible. Kittens become anemic from
flea infestation and can easily fall prey to illnesses in this condition. Combing with a flea comb
also helps the bonding process.
Never stare at the kittens for prolonged periods. This is aggressive body language to cats.
Avert your eyes frequently and lower your head often to display submissive behavior. This will
be less threatening to the kittens.
Play with the kittens using "kitty tease" toys (a tiny piece of cloth tied to a string which is tied
to a small stick) or lightweight cat toys. Don't leave the "kitty tease" alone with the kittens ashkittens will often swallow string. This can be fatal.
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CONTAINMENT /I
e Within a week the kittens should have made considerable progress. Each kitten will develop
at a different rate. They should have access to the room and can be placed in the cage only if
necessary.
If there is one that is not becoming tame, place it in a separate cage in another room, away
from the others. This will allow you to work with the baby more frequently and will increase it's
dependence on a human. It will also prevent perpetuation of wildness in the littermates. All
members of some litters must be isolated as not to reinforce wildness in the group.
A large room may overwhelm a timid kitten and cause increased fear. Bedrooms can be a
problem. If kittens become frightened and go under the bed it can be difficult to get them to
come out and stressful for them if you force them out.
Also try to kitten-proof the room as much as possible before letting the kittens out into the
room. Seal up any nooks and crannies where frightened kittens may enter and become
trapped or inaccessible to you. Bathroom sinks often have spaces between the kickboard and
the cabinet just large enough for the kitten. Block access to behind bookcases and heavy
furniture behind which the kitten can become wedged. Be careful of open toilets and anything
which could be climbed and pulled down on top of the kitten causing possible injury. Protect
vulnerable knick knacks, clothes, and plants (some poisonous) from curious kittens.
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EXPOSURE
When the kittens no longer respond by biting and scratching, encourage friends to handle
them as often as possible. It is very important that they socialize with other humans. Feral cats
tend to bond with one human so they best adjust to a new home if they are socialized with
other humans before being adopted out.
PLACEMENT
Kittens can be adopted out at 8 weeks or so if tamed and socialized to humans.
When screening prospective "parents" remember that the kitten will do best if there are no
small children in the home. All the work you have done can be easily shattered by normal kid
activity and noise. This is vital to remember when placing the kittens for adoption. The most
suitable home is a calm environment so the kittens will feel secure. The ideal home is one
which will keep their pet indoors and will take 2 kittens together (actually easier to care for and
more fun to watch) or that will have an adult home during the day.
Be sure that you inform the adoptive family that the kitten must be neutered. This can be done
as early as 8 weeks of age. You may want to ask for a refundable deposit from the adoptive
family to encourage them to neuter. Or you may want to neuter it yourself and ask the new
owner to reimburse you. Many forms and contracts exist for doing this. For example, FOCAS,
the Humane Society, and the Department of Animal Control all have such agreements.
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IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THIS CAT DOES NOT HAVE BABIES, OR YOU MAY
FIND YOURSELF TRYING TO FIND A FAMILY FOR ITS KITTENS.
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FCC Clinic Procedures - Index
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Feral Cat Coalition Clinic Procedures
Index
These procedures are current as of January 1, 1996. They are constantly being changed as
we find better and more efficient ways to do things. They are presented here broken down by
job description. They should, however, only be considered as a complete set.
General Rules For Evervbodl(
Job Descriptions:
· Clinic Supervisor
· Team Leaders
· Recorder
· Admittina
· Anesthesia
· Transporters
· Prep
· Veterinarv AssistanUSpavs
· Veterinarv AssistanUNeuters
· Ears & Vaccines
· Recoverv
· Suraicallnstrument Maintenance
· Reservation Coordinator
· Supply Coordinator
· Volunteer Coordinator
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Feral Cat Coalition Clinic Procedures
Clinic Supervisor
Primary duties:
1. Keep the veterinarians happy
2. Keep the volunteers happy
3. Do both (1) and (2) simultaneously, if possible
Clinic supervisors are responsible for coordination before, during, and after each FCC clinic to
ensure they will run in a smooth and organized manner. The key to doing this is to delegate all
responsibilities and to know how each station is supposed to be run so you can advise
volunteers how to operate most efficiently.
A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE CLINIC
Telephone the veterinarian's office where the clinic is to be held and request an appointment
to walk through the facility. When you visit, you must determine the optimum layout and traffic
flow for an FCC clinic; consideration must be given to the location of Admitting, Anesthesia,
Prep, Surgery, Ears & Vaccines, and Recovery areas. Layout of stations and traffic flow must
e be efficient: flow is ideal in a straight pattern (therefore no backtracking), second best is in a
circular pattern. It's also important to consider time of day and weather conditions as
Admitting, Ears & Vaccines, and Recovery usually take place outside; determine whether it
will be necessary to use the canopy and/or tarps.
Most clinics are at facilities that have been used before, so it won't be necessary to visit if you
can accurately remember the layout and flow pattern. Even if you don't have to visit, call the
facility in advance and speak to the Host Veterinarian; introduce yourself and find out if there
are any special circumstances we must be aware of. Also find out when the facility closes for
business (to find out when we can start setting up inside) or if it must be opened for you (get
the name and number of who will let you in to ensure access at least 1/2 hour before surgery
start time).
Telephone the Veterinarian Coordinator to check in. Find out how many veterinarians are
scheduled to work and their surgical speed; also check if he/she has any special instructions.
Telephone the Supply Coordinator and make arrangements to pick up the supplies (unless
he/she is attending the clinic and can bring them). Supplies include several large storage
boxes with surgical and prep items, tie-down boards for spays, tables, canopies, tarps,
easy-wipe info boards, and trap covers.
Telephone the Reservation Coordinator to find out the number of cats scheduled; have
~im/her mail you a copy of the reservation list if he/she won't be at the clinic during admitting.
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Make labels (based on number of cats scheduled) and copies of fliers and caretaker
handouts.
The Volunteer Coordinator will mail or fax you the job assignment list; he/she will also call if
there are any changes, volunteer shortages, new volunteers, or special circumstances. Make
sure that there aren't too many new people in anyone job category. Imagine having a
"no-show" in each area and pre-plan how you would juggle volunteers to make it work.
Designate an experienced Team Leader for each area who will be responsible for organizing
team members, set-up, clean-up, training new volunteers, reviewing procedures with
everybody, and ensuring their team members know what to do. If you select someone who has
not been a Team Leader before, telephone them so they're aware of their responsibilities.
Good Team Leaders take a lot of the burden off the Supervisor and make things run much
more smoothly! Make up 3" x 5" cards for each Team Leader and attach a copy of the
applicable procedure (more copies if new people in that job description). List the volunteers
assigned to each job (note if any are new) as well as any procedural changes or notes of
interest.
Once the job assignments are set, list all job titles and who is working where on a sheet of
paper or on an easy-wipe board (bring eraser orwipecloth to clinic-things always change!).
At clinic, place list near volunteer sign-in area so people can see at a glance where they'll be,
who they'll be working with, and how they'll fit in the big picture.
THE DAY OF THE CLINIC
Supervisor and Admitting volunteers arrive 2 hours before clinic (surgery) start-time
Caretakers bringing cats to clinic arrive 1 hour 30 minutes before clinic start time
Remaining volunteers arrive 30 minutes - 1 hour before clinic start time
Caretakers often arrive early with cats, so set up the Admitting area immediately! You (or
someone you designate) must bring the following items:
SUPERVISOR (INCLUDING ADMITTING) SUPPUES
· 5 Clipboards
· 6 indelible black markers (ultra-fine tip to use on labels & toe tags)
· Caretaker sign-in sheets
· Regular ink pens (use for sign-in sheets and surgical log)
· Pre-printed ID labels
· 4 rolls of 2" wide masking tape
· Toe tags
· Donation jar
· Volunteer sign-in sheets
· Tables
· Surgical log sheets
· Tarps
· Easy-wipe info boards
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· Trap/carrier covers
· Canopies
· Clinic job procedures (have master copy available and attach copies to 3" X 5" cards so
Team Leaders can review with volunteers)
· Signs ('FEMALES', 'MALES', 'UNKNOWNS', 'FCC PERSONNEL ARE NOT TO USE
FACILITY SUPPLIES')
· Caretaker handouts ('CLINIC DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP INSTRUCTIONS', FCC INFO
FLIER, and any other related animal welfare information)
Write pick-up time on an easy-wipe board so caretakers know when to return. Generally, a
veterinarian can spay/neuter 4 - 5 cats per hour; this takes into account many factors such as
surgical speed of vet, whether it's a spay or neuter, and any medical problems or pregnancies.
You can get a general idea of the clinic length by multiplying the number of vets by 4 - 5 cats
per hours then dividing that number into the total number of cats registered, giving you the
number of hours for the clinic. Adjust this estimate as needed (Le. lots of males means a
shorter clinic).
Place signs in Admitting area for placement of FEMALES, MALES, AND UNKNOWNS, putting
females in closest proximity to the Anesthesia area. Generally, the order of surgery is ALL
FEMALES, then ALL UNKNOWNS, then ALL MALES. Occasionally, however, a Vet will be
there specifically to do neuters (at hislher request or Veterinarian Coordinator's); if so,
alternate FEMALES and MALES going to Anesthesia (watch the flow carefully) and do
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Introduce yourself to the practice owner and staff members and thank them for allowing us to
use their hospital. Tell them you'd like feedback at the end of the day to ensure they were not
inconvenienced and to identify areas we can improve on. Review the hospital flow plan and
make adjustments if necessary. Ask if there are any areas we must specifically avoid (besides
the vet's personal office, reception desk, and kitchenllounge areas-always try to steer clear
of these). Ask them to let you know when we'll be allowed to start setting up (sometimes we'll
be allowed in back areas even if clients are still there).
Check in volunteers: have them sign in, make themselves a name tag, and review the
procedure for their job assignment. Locate Team Leaders and give them their 3" x 5" cards;
introduce new volunteers to their Team Leader as they arrive and make them feel welcome.
Team Leaders should organize and brief team members either as a group or individually; tell
them to let you know if some volunteers have not arrived so you can juggle job assignments if
necessary. Interface with Team Leaders to make sure all volunteers know their assignment
and responsibilities. Volunteers should also be reminded of the following:
· Not to enter the facility until told by Team Leader or Supervisor
· Not to use any facility supplies
· To stay at their station (shouldn't wander around clinic or assume they're needed more
somewhere else!)
· To clean their area thoroughly at end of clinic
tit About 15 minutes before scheduled (surgery) start time, have Anesthesia AHT mix the
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"cocktail" so they'll be ready to go. (Once inside, set up this area first as they must be ready to
start several minutes before the other areas in order to have cats anesthetized and ready for
the veterinarians).
Immediately after getting permission, ask only the Supply Coordinator, Anesthesia team, Prep
Team Leader, Vet Assist Team Leader, and Transport Team Leader to enter facility and set
up their stations (may let Anesthesia to Prep Transporters start lining their area with
newspaper, too). Everybody wants to go inside and get going, but having just a few set up will
avoid inevitable confusion! Refer to job procedures for info regarding supply distribution;
review each station to make sure each one is set up properly and ready to go: enough cold
sterile? trash bags (one for trash, one for tissue, and one for used drapes at each surgery
station)? Tie-down boards ready to go? etc., etc., etc.. If additional supplies are needed
during the clinic, the Supervisor or Supply Person are responsible for dispensing extras. Affix
signs reading "FCC PERSONNEL ARE NOT TO USE FACILITY SUPPLIES" to towel
dispensers or other strategic locations.
Look for veterinarians as they arrive; ask each vet (Host gets first choice) which station they'd
prefer and dispense their gloves accordingly. A VETERINARIAN MUST BE IN THE FACILITY
WHEN ANESTHESIA BEGINS! Have Anesthesia AHT start "popping" cats immediately when
vets arrive and are ready to start (usually 2 cats per vet to get things going). Bring in
remaining volunteers and the clinic can officially begin.
It's important that we start on time and that veterinarians are kept supplied with cats so the
clinic is completed in a timely manner and the vets are never standing around! Carefully
observe the speed of the vets and the backlog in Prep so you can pace Anesthesia; once the
clinic gets going, (ideally) Anesthesia should never have to stop "popping"!
During the clinic, don't allow individuals into the facility unless you know they are volunteers
or on staff, or have been invited by one of the vets. New volunteers should be encouraged to
"tour" the facility during surgery so they can see how the entire clinic operates, BUT they must
first clear it with their Team Leader (so they know volunteers are away from their stations) and
you must accompany them (so they're not in the way if it's hectic in Prep or Surgery). Children
are never allowed at clinics for their own safety-and the cats'!
AT THE END OF THE CLINIC
If cats have been euthanized, ask the Host Veterinarian if we can use hislher freezer (usually
OK, but we must provide a check for disposal charge).
We must clear out of the hospital ASAP after the last surgery so the Host Vet can lock up and
go home! Make sure each team thoroughly cleans their area, empties trash, and prepares
supplies for packing. Locate outside dumpsters for final trash drop-off and place new plastic
trash bags in receptacles. Return chairs, etc. to their original positions. Sweep or vacuum
AND mop the floors (check with Host Vet to see if they have specific instructions, Le. special
floor cleaner). Make very sure that rooms do not have a lingering odor-use an odor
neutralizer just to be sure. Leave the hospital cleaner than it usually is at the end of a
business dayl Be the last person to inspect the premises and make sure the host vet is
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satisfied with the condition of the hospital. Ask for hislher comments (so they know we're
constantly trying to make any needed improvements and ensure smooth-running clinics) and
be sure to thank himlher for the use of the facility.
Ensure that the outside of the clinic is cleaned up as well; look for bits of newspaper, cigarette
butts, and other trash we might have left. Work with Recovery Team Leader to ensure all cats
have been picked up by their Caretakers; call anyone who is late. You are ultimately
responsible for any abandoned cats, so you must stay until all have been accounted for.
AFTER THE CLINIC
Supplies must be returned to the Supply Coordinator if he/she did not attend the clinic. Supply
Coordinator (or designee) also receives used blue drapes, surgical towels, and instruments so
they can be washed and autoclaved for the next clinic.
Send volunteer list to Volunteer Coordinator. Send donations to Treasurer (if necessary,
money from donation jar can be used during clinic for refreshments). Send Caretaker Sign-in
sheets to Reservation Coordinator. Surgical Log sheet goes to Recorder who then sends copy
to the Statistician.
EPILOGUE
Remember, something untoward may happen at each clinic. H we wel9 a highly-paid
surgical team and had the same people in the same positions performing the same
function over and over again, we might see perfection consistently. However, since we
al9 all volunteers, albeit dedicated and committed, and we have a diffel9nt team evety
time, inconsistencies may occur. Roll with the punches, and "don't worry, be happy"l
All that matters is that we get the cats safely spayed and neuteted. Amen..
III This will return you to the Clinic Procedures Index Page
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Feral Cat Coalition Clinic Procedures
Team Leaders
Team Leaders are selected for each job category based on their experience in that area.
When chosen as a Team Leader, you are responsible for making sure the volunteers
assigned to your area know their duties and carry them out.
1. When you arrive at the clinic, the Supervisor will give you a list of volunteers assigned to
your area (usually on a 3" x 5" card) and copies of the applicable procedure. There will
also be an easy-wipe board listing everyone's job assignment. As volunteers arrive, the
Supervisor will introduce them to you if they're new. Keep track of who has arrived, and
tell the Supervisor of any "no-shows" so volunteers can be reassigned, if necessary.
Make sure everybody signs in and makes themself a nametag.
2. Organize and brief team members either as a group or individually. Review general rules
and the procedure for the job assignment with everybody ("veteran" volunteers as weill).
The 3" x 5" card should list any changes and/or special instructions for the clinic and will
indicate which volunteers are new as they'll require training. Encourage new people to
ask questions so they'll fully understand what's expected of them and why we do things
the way we do; monitor their work and provide constructive comments so they'lIleam the
job (and want to do it again!) and the cats will be properly cared for.
3. Set up your area as soon as possible-work with the Supervisor to see where your team
will be located. You are responsible for keeping your team members in their job area!
People sometimes see someone who needs help and jump in-which is great-BUT then
they forget what they're really supposed to be doing! This can create a lot of confusion
(who's on first?!) so have them tell you if they see a problem area so the Supervisor can
reassign people if necessary. Encourage volunteers to view the other job areas so they'll
understand how the entire clinic operates, but have them check with you and with the
Supervisor before they start wandering through the clinic-it might be too hectic in your
area (so you'll need them around) or too busy in surgery for observers (some vets don't
like "Iookyloos" either!).
4. Start cleaning your area as soon as possible--we need to clear out of the clinic so the
host vet can go home! Assign your team members specific tasks to distribute the chores
evenly. When we leave, the clinic should be ready for the next business day.
5. If you have any questions or problems, talk to the Supervisor. You're able to see specific
areas that need improvement as well as what's working well; share your insight with the
Board of Directors so procedures can be changed, if necessary, and we can avoid future
problems.
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Feral Cat Coalition Clinic Procedures
Recorder
Clinic records are extremely important, as they provide valuable information and are required
by law. Statistics acquired from accurate record keeping are also necessary to support our
cause.
During admitting process/surgery prep
On surgical log, enter the 10 numbers, colorldescription, sex (if known), and caretaker's initials
for each cat.
Watch for toe tags, indicating there's a medical problem to be addressed by the Veterinarian,
and note these on the log. At time of surgery, the Vet will examine and treat the medical
problem and recommend treatment or indicate no treatment required; these instructions must
be written in the log (and on back of toe tag by Vet Assistant) to communicate Vet
recommendations to Caretaker for after care.
Write rabies series number in the log (get from Supply Coordinator or Supervisor).
Meet with Transporters and Vet Assists to explain your recording needs. Transporters should
alert Vets to toe tags before cats are draped and need to check with you before removing cats
from surgical area. Remind Vet Assists that they must also be alert for toe tags and must
prepare tags for any medical condition noted by Vet; treatment (or no treatment required) and
instructions per Vet must be written on back of tag and communicated to you.
Number surgical stations in a logical manner and write in the name of the Veterinarian who
will be working at that station.
During surgery
To collect all necessary info, you must move from Vet to Vet as each cat goes through
surgery.
For each cat, write Vet's station number in the space provided on the log.
Check log for medical needs (toe tags) as cats are assigned to a Vet to make sure need is
addressed and record outcome of each examination.
Special notations for females.:
· N:= Normal (not in heat-optional notation)
· p:= Pregnant (note # of weeks; if 7-8 weeks, fluids often recommended)
8/17/9710:15 AM
FCC CDnic Procedures - Recorder
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· PQ = Post queening (had kittens recently; not in heat; has friable uterus)
· H = In heat
· L = Lactating (PQ & L can occur simultaneously)
* Just check box for males
Notify Supervisor or Supply Coordinator of cats requiring medication so meds can be
prepared and attached to trap/carrier.
You will be notified (usually by Prep) if any cats have already been spayed or neutered (prior
to clinic). Work with Supervisor and contact Caretaker to determine if cat might be someone's
pet-if that's the case, instruct Ears & Vaccines not to tip ear or give shots.
Make sure you have not missed any cats!!! The males are especially hard to track as they are
done so quickly; Vet Assist should use Neuter Log sheet if lots of cats. If you find numbers not
recorded, check Recovery area.
After surgery
Meet with recovery team leader to discuss medical info (on surgical logs) for use in discharge
of cats. Review it with himlher so all medical instructions or other necessary information is
completely understood.
. Complete tallies of all categories on surgical log. When all information is complete, forward
log to FCC Statistician.
Recording supplies:
· Clipboard
· Indelible black marker (fine)
· Regular ink pen
· Surgical log sheets
· Toe tags
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Content and HTML Copyright 1996 Feral Cat Coalition
Last update Saturday, February 01, 1997 11:42:45 AM
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FCC Clinic Procedures - Admilling
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Feral Cat Coalition Clinic Procedures
Admitting
Greet caretaker and ask person to thoroughly read consenUrelease paragraph at the top of
the caretaker sign-in sheet. Caretaker must personally sign designated spot on sign-in sheet
to signify they understand this paragraph. Have them print their name as well and leave a
phone number where they can be reached in case we finish early or have an emergency.
Confirm Caretaker has reservation for hislher cats-check reservation list and, if time, note
actual number of cats brought to clinic. If not on list, locate Supervisor who will screen
Caretaker, find out why no reservation exists, and notate discrepancy on list (how did they find
out about clinic?!).
Screen cats/carriers for the following:
· Food in trap/carrier
· Inappropriate carriers
· More than one cat per carrier
· Obvious pets
· Obvious serious illness
· Tipped right ear
· Underage kittens (less than 5 months)
Complete caretaker sign-in sheet by filling in designated areas on consecutively numbered
lines. If Caretaker brings in several cats, group them together numerically and draw lines
down repetitive columns (Le. Caretaker can print and sign on first row only and volunteer can
write initials once at the top, then line down through Caretaker's remaining assigned
numbers). More than one clipboard with (pre-numbered) Caretaker Sign-In Sheets can be
utilized at a time to expedite the admission process.
Take your time! Proper screening and correct admitting information is vital to the smooth
running of the clinic and welfare of the cats. Notate any pertinent information on the sign-in
sheet.
Prepare id tags using indelible ink. Make two identical identification tags per cat, using either
pre-printed labels, if available, or 4" masking tape strips. If pre-printed labels are used,
complete according to headings. If masking tape strips are used, prepare two for each cat in
the following manner:
#1................ CaUCaretaker 10 #
AS.............. Caretaker's initials
d.............. Sex (MALE).
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FCC Clinic Procedures - Admitting
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BLKlSH..... ColorlDescription (Black Shorthair)
MED.......... Write only if medical problem exists
* For sex of cat use these symbols:
d... MALE
9... FEMALE
..?.... UNKNOWN
Affix both 10 tags to top of trap/carrier, nearest to end with door.
If using pre-printed labels, please use the following method:
1. The first label should be peeled off then pressed on firmly so it will stick to the
trap/carrier throughout the clinic.
2. The second label should be peeled off then lightly placed on the trap/carrier with a strip
of masking tape (about 5") placed across the top. By using this method, the
post-anesthesia volunteers (Transporter Job #2) won't have to mangle the label to get it
off the carrier and onto the cat! Also, the labels don't always stick well to fur, so the
masking tape helps to hold it on.
a Create toe tag if medical problem exists (should be noted on the Caretaker Sign-In Sheet and
.. indicated by "MED" or "Medical Problem" on the 10 tags. The medical toe tag must include
CaUCaretaker 10 #, Caretaker's initials, Cat's sex, Cat's color & description as well as a
complete description of the medical problem to be checked by the Veterinarian. Stick the toe
tag under one of the 10 tags on the trap/carrier.
Give caretaker copy of "Drop-off and Pick-up Instructions".
Advise caretaker of discharge time and stress the importance of prompt pick-up. Animal
Control will be called on abandoned animals.
After sign-in, place Caretaker's cats in area designated for either "MALES", "FEMALES", or
"UNKNOWNS".
Direct Caretaker's attention to donation jar-remind them all donations are tax-deductible!
After clinic, thoroughly clean Admitting area and prepare supplies for packing.
Admitting supplies (receive from Supervisor and remember to use FCC supplies only!!!)
· 4 rolls 2" masking tape
· 5 clipboards
· 6 indelible black markers (fine)
· Caretaker sign-in sheets
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· Donation jar
· Easy-wipe info boards
· Pre-printed ID labels
· Regular ink pens
· Table
· Toetags
· Trap/carrier covers
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Content and HTML Copyright 1996 Fera/ Cat Coalition
Last update Saturday, February 01, 1997 11:44:46 AM
8/17/9710:17 AM
FCC Cfinic Procedures - Aneslhesia
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Feral Cat Coalition Clinic Procedures
Anesthesia
The anesthesia area is the catalyst for beginning a clinic on time; this station must be set up
immediately so AHTs may begin anesthetization prior to designated clinic start-up time (15
minutes prior is ideal!).
Prepare anesthesia mixture by adding 1 cc Anased and 4 cc Ketaset to 1 bottle of dried
Telazol. DOSAGE is 0.2 cc per 10 lbs. Prepare multiple syringes in advance, each containing
one dosage only. One syringe should always be immediately available for cats requiring a
second dosage during surgery. If using the herd health medical technique, needles may be
reused (approximately 5 usages per needle). Keep sterile needle in medication bottle for
drawing purposes.
Administration of anesthesia should always be done in a small room. Only designated
anesthesia technicians/volunteers may be in the room. The door shall remain closed at all
times, being opened only to accept cats from and relinquish cats to transporters.
Observe cat before anesthetizing to check for the following:
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· Tipped right ear, indicating cat has been spayed/neutered at prior FCC clinic
· Special instructions on trap/carrier
· Food inside trap/carrier
· General health and appearance (weak or very thin? too young? possible pet?)
DO NOT ANESTHETIZE EXTREMELY DEBILITATED CATS, KITTENS YOUNGER THAN
FIVE MONTHS, OR THOSE WITH FOOD IN CARRlERIlI They are to be refused to eliminate
potential morbidity and/or mortality.
DO NOT TAKE CAT OUT OF TRAPICARRIER TO ANESTHETIZEI
Shake cat to bottom of trap using towel, if necessary, to pinion cat; inject anesthesia into thigh
muscle. If cat is presented in a carrier, carefully and quickly open carrier door and pinion cat
to bottom or back of carrier with towel; inject anesthesia into thigh muscle. Above procedure
necessitates two experienced technicians; if patient volume is high, a third
technicianlvolunteer may reload syringes and assist.
After injection, give cat to Transporter, who will observe consciousness.
If medical problem is noticed, affix toe tag with cat's 10 #, complete 10 information and
description of medical problem to top of trap/carrier.
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(Be ready to run!) After last cat is anesthetized, retain loaded syringe until end of clinic in case
_ a cat needs repeat injection. Give syringe to Supervisor if you must depart clinic before last
_ surgery.
After clinic, thoroughly clean anesthesia area and prepare supplies for packing. Dispose of all
sharp items in appropriate container.
ANESTHESIA SUPPLIES (remember to use FCC supplies only!!!)
· 1 bottle unreconstituted (dried) Telazol
· 1 cc Anased (Large Animal Rompum)
· 1 cc syringes
· 1 large bath towel
· 22 gage needles
· 4 cc Ketaset
· Cleaning materials
· Plastic trash bag
· Sharps container
· Toe tags
· Waterproof pens
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Content and HTML Copyright 1996 Feral Cat Coalition
Last update Saturday, February 01, 1997 11 :47:04 AM
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FCC Cnnic Procedures - Transporters
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Feral Cat Coalition Clinic Procedures
Transporters
ALL TRANSPORTERS MUST BE VERY ALERT, ACTIVE PEOPLE WHO CAN STA Y
FOCUSED!
Transporter Job #1 (at least 1 person required)
Admitting Area To Anesthesia
· Bring cats in traps/carriers to anesthesia area in the order designated by the Supervisor
and/or Anesthesia team, usually as follows:
1. Females
2. Unknowns
3. Males
· Knock first before opening door to deliver cats to anesthesia area
· Interface with Anesthesia TechniciansNolunteers regarding pace and volume
· Deliver empty trap/carrier to Recovery area (make sure remaining pre-printed label or
masking tape 10 strip is still affixed to trap/carrier)
· If required, take cat from EarsNaccines area to Recovery area (depends on clinic
set-up)
· After clinic, thoroughly clean area
Transporter Job #2 (at least 2 people required)
Anesthesia To Prep
· Prepare post-anesthesia area by lining floor surface with newspapers
· Knock first before opening door to accept cats from anesthesia area
· Observe cat's level of consciousness and remove cat from carrier when unconscious
(approximately 5 minutes). Lightly tap your finger near cat's eye; if no blink reflex, then
patient is ready to go!
· Affix one pre-printed label or masking tape strip 10 to cat's throat area with number at
the chin and description extending down the throat (second label remains on
trap/carrier)
· Affix medical toe tag to cat's hind foot If previously undetected medical problem is
noticed, prepare toe tag with CATS 10 #, complete to information, and description of
medical problem
· Deliver cat to Prep area
· Return empty trap/carrier to a Job #1 Transporter (make sure remaining pre-printed
label or masking tape 10 strip is still affixed to trap/carrier); try to keep original trap cover
with trap!
· After clinic, thoroughly clean post-anesthesia area
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FCC Clinic Procedures - Transporters
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Transporter Job #3 (at least 3 people required)
Prep To Surgery / Surgery To Ears & Vaccines
· Take cat from Prep area to Veterinarian (females will be on tie-down boards)
· Place cat in front of Veterinarian noting the preferred position of head/tail juxtaposition
· Be vigilant in maintaining integrity of sterile area
· Alert Veterinarian to medical toe tag
· Notify Recorder as cats arrive and leave surgery so none are missed on the clinic log
· After spay/neuter procedure is completed, Take cat from Vet and deliver it to
EarsNaccines area
· Return tie-down board to Prep area and clean with specified solution
· After clinic, thoroughly clean transport area and assist Prep volunteers with cleaning
tie-down boards and preparing them for packing
Transporter Job #4 - Optional (depends on flow of clinic and # of cats)
Ears And Vaccines To Recovery
· Take cat from EarsNaccines area to Recovery area; work with Recovery volunteers on
where to deliver cats so they're placed in correct trap/carrier.
_ III This will return you to the Clinic Procedures Index Page
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Content and HTML Copyright 1996 Feral Cat Coalition
Last update Saturday, February 01, 1997 11 :49:07 AM
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FCC Ctinic Procedures - Prep
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Feral Cat Coalition Clinic Procedures
Prep
OBSERVE CAT and ascertain that 10 strip is in place. Top of strip with 10 # must be at chin
with description and other info going down the throat. If an untagged MEDICAL PROBLEM is
noticed, affix toe tag with cat's 10 #, complete 10 information, and description of medical
problem to cat's hind foot.
EXPRESS BLADDERS on non-pregnant females; do males if time permits.
ADMINISTER eye ointment, move cat to shaving area.
EXAMINE CATS CAREFULLY:
· Check the genitals-neutered males have been mistaken for females!!! Check for
evidence of ear-tipping, indicating cat is already spayed/neutered.
· Check for signs of dehydration (stiff, non-compliant skin); advise Supervisor and
Recorder.
· Check mouth carefully for condition of teeth and gums.
· If cats have already been spayed/neutered, notify Recorder before moving cat to Ears &
Vacs area
FEMALE CATS
· SHAVE females from breast bone to pubic area using approximately six strokes. Touch
up as needed for clean, wide, surgical shave. (Cats may be shaved either on or off
tie-down boards, whatever is easier for the technician). Width of shave should be as
wide as 3 full blade widths. CHECK FOR EVIDENCE OF PRIOR SPAY (Le., scar or wire
sutures)!
· SCRUB females with Betadine scrub followed by alcohol scrub
· SPRAY operative area with Betadine solution
· TIE females to operating boards if not yet done
· RELINQUISH cat to Transporter
MALE CATS
· SHAVE or pluck testicles-CHECK THAT THERE ARE TWO!!! If only one testicle has
descended (condition known as "Cryptorchid"), shave the groin area and lower stomach
as well; prep surgical area as above for females and prepare medical toe tag describing
the condition.
· SCRUB testicles with Betadine scrub followed by alcohol scrub
· SPRAY operative area with Betadine solution
· RELINQUISH cat to Transporter
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BETWEEN CATS, spray shaver blades with blade coolant if blade gets hot. Remove blade
and brush out with toothbrush if blade seems dull. Run blades in blade wash if they begin to
drag.
AFTER CLINIC, thoroughly clean prep area and prepare supplies for packing. Prep Team is
also responsible for cleaning clinic bathrooms; be sure to replace trash liners, toilet paper,
and paper towels as necessary.
PREP SUPPUES (remember to use FCC supplies only!!!)
· Alcohol-soaked gauze
· Betadine spray
· Betadine-soaked gauze
· Blade wash
· Blades #40
· Clippers
· Coolant spray
· Eye ointment
· Paper towels
· Plastic trash bags
· Surgical tie-down boards
· Tie-down board cleaner
· Toe tags
· Toothbrush
· Waterproof pens
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Content and HTML Copyright 1996 Feral Cat Coalition
Last update Saturday, February 01, 199711:51:21 AM
8117/8716:22 AM
FCC Clinic Procedures - Vet AssistantJSpays
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Feral Cat Coalition Clinic Procedures
Veterinary Assistant I Spays
NOTE: At some clinics, spaying and neutering may be performed at the same station.
Veterinary assistants may be assisting with both spay and neuter procedures.
CLEAN HANDS THOROUGHLY. If desired, obtain a pair of non-sterile exam gloves from
Supply Coordinator or Supervisor; these will protect your hands if you have cuts or scratches.
OBSERVE SURGICAL AREA and make sure the following items are available for each
Veterinarian*;
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· Receptacle with water and toothbrush for washing instruments
· Receptacle with Cetylcide solution -
· Sterilized instrument packs (peel packs - 1 per spay)
· Surgical pack (containing drapes, gauze, and fabric surgical towels - 1 per clinic)
· Scalpel blades #10 or #15
· Sterile gloves of appropriate size
· Suture material cassettes (tape securely to table, and tape suture caps to cassette)
· Suture needles
· Plastic trash bags (one per Vet for trash, one for tissue, one for used drapes)
· Paper towels
· Toe tags & waterproof pens (for you to record medical info)
· Red 5 gallon instrument bucket
· Spray bottle filled with diluted instrument milk (1 part milk to 6 parts water)
ALERT Veterinarian to medical toe tag before cat is draped! If Vet notes any medical problem
(not yet tagged), you must prepare a toe tag with cat's ID #, complete 10 information, and
medical info; affix tag to eat's hind foot. Write treatment given and instructions per
Veterinarian on back of toe tag and NOTIFY RECORDER. If there is no treatment, indicate
such so that Caretaker and Recorder know that the medical problem was addressed.
ASSIST VETERINARIAN by opening instrument peel packs, blades, and packs of gloves,
threading needles (if requested), refurbishing supplies, etc. Solicit Supply Coordinator or
Supervisor if additional supplies are needed for medical procedures.
BE VIGILANT IN MAINTAINING INTEGRITY OF STERILE AREA.
FOR EACH SURGERY, one pre-sterilized instrument set (in peel pack) of surgical instruments
is used, supplemented with items from the surgical pack. After each procedure, Veterinarian
should place all dirty instruments in water for cleaning; after thorough cleaning with
toothbrush, place instruments in red bucket (be sure all blades and needles have been
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FCC Clinic Procedures - Vel Assistant/Spays
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instrument milk to retard rust (use stream-type setting on spray nozzle to avoid overspray onto
the sterile field). Retain all used drapes and towels for reuse (use separate trash bag).
Discard used blades in special "sharps" container for disposal. Surgical needles are retained
in special plastic container with cetylcidesolution.
NOTIFY TRANSPORTER when each procedure is finished. Transporter will remove
post-surgical cat and replace with the next case.
AFTER CLINIC, thoroughly clean surgery area and prepare supplies for packing.
* Emergency kit is available
- 30 ml. Cetylcide to one gallon water (used only if instruments must be reused- must soak
in solution after scrubbing with toothbrush)
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Last update Saturday, February 01, 199711:53:13 AM
8/17/97 1e,zz AM
FCC Clinic Procedures - Vet Assistant/Neuters
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Feral Cat Coalition Clinic Procedures
Veterinary Assistant I Neuters
NOTE: At some clinics, spaying and neutering may be performed at the same station.
Veterinary assistants may be assisting with both spay and neuter procedures.
CLEAN HANDS THOROUGHLY. If desired, obtain a pair of non-sterile exam gloves from
Supply Coordinator or Supervisor; these will protect your hands if you have cuts or scratches.
OBSERVE SURGICAL AREA and make sure the following items are available for each
Veterinarian*:
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· Receptacle with soapy water and toothbrush for washing instruments
· Receptacle with Cetylcide solution ("cold sterile") for soaking washed instruments -
· Scalpel blades #10 or #15
· Gauze sponges
· Instrument peel-pack....One neuter set is used for multiple operations and contains:
o 1 pair small scissors
o 3 small hemostats
o 1 blade handle - (optional)
· Plastic trash bag
· Paper towels
· Toe tags & waterproof pens (for you to record medical info)
ALERT Veterinarian to medical toe tag. If Vet notes any medical problem (not yet tagged), you
must prepare a toe tag with cat's 10 #, complete 10 information, and medical info; affix tag to
cat's hind foot. Write treatment given and instructions per Veterinarian on back of toe tag and
NOTIFY RECORDER. If there is no treatment, indicate such so that Caretaker and Recorder
know that the medical problem was addressed.
ASSIST Veterinarian by holding cat's legs (if necessary), and with opening blades,
refurbishing supplies, etc. Solicit Supply Coordinator or Supervisor if additional supplies are
needed.
AFTER PROCEDURE(S), Veterinarian will hand off dirty instruments. Wash thoroughly in
soapy water with toothbrush; immediately placed cleaned instruments into Cetylcide solution
so they're ready for the next procedure (Vet can then retrieve them directly from the cold
sterile). After all neuters are complete, scrub all instruments in soapy water then put in bucket
filled with instrument milk (kept near spay surgical tables).
NOTIFY TRANSPORTER when each procedure is finished. Transporter will remove
post-surgical cat and replace with the next case.
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NOTIFY RECORDER as each procedure is completed (if lots of cats, use Neuter Log to write
down cats' 10 numbers and any medical problems; give log sheet to Recorder upon
completion).
AFTER CLINIC, thoroughly clean surgery area and prepare supplies for packing. Be certain to
remove all blades from blade handles and place in "sharps" container.
* Emergency kit is available
- 30 ml. Cetylcide to one gallon water
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Content and HTML Copyright 1996 Feral Cat Coalition
Last update Saturday, February 01, 199711:55:00 AM
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FCC Clinic Procedures - Ears & Vaccines
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Feral Cat Coalition Clinic Procedures
Ears & Vaccines
EARS
Remove cat from tie-down board and return board to Transporter.
Check toe tag to make sure that medical problem has been addressed by Veterinarian. There
should either be instructions for treatment or a notation of no treatment necessary. If not
addressed, have Recorder clarify with Vet and return cat to Vet if necessary. If you notice a
medical problem not yet tagged, make up tag with cat's 10 #, complete ID information, and
description of medical problem. Affix to cat's hind foot and return cat to Vet (check with
Recorder to see which Vet did surgery).
If cat had been been previously spayed/neutered, do not tip ear or give shots unless cat is
from known colony (possibly someone's pet trapped in error!). Check with Recorder and
review sign-in sheets; discuss with Supervisor if necessary; contact Caretaker, if necessary.
Check mouth for color (should be pink, not blue) and check respiration. If not breathing, pull
out tongue and apply acupressure at point at base of nose; if this doesn't work Quicklv. take
back to a Vet immediatelyl After Vet has treated cat, make up tag with complete 10 info,
treatment, and follow-up instructions; notify Recorder of problem/treatment.
Check hydration: pinch skin together and release-skin should return to normal position. If
skin is stiff and non-compliant (stays pinched) the cat is dehydrated. Alert Recorder and
create toe tag with cat's 10 # and complete 10 information, then note dehydration problem so
Recovery can treat with subcutaneous fluids. If severe, return cat to Vet for further
instructions.
Clean ears first. Place a few drops of mineral oil in each ear and work in gently. Elongate ear
by gently pulling at the top; this enables you to clean out all the dirt and mites in the deep
crevices with Q-Tips, but be careful not to poke too hard!
Tip outer corner of right ear by trimming about 1/8th inch straight off the top with a scissors;
clean scissors with alcohol between cats. If bleeding occurs, apply septic solution. If bleeding
continues, apply pressure with gauze. If hemostasis is not achieved, apply hemostat for 5
minutes. (Injections can be administered while hemostat is in place on ear). Transfer cat to
Vaccines area.
VACCINES
Sterile needle should remain in place in top of vaccine bottles. Fill multiple syringes. If using
the herd health medical technique, needles may be reused (approximately 5 usages per
S/17141710:24 AM
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FCC C~nie Procedures - Ears & Vaccines
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needle). If you are uncertain whether a cat has had injections, SKIP IT -Ivermectin and
Rabies can be toxic if repeated I
DOSAGES
IVERMECTIN
o 0.1 cc per 10 Ibs.
o Use 1 cc syringe with multiple-dose load
o Subcutaneous injection
PENICILUN
o 0.5 cc per 10 Ibs. (1.0 cc for sick cats per Vet order)
o Use 3 cc syringe with multiple-dose load
o Subcutaneous injection
RABIES
o 1.0 cc per adult
o Use 3 cc syringe with multiple-dose load
o Subcutaneous or intra-muscular injection depending on type (check label)
After Ears & Vaccines are complete, call for Recovery volunteer (or Transporter) to pick up cat
for Recovery. After clinic, thoroughly clean E & V area and prepare supplies for packing.
Dispose of all sharps in appropriate container.
EARSNACCINES SUPPUES (remember to use FCC supplies only!!!)
· 1 cc syringes (3)
· 22 gage needles
· 3 cc syringes (3)
· Cotton balls
· Ear tipping scissors
· Gauze (unsterile)
· Ivermectin
· Mineral oil
· Mosquito hemostat
· Paper towels
· Penicillin
· Plastic trash bags
· Q-Tips (1 pack)
· Rabies vaccine
· Rubbing alcohol
· Septic solution
· Sharps container
· Spray counter cleaner
· Toe tags
· Waterproof pens
8/17/9710:24 AM
FCC COnic Procedures - Ears & Vaccines
hltp:llwww.feralcat.comlpearsvac.html
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Content and HTML Copyright 1996 Feral Cat Coalition
Last update Saturday, February 01, 199712:00:06 PM
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FCC Cfinic Procedures - Recovery
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Feral Cat Coalition Clinic Procedures
Recovery
Prepare recovery area by lining surface with newspapers. It is preferable to create Recovery
area outside when possible, thereby assisting in eliminating urine odors in the facility. Choose
warmest area available as anesthesia makes cats feel cool.
Prepare traps/carriers by removing newspapers & debris. It may be necessary to hose out or
wire brush traps/carriers if debris is stubborn or voluminous. Put extra sheets of newpaper
under traps and inside of carriers and arrange traps/carriers numerically.
Pick up cats from Ears & Vaccines (or receive from Transporter) and locate appropriate
trap/carrier.
Check toe tag to make sure that medical problem has been addressed by Veterinarian. There
should either be instructions for treatment or a notation of no treatment necessary. If not
addressed, have Recorder clarify with Vet and return cat to Vet if necessary. If you notice a
medical problem not yet tagged, check with Recorder to see which Vet treated the cat, then
return cat to that Vet.
e Check hydration: pinch skin together and release: skin should return to normal position. If
skin is stiff and non-compliant (stays pinched) the cat is dehydrated and should be treated
with subcutaneous fluids. Administer and monitor infusion of subcutaneous fluids (usually
100cc per cat); be sure to notify Recorder of required treatment.
Check mouth for color (should be pink, not blue) and check respiration. If not breathing,
pull out tongue and apply acupressure at point at base of nose; if this doesn't work quickly,
take back to a Vet immediately! Afterward, notify Recorder of problem/treatment.
Observe surgical site. Notify a Vet immediately if problem is suspected. Afterward, notify
Recorder of problem/treatment.
Observe tipped ear. If bleeding occurs, apply pressure with gauze. If unable to achieve
hemostasis, apply hemostat for 5 minutes (borrow from Ears & Vaccines area). Remove
hemostat before placing cat in trap/carrier; return hemostat to Ears & Vaccines area.
Flea comb cats with severe flea infestation.
After cat has completed surgery and all required treatment, remove 10 strip and toe tag and
affix them to top of trap/carrier. Attach medication envelope if applicable; notify Supervisor or
Supply Coordinator if meds are indicated and not yet disbursed.
e Place cat in trap/carrier with tipped ear up; use sliding boards if necess~ry. Try to arrange cat
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in a comfortable position (not squished in trap!). Keep trap partially covered for warmth and to
keep cats calm as they wake up. If the cat was using a trap/carrier borrowed from the FCC or
a volunteer, this will be noted on the trap/carrier and on the sign-in sheet; be sure to transfer
the cat to the Caretaker's trap/carrier before it becomes conscious.
Continue to monitor cats frequentlyl Make "the rounds" and check breathing, surgical site,
ear tip, and level of consciousness.
Recovery team leader must meet with Recorder to discuss medical info on surgical logs;
notate medical problems and instructions per Vet on sign-in sheets.
Recovery team leader discharges cats using sign-in sheets, taking precaution to ensure that
cats are released to appropriate Caretaker and that all cats brought in are picked up! Review
any medical problems and required aftercare with Caretaker.
After clinic, thoroughly clean Recovery area and prepare supplies for packing. Retain FCC
trap/carrier covers.
RECOVERY SUPPUES (remember to use FCC supplies only!!!):
· 18 gage needles
· Flea comb
· IV Administration kit
· Newspapers
· Paper towels
· Plastic trash bags
· Sliding boards
· Subcutaneous fluids (IV)
· Towels (terry cloth)
· Wire brush
From Admitting:
· Canopy
· Caretaker sign-in sheets
· Tarps
· Trap covers
III This will retum you to the Clinic Procedures Index Page
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Feral Cat Coalition Clinic Procedures
Surgical Instrument Maintenance
At each FCC Clinic, there is a surgical pack for each Veterinarian who is spaying. Each pack
is sterilized after being double-wrapped and taped with 3/4" autoclave tape.
Each veterinarian uses one surgical pack per clinic containing:
· 15 drapes
· 30 3' X 3" gauze sponges
· 2 folded fabric surgical towels
· 1 sterility indicator
There is also a set of instruments for each spay operation packed in a 5 1/4" X 101/4"
self-sealing peel pack.
Each veterinarian uses one instrument set per spay operation containing:
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· 1 blade handle
· 1 carmalt
· 1 pair suture-cutting scissors
· 4 small hemostats
· 1 spay hook
· 1 needle holder
· 1 forceps
· 1 towel clamp
At each clinic, there are two neuter sets available. Each Veterinarian doing castration
procedure uses one neuter set for multiple neuter operations with cold sterile soak in
between (please see Vet Assist Procedure for more information). Each neuter set is packed in
a 4" X 8" self-sealing peel pack containing:
· 1 pair small scissors
· 3 small hemostats
· 1 blade handle (optional)
At each clinic, extra items are packaged separately for back-up use in self-sealing peel packs:
· Gauze sponges - 10 per pack
· Drapes - 5 per pack
· Fabric surgical towels - 1 per pack
e During the clinic, the used instruments are washed in water (see Vet Assist Procedure) and
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placed in the (2) 5-gallon red instrument buckets. The instruments in the red buckets are
sprayed with diluted instrument milk throughout the clinic such that each instrument is coated
to retard rust (a stream-type setting on the spray nozzle is used rather than an aerosol-type
setting to avoid overspray onto the sterile field). Instrument milk is diluted 1 part milk to 6 parts
water.
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After the clinic, the instruments are placed on clean, lint-free terrycloth towels, separated, and
checked for cleanliness and/or rust. Rust is removed with non-abrasive cleaner/cloth.
Instruments are counted and repacked into instrument sets and neuter sets as described
above then autoclaved per autoclave instructions. Autoclaved instruments are stored and
transported to the clinic in large, moisture-proof plastic containers. Unused gauze sponges,
fabric surgical towels, and drapes are recycled. Used fabric surgical towels and drapes are
laundered and recycled.
Immediately after clinic, reorder necessary supplies from Supply Coordinator:
· 3/4" autoclave tape
· 3" X 3" gauze sponges
· 4" X 8" self-sealing peel packs
· 51/4" X 101/4" self-sealing peel packs
· 5 gallon buckets (2)
· Drapes cut for spay operation
· Fabric surgical towels
· Instrument milk
· Plastic storage/transport containers
· Spray bottle (with variable nozzle)
· Sterilization indicators
· Sterilization wrap (24" X 24")
· Terry cloth towels (3 or 4 large)
III This will return you to the Clinic Procedures Index Page
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Last update Saturday, February 01, 1997 12:03:50 PM
8/17/97 19.31 tw.
The Economics and Quality of Quantity
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The Economics and Quality of Quantity
An educatiana/ program far surgeons by Dr. W Marvin Mackie
The fallawing is a copy af a statement by Dr. W. Marvin Mackie, awner/directar af Animal Birth
Cantral. Dr. Mackie's clinic is lacated at 450 Arcadia Drive in San PedrO', Califarnia. We have
made this excerpt available to' shaw the changes that need to' be made in the current mindset
af the veterinary community when dealing with spay/neuters.
The mast comman prablem peaple araund the world seem to' have when they contact the
Feral Cat Caalitian is finding a vet, ar graup af vets that will perfarm law cost ar free surgeries.
We have been fartunate in San DiegO' to' have a large group af vets willing to' danate their time
and talents to' aur cause. This is nat the narm. We are nat suggesting that vets shauld always
perfarm alters pro-bana. We are hawever suggesting that there are ways to' bring the costs
dawn to' a level where the general papulatian would nat see it as a financial burden.
The argument is aften made that mast peaple CAN affard to' pay far alters. This is nat the
prablem. The prablem is WILL they pay. We need to' create a situatian where is it financially
attractive to' have yaur animal altered ( this applies to' bath pets and ferals ). At the same time,
the vets need to' be able to' keep the daars apen.
Dr.Mackie states:
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TO' clarify aur philasaphy:
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1. I emphasize results aver fonn: at least as yau will first abserve aur system.
o RESULTS: We expect excellence and strive far perfectian in the results af each
and every patient's surgical encounter with us.
Examples:
a. The pet's stay is as stress-free as possible. Dags receive an anti-anxiety
drug. Cats are placed in their restraint bag and back intO' their familiar carrier.
b. Anesthetic agents used are rapidly remaved fram the patient fallawing
surgery.
c. The sharter the surgical time the better - safer far the patient and an
econamic imperative.
d. Exit the patient the same day anticipating nO' return.
o FORlirequates to haw yau achieve the desired result: i.e., a safely completed
neuter. It is form that detractars af neuter clinics decry as if farm is as impartant as
result. In truth, it is adherence to' unnecessary farm that adds time to' the pracedure
and therefare additianal expense (time is maney) withaut changing the result; Le. a
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successful neuter.
e 2. Economics are always a factor in services we provide. Remember: Time and Motion,
Supply and Demand.
Example:
Surgery room fee with veterinarian is $200Ihr. If your team completes three
queens in one hour, the price must be $S7/cat. However, if the team does
eight queens in that same hour, the price can be $25/cat to cover that same
$200Ihr. Clearly, efficient production is important.
3. Surgery has a mystique about it because so few can do it well. Plus, our profession, at
the teaching schools, are focused on form and go to great lengths to ingrain that into our
consciousness. It is never suggested that form may be altered. Schools must teach
classic form in the traditional manner simply because it teaches the basics and provides
a fail-safe outline to keep the student from inadvertent errors that could be disastrous.
However, once the basics are understood, some of the form then becomes burdensome,
unnecessary, and does not improve on the results.
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4. The duration of routine surgery can be shortened since it is a leamed mechanical skill
using all available senses, especially eyelhand coordination. Just as the pianist moves
from one rapidly moving complex piece to the next, each in its tum taking hours of
concentrated effort to master from those first slow, methodical attempts to a faster, more
appropriate tempo with perfect execution, then so too can the veterinary surgeon
improve his speed and skill. The basic spay or castration is the most common
owner-requested surgery. It then becomes your job to do it with increasing mechanical
ease (in handling of tissue and instruments) and shortening the time taken from cut to
close. In addition, tum-around time must also improve; i.e., from cut of one patient to cut
of the next. (Given an average 8-minute cut-to-close, if it takes another 4 minutes before
you begin the next cut, then you have a poor 12 minute tum-around time.)
The following is taken from a Letter to the Editor in Veterinary Economics. It typifies the utter
disregard for the concept of economics in medicine. The author is patently insulting and
denigrating of anyone who has skills beyond hers. The elitism of the comments causes me to
be embarrassed for her. The letter is complete except for changing the doctor's name.
"Dr. Quick-Knife can spay a cat "skin to skin" in 10 minutes (Letters to the Editor, February)?
An average dog in 15? Talk about warp speed! I guess I'm not an "average veterinarian worth
my salt". After six years, my average surgical time is 20 to 25 minutes for a cat and 30 to 40
minutes for a dog - longer if the animal is obese, pregnant, or in estrus.
I routinely keep animals open 45 to 60 minutes during abdominal proceclures, yet my infection
and complication rate is less than 1 percent. I believe that proper presurgical preparation,
sterile technique, gentle tissue handling, and appropriate postoperative care are more
important in preventing complications than the length of the proceclure.
When I first began interviewing for an association position, I met many veterinarians whose
first question was, "How fast can you spay a dog?" My standard answer quickly became: "I
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prefer to do a safe, thorough, complete ovariohysterectomy, removing the entire reproductive
tract and doing a three-layer closure, rather than hustle to see how fast I can get in and out of
the abdomen."
Luckily, I found a practice where the doctors prefer quality and skill to speed and quantity. I'd
like to thank these doctors for stressing the importance of quality medicine."
Dr. W Marvin Mackie
Animal Birth Control
450 Arcadia Drive
San Pedro CA 90731
Dr. Mackie is obviously convinced that you do not have to sacrifice quality when you increase
quantity. We have seen the same thing at our monthly clinics where we alter upwards of 150
cats in an afternoon. Our complication rate is exceedingly low. We need to get the word out to
others in an attempt to eliminate the negative outlook that many seem to have regarding mass
spay/neuter.
. This will return you to the Feral Cat Coalition Home Page
Last updated Friday, January 31, 199710:05:13 PM
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8/15/97 3:32 PM
Neutering of feral cats as an alternative to eradication programs
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Neutering of feral cats as an alternative to
eradication programs
Karl J. Zaunbrecher, DVM, and Richard E. Smith, DVM, MPH
This article was printed in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association,
Volume 203, Number 3, August 1, 1993. It comes from the Department of Epidemiology and
Community Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge,
LA. It is an interesting study that addresses the very reason for the existance of the Feral Cat
Coalition. Though this study was on a rather small population, it was well designed and
executed and the results can reasonably be taken to represent other populations.
Many institutions, such as universities, hospitals, and nursing homes, experience an ongoing
problem with unwanted populations of feral cats. These cats generally are regarded as a
nuisance because of their noisy courting, territorial behavior, fecundity, and urine spraying by
toms. Attempts to eliminate the problem through trapping and removal are mostly
unsuccessful, because removal of existing cats usually results in an influx of an equal number
of new cats. (1) Earlier studies have found that feral colonies must be supplied with
supplemental food to survive under conditions of neutering and return to site. (1,2)
The Gillis W. Long Hansen's Disease Center (GWLHDC), a federal research facility and
hospital in Carville, La, has a well-established colony of feral cats. The GWLHDC is a
300-acre institution in an isolated rural area approximately 20 miles south of Baton Rouge, La.
It is surrounded by swampland and open pasture. Approach to the facility is provided by a
single road. The nearest inhabited area is a small village 2.25 miles away.
Until 1988, the administration at GWLHDC had intermittently attempted to eradicate the feline
population by trapping and removal. The patients' long-standing practice of feeding leftover
food to the cats was discouraged by issuing regulations against removing food from the
cafeteria, but these regulations were consistently ignored or circumvented by the patients. In
addition, cats that were caught in traps were frequently released by the patients. Even so,
several cats were successfully removed from the colony every year, but a noticeable reduction
in overall numbers was never achieved. The purpose of the study reported here was to
address the feral cat problem by stabilizing the feline population and by reducing turnover,
rather than by reducing the number of cats in the population. In designing this study, the
authors used the following assumptions: the presence of feral cats in a place indicates an
ecologic niche for approximately that number of cats; the permanent removal of cats from a
niche will create a vacuum that then will be filled through migration from outside or through
reproduction within the colony, by an influx of a similar number of feral cats that are usually
sexually intact; and removal of cats from an established feral colony increased the population
turnover, but does not decrease the number of cats in the colony.
If these assumptions are correct, they would support the concept that trapping-and-removal
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programs alleviate the problem on a temporary basis only. Furthermore, the repeated influx of
new cats into the colony increases territorial and hierarchic fighting, increased the probability
that new diseases will be introduced into the colony, and generally exacerbate the very
behavioral pattems for which feral cats are usually labeled a nuisance. (1 ) If population
numbers could be stabilized and tumover could be reduced, territorial behavior within the
colony 'NOuld discourage migration into the colony from outside, resulting in a group of cats
that should be healthier, quieter, and more acceptable to their human neighbors.
Materials and Methods
Prior to initiating the study, a notice was placed in the GWLHDC newsletter, informing the
patients that the trapping-and removal program was being halted and was being replaced by a
neutering-and-retuming program. Patients were assured that trapped cats 'NOuld be retumed
to the colony after being neutered. T'NO feeding stations were located and observed.
,
Cage traps designed to humanely capture cats were set near the cats' usual feeding and
resting areas and were baited with commercial cat food. Each captured eat was carried to a
holding area. Because most of the eats were refractory to handling, a pre-anesthetic
examination was usually impractical and, other than a visual examination, could not be
performed. After food was withheld for 12 hours, the cats were given an 1M injection of
acepromazine (1 mg) and ketamine (33 mglkg of body weight). Females were
ovariohysterectomized by use of standard techniques. A semi-absorbable synthetic suture
material was used, eliminating the need to remove skin sutures at a later date. In males, the
testicular vessels were ligated while being tied to the vas deferens. Each captured and
e neutered eat also was given an sa injection of multivalent vaccine and an 1M injection of
rabies vaccine.
To permanently mark each neutered cat, a notch was cut in the tip of the left ear. The proximal
edges of the notch were crushed with hemostats for 5 minutes to prevent hemorrhage.
Each cat was offered food and water after recovery from anesthesia. Males were released at
the point of capture 24 hours after surgery; females were held and observed for an additional
24 hours, after which they were released at the approximate point of capture.
Cats were observed on a weekly basis for 6 months after the end of the capturing/neutering
program. A census was taken at 18 months and again at 36 months after completion of the
program. For cats known to have died, the cause of death was attempted to be determined by
necropsy or by history obtained from witnesses, if possible. Cats that were not observed at
census time and for which disposition could not be determined by local inquiry were presumed
dead. When date of death could not be determined, the date of the eat's last sighting was
used as date of death.
Results
At the time of the original census, 44 feral cats, roughly allotted to 3 social groups, were living
on the grounds of GWLHDC (Table 1). In the 30 days between the time of the census and the
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time the capturing/neutering program began, 3 cats died. Because 1 cat was euthanized after
capture, 40 free-roaming cats were known to be alive when the program was completed. Of
these 40 cats, all but 2 (both males) ware captured, neutered, vaccinated, marked, and
returned to their habitat. One cat was found to have severe chronic bilateral otitis on
examination after capture; this cat had considerable difficulty in ambulation and was
euthanized. Two cats received slight injuries as a result of capture, neither of which required
treatment. The first injury was an avulsed claw on a hind paw; the other was abraded skin on
a lateral portion of the tarsus. The process of capturing and neutering took 1 month to
complete.
Table 1 - Census data from feral cat
population
I CLASSIFICATION
IOriginal census
Died before capturing/neutering
program began
Alive when capturing/neutering
program began
IEuthanized after capture
Population when program
completed
IMales
IFemales
Known dead since program
completed
... Missing and presumed dead
since program completed
Confirmed alive at 3-year
census
..
" New to the colony at 3-year
. census
IThree-year census
...............,
I NO. OF I
CATS I
1441
r-;-!
~I
I 1 I
~I
I 24 I
I 16 i
~i
I 5 !
I 30 I
~I
1361
.
In the 36 months after the program was completed, 5 cats ware known to have died and 5
others could not be located and ware presumed to have died or to have left the colony. Of the
40 cats known to have been alive when the program was completed, 30 ware located and
identified 36 months later. New litters could not be located, and none was reported by any of
the patients since the end of the program.
For the 10 cats that ware known to have died or were presumed dead, mean survival time
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after surgery and release was 13.4 months. It was rumored among the GWLHDC patients that
at least 1 of the missing 5 cats was adopted by a patient who had subsequently left the
hospital, taking the cat whit him. This could not be confirmed.
Since the completion of the project, 2 of the neutered cats have moved out of their social
group's immediate area and have taken up residence near the patient cottages 200 yards
away. These cats have apparently been fed and handled by resident patients and may be
considered to have become semi-clomesticated, although they were still free to roam at will.
This change in behavior might have indicated a change in attitude on the part of the cats after
their neutering, with a subsequent preference for semi-clomestication and association with the
human beings in the area.
To neuter a male cat and administer the basic series of vaccines recommended for cats
(rabies plus feline rhinotracheitislcalici/panleukopenia vaccine) cost approximately $5.15. To
neuter and vaccinate a female cat cost approximately $8.75 (Table 2). Obviously, these
figures do not include personnel time in the capture of the cats or the professional skills of the
veterinarian. Other ancillary costs such as disinfectants, surgical scrub soap, autoclaving
surgical instruments, and surgical gowns, caps, and masks are not included in these costs,
but would not add substantially (probably no more than $0.75 per cat) to the overall cost of the
program. Because any animal population may be estimated to be 50% male and 50% female,
the approximate cost to neuter and vaccinate a feral colony was $6.95 per cat. In our small
study, males outnumbered females 3 to 2, even further reducing the mean dollar cost of the
project.
. Table 2 - Approximate costs per cat for the neutering program
...................................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................................................1
I Sex of Multiv~lent Rabi.es IAnesthetic . 3 (3-m1) I Cat IGloves ISuture I
... cat vaccine vaccine synngeslneedles food I
I Male I $1.00 I $0.65 I $0.75 I $0.50 1$0.101 $0.65 I $1.50 I
IFemalel $1.00 I $0.65 I $0.75 I $0.50 I$Q:iOI $0.65 I $5.10 I
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Discussion
Eighteen of the cats in the program were hand-clelivered by the patients, verifying the patients'
endorsement of the program. Their cooperation doubtlessly reduced the time and resources
that would have been expended to complete the capture portion of the program and made the
program probably more successful than would have been the case had traps been relied on
entirely. The history of having traps tripped and the cats released in earlier endeavors lends
validity to this conclusion.
From our data, the cost of conducting a capturing/neutering program would appear to be
modest. The greatest dollar cost would be experienced during the initial phase of the program.
Neutering all the animals in the original colony within a reasonably short period would be
essential for such a program to succeed. After the initial cost, only the animals that would
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funds. If the rate of death and replacement of the study colony is typical, the annual cost of
maintaining a neutered colony also would be modest. In the study colony, replacement cats
numbered 2 per year, which would mean a cost of approximately $10.00 to $12.00 per year.
Neutering would have to be performed soon after any new cats joined the colony to preclude
production of litters of unwanted kittens.
Kittens were not known to have been born into the colony during the 3 years after the program
was completed. This is beneficial because the survival rate of kittens in feral settings is
probably poor. At least 32 kittens (the number of fetuses found during the neutering phase of
the program) would have been born into an ecologic niche that was estimated to be at or near
capacity. Few, if any, such kittens would have been expected to have had the opportunity to
serve as replacements. Ironically, trapping-and-disposal programs may in fact increase the
survivability of kittens born into such colonies by increasing the number of vacancies in the
ecologic niche.
A question remains as to the source of the 6 replacement cats that joined the colony during
the last 18 months of the study. The village 2.25 miles away would appear to be the logical
source, but migration from that area would mean the cats would have had to cross swampland
and/or open pasture. A more likely explanation is the practice of dumping unwanted pet cats
in isolated areas, which is known to occur near GWLHDC. This contention is supported by the
finding that 2 of the 6 new cats joining the colony were docile and approachable, indicating
their familiarity with human contact.
Over the study period, improvements in the overall health of the colony also was apparent, as
judged by improved body condition. This improved health status was attributed by the authors
to improved diet and a reduction in reproductive and territorial behaviors, as well as a
decreased need to compete for food.
Although differences in vocalization are difficult to measure directly, unwanted noise from cats
fighting and from mating calls was commonly heard during nocturnal visits to the cats' living
areas before the study. Three years later, nocturnal vocalizing had been greatly reduced and
was not detected by the authors at any time during the 3-year census.
The positive effect of pets on institutionalized people is well established (3-7), but the keeping
of pets is often impractical in an institutional setting. Many of the patients at GWLHDC have
long regarded the cats as pets, and feeding and watching the cats is a regular daily ritual with
many of the patients. Officially, the cats were regarded as a minor nuisance prior to the onset
of this study, but the attitude of patients and the administration has apparently changed.
Having been given a certain amount of status because of the study, as well as a distinctive
identifying badge from the ear-notching, the patients and administration are more protective
and possessive toward the cats.
The method reported here is an alternative approach to the problem of feral cats in
institutional settings. The authors believe that it is effective, humane, and economically
feasible. The effectiveness of the program was demonstrated by the low turnover and
improved health of the colony over the 3-year period. Unfortunately, objective measurements
e such as weight, age, and parasitic infestations were not recorded as the cats were initially
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captured. In hindsight, these data would have been valuable in assessing the effect of our
treatment on the health of the colony. The cost of operator time was omitted from our analysis
because that cost is most likely to vary, depending on the circumstances and geographic
location of the feral colony, and this type of program is well-suited to the activities of a
volunteer organization that could provide the necessary labor. For example, a similar program
has been instituted in the Caribbean, using veterinary student volunteers under the guidance
of Dr. James Ross of Tufts University.
Eradication of feral cats from institutions is possible; simple logic dictates that if the cats' food
supply is halted, then the ecologic niche occupied by the cats would shrink or disappear. The
experience of the administrators at GWLHDC, however, demonstrated that this task is not as
simple as it would appear. Consistent failure of such attempts helped to make the
administrators open to the prospect of trying a different approach. Acknowledgment of the
benefits derived by the patients from the cats indicated the wisdom of staying with the
program. Arrangements are being made to extend the program for an indefinite period.
References
1. Neville FF, Remfry J. Effects of neutering on two groups of feral cats. Vet Rec 1984;
144:447-450
2. Smith RE, Shane SM. The potential for the control of feral cat populations by neutering.
Feline Pract 1986; 16:1, 21-23
3. Levinson BM. Pets and old age. Ment Hyg 1969; 53:364-368
4. Brickle C. The therapeutic roles of cat mascots with a hospital based geriatric population.
Gerontologist 1979;19:368-372
5. Corson SA, Corson EDL, Gwynne PH, et al. Pet dogs as nonverbal communications links in
hospital psychiatry. Compr Psychiatry 1977;18:61-72
6. Bustad LK. People-pet partnership. West Vet 1979;17:2-5
7. Curtis P. Animals are good for the handicapped, perhaps all of us. Smithsonian
1981;11(7}:48-57
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Feral Cat Coalition Registry of Feral Programs and Shelters
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Feral Cat Coalition Registry of Feral
Programs and Shelters
In the last couple of months, I have been inundated with requests from all over the country for
information about feral programs and shelters in areas other than San Diego County. In an
attempt to be able to deal with these requests in a timely and educated manner, I have
decided to attempt to build a registry of this information. This will take some time, but with your
help, we should be able to get this to a usable level in a reasonable amount of time.
If you know of a group or individual in your area who can help with low cost (or free)
spay/neuter, or a group or individual running a responsible, no-kill shelter, please take a
couple minutes and drop me a note.
This information will NOT be published. It will be given out on a one-by-one, as needed basis
only.
Send e-mail torsavaae@feralcat.com. Please include the word 'Registry' in the subject line. I
will need to know the name of the person or organization, the type of services provided, the
general area of the country served, a phone number, and a contact person. Please only
submit names and numbers you have personal trust in..... I am unable to travel all over the
country to check these places out so I am depending on you to do a little of the research for
me..... I am sure you can understand.
The most common question I have seen in the last year is "can you tell me if there is anyone
in my area who is helping feral cats?". Hopefully, with your help, we can steer more of these
folks in the right direction. I understand that not everyone is able to start a program of their
own .... for some, it is sufficient that they care enough to be interested in doing anything.
There are programs out there....we just need to try to make sure they are all utilized to their
potential.
Thanks, on behalf of the ferals, for caring.
Ray Savage
Feral Cat Coalition Webmaster
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Last updated Friday, January 31, 199710:10:50 PM
Copyright 1996 Feral Cat Coalition
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Feral Cat C031ition T-shirts
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Feral Cat Coalition T-Shirts
You can help the Feral Cat Coalition in its efforts to help ferals, and look great at the same
time. These shirts are high quality, 100% cotton, and preshrunk. They are screened front and
back. The front carries the image of Greta, one of our early success stories. Under Greta is
printed "Feral Cat Coalition...Free Spay & Neuter For Homeless Cats...619-497-159g'. On
the back are INOrds to live by....."Homeless and Stray'?..Neuter & Spay". Both front and
rear screens are approximately 13 inches high. Shirts are available in black with white
printing, or ash gray with black printing, and come in Medium, Large, and X-Large.
To order send $13 US for the first shirt, $11 US for each additional shirt.
($10 for the shirt, $3 shipping for the first, $1 for each additional) to:
Feral Cat Coalition Shirts
9528 Miramar Road #160
San Diego CA 92126
Please specify color (black or ash gray) and size (M, L, X-L).
Be sure to enclose your name, shipping address and a daytitme phone in case we have a
problem.
Checks or money orders only please.
The Feral Cat Coalition is an all volunteer organization. Nobody receives any compensation.
AI/ money received goes directly back into the program to buy consumables and to further our
goal of helping as many animals as possible. In over four years, and 6500 cats, no money for
services (either given or received) has ever changed hands.
Please become a part of our efforts and help us spread the word.
8/151973:34 PM
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Dispening The Myths of SpaylNeuter
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Dispelling The Myths of Spay/Neuter
An article by David W Zanders, D. V.M.
The following is an article which apeared in the Spring 1997 newsletter of The Helen
Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe California. Dr. Zanders has given his time to
help the Feral Cat Coalition over the years and has allowed us to reprint his article here.
When asked to write an article about Spay/Neuter for the Center's newsletter, I figured it was
like "preaching to the choir." After all, anyone receiving this newsletter probably knows plenty
about sterilizing pets, right? But, surprisingly, there are many facts that even dedicated
members of the Center may not know.
For example, the word "spay." I don't know why we call an ovariohysterectomy a "spay"
surgery. My Funk and Wagnall says it's from the Gaelic spaive. Webster says it comes from
the French, espeer, to cut with a sword. In essence, an OVH is the removal of the ovaries and
the uterus. I've had many questions like 'Why can't you just take out the uterus and leave the
ovaries, Doc?" or "Can't you just tie her tubes?" I especially like it when the owner is
concerned that Fluffy won't feel like a woman. 'Won't she miss it, Doc?" I refer them to their
mother or grandmother for that discussion.
Neuter = castration. Now, that's a difficult term for men to say. Women seem to have no
problem with the word "castration." For some men, anything to do with "between their legs" is
sacred ground, especially for their faithful hunting dog or tough tomcat. In reality, neutering a
male is similar to neutering a female. The gonads are in different locales and the surgical
procedure is different, but the end result is the same - no more reproduction.
Then there are the "good '01 boy" questions, like "Doc, don't ya' think he'll miss out on
somethin'?" or 'Won't he be kind of a sissy?" As far as "missing" something - well, I suppose
they do.
Have you ever seen cats mate? It's kind of like the Black Widow spider. The female lures the
male with wonderful gestures, then they get together for about 1 0 seconds. To make matters
even more "fun" for the male cat, he usually gets scratched and bitten. And it's just as physical
for the female. The male grabs her shoulders with his claws and her neck with his teeth. Oh,
the joys of sex!
But I am compelled to mention the benefits of spay/neuter. Since most of you have heard the
reasons for spay/neuter a million times, I'll be brief. It really IS good for the male or female cat,
dog, or rabbit. The reasons include: decreasing aggression toward other animals, preventing
behavior problems, reducing the animal's chance of getting cancer, increasing life
expectancy, reducing the incidence of injury and disease, reducing the urge to roam, and
decreasing the incidence of fighting. And it'll save you money, too... in decreased license fees
and fewer veterinary bills. So as not to appear narrow minded, there are three reasons NOT to
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spay or neuter:
1. A spayed or neutered animal has a tendency to gain weight due to a decreased
metabolic rate (however, this should save you money because you should feed himlher
less). FCC note: This point should be of interest to those concerned about feral
predation.
2. You won't have puppies, kittens, or bunnies in the future.
3. The macho guy won't have anything to "show" between Butch's legs. However, I'm told
that they now make a product called "neuticals," which are synthetic testicle implants for
the owner that is compelled to show off his stud dog!
A spay/neuter article can't end without a tribute to those millions of pets killed in our nation's
shelters every year. This is truly a national tragedy. Call any shelter and ask the question,
"How many did you have to kill today?" You probably won't believe it. Thanks to a lot of hard
working and generous folks like you, we are seeing a significant decrease in euthanasia in
San Diego area shelters. But the killing continues... day after day. YOU CAN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE. Share this information with a friend. Speak with your veterinarian. Help us
continue the battle against pet overpopulation.
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Article copyright 1997 David W Zanders, D. V.M.
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Feral Colony Management and Control
Facts and Myths Abol,lt Feral Cats and Wildlife Predation
This document is a Fact Sheet compiled and copyrighted by Alley Cat Allies. They are at P.O.
Box 397, Mount Rainier, MD 20712. It is presented here by the Feral Cat Coalition for
informational purposes. There may be individual items or procedures that differ slightly
between the FCC and ACA. Our goals, however, are the same.
Overview
Alley Cat Allies is part of an international campaign to educate the public about feral
cats and focus attention on the plight of unmanaged feral colonies. For years the feral
cats issue has been neglected by most animal welfare groups in the U.S. Through a lack
of understanding and misinformation, ferals are often treated as pests and exterminated.
Simply ignoring the problem also causes suffering for unmanaged colonies. Humane
control measures pioneered in the United Kingdom over two decades ago are becoming
a popular choice for many groups and individuals concerned with the welfare of ferals in
the U.S.
Brief History
The domestic cat evolved from the African wild cat, Felis Iibyca. Feral cats are the
offspring of stray or abandoned domestic cats who revert to a wild state. Raised without
human contact, they are fearful of humans. Feral cats are successful survivors,
especially in urban areas, where they scavenge off garbage, left-over food from
restaurant areas, and feedings by sympathetic people.
The domestic cat was introduced throughout the world by explorers and scientists, taken
to new regions to control other introduced species, such as rodents. Labeled an "exotic"
species, they are often unpopular with biologists. However, in some urban areas, they
represent one of the few remaining predators since humans have either killed all native
predators, or caused their demise through urban expansion.
Why Are Feral Cats Uving in Streets and Alleys?
Feral cats live in streets, alleys and parks because of human caretakers' neglect of their
unsterilized domestic house cats, allowing them to roam and reproduce. A California
study revealed that about 60% of unneutered household cats become feral within three
years. Many people abandon or dump unwanted unsterilized cats, and these animals
often end up in feral colonies.
Stray and lost cats congregate near food sources such as garbage dumpsters where
rodents collect to feed. The cats start breeding and form colonies. An estimated 60
million feral cats live in the U.S., and worldwide are part of the urban ecology in virtually
every city. They live in deserts near human settlements as well as on islands near
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Antarctica where scientists transported them to control imported rodents.
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College campuses
Students feed unsterilized cats, then abandon them when they leave for vacations
or finish their education. Campuses are often located in residential areas.
Cafeterias insure that a constant supply of left-over food will be thrown out in
dumpsters. Attracted by this food source, lost or abandoned cats enter from the
residential areas and start feral colonies.
Military bases
Army and Navy bases have a transient human population, and abandonment of
cats is commonplace when people are transferred to other bases. Many of these
animals are not altered.
Fast food places and restaurants
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There is usually a constant source of left-over food in dumpsters, attracting rodents
and stray cats.
Densely populated urban areas
Negligent owners allow domestic, unaltered cats to wander, and garbage left in
alleys encourages the formation of colonies.
Hospitals
In the United Kingdom, hospital grounds represent areas where successful
colonies of managed, sterilized cats live. Left-over food outside kitchens attracts
rodents and therefore stray cats. Hospital personnel have found that caring for
feral cats is therapeutic for long-term patients, providing a great deal of enjoyment.
Such programs have been particularly successful for patients in mental institutions.
Farms
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Most farmers allow feral cats to live in barns to control rodent populations. Often
these cats are underfed in the mistaken belief that this will make them better
"mousers." This is a false notion, as hungry cats will move away to areas where
better food sources exist. Poorly fed cats are also susceptible to diseases. All too
often, farmers do not sterilize the animals causing further overpopulation problems.
ACA suggests relocating cats to farms, if they need to be removed from unsafe
urban areas. The program permits sterilized, vaccinated cats to be relocated under
strict supervision and guidelines, and encourages an educational program on how
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to properly care for cats (see ACA fact sheet, Relocating Feral Cats).
e Holiday resorts, hotels, parks and camp grounds
Many cats are found here for the same reasons mentioned above. During the
summer months, vacationers often feed the cats. During winter they are left to fend
for themselves. Left in freezing conditions, they suffer from malnutrition, starvation
and illnesses which are often fatal. The fittest survive to breed.
In parks it is difficult to remove all the cats because of constant food sources and
close proximity to residential areas. Therefore, it is advisable to stabilize and
reduce the colonies through sterilization programs. Feeding and caring for the cats
will create less of a problem with wildlife predation.
Colony Management
Attempts to eradicate whole colonies of cats usually fail because the ecological vacuum
created is soon filled by other strays. Unmanaged colonies are often regarded as a
nuisance because of territorial behavior such as spraying, fighting, and caterwauling
during mating periods. Stabilizing the colony by neutering results in healthier animals
and much of their undesirable behavior is eliminated.
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Health Hazards to Humans
A managed program includes a three-year rabies vaccination for cats. This helps
alleviate the current rabies epidemic, as the vaccinated cats form a buffer zone between
wildlife and humans. ACA has initiated a campaign to help promote licensing the oral
wildlife rabies vaccine to help control rabies in raccoons. Cats are not natural vectors of
the rabies virus and rabies control in wildlife populations is essential.
Individuals involved with trapping or working in any capacity with feral cats or other wild
animals should have pre-exposure rabies vaccinations.
Although certain diseases can be transmitted between animals and humans, instances
of diseases being contracted by persons working with feral cat colonies are rare. ACA
has collected research from other countries and the U.S. spanning two decades, and
there is little evidence of such occurrences. One problem often cited is toxoplasmosis,
the most common source of which is raw or undercooked meat. Although cooking
usually destroys this protozoan parasite called toxoplasma gondii, when raw meat is
placed on cutting boards and kitchen counters the organism can survive and
contaminate other foods.
Public health officials often cite stray cats as "health hazards" and this can cause panic
among the general public and result in eradication programs. The public and animal
welfare organizations need a better perspective of what constitutes a "health hazard."
Many myths exist regarding feral colonies and misinformation is often spread through
ignorance or fear.
In reality, many more people get sick each year from food-borne illnesses such as
salmonella and camphylobacter, transmitted by contaminated beef and chicken
products, than ever fall ill from contact with feral cats. Over 5 million people in the U.S.
alone get sick from consuming contaminated meat products and more than 9,000 die
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from these illnesses annually (see "Danger Lurks in Your Supermarket Meat Cases"
JAVMA, February 15, 1988).
More panic seems to be created by an occasional rabies case in animals or by otherwise
well-meaning animal welfare advocates, stating that alley cats are a health threat to
humans. Statistics confirm that such panic is unfounded. Three humans died from rabies
in 1992; none of the infections were caused by cats.
Two real health concerns for humans with regard to ferals are fleas and ringworm, both
of which can be controlled. Fleas can be controlled by regularly cleaning and spraying
the colony's sleeping quarters during the summer. Ringworm among feral cat caretakers
is only transmissible by handling an infected cat. Ringworm can be detected in cats
during hospital exams, and any person infected can be easily treated.
Practicing common sense and good hygiene when dealing with managed cat colonies,
such as cleaning up feeding areas and sleeping quarters and providing clean litter
boxes, virtually eliminates disease transmission from colonies to humans.
Attacks by Feral Cats
Lost or abandoned domestic female cats teach their offspring to be ''feral.'' These latent
instincts, acquired from their African Wildcat ancestors, help cats survive in nature.
Feral cats are elusive, often nocturnal, and usually fearful of humans. Like most wild
animals, they will not attack if unprovoked, but will defend themselves if threatened or
cornered. Their strongest instinct is to run. If they feel trapped and escape is blocked
they will bite or scratch.
Never try to catch a feral by hand. Always use a humane trap. Even little kittens can
inflict painful bites and scratches. Caretakers who have been feeding alley cats for years
can sometimes pet them, but still may not be able to catch them by hand.
Predation and Wildlife
The topic of wildlife predation by cats is usually a very emotional issue between cat
lovers and bird lovers. The books listed in the bibliography will help you become more
informed about the issue. As illustrated by this material, many studies have been done
worldwide on continents and islands since the early 1940s'. However, much of this
information is either ignored or unavailable to researchers in the U.S. More often quoted
are two studies in which the numbers have been extrapolated across a state or a
country. The results of such extrapolation are deceptive and add up to the impression of
tremendous numbers of birds and small mammals killed by cats each year.
Cats are carnivores, equipped with highly developed senses, sharp teeth and claws.
Wild cats are the supreme predators among terrestrial mammals and although they have
a reputation for wanton slaughter, only well fed domestic cats can possibly be accused
of this, as they often do not eat their prey. They hunt, in essence, because they are
compelled to do so by nature. Even in such cases, scientific evidence shows cats mostly
catch small mammals, such as rodents, and insects.
Feral cats who rely solely on hunting for food, as with all other wild cats, spend much of
their time seeking food and stalking it. They often have to wait for hours for potential
prey to come by and often are unsuccessful at making a kill.
Many zoologists have observed that feral cats are mostly scavengers, hanging out next
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to dumpsters to wait for a hand out. Peter Neville, a pet behaviorist and author of many
books on cats, worked in England for two decades with feral colonies. Neville states, "a
deliberate strategy of scavenging has enabled many feral cats almost to give up hunting
altogether. They may learn instead ,to lie around waste bins of hotels for fresh supplies
or to cadge from well-meaning human providers in urban areas."
This "begging" and opportunistic behavior started with the domestication of the cat
approximately 4,000 years ago. Cats congregated around grain storage barrels,
attracted by the rodents who fed off the spilled grain. Cats are opportunistic feeders and
hunters, living off the easiest source of available food and will scavenge from human
refuse and carrion.
Island Cats
The much publicized studies of the effects of feral cats on island bird populations have
added to the misinformation about their effects on continental wildlife and therefore
made them very unpopular animals. Cats were transported to islands around the world
to control rodents, and they also prey on ground nesting birds. There are usually no
mammalian predators on islands for birds to adjust to, so they have little defense
mechanism against the imported cats, mongooses or rats. Even on islands, cats often
eat dead birds and other carrion as well as the introduced rodents.
Feral cats in both urban and island environments often are hungry, which contradicts
their image as wanton killers. In her book Maverick Cats, Ellen Perry Berkeley reports
that on San Nichols Island, 22.5 percent of ferals showed mottled livers, a sign of
inadequate diet. Ferals sometimes fall prey to avian predators in island environments.
The Galapagos Hawk, for example, preys on feral kittens.
Cats as Rodent Specialists
Ethologist Paul Leyhausen considers the domestic cat generally as a rodent specialist,
because its preferred sit-and-wait strategy is much better suited to catching mice and
young rabbits. Cats will wait for hours outside burrows for these animals to come out.
Even though birds can fly in any direction and are more difficult to catch, some cats
seem to become bird specialists and learn to raid nests and burrows for ground nesting
birds.
A wildlife biologist recently said that researchers were "obsessively preoccupied with
predation by cats and often overlooked other causes of wildlife depletion." An
investigative journalist found many U.S. researchers using the Stanley Temple study in
Wisconsin and the Churcher study in Britain, were unaware of the international studies
conducted during the past forty years, all clearly reflecting the predominance of feline
predation on mammals over birds.
The Temple study was done in a rural area and the figures were extrapolated across the
state. The Churcher study of 70 cats in a rural area brought about an outcry that cats
were killing 100 million birds and small mammals in Britain each year.
Roger Tabor, British naturalist and biologist, says of the study: "It is not realistic to
multiply the numbers of catches of these (70) rural cats by the entire cat population of
Britain. Most cats are town cats with small ranges, and catch fewer items of prey than
the village cats of this survey. The mesmeric effect of big numbers seems to have
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stultified reason."
Tabor goes on to say the survey found the house cat is a "significant predator" and not
that it was devastating Britain's bird population. Although a quarter of the town's house
sparrows were consumed by cats each year, after each breeding season the sparrow
population doubled. In winter many people feed garden birds, wtlile nest boxes and
domestic buildings provide additional nesting sites and in this way bird populations are
kept well above "natural" levels.
The stomach contents of cats confirm that they are specialized predators of small
mammals. Berkeley details six studies from 1936 to 1957 in various states in the U.S. In
these studies the stomach content of feral cats was analyzed. The results confirmed
mammals make up the largest percentage of food in those cats relying solely on hunting.
Results from two studies follow:
1940, Oregon: Mammals 61.8%, Birds 18.9%, Carrion 10.7% Garbage 8.3%.
1941, Oklahoma: Mammals 55%, Garbage 26.5%, Insects 12.5%, Birds 4% and Reptiles
2%.
A New Zealand study showed mammals account for 93% of consumed food and birds
4.5%. In Australia, biologists Brian Coman and Hans Brunner concluded after studying
feral cats that mammals made up 8a% of the diet and birds 5.2%. They reported:
"The common belief that feral cats are serious predators of birds is apparently without
basis. Although birds were common in all sampling areas, they were a relatively minor
item in the diet. Presumably, other factors such as difficulty of capture are responsible
for the low intake of birds."
A study in Pennsylvania in 1954 found the food of urban feral cats consisted of 85%
garbage and 15% rodents and birds.
The following is a good summary of the conclusions reached by many biologists after
studying cats, predation and wildlife on four continents:
Europe (13 studies), North America (12 studies), Australia (9 studies) and Africa (1
study). The diet of cats has also been studied on 22 islands from the equator to latitude
57 (see Bibliography).
C. J. Mead, 1982: "[T]he birds in suburban and rural parts of Britain have coexisted with
cats for hundreds of generations, and they may now be under less pressure from cats
than they were in the past from the assorted natural predators. Any bird populations on
the continents that could not withstand these levels of predation from cats and other
predators would have disappeared long ago. But populations of birds on oceanic islands
have evolved in circumstances in wtlich predation from mammalian predators was
negligible and they, and any other island vertebrates, are therefore particularly
vulnerable to predation wtlen cats have been introduced."
B. M. Fitzgerald summarizes his findings of the feral cat diets by stating: "On all
continents birds are usually much less important than mammals; birds were present on
average at 21% frequency of occurrence, and mammals at 68%."
These biologists agree with Tabor, "In terms of the cats as threats to wildlife, generally
for countries like Britain and America wtlere other species have co-existed with the cat
family predators for a long time, cats are no more harmful than other predators. Only in
cases of small islands and the unique circumstances of Australia has the effect of cats,
both feral and domestic, been very harmful. In biological systems it is insufficient merely
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to have found one animal will eat another, that, after all, is what predators do-but is that
predation pressure within normal limits? Is the prime predator the cat?" Tabor concludes
by suggesting, "disturbances by man" should be considered.
Double Standards
At this time in history when the human population causes so much destruction to the
earth, we need to remind ourselves of our species' responsibility and consider our
"double standards." We often excuse or ignore the devastation done to the environment
by humans and the results of this destruction on our wildlife. Urban sprawl, shopping
malls, road building, golf courses, etc. all playa part in reducing habitat and food
sources and all have negative effects on wildlife. We poison our air with exhaust fumes
from over 120 million automobiles and spray 4 billion pounds of pesticides into the
atmosphere annually. The WorldWatch Institute cites deforestation due to razing of
forests for croplands, pastures and real estate as one of the major factors contributing to
the loss of all birds, including songbirds.
There are 14,136 golf courses nationwide, each of which uses 150 acres of land. Each
acre is treated with 18 pounds of pesticides annually. Pesticide use causes enormous
losses in bird populations. In the U.S., 220 million acres have been deforested for
livestock production, yet environmentalists are eager to eradicate all alien and
introduced species except cattle. Rather than blaming cats for so many of our problems,
perhaps we should look toward modifying our lifestyles and animal-based agriculture, so
destructive to natural ecosystems, and move toward methods which are less damaging
. to our environment.
Why American Songbirds Have Vanished
Although songbird populations are declining, other birds such as blackbirds and
greenfinches, blue jays and brown-headed cowbirds (both nestling-eating predators) are
exploding. Year-round U.S. bird residents are stable or increasing in numbers, indicating
the need for serious consideration and urgent attention to reasons why songbirds are in
decline. Blaming cats for songbird decline is a facile and simplistic solution to a complex
problem.
Professor John Terborgh of Duke University reports in the May 1992 issue of Scientific
American that little can be done about restoring songbirds in rural and suburban areas
and conservation efforts should be directed towards consolidating and expanding large
tracts of forest, such as the Smokies and Adirondacks, to maximize habitat for nesting
birds. Another suggestion is for farmers to practice fallowing their fields every two to
three years. He also mentions the damage done by c1ear-cutting national forests and
overgrazing federal lands.
More than 250 species of song birds migrate south of U.S. borders. Tropical
deforestation is occurring at the rate of 142,000 to 200,000 square kilometers each year,
an area roughly the size of Florida. At this rate the world's remaining tropical forests will
be depleted by 2030 and many species of songbirds will disappear along with them.
Preventing Colonies from Forming
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ACA promotes low-cost sterilization programs to control breeding until the crisis of pet
overpopulation is ended. We also promote and support breeding ordinances limiting
animal breeding, provided these ordinances do not penalize colony caretakers trying to
alleviate feral cat suffering.
Many blame caregivers for perpetuating the problem by feeding stray and feral cats.
While it is true supplemental feeding creates healthier animals and increases the
chance of more kittens surviving, feral colonies survive even if only meager food sources
such as garbage and rodents are available. This has been proven in deserts and on
deserted islands throughout the \/\/Orld where ferals survive without any nearby human
habitation.
Instead of blaming the feeders and criminalizing their actions (which is often suggested),
\Y9 should encourage their acts of compassion by assisting them with the resources and
information available to sterilize the animals.
In a recent poll, it was estimated that 17.5 million people feed 35.2 million stray and feral
cats in the U.S. It seems a natural act for humans to feed an animal to keep it from
starving. Those cats turned away from a possible food source will cross busy highways
in search of other sustenance. They will suffer from malnutrition and starvation, and
most will still survive and manage to add to the overpopulation of feral kittens. Isn't a
good life in a managed sterilized colony with a caretaker providing nutritious food much
more preferable?
Alley Cat Allies is a national non-profit organization promoting a scientifically proven
approach to controlling the estimated 60 million feral cats in the U.S. Endorsements
come from many sources \/\/Orldwide and include: Tufts University School of Veterinary
Medicine, In Defense of Animals, The Doris Day Animal League, The Fund for Animals,
World Society for the Protection of Animals, and in the United Kingdom from the
Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, the Cat Protection League, Cat Action Trust
and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Alley Cat Allies believes introduced, alien and exotic species should be treated with
respect and compassion and humane and non-lethal controls should be used as
population control measures.
Bibliography
Berkeley, Ellen Perry, Maverick Cats, New England Press, 1992
Bradshaw, John, The Behavior of the Domestic Cat, Cambridge University Press, 1988
Brett, Caroline, Wild Cats, Dorset Press, 1992
Seidensticker, Dr. John and Lumpkin, Dr. Susan (eds.), Great Cats, Rodale Press, 1991
Sproule, Anna & Michael, The Complete Book of the Cat, Gallery Books, 1989
Tabor, Roger, Cats. The Rise ofthe Cat, BBC Books, 1991
Tabor, Roger, The Wild Life of the Domestic Cat, Arrow Books, 1983
Turner, Dennis & Bateson, Patrick (eds.), The Domestic Cat, Cambridge University
Press, 1988
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Content Copyright 1994 Alley Cat Allies
HTML Copyright 1995 Feral Cat Coalftion
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Health Care For Feral Cats
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Health Care For Feral Cats
Zoonoses: Potential Health Hazards For Humans
This document is a Fact Sheet compiled and copyrighted by Alley Cat Allies. They are at P.O.
Box 397, Mount Rainier, MD 20712. It is presented here by the Feral Cat Coalition for
informational purposes. There may be individual items or procedures that differ slightly
between the FCC and ACA. Our goals, however, are the same.
The feral cat population in this country has reached critical proportions and must be
contained. The preferred way to do this is to trap, neuter and release these animals back into
monitored colonies, and an increasing number of concerned people are doing just that. Before
beginning feral cat care, you should be aware of both health concerns of the cats and
potential hazards to humans, specifically, zoonotic diseases, which are diseases that are
transmitted from animals to humans. While these hazards are few, you should take
precautions when handling feral cats. Wear padded gloves, a shirt or jacket with long, thick
sleeves, and perhaps most important, get a pre-exposure rabies vaccination.
Zoonoses
Rabies
Of all zoonotic diseases, the most feared is rabies. Although there is an extremely
low incidence of humans contracting rabies, it still causes great panic. The primary
carriers of rabies are raccoons, bats, foxes and skunks, although any unvaccinated
domestic or non-domestic mammal can be a source of rabies. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 1989 cats were responsible for only
0.4% of reported rabies cases to humans (contracted mostly from domestic cats).
Any cat who bites a human should be quarantined for 10 days, examined by a
veterinarian and then vaccinated prior to release. For cats one year old and older,
a three year intramuscular vaccine should be given to provide the greatest
protection.
Even though cats less than one year old may not receive the full three-year
protection of this vaccine, it still provides the greatest protection for both future
human contact and cat to cat contact.
For more information on rabies and how to fight it, see the ACA fact sheet, Rabies
and Feral Cats: Facts and Control.
Bacterial Diseases
Bites
Bites are the most common human-health problem. Bacteria in the mouths of
cats can cause infection, including swelling, inflammation and pain. All
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animal bites should be treated properly, by cleaning the wound immediately
and visiting a doctor or emergency clinic for examination and treatment.
Cat-Scratch Fever
This pathogen can cause lymph node enlargement, fever, fatigue, sore throat
and headaches. Although most patients do not become seriously ill and
recover without complications, if you are scratched immediately wash the
wound and contact your doctor if any symptoms occur.
Chlamydiosis
Felines who have this upper respiratory infection can pass it along to humans
in the form of conjunctivitis.
Lyme Disease
Caused by the deer tick, this disease is not fatal, but can cause severe
problems if not diagnosed and treated in its early stages.
Campylobacter
Campylobacter jejuni is a normal gut flora in many cats that can proliferate
when intestinal parasites are present, especially in kittens. The main source
of contamination to both humans and cats is ingesting undercooked poultry.
Though rarely serious in humans it poses a greater danger to children, the
elderly and immunocompromised people. Symptoms are diarrhea (always);
fever, aches, chills, and vomiting can occur. Prevention is accomplished by
wearing gloves when handling cat feces or cat, and preventing contact with
suspect kittens near the facial area. Treatment is seldom necessary, but if
you experience symptoms you should contact your physician.
Salmonella
Salmonella is another food-bome pathogen with causes and syptoms similar
to Campylobacter. The main source of contamination is undercooked or raw
eggs. Though less common, Salmonella can be contracted in the same
manner as Campylobacter. Call your physician if you experience diarrheal
disease after contacting diarrheal cats.
Note: The Campyfobacter and Salmonelfa sections were not part of the original ACA
Factsheet. They were provided to the FCC after a great deaf of research by Martha
Swartz.
Fungal diseases
Ringworm
Ringworm is most commonly transmitted by domestic cats. While examining
anesthetized feral cats for wounds, any suspicious lesions can be checked
for this fungus. When handling a cat suspected of having this fungus, you
should wear gloves.
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Parasites:
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasma dondii is an intestinal parasite that is a human health concern
primarily for pregnant women. The main source of contamination to humans
is eating or handling undercooked or raw meat. However, an infected cat may
pass the oocyst of Toxoplasma in feces. Therefore, pregnant women should )
avoid handling cat feces from domestic or feral cats and may want to avoid
handling feral cats as they may be a source of fecal contamination.
Conclusion
Although there are potential hazards for acquiring some diseases from feral cats
the incidence is rare, and if common sense and good hygiene are combined when
working with colonies, transmission of infectious diseases from colonies to humans
can be minimized. Contact with other humans is more likely to be a source of
contracting infectious diseases.
Prevention Tips
To minimize health hazards when dealing with feral cat colonies:
· Clean up left-over food
· Spray for flea infestations
· Clean up cat feces areas
· Sterilize colonies to reduce populations
· Vaccinate colony members against rabies
Feline Health Care
Viral Diseases
The three major feline viral.diseases are-Feline leukemia (FelV), Feline
Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), and Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), all of which
appear to exist more in domestic cats than in feral cat populations. Since they can
be fatal to cats, it is logical that should one or more of these diseases enter a
colony, mortality would be high and subse- quently the viability of the colony would
be jeopardized.
ACA recommends only the first few cats of a feral cat colony be tested for
Fel VlFIV, and if found negative not to pursue further testing. If time and money
allow, both FelVand FIV can be easily tested with a combined "in-house" test kit,
thus assuring a negative status for every cat neutered and released. A reliable test
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Health Care For Feral Cats
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for FIP is not available. Any cats testing positive for either FeLV or F1V, unless
isolation and retesting in 2 months is feasible, should be euthanized to avoid
spread of the diseases to the rest of the colony and to domestic cats.
Distemper
Distemper (Feline Panleukopenia) can cause high morbidity and mortality in a
group of feral cats. For this reason, one vaccination of Feline Panleukopenia is
recommended for all cats neutered. This provides one year and possibly up to
three years of protection from this virus, primarily fatal to kittens. The respiratory
component of the vaccine will not provide protection unless repeated at a
recommended three week interval.
Parasites
Reas, Ticks, and Ear Mites
Fleas, ticks, ear mites and other extemal parasites can be treated while the
cats are anesthetized for surgical neutering, by cleaning their ears and
applying a topical miticide. The use of injectable Ivermectin, a deworming
agent for cattle, at 0.1 cc per 10 pounds subcUtaneously can be used to aid
ear mite control.
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Roundwonns, HookwOnns, and Tapewonns
Roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms and other intemal parasites- can be
eliminated with injections. Droncit is a one dose deworming agent for
tapeworms approved for use in cats. Ivermectin, though not approved for use
in cats, can effectively deworm for roundworms and hookworms at 0.15 cc
per 10 pounds subcutaneously. Neither agent needs to be repeated.
Occasionally, the injection sites can be a source of temporary discomfort.
The use of Ivermectin avoids having to assure that oral medication is
consumed and not vomited.
None of the above parasite control measures prevents feral cats from
reinfestation upon release back to their colony. They do allow the cat to be
free of parasites during recovery from surgery. In addition, deworming
individual cats should reduce the overall parasite population in the colony.
Upper Respiratory Viruses
Feral kittens trapped for neutering are susceptible to upper respiratory viruses,
perhaps due to the stress of human handling. Many of the kittens will survive these
illnesses if they can be kept long enough to treat and if they will eat. Warmth, good
nutrition, antibiotic eye ointments and oral antibiotics are recommended until
recovery is complete.
WoundS
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A feral cat's skin should be examined for wounds, which can be cleaned and
treated while the cat is anesthetized for surgical neutering. Any suspicious lesion
should be examined for the fungus commonly known as ringworm, which is more
common in kittens than adults. Any cat suspected of having ringworm should be
handled with gloves. Topical treatment of lesions can be started in the hospital, but
many acute cases are self-limiting.
Neutering
All male cats can be castrated and released the day following surgery. Many
veterinarians recommend a flank incision for spaying females. The use of
absorbable sutures with or without the use of surgical glue (Nexaband) can
facilitate the rapid recovery and early release of females. If non-absorbable
sutures are used, a minimum of five to six days must be allowed before they can
be removed.
Feral cats may need medical care beyond neutering before they are released.
Whatever diseases they carry could be a threat to their fellow feral cats and to
domestic cats who are not properly vaccinated. While feral cats pose very few
health hazards to humans, simple precautions when handling them are always in
order. Domestic cats should be properly vaccinated to avoid any contamination
from feral populations.
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Content Copyright 1993 Alley Cat Allies
HTML Copyright 1995 Feral Cat Coalition
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Notes tor Veterinarians Treating Feral Cats
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Notes for Veterinarians Treating Feral Cats
This document is a Fact Sheet compiled and copyrighted by Alley Cat Allies. They are at P.O.
Box 397, Mount Rainier, MD 20712. It is presented here by the Feral Cat Coalition for
informational purposes. There may be individual items or procedures that differ slightly
between the FCC and ACA. Our goals, however, are the same.
Feral cat colonies can be successfully controlled by trapping, sterilizing, and returning the
cats to supervised sites. This results in healthy, stabilized colonies beneficial to the cats as
well as feeders and local people who usually do not want the cats exterminated.
Ovariohysterectomies and castration stop annoying behavior such as "yowling" females in
estrus, and aggressive male behavior including frequent fights and territorial spraying of
pungent urine. Mortality rates among feral kittens are extremely high, around 50 percent. This
method eliminates the sight of sick and dying kittens so upsetting to neighborhood people.
Alley Cat Allies (ACA) offers fact sheets on different components of an overall plan for
colonies under permanent care. Feral cats are usually difficult to handle, and the less handled
the safer for veterinary staff and the cats. If certain guidelines are followed, ferals can be
treated in clinics without mishaps. ACA has successfully trapped and sterilized hundreds of
feral cats while forming alliances with feral cat advocates in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
This fact sheet is the result of shared experiences with national and international
communities, and is meant as a guide for veterinarians who may not previously have worked
with feral cats. We want to share what we have learned to help humans and felines alike.
Preliminary Plans
~H9Imriil= a control scheme, the client should seek veterinary advice before
trapping. The size and general health of the colony should be assessed. Because it is
difficult to guarantee cats are trapped on a predictable schedule, the veterinarian should
be as flexible as possible when arranging to receive cats for sterilization. We
recommend that veterinarians/clinics draft a specific list of what they require of clients
bringing feral cats to their facility. This should include hours of operation, whether the
cat should be in a trap, when the cat can be picked up, etc.
Fund Raising and Payment Plans
Payment plans should be worked out ahead of time. Both client and veterinarian must
remember that while clinics cannot function without adequate remuneration, the client
attempting to control a colony usually has limited resources, and is working to help
resolve a severe social problem. With these understandings, a workable plan can
usually be devised and implemented. ACA has information and ideas for raising money
to help pay bills. Nationallow-cost spay/neuter plans exist and veterinarians can
participate in the Friends of Animals subsidized program, which reimburses vets for part
of their surgical costs. Contact FOA at 800-321 PETS to register. In addition, SPAY/USA
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Notes for Veterinarians Treating Feral Cats
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Notes for Veterinarians Treating Feral Cats
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This document is a Fact Sheet compiled and copyrighted by Alley Cat Allies. They are at P.O.
Box 397, Mount Rainier, MD 20712. It is presented here by the Feral Cat Coalition for
informational purposes. There may be individual items or procedures that differ slightly
between the FCC and ACA. Our goals, however, are the same.
Feral cat colonies can be successfully controlled by trapping, sterilizing, and returning the
cats to supervised sites. This results in healthy, stabilized colonies beneficial to the cats as
well as feeders and local people who usually do not want the cats exterminated.
Ovariohysterectomies and castration stop annoying behavior such as "yowling" females in
estrus, and aggressive male behavior including frequent fights and territorial spraying of
pungent urine. Mortality rates among feral kittens are extremely high, around 50 percent. This
method eliminates the sight of sick and dying kittens so upsetting to neighborhood people.
Alley Cat Allies (ACA) offers fact sheets on different components of an overall plan for
colonies under permanent care. Feral cats are usually difficult to handle, and the less handled
the safer for veterinary staff and the cats. If certain guidelines are followed, ferals can be
treated in clinics without mishaps. ACA has successfully trapped and sterilized hundreds of
feral cats while forming alliances with feral cat advocates in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
This fact sheet is the result of shared experiences with national and international
_ communities, and is meant as a guide for veterinarians who may not previously have worked
., with feral cats. We want to share what we have learned to help humans and felines alike.
Preliminary Plans
When planning a control scheme, the client should seek veterinary advice before
trapping. The size and general health of the colony should be assessed. Because it is
difficult to guarantee cats are trapped on a predictable schedule, the veterinarian should
be as flexible as possible when arranging to receive cats for sterilization. We
recommend that veterinarians/clinics draft a specific list of what they require of clients
bringing feral cats to their facility. This should include hours of operation, whether the
cat should be in a trap, when the cat can be picked up, etc.
Fund Raising and Payment Plans
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Payment plans should be worked out ahead of time. Both client and veterinarian must
remember that while clinics cannot function without adequate remuneration, the client
attempting to control a colony usually has limited resources, and is working to help
resolve a severe social problem. With these understandings, a workable plan can
usually be devised and implemented. ACA has information and ideas for raising money
to help pay bills. Nationallow-cost spay/neuter plans exist and veterinarians can
participate in the Friends of Animals subsidized program, which reimburses vets for part
of their surgical costs. Contact FOA at 800-321 PETS to register. In addition, SPAY/USA
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(800-243-SPA Y) is a national register for low-cost services.
. Equipment and Handling
.
Proper equipment is vitally important when working with feral cats. Special traps,
squeeze-side cages (restraint modules), and cages to house the cats after surgery are
all necessary.
Vel}' Importantl All cages, traps, and other equipment containing feral cats must have
large notices attached immediately upon entry into the Clinic with the words: Warning! Be
Careful... This Cat Will Bite... Do Not Touch!
Many devices have been developed by veterinarians for safe feral cat handling,
including "graspers," nets, etc. The most important piece of equipment for veterinary
procedures is a squeeze-side cage. In fact, this cage will ensure that veterinary staff
never have to handle a cat which has not been sedated. A movable panel immobilizes
the cat against a cage side, allowing the veterinarian to tranquilize the animal. Animal
Care Equipment and Services (ACES) offers different size restraint modules. Call Bill
Brothers at 800-338-ACES for descriptions and a catalog, and be sure to mention Alley
Cat Allies for a 5% discount on your purchase. If it is not possible to obtain the
squeeze-side cage, it is easier to immobilize ferals while still in their traps. These cats
should be handled only when they have been tranquilized.
Hazards to Humans
All staff and those dealing with feral cats absolutely must have a pre-exposure rabies
vaccination. Any bites to humans should be treated immediately to prevent infection. It
may be necessary to visit an emergency clinic for proper treatment. Other health
hazards are covered in the ACA Fact Sheet: Health Care for Feral Cats, and Zoonotic
Diseases: Potential Health Hazards to Humans.
The Centers for Disease Control reported, in 1991, 6,972 cases of rabies in non-human
animals and 3, all fatal, in humans. Wild animals accounted for over 91 percent of these
cases, with 155 reported in dogs and 189 in cats. Two of the three humans contracted
rabies from bats, the other probably from a dog. None of these three humans were
treated for rabies. In 1992, one California boy died, also untreated, of rabies contracted
from a dog bite on a visit to India. This was the tenth case of rabies in humans acquired
outside the U.S. since 1980.
An oral wildlife vaccine, placed in baits, has proven effective in controlling and
eliminating rabies in parts of Europe, and in field trials in the U.S. Immunizing animals
when ingested, the vaccine creates "immune barriers" among wildlife populations that
slow or prevent the spread of the disease. ACA is working with other concerned
individuals and scientists to urge the United States Department of Agriculture and
Department of the Interior to rapidly license and distribute oral vaccines for humane and
effective rabies control. Write ACA for further information.
. Testing for Viral Diseases
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If the cats appear healthy, it should only be necessary to test the first 4 or 5 cats in a
colony of 20 to 25 for viral diseases such as feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline
immunodeficiency virus (FIV.) Unless clinical signs of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP)
are present, testing is not generally recommended.
When to Use Euthanasia
Criteria for euthanasia should be established before the plan's inception. We
recommended that those who have fatal or contagious illnesses be euthanized, to avoid
spreading diseases to other colony members or neighborhood cats. Only healthy cats
should be released back to supervised sites.
What to Do if Cats Escape
If a feral cat escapes from the trap or cage while in the clinic, recapture using either a
tranquillizer dart, or by placing a noose or grasper around the neck while the escapee is
cornered. Although the cat will struggle violently, quick handling can ensure safe
transfer back into a carrier. Under no circumstances should anyone try to catch the cat
barehanded. Remember, these cats have reverted to their wild natures and should be
treated with extreme caution. While trying to catch an escapee, wear thick gloves and
long sleeves fully covering arms. If the cat hides in an inaccessible place, it is best to set
a trap baited with strong smelling food, such as tuna fish. Cats can be left for 4 to 5 days
without food to make them hungry enough to enter the trap, but water should be left for
them outside the trap.
Surgery
Sometimes it is difficult to know whether cats have eaten before being trapped.
Veterinarians should ensure to the best of their ability that no food is in the stomach
prior to surgery. In the United Kingdom, where these programs have been implemented
for two decades, flank incisions are recommended for females as this lessens the
chance of infection (if any U.S. veterinarians are using flank incisions, rather than more
common midline incisions, ACA would appreciate reports on this). Teeth should be
examined and decayed teeth should be removed. A long-lasting antibiotic should be
given to both male and female cats to take care of any subclinical infections that may be
present. Wounds or eye infections should also be treated at this time. Continue with the
medication as indicated until they are released. This reduces chances of infection from
the operation. Crushed tablets or liquid medication can be mixed into moist food. If
upper respiratory illnesses are present, they can be controlled with antibiotics, but thE!'
cat will have to remain in the hospital until well enough for surgery to be pel rom lea.
Hoosing animals with contagious diseases presents considerable problems for many
clinics, so provisions for keeping cats under these circumstances should definitely be
arranged with the clinic prior to implementing the trap-sterilize-release plan.
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Pre-surgery tranquilizers should be administered to allow a full examination. A number
of good general anesthetics such as Ketaset, Acepromazine and Telazol are available
for smooth surgical procedures with a minimum of post-surgical trauma.
Sutures
Dissolvable sutures should be used to avoid the trauma of having to re-trap female cats
for suture removal. Recommended: Coated Vicryl or Dexon "S" (internally); Nexaband
SIC (externally).
Vaccinations
In states where rabies is endemic, ACA strongly recommends vaccinations for all
trapped cats. We advise trapping after 12 to 16 weeks so that a rabies vaccination can
be administered. Where allowed by state law, a 3 year rabies vaccine is preferred, to
minimize handling.
Kittens
Early sterilization is possible for kittens as young as 8 weeks old. We advise trapping
young ferals when they are 12 to 16 weeks old so that a rabies vaccination can be
administered to them if they are to be released back into the colony. If no homes are
available for kittens, it is recommended that they be released back into the colony after
surgery. Taming kittens is time consuming and takes away homes from domestic kittens
who face euthanasia in local shelters. If the client does want to tame and place kittens,
ACA has a fact sheet to help with this process.
Pregnant and Lactating Females
If the females are lactating and the kittens are old enough to be on their own, the
veterinarian must decide when the cat can be sterilized. It is better to keep the cat in the
hospital or in a foster home until surgery can be performed, as recapture is difficult. Do
not keep (or trap) a female if you think she is still feeding young kittens; the kittens will
die from starvation and exposure. Because many cats need assistance, and there are
limited funds and few homes for kittens, it is usually recommended that pregnant
females be spayed. If the client insists on keeping the female until the kittens are born,
ACA has information on how to deal with this situation. However, it must be pointed out
to the client that wild feral females suffer from severe stress and do not give birth easily
or successfully while in captivity. The process can be extremely stressful to both humans
and felines, with high mortality rates among kittens.
Ear Tipping
We recommend that all feral cats, while still under general anesthetic for spaying or
neutering, have the top quarter inch of their left ear removed. The Shape of this ear is
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then unmistakable, even from a distance. It must be emphasized that if too much of the
pinna is removed the ear looks "cropped" and is aesthetically unacceptable to the cat
caretakers. If too little is removed, the cat will not be identifiable at a distance. Also, if
the cut is not straight, the silhouette is not distinctive enough. Properly done, ear tipping
allows the caretaker to easily spot any new cat entering the colony, and neutered cats
will not have to be retrapped. Any ear-tipped cat trapped in error can be identified within
the trap and released.
During surgery, the top 10 mm of the left ear should be removed by a straight cut.
1. First, draw a straight line on the inner aspect of the pinna with a pen.
2. Clean both ear canals to remove any source of irritation and prevent the cat from
scratching its ears. Scrub the ear with Betadine solution.
3. Hemostasis may be achieved in several ways: by following the cut with digital
pressure, electrocautery, or application of a styptic or drying antiseptic powder.
It is important that ear tipping becomes widespread. ACA, along with the international
community, is promoting widespread publicity for ear tipping as the preferred universal
method for identifying neutered feral cats belonging to controlled colonies.
Parasites
Most feral cats have internal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, coccidia,
and/or tapeworms. These should be treated at the time of surgery. The cats can be
dusted with powder or sprayed with a safe insecticide if they are infested with fleas.
Post Operative Care
No cats should leave the clinic until fully conscious. An overnight stay in the clinic is
highly recommended. Females should be fostered (either in the clinic or in a home) for
about four to five days, longer if possible. Males can be released after a night in the
clinic. It is safer to keep the cats in a large transportable carrier. This can then be used
for direct transportation to the site for release. This will lessen the danger to humans and
trauma to the cat that transferring cats from cage to carrier usually causes.
If the cats have to stay in cages at the clinic, remember they are wild and probably very
stressed. Hiding in a small container or box will make them feel more secure if they are
housed in the clinic's cages, or having a cover pulled over the door of the cage will help
lessen their fear. Try to avoid housing them in the same room with dogs. Barking dogs
can terrify feral cats. Make sure the cage is securely locked or the cats will escape.
Use extra clips or wire to secure the cage closed. Never underestimate the cats' ability
or determination to escape. Exercise great caution when changing cat litter or feeding.
Their sometimes docile appearance can be very deceptive-they will suddenly lunge at
the door to try to escape, or leap with claws out to scratch an unsuspecting technician.
Technicians should wear thick padded gloves while cleaning cages or litter and when
feeding.
Lessening the Stress
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Remember the cats' well-being is very important, or the objective of trying to help may
be entirely lost. No cat should be left in any danger or allowed to become too stressed.
They should be left alone to recover, with little human contact. They are usually terrified
of humans and it is advisable to keep human contact to a minimum to lessen their stress.
Releasing Sterilized Cats
Feral cats should be released at the location where they were trapped. Fresh food and
water should be left for them, and a shelter should be in place for the cats to enter
during inclement weather. See our fact sheet, Build An Inexpensive Feral Cat Shelter,
for building details. Frequent visits to the site should be made to ensure that the cats
have fully recovered.
Final Long-Term Plan
Established, supervised colonies of sterilized cats are usually very healthy. If any new
cats enter the colony they should be trapped, presented for surgery and all these should
be tested for FeL V and FIV. If any of the sterilized cats are injured or in ill health, they
should be retrapped and taken for veterinary care. Mild colds and sneezing can be
controlled by administering antibiotics in moist food, mixing crushed tablets or liquid
medication into the food. These medications will have to be prescribed by the
veterinarian, with whom an arrangement should be made to allow dispensing
medications according to state law. Clean food and fresh water must be provided on a
daily basis, and shelters should be constructed.
This plan is more effective than repeated attempts to eradicate colonies of cats, which
results in other strays moving into the vacated area to form new feral cat colonies.
Dr. Pervaiz Manzoor, Dr. Jenny Rernfry, and the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare
provided information and suggestions used in this fact sheet.
III This will return you to the Feral Cat Coalition Home Page
Last updated Friday, January 31, 1997 10:37:23 PM
Content Copyright Alley Cat Allies
HTML Copyright 1995 Feral Cat Coalition
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Relocating Feral Cats
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Relocating Feral Cats
This document is a Fact Sheet compiled and copyrighted by Alley Cat Allies. They are at P.O.
Box 397, Mount Rainier, MD 20712. It is presented here by the Feral Cat Coalition for
informational purposes. There may be individual items or procedures that differ slightly
between the FCC and ACA. Our goals, however, are the same.
Unfortunately, feral cat colonies are sometimes found in areas where they cannot remain
either for reasons of safety or because a caretaker is simply not available. Alley Cat Allies
believes relocation (moving cats to another permanant outdoor location) remains a viable
alternative to trapping and killing, although the best solution is to leave the colony at its
original location whenever possible. Nevertheless, with careful planning and selection of the
new premises and caretakers, and strict confinement before release, relocation can be
successfully undertaken. Of course, moving a whole colony out of its territory may cause the
same problem as trapping and killing-strays will fill the void and re-form a colony.
Overview
The decision to capture and relocate a feral cat demands consideration of several
factors. Primary among these is an understanding of all that is implied by the term feral.
A feral cat is one that has reverted to the wild and, in contrast to the feline companion,
has become de-domesticated. Since direct contact with human beings could alarm any
wild animal, plans to deal with a feral cat must include provisions for its overall
well-being.
There are often animals of several age groups within the feline colony. While kittens
ranging from 8-10 weeks are most easily tamed, a 2-4 month-old animal can, with
varying degrees of difficulty, be domesticated and placed in home environments (this
domestication process is covered in our Taming Kittens fact sheet). Adult cats living in
an unsafe area should be considered as candidates for relocation to a more rural,
outdoor environment where they are less prone to urban/suburban hazards.
Essentially, feral cat relocation involves 6 steps:
1. Finding a suitable new home
2. Trapping the cats
3. Veterinary care
4. Transportation to the new home
5. Orientating the cats to their new environment
6. Follow-up contact
Finding a Home
Find a suitable new home for the cats before trapping them. First, contact relatives and
friends living in less populated areas. Placing cats with someone you know provides
greater assurance they will be well maintained. If such primary sources do not provide
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the new home, ask for recommendations of individuals who would be reliable caretakers.
Another alternative is to place ads in newspapers covering rural areas. Place ads in
more than one paper if possible. Screen respondents by asking if they will commit to
providing daily feedings, shelter and medical care. people agreeing to keep cats on their
property must agree to fulfill such basic needs to safeguard the animals' health.
Establish an agreement with potential caretakers regarding follow-up contact. Express
your desire to call and/or visit to check on the animals' progress for the first few months.
Anyone unwilling to comply with this request should not be considered as a candidate
for your relocation project.
Trapping
Humane traps are widely available from local humane shelters, and shelter staff will
explain their use. While these traps cause no pain or injury to the cat, the experience of
being trapped is traumatic. Immediately cover the trap with a towel or blanket when the
cat is caught to effectively calm the animal. If the trap will be used for transporting after
capture, place a newspaper or cloth on its floor in advance so the cat is not in contact
with hard metal. Although the cat may be transferred to a carrier, caution must be
exercised so he/she does not escape in-tl'1e process. Prepare this carrier in advance
with litter and food and have another person on hand to assist if possible. Like the-trap,
the carrier should be covered immediately after the cat is inside. Do not attempt to touch
or pet the feral as it may react defensively to such contact.
Veterinary Care
Make arrangements in advance to take the cat (or cats) directly to a veterinarian after
trapping. Tell the vet and staff they will be dealing with a feral cat so they will take
precautions. Bites, scratches and the difficulty of recapturing an escaped cat await those
who assume the animal being delivered to them is a pet. The cat should be
spayed/neutered, receive necessary vaccinations and undergo a general checkup.
Request that dissolvable stitches be used in surgery to avoid a second visit for suture
removal. Ask about the possibility of discount rates for stray cats, since some vets are
willing to offer such reductions as a community service.
Transportation
Like domestic cats, some feral cats are not upset about traveling in a vehicle, while
others may howl and cry. As stated earlier, blanket the cage interior, provide a litter
container and cover the cage. Do not place more than one animal in a cage and make
certain that adequate ventilation exists. If the trip to the location site is lengthy, provide
food and water, but be sure to properly secure the containers to avoid spilling. Avoid
unfamiliar sounds such as a blaring radio and use your common sense to make the
experience less traumatic. Never place the cat in a trunk, truck bed, or any other
potentially unsafe area.
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When the cats arrive at their new location, it may be necessary to keep them caged for
several days to recover from surgery and/or to receive regular doses of medication. The
animals should be kept caged for a minimum of 24 hours to orient them to a new
environment prior to release into a closed barn, shed, or any other shelter which does
not allow them access to the outdoors. It is mandatory that the cats come to regard the
building as their permanent feeding station before they are permitted to roam from it.
During their 21 day confinement period, the new caretaker must regularly visit the cats to
ensure the bonding essential to succesful relocation. Speaking to the cats, even if they
remain hidden, helps them to overcome their ingrained fear of humans. After this
confinement period the cats can be given access to the outside. Some small opening
should be provided so they may enter and depart from the building at will. Daily meals in
the building must be provided without fail.
Follow-up Contact
The commitment to relocating feral cats does not end with delivering them to their new
home. Make phone calls (and visits if possible) for the first few months. Your primary
goal is to be available to the caretaker with information that may aid the animals in
adapting to their new environment. Since you discussed your desire to maintain contact
when you found the new home, your actions will be seen as supportive rather than
intrusive. In some instances, the new caretaker will become part of your support network
for future feral cat relocation projects.
. This will return you to the Feral Cat Coalition Home Page
Content Copyright 1993 Alley Cat Allies
HTML Copyright 1995 Feral Cat Coalition
Last updated Friday, January 31, 199710:44:17 PM
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Build An Inexpensive Feral Cat Shelter
This document is a Fact Sheet compiled and copyrighted by Alley Cat Allies. They are at P. O.
Box 397, Mount Rainier, MD 20712. It is presented here by the Feral Cat Coalition for
informational purposes. There may be individual items or procedures that differ slightly
between the FCC and ACA. Our goals, however, are the same.
Alley Cat Allies strongly recommends that feral cat colonies have proper protection from
inclement weather as well as a place to hide and commune.
These building plans are recommended for any area of the country. For extremely harsh, cold
and wet climates, insulation (as described) is advised. Many types of shelters can be used in
less harsh climates, such as those along many coastal regions and in southern states.
However, rain is frequent even there and feral cats must have a dry, warm refuge.
Other instructions may be obtained by writing the CAT Caring Connection at 2 Red Hill Circle,
Tiburon, CA 94920.
These instructions are for building an insulated cat shelter 2 ft. x 3 ft. xiS in. high. You
should be able to buy the materials for approximately $25-30 at a local lumber yard. An
electric saw and screwdriver are highly recommended. Caution: If you are not experienced
.. with an electric saw, have a skilled person cut the wood and paneling. It is always easier when
., there are two people doing the job. If these instructions seem too difficult, you may consider
buying an already constructed dog house or consult your local newspaper or community
bulletin boards for a handyman looking for a project.
Following is a list of things to consider before starting your project. These will help you
determine what you need to buy and how much work will be involved, and also provide a few
helpful hints.
· How many cats do you need to house? This number determines how many shelters to
build. Keep in mind that not all cats are likely to use the shelter, or at least not all at the
same time. This shelter should probably house no more than 5 to 7 cats at once. You
can adjust this plan to make a larger shelter, or build more than one shelter as
necessary.
· Be sure to make the shelter small enough for transport in your vehicle. The shelter size
described here will fit in a standard size car trunk with the trunk lid open.
· If you live in a climate that gets very cold we recommend that you use insulation as
described in the plans.
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· Use only exterior paint to reduce weather exposure (preferably dark green or dark
brown, or something that matches the surroundings).
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· The floor should be tiled instead of carpeted to reduce the chance of flea infestation and
combat moisture inside the shelter.
· Use screws instead of nails for better durability.
· The roof should be hinged so bedding can be replaced, and for easy access when
rescuing kittens that might be sheltered there.
· The roof should be slanted to keep water outside.
· A wind block should be set in place inside the door of the shelter to improve occupant
comfort. You may also consider a canvas flap to go over the door.
· Place wood chips, straw, or hay inside for warmth and comfort.
Materials Needed
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· 1 4-ft. x8-ft. sheet ~in. exterior grade plywood or waferboard
· 1 4-ft. x8-ft. sheet interior paneling or thin plywood
· 1 pkg. roofing shingles or enough to cover 8 sq. ft. roof
· 2 2-in. x 3-in. x 6-ft. untreated lumber
· Linoleum, or other floor tiles (to cover 6 sq. ft. floor)
· 1 quart exterior house paint
· 2 medium hinges ("T" or gate hinges)
· 2 in. flat headed wood screws or grippers (approximately 50)
· 4 to 9 bricks for foundation
· small roofing nails (approximately 15)
· fiberglass insulation (1 roll, or enough to cover 14-20 sq. ft.)
Tools Needed
(available at local hardware store or tool rental)
· hammer
· electric screw driver
· angle brace or T-square
· staple gun
· measuring tape
· marking pen
Assembly
1. Cut wood. For easy assembly cut all wood first, then assemble shelter. Some pieces
may need adjustment after cutting.
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a. Cut plywood as shown below. This is only enough for one shelter.
-3ft
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12'
2ft 3.5'
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18' 12'
18' 23' 2tr. 7' 2f~
b. Cut paneling as shown below. One sheet of paneling is enough for two shelters.
23' aJ' 11' 17'
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2' I.' U'
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C. Cut 2-in. x 3-in. x 6-ft. lumber into 8 posts and 2 shelf braces. Cut four 11-in.
lengths, and one 17-in length from one piece. Cut one 17-in., two 16-in., and two
5-in. lengths from the other.
2. Place base on table or work bench. These plans referenced to front oriented at top in
diagram. Put side wall A in place on left and screw front wall and left side wall together
using one 17 -in. corner post.
3. Position side wall B on right and attach to front wall using other 17 -in. comer post.
4. Position back wall and attach to both side walls using two 11-in. comer posts.
Note: comer posts should rest on top of base, as should front, back, and side walls. All
posts should be inside front, back, and side walls.
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5. Turn walls upside dov.in and place base on top. Mount base to sides, first screwing down
comers then gOing along edges. Be careful that screws go straight into plywood walls,
without protruding through sides.
6. Turn shelter back to upright position.
7. Cut and staple insulation to inside of side walls A and B.
8. Screw interior side walls A and B (cut from paneling) to comer posts already in place.
9. Attach front and back posts for front and back wall supports.
Note: these posts are placed flat against front and back walls, at right angles to comer
posts, as shown. Post next to front door should be 514 inches from right interior wall to
leave room for wind block.
.....
SnsuletiOll
...
10. Cut and staple insulation to inside offront and back walls.
11. Screw front and back interior walls to front and back posts.
12. Put wind block in place and screw it to front of shelter, then to bottom (do this from
outside in).
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13. Screw 5-in. shelf braces upright to center of wind block and left interior wall near front
comer of shelter to support shelf if desired. Then screw 9-in. x 2-ft. 3 ~ in. shelf on top
of braces (for extra cat sleeping room).
14. You may want to place leftover pieces of plywood or paneling over exposed insulation
around top edges of shelter. Strips must be measured and cut to fit spaces to be filled.
15. Place roof on bench and turn shelter upside down. Center shelter on roof with roof
hanging over on all sides. Screw hinges to underside of roof and outside front of shelter
so it will open easily and stand up straight on its own.
16. Turn shelter back over and attach shingles with roofing nails in offset pattern to seal
against weather. After nailing shingles, bend nail points over to avoid injuring cats.
17. Place floor tiles inside if desired for extra protection.
18. Paint shelter (all exposed wood should be painted, including bottom, to protect it from
rain and/or snow).
19. When installing shelter, make sure to set it on top of bricks or other objects to keep it
away from ground contact. Also take prevailing winds and exposure into account:
placing shelter front facing south often maximizes warmth.
Note: you may also cover interior underside of roof with fiberglass or plastic foam
insulation, but be sure to cover it with plastic or wood. Foam needs cover to hold it in
place, and uncovered fiberglass will harm cats.
Shelter design and construction drawings by Bill McFadden and Ken Crawford. Shelter
illustration by Doug Hall.
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Build An Inexpensive Feral Cat Shelter
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III This will retum you to the Feral Cat Coalition Home Page
Last updated Friday, January 31, 1997 10:46:28 PM
Content Copyright 1993 Alley Cat Allies
HTML Copyright 1996 Feral Cat Coalition
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Do-n- Yourself Cat Fence
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Do-It-Yourself Cat Fence
For Domestic and Homed Feral Cats
Inexpensive and Effective for Confining Cats to Yard
This cat fence is not appropriate for feral cat colonies!
This document is a Fact Sheet compiled and copyrighted by Alley Cat Allies. They are at P. O.
Box 397, Mount Rainier, MD 20712. It is presented here by the Feral Cat Coalition for
informational purposes. There may be individual items or procedures that differ slightly
between the FCC and ACA. Our goals, however, are the same.
FCC Note: This fence will not keep out predators (e.g. owls & coyotes). In high risk areas,
cats should be kept indoors.
This cat fence is made of netting material that can go on an existing fence or be put up even
without a fence. The net "gives", which is why cats will not climb it. First, determine which
section(s) of instructions you need for your yard:
.
1. If you have an existing chain link or any fence under 5 feet high, see section I for
supplies and instructions necessary for installing the "netting" fence to your existing
fence.
2. If you have no existing fence, see Section II for installation of a chicken wire fence and
also Section I for the netting.
3. If you have an existing wooden privacy fence (5 feet or higher) use only Section III.
Materials, Costs, and Sources
Garden net: Internet Corporation, 2730 Nevada Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55427;
1-800-328-8456. Mention Alley Cat Allies for 15% discount. Polypropylene net 1 %" x 1 %"
(this size hole is least visible) 208" wide (cut into strips of 69"); Product number OV-4885
$.032 / sq. ft.
Example: fence perimeter = 150 ft., order 50 ft. of net (208"/12" x 50ft. x .032 = $27.31).
Garden Pales: Available in garden centers and hardware stores with garden supply
departments. The poles are green vinyl wrapped around aluminum. Seven feet is the best
height. Each pole costs approximately $3.49.
Fishing line: Black fishing line is least visible. Twice the fence perimeter is required.
Example: fence = 150ft., line needed = 300ft.
Wire: 16 gauge. Fence requires 1 % ft. per garden pole. Cost: approximately $3.29 /100 ft.
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Section I
Materials and Tools for Chain Link or Similar Fence Under 5 Feet High
Materials
o Garden net
o Fishing line
o Garden poles (7 ft.)
o Wire
o Twist Ties
o W' Staples for staple gun
Tools
o Pliers
o Staple gun
o Scissors
o Clippers or pruning shears
o Loppers or pruning saw
Instructions for Installing "Nef' Fence on Existing Chain Link Fence
1. Clear fence of plant growth. Prune shrubs to clear space for net. Examine chain link for
any holes or gaps along bottom. Repair with chicken wire, wood boards, or dirt as
necessary. Tree guard can be installed on trees (see Miscellaneous Notes).
2. Cut netting. Roll out and cut so each strip is 69" wide. Caution: twigs easily catch and
tangle in net. Be careful not to accidentally tear holes in net.
3. Prepare garden poles. Secure pole, then staple with gun pressed firmly against side of
pole point. If staple does not penetrate evenly and securely, remove with pliers and try
again. Put two staples in pointed end of pole before pole is attached to fence (staples
are used to attach net to poles by threading with fishing line).
4. Affix pole to chain link fence with stapled end up. Pole does not need to penetrate
ground. Affix garden pole to inside of chain link pole with wire. Use pliers to twist wire in
three places on each set of poles. Poles should be no more than 10-12 ft. apart.
5. Use twist ties to attach net to staple on top of garden pole. Wherever pieces of netting
must be joined be sure to leave an overlap of netting. Pull net along fence to next pole
and attach in same manner. Net should be taut but not pulled tight and should fall to
inside of fence.
6. a. Weave fishing line through top of entire net from staple to staple, moving horizontally
for length of fence.
b. Fishing line should be woven through both (together) chain link and net just below top
of chain link fence to prevent cats from slipping under.
c. Only weave netting vertically to end poles where netting strips join together.
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Materials and Tools for a Chicken Wire Fence
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Materials
o Chicken wire (3 ft. high, 1" mesh)
o Chicken wire stakes, (4 ft.)
Tools
o Small sledge hammer
o Screw driver
Instructions for installing Chicken Wire and Cat Fence
1. Stakes should be placed every 5 ft. and pounded into ground so that metal flange at
bottom of stake is completely underground.
2. Use flat head screwdriver to slightly pry open metal hooks on stake.
3. Attach chicken wire to stakes by hooking wire into hooks on stakes. Try to get bottom of
chicken wire flush with ground so cats cannot go under it.
4. Bend hooks back against stake to permanently bind chicken wire to stakes. Do this by
holding sledge hammer behind hook on stake, then use regular hammer to pound hook
back to stake.
5. Stake the chicken wire to the ground so cats do not go underneath (Le., bricks, metal
stakes).
6. Install netting as described in Section I with following adaptations: attach garden poles
to every other stake. Netting should be draped inside and woven to chicken wire close to
top of wire.
Section III
Materials and Tools for Attaching Net to 5 Foot or Taller Wooden Privacy Fence
Materials
o Flag pole brackets
o Wooden dowels (4 ft.) that fit into pole brackets
o Garden net (see Section I)
o Staples
o Fishing line
o Twist ties
Tools
o Screw driver
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o Pliers
o Staple gun
o Scissors
o Clippers Dr pruning shears
o Loppers or pruning saw
Instructions for Installing Netting on Wooden Privacy Fence
1. Clear fence of plant growth. Prune shrubs to clear space for net. Examine fence for any
holes or gaps along bottom. Repair with chicken wire, wood boards, or dirt as necessary.
Tree guard can be installed on trees (see Miscellaneous Notes).
2. Cut netting. Roll out and cut so each strip is 69" wide. Caution: twigs are easily caught
and tangled in net. Be careful not to accidentally tear holes in net.
3. Attach flag pole brackets to fence about 4 fl. off ground and about 10 fl. apart.
4. Put staples securely in tops of wooden dowels. Leave enough room to thread fishing
line.
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5. Insert the dowels into brackets. Secure firmly, with wedge or wire if necessary.
6. a. Attach netting at top and base of poles with twist ties. Vertically weave fishing line
around net and poles.
b. Staple net to fence horizontally along bottom seam.
c. Weave fishing line through top of net horizontally from pole to pole and attach to
staple on poles.
. Section IV
Miscellaneous Notes
1. Birds - It usually takes a few weeks for birds to get used to the fence. If they fly into the
fence, they usually bounce off the net and fly over it. Don't feed birds inside the fence.
2. Other cats getting into your fence - This can happen if a tree or shed outside of your
fence can be used as an access point. Simply let them out by opening your gate. -
Feral Cat Coalition Note - This fence may not keep determined unneutered cats from
leaving or entering the enclosure. All outdoor cats should be sterilized and identified.
3. Homed or tamed feral cats - These wary animals may be afraid of the fence and should
be introduced to it gradually or so that they are not frightened into running through it.
They can break through it but it is best that they do not discover that breaking through is
an option.
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adjustment period lasting a couple of weeks. They may be angry at you and each other
at first. They will search for and probably find ways to escape. Watch them and patch
the escape routes. After a while they will no longer search for escape routes. Supervise
indoor cats upon initial exposure to the fence as they become familiar with their yard.
This lets them "know" their home and return if they do escape.
5. Trees - To prevent cats from escaping on large trees, aluminum flashing can be
wrapped around and nailed to the trunk of the tree. Put the flashing high enough so cats
cannot jump above it, and away from branches.
6. Escape routes - You may have escape routes if your yard has sheds, trees along the
fence, or dense shrubbery. In these cases, your fence may require customization.
Chicken wire (see Section II) may be used to block escape routes.
7. Escape artists - Some cats learn to rip or push through the fence. A double layer of
netting takes care of this problem.
III This will return you to the Feral Cat Coalition Home Page
Last updated Friday, January 31, 1997 10:48:53 PM
Content Copyright Alley Cat Allies
HTML Copyright 1996 Feral Cat Coalition
8/15/97 3:40 PM
The Great Australian Cat Dilemma
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tit
The Great Australian Cat Dilemma
The following is an article by Sarah Hartwell. It is copyrighted by her and is presented by the
Feral Cat Coalition with permission. Sarah has written many articles about feral conditions in
the UK, US, and Australia. Many of her works were originally intended for audiences outside
the US, but the information is vel}' good and is useful to people from all comers of the globe.
One of her original reasons for research and writing, was to raise money for feral programs.
Australia's unique wildlife apparently risks being hunted to extinction unless the cat population
is controlled. Native fauna is iII-equipped to deal with this naturalised predator. Three types of
cat are recognised: domestic cats which are wholly dependent on humans, unowned stray
cats which rely on humans to some extent and feral cats whose reliance on humans is
minimal. They can breed 3 or 4 times a year, averaging 4 kittens per litter and can rapidly
establish colonies wherever there is a good food source.
At present there is much conflicting 'information' about the amount of damage done by cats in
Australia. Some authorities claim that cats are hunting native wildlife to extinction. Others
claim cats are unfairly targetted since overclearing and overstocking of land in the late 1800s
and the introduction of the Red Fox for sport in 1910 had a 'NOrse impact on wildlife numbers.
Not surprisingly this has led to pro-cat and anti-cat camps in Australia, with dubious survey
statistics being used to fuel the debate.
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A SURVEY OF THE SURVEYS
In 1993, the Australian Museum surveyed 6800 people about 'Cat Attitude' and unsurprisingly,
cat-owners perceived cats to be less of a threat than did non-owners. 40% of respondents
owned cats; 59% of these kept them as pets while, somewhat ironically, 9% kept them to
control vermin. Although 72% of owners said that their cats were neutered, the survey
suggested that the neutering rate is much lower in the wider community and many people
allowed females to have kittens first. Almost 70% of owners allowed cats outdoors at night,
prime hunting time, although 40% fitted their cat with a bell in a largely unsuccessful attempt
to curb hunting - t1NO thirds of cats killed native animals.
A survey by Adelaide zoologist (known to strongly dislike cats) Dr David Paton stated that cats
kill 3.8 billion animals and birds annually. However, Professor J R Egerton of Sydney
University disputes these figures which were extrapolated from 709 survey returns (out of
2,000 sent out) from the Adelaide area, 627 of which came from ornithological society
members. The response rate of 35% was unacceptably low, probably biased and there was
apparently no follow up 'NOrk.
Cats Assistance to Sterilise (CAT.S.) found that cats were often blamed when in fact the
'victim' was already dead, sick or injured. A member of Bird Care and Conservation was aware
tit of a cat which regularly brought in dead canaries. When she investigated she found that it
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was scavenging dead canaries from an aviary-owner's rubbish bin. In another case, a cat
retrieved a bird hit and injured by a car. Such cases raise questions about both the Museum
survey and Dr Paton's survey.
To put Dr Paton's figures in perspective, Wildlife Information and Rescue Service (WIRES) in
Dubbo, New South Wales applied his methods to a survey of road-killed wildlife along a single
stretch of road over several days. Using this equally unrepresentative sample they arrived at a
figure of 19 road-killed animals per km of road annually. Multiplying that by the amount of road
in the whole of Australia, they found that cars were more effective predators than cats!
WIRES Central Coast Branch statistics revealed 33% of wildlife deaths due to cats, 36% due
to man, with the remainder due to natural causes, disease and other predators. The Central
Coast area contains more pet cats which took prey home, while Oubbo has more ferals whose
hunting activities cannot easily be monitored. Yet rather than blaming cats, WIRES
encourages owners to keep cats indoors overnight.
Though initally used as a guideline, by August 1994 Or Paton's survey had been discredited.
Observation of hunting cats had shown that they preferred rabbit or feral pigeons. Birds and
small lizards are not practical prey for a healthy feral cat. The death of countless native
animals as a result of poison laid for mice during a recent mouse plague showed that the
impact of cats on wildlife was overshadowed by the impact of indiscriminate killing methods
employed by humans.
A 1994 study conducted by Reark research for Petcare Information and Advisory Service
. covered 62.7% of private dwellings throughout Australia and involved randomly selected
interviews with 4000 households in all capital cities exluding Darwin. This survey reported a
neutering rate of 95% (well above that reported by the Museum Survey) and the cat
population of some cities had actually decreased. The cats' preference for hunting introduced
species (rabbits, mice etc) rather than native wildlife was also upheld by this survey.
In fact, if cats had done even a quarter of the damage claimed for the past 200 years, there
would be no small native animals of any description left in Australia.
UNOWNED STRAYS AND AUSTRALIAN FERALS
Habitat destruction has caused native wildlife to decline while the adaptable cat can exploit
the man-made niches. Ferals and strays were considered a problem by half of the Museum
survey respondents and many favoured killing ferals. Lately, it has been recommended that
cats found more than one kilometre from town boundaries can be destroyed - even if tattooed,
microchipped or wearing an 10 tag.
In the Australian Museum survey, 61 % of cat-owners and 77% of non-owners favoured killing
farals (whose numbers have been estimated at anywhere between 3 million and 30 million).
Trap-neuter-return schemes may be inappropriate where wildlife is extremely vulnerable to cat
depredation. New South Wales veterinarian Ross Hansford complained that the urban animal
debate was getting bogged down in trivia: "It is nonsense we should catch, desex and then
e release feral cats ... They are a damned nuisance - we should humanely capture and
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euthanase them." Findings from the CAT.S. 6 year study on feral colonies strongly contradict
his opinions and there is always the problem of the vacuum effect.
In 1992, at a cattle station in the South Western Australian outback Professor J Pettigrew of
the Universtiy of Queensland shot 175 ferals in a 10 sq km area. The army shot a further 400
in three days yet a few weeks later they returned to shoot a further 200. According to
Professor Pettigrew cats were pouring into the vacuum created by the extermination program.
Such wholesale killing is condemned as inhumane; some of the cats killed would undoubtedly
have been feeding kittens which faced a slow death through starvation or by being eaten alive
by"bull-ants".
Morialta Reserve reported that the cat population had actually grown since culling. Survivors
of the cull had bred and their offspring were too crafty to be shot or trapped! In contrast the
trap-neuter-release of cats in 84 colonies led to an overall reduction in cat numbers as no
unneutered cats were attracted to the colony and no kittens were born to replace cats which
died.
It is a disturbing topic, but the Australian feral and stray population needs to be managed -
humanely - both for the sake of the cats and the native animals, while voluntary measures
need to be taken to control the pet population before knee-jerk legislation threatens the future
of cat-ownership in Australia.
ANTI-CAT LEGISLATION?
. There is a problem with pet overpopulation and stray cats. 36,000 stray and unwanted pet
cats were destroyed in Victoria alone during 1992, but many others join the feral population.
Unneutered strays are highly visible in urban areas. According to the Australian RSPCA,
people often did not bother looking for a lost cat, assuming it had either eloped or been run
over.
Some of the methods of disposing of unwanted cats are horrific. The Hobart-based animal
welfare group 'Feline' reported that in Devonport, Tasmania the City Council offers free
disposal of 'unwanted cats'. Cats are put into hessian bags and left in a small metal box at the
council depot until they are collected and destroyed. Cats dumped while the depot is closed
may be subjected to extremes of heat or cold and must suffer unimaginable distress. The
Council claims it lacks the manpower to hold onto the cats in case the owners show up, giving
any cat-haters licence to dispose of somebody's pet, knowing that the owner has no way of
retrieving it. The depot's sign reads: UNWANTED AND STRAY CATS MAY BE LEFT HERE
BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8 A.M. & 2 P.M. WEEKDAYS. PLEASE USE HESSIAN BAGS
PROVIDED.
To tackle overpopulation, straying and indiscriminate breeding, legislators are considering the
compulsory neutering of all cats not registered as breeding stock. This finds favour among
non-owners and some cat owners, but would be hard to police by councils already hamstrung
by tight budgets. The Australian RSPCA recommends neutering kittens at 8-12 weeks old so
_ that only neutered kittens would be available from pet shops, breeders and animal shelters. In
_ 1992 Australia's first cat registration and CU1few was introduced in Sherbroke, Victoria.
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Proposed Bills covering 'Companion Animals' and 'Feral and Nuisance Animals' now under
review in Victoria include some draconian measures:
councils empowered to ban cats from premises or areas in the municipality.
cats found in cat-free zones' could be impounded, desexed or killed.
cat registration; owners having to inform the council of changes of address.
breeder registration; councils being allowed to refuse registration renewals
cats to wear identification markers.
cats found outdoors after curfew could be seized.
Other councils are using the Sherbroke example in formulating their own cat control laws. New
South Wales are considering:
$200 registration fee for an unneutered cat, $5 for a neutered cat
restrictions on the number of cats per household
and Gold Coast City Council are considering:
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compulsory registration
fines of up to $5,000 for owners of 'recalcitrant' cats
curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m..
cats to be kept on a leash when outdoors and not allowed to enter another
property or foul a public place
unsupervised cats outdoors may be seized.
owners must not allow cats to 'attack, kill, worry or torment, pursue,
endanger, injure or destroy poultry, birds or other animals'.
no person may dispose of a cat or any litter by sale, gift or trade unless
each kitten has been neutered.
In the Australian press, other suggestions included compulsory declawing and defanging! The
press carries frequent reports of pet cats being stolen, tortured and killed as part of
neighbourhood anti-cat pogroms although perpetrators are most likely using the wildlife
bandwagon as an excuse to satisfy their own sadistic tendencies.
Compulsory registration of cats would probably prove counter-productive. Many owners would
keep unregistered cats which then have no legal access to veterinary care including
neutering! Cat legislation could lead to bureaucratic injustices; such an action taken by one
council against a resident which was described:
"This [...J has been condemned on, not only animal rights grounds, but as an infringement of
civil liberties. PaSsing laws where council officers are given the right to frighten elderly
pensioners, with threats of large fines and court action, to force them into surrendering their
beloved cats is not desireable in a free country such as Australia"
The Reark Survey concluded that compulsory neutering, registration and curfew are
unenforceable. The cost of enforcement would be prohibitive and cause even greater
animosity between cat lovers and Councils. The measures would only affect urban cats which
pose less of a threat to native fauna for the simple reason that there is less native fauna in
urban areas, but have little effect on stray or feral populations which remain - often literally -
under fire. British readers have only to look at the Dangerous Dogs Act to see the sort of
e problems involved with any legislation of this sort.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am indebted to Cats Assistance To Sterilise (CAT.S.) for their help in preparing this article.
CA T.S. is currently the only organisation in Australia involved in long term studies of the
"Sterilise and Return to Home" (Trap-Neuter-Return) method of controlling feral colonies.
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HTML Copyright 1996 Feral Cat Coalition
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Why Feral Eradication Won1 Work
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Why Feral Eradication Won't Work
The following is an article by Sarah Hartwell. It is copyrighted by her and is presented by the
Feral Cat Coalition with permission. Sarah has written many articles about feral conditions in
the UK, US, and Australia. Many of her works were originally intended for audiences outside
the US, but the information is vel}' good and is useful to people from all comers of the globe.
One of her original reasons for research and writing, was to raise money for feral programs.
In parts of Australia and America there is talk of exterminating straylferal cats to protect
wildlife, a strategy enthusiastically supported by those who view ferals as nuisance animals.
However, extermination isn't simple or straightforward and is often counter-productive. No
eradication method is 100% effective in eliminating cats from large areas and cats which
evade the exterminators breed several times a year depending on climate and available
food/shelter, quickly re-colonising the area. Cleared areas have under-utilized food sources
which attract new cats from outside. The only way to keep an area cat-free is to remove food
sources (edible refuse, prey species, handouts by cat-lovers), something which is often
impossible or impractical.
Throughout the world there are conflicting views on feral cats. In some places they are viewed
as beneficial animals, controlling vermin. From the days of ancient Egypt ferals have been
"employed" to control vermin. Their presence may give pleasure to people who enjoy watching
_ them, although some misguided "carers" disagree with neutering ferals because they enjoy
.. seeing the kittens (90% of which die in their first year). Elsewhere, ferals are considered pests
on grounds of hygiene, vectors of disease (rabies, toxoplasmosis), predation upon wildlife or
simply because their presence is inconvenient.
FCC Note: The literature indicates that cats are actually not a vector for rabies. They can,
however, carl}' the disease for the vel}' short time it takes them to die from it themselves.
Another item of note here is that rabies is transmitted by siliva (bites), not claws (scratches).
Feral cats are a very minor player in the rabies chain.
ARE FERALS A NUISANCE?
In Australia, it is claimed that ferals decimate wildlife although there is a strong
counter-argument that cats are scapegoats for direct human activities. Although cats are
generally believed to have been introduced by European settlers, Aboriginal peoples have
claimed that cats were present prior to the settlers' arrival. Factors such as overclearing and
overstocking of land, clearing of land for development and the deliberate introduction of other
alien species are rarely considered. Studies indicate that the cats prefer to hunt introduced
"pest" species (pigeons, rabbits, mice etc) and in Tasmania the feral cat co-exists with the
marsupial "Native Cat".
In America, ferals were blamed for the declining songbird population in San Francisco's
e Golden Gate Park. A 1992 article in the San Francisco Chronicle blamed the cats, but citizens
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who fed both cats and birds, some for over 20 years, disagreed since the decline followed a
park landscaping programme which had removed undergrowth needed by birds for food and
habitat. Predators rarely overbreed to a point where the food supply is too depleted to support
their population - the supply of prey limits the number of predators in the area.
Many of the Parks's cats had been neutered and by removing them, Park authorities
encouraged other cats to move in and begin their breeding cycle in the vacant ecological
niche. Similar situations arose at Riverside Park, Virginia where the cats were perceived as a
threat to wildlife and the Gillis W Long Hansen's Disease Center, Louisiana where they were
considered a health hazard. In Louisiana the problem was complicated by the fact that
patients enjoyed seeing the cats and ignored regulations forbidding them to feed feral cats
around the institution. At Riverside Park, cats were trapped and destroyed during the Spring
breeding season despite opposition from welfare groups. Trapped cats included lactating
females; dead and dying kittens were subsequently found in the park, yet the trapping
programme was supported by the Humane Society of the United States.
tn Britain, ferals are viewed as a nuisance by gamekeepers afraid for their pheasant stocks
and by some farmers. Some farmers ask rabbit shooters on their land to shoot ferals. One
farmer even organised a "feral-shooting party". Pet cats living near such farms have gone
missing or returned with shotgun injuries or trailing rabbit snares. Feral colonies may be
viewed as a health hazard (faeces, spraying, disease) at hospitals or factories, or as a
general nuisance (calling, spraying) in residential areas.
e ATTEMPTS AT EXTERMINATION
Southeast of South Africa is the small and inhospitable Marion Island (12 miles by 8 miles). In
1949, a group of scientists left the island, leaving behind 5 unneutered cats. By 1975 there
were 2,500 cats on the island preying on ground-nesting seabirds. Deliberate infection with
feline enteritis killed around 65% of the cats, but the remainder developed an immunity to the
disease. Terrier dogs were used to flush out the remaining cats. Between 1986 and 1989
further surviving cats were exterminated by hunting. Finally poison was used to eliminate the
remaining cats. It took 16 years of crude and cruel methods to eradicate 2,500 cats in a small,
isolated area so how can eradication work where cats from outside can recolonise cleared
areas?
In an area as large as Australia, eradication is an impossibility. In 1992, at a cattle station in
the South Western Australian outback, 175 ferals were shot in a 10 sq km area. The army
shot 400 more in 3 days, but a few weeks later they returned to shoot another 200. According
to reports, cats were pouring into the vacated area. This vacuum effect caused by such culling
can result in an area becoming more densely populated with cats, as found in Morialta
Reserve, Australia. Even in locations where the vacuum effect is impossible, a single breeding
pair is all it takes to replenish the cat population.
In the Essex village of Boreham there are several "problem" feral colonies. Many residents
wanted the colonies removed. Despite regular trapping/removal programmes, the village's
feral population quickly returned to its previous level as ferals from neighbouring colonies
e moved into the vacated area and unneutered pets and strays bred. A few residents were
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maintaining and caring for stable neutered colonies, but wherever the cats were removed
completely, new breeding colonies quickly established themselves.
CAT-KILL METHODS -INHUMANE AND INEFFECTIVE
Many methods have been proposed for exterminating feral cats. On Marion Island viral agents
were only partially effective yet such a method was recently backed by South Australian MP
Peter Lewis as a way of killing off ferals in the same way that myxomatosis was used against
rabbits. The introduction of myxomatosis in the UK caused a temporary drop in rabbit numbers
and also killed many pets rabbits. Inevitably, some rabbits survived and with less competition
for food they bred quickly, passing their immunity on to their descendants. A similar effect was
seen among the Marion Island cats. In addition, a virus cannot distinguish between ferals and
pets. Some cats do not develop good immunity after vaccination, some are allergic to
vaccines and some cat owners simply cannot afford vaccinations as well as neutering (many
rely on subsidised snipping), so many well-loved pets would be killed by viral agents.
Poisoning is sometimes used against feral cats, but is very indiscriminate as the huge death
toll among native Australian animals from poison laid during a mouse plague has shown. The
cat's sensitive nose might allow it to shun poison bait while beneficial animals such as the
hedgehog might consume poisoned cat food. It's also worth considering that attempts to
control pigeons through poisoning killed many birds of prey who ate poisoned prey. Creatures
which eat carrion might consume the poison second-hand. Though there are restrictions
governing the use of poison, these are not always observed. Poison has apparently been
used quite recently against ferals at an Essex Post Office.
Steel-jaw traps are used in some countries, but are both inhumane and indiscriminate as pets
and rare/endangered animals also fall victim to traps. This method probably does more harm
than the trappers' intended victims. Shooting is possible if carried out by a trained marksman
(untrained individuals may injure rather than kill), but it is impossible to distinguish a feral from
a wandering pet at a distance (shooting may be the only safe method if the cat is rabid).
Another utterly distasteful method is clubbing. I have been told that feral cats and kittens are
killed by clubbing on a certain private golf-course in Essex although hard evidence is
impossible to obtain.
This leaves box-trapping and euthanasia; humane but tedious, and consequently costly, if
carried out properly. The only people with the patience to continually check traps tend to be
cat workers whose love for cats endows them with the devotion to duty needed for such work -
and such people are rarely in favour of destroying healthy cats. Lactating cats should be freed
for humane reasons (unless the kittens are also collected), domestic pets should also be freed
as should wild animals which become trapped (hedgehogs are particularly attracted to cat
food and are heavy enough to spring the trap). Less conscientious trappers who regard the
cats as a nuisance may simply leave trapped animals (regardless of species) to die of
dehydration or starvation to save effort or euthanasia fees. A number of years ago some
newspapers reported that cats were being trapped in part of Japan. Anyone finding a trapped
cat was forbidden to release it or to provide food or water and it was alleged that many cats
a were left to die in the traps. Once again the method is not 100% effective as cats too trap-shy
.,.to be caught will simply continue breeding.
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One aspect of eradication rarely given a second thought by those who want colonies
removed, is what happens to the trapped cats. Many members of the public seem to think that
the cats are transported to some farmyard paradise and let loose. Some have even asked
pest control operatives "how the trapped cats are doing" and are horrified to learn that the
cats are not happily living out their days on Old MacDonald's farm, but were destroyed. There
is the risk that the method of "en masse euthanasia" used when large numbers of cats are
trapped are the least costly, fast-throughput methods, not the most humane ones. Australian
cat-lNOrkers have told me of the shooting of feral cats and kittens in crush machines at council
depots. Even in animal-welfare-conscious Britain some rural people still prefer to drown
excess cats by the sackful.
Eradication, by whatever method has been sanctioned, almost always leads to the vacuum
effect, small islands excepted. 'New' cats flock to the vacated area to exploit whatever food
source attracted the original inhabitants or survivors breed and their descendants are more
cautious or more disease resistant. "Eradication" is only a temporary fix. What is needed is a
humane, long-term approach to feral control.
CAT-CONTROL METHODS - ENLIGHTENED AND EFFECTIVE
Firstly, why are the ferals being removed? Are they just inconvenient, do they pose a genuine
threat to wildlife or are the cats themselves diseased and unhealthy? Extermination is usually
attempted for human convenience, rarely is it undertaken because the cats themselves are
suffering. Are the instigators of an extermination programme aware of the vacuum effect?
What attracts the cats into the area? On some airbases ferals colonies have been removed by
CPL groups, but the presence of edible refuse (and consequently rodents) attracted new cats
to the area. Only when refuse was placed in rodent-proof, cat-proof bins did the cats go for
good. Elsewhere the cats were being fed by posses of cat-lovers who could not understand
why "their" cats were considered a problem by other residents.
Would a smaller, stable and controlled population be acceptable in the area? Quite often
those who are opposed to a teeming mass of thirty unneutered scavenging cats displaying all
the problems associated with unneutered cats are amenable to a resident colony of twelve
neutered cats which are fed in specific areas and which do not spray, fight, caterwaul, midden
or breed. Those people who are opposed to seeing scrawny strays (on either aesthetic or
welfare grounds) are often pleasantly surprised to find that cats in a neutered colony are
healthier and altogether nicer to have around. Such a compromise might be possible if it is
explained that the cats are not going off to some rural idyll, but will most likely be put to sleep.
How can a colony be reduced in size? Most colonies will contain cats which are FeLVlFIV
positive, ill, injured or suffering from the ravages of age. For these, euthanasia is the kindest
option. Feral cats are not co-operative patients and resent being kept captive while they are
treated. Some cat sanctuaries have large enclosures with sheds, chalets and enough space
for such cats to live semi-free lives, but there are always more cats than there are spaces at
such sanctuaries and sanctuaries offering adequately sized enclosures which aren't
overcrowded are few and far between. Other cats in the colony may be tame strays which are
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homeable, there may be tameable kittens or even a local landowner who actually wants to
acquire some neutered ferals. The healthiest cats are the ones which should be neutered and
retumed to site as these have the best long-term chance of a decent life.
In contrast to the problems in San Francisco, Virginia and Louisiana, ferals in Longwood
Gardens, Pennsylvania were trapped, neutered and released and provided with Iitterboxes
and shelters. At the same time, efforts were made to preserve or increase bird habitats in the
gardens. Despite the presence of the cats, the bird population, including ground-nesting
species, has increased. The cats themselves are an added attraction with visitors. Australian
studies found that the neutering of several feral colonies led to an overall reduction in cat
numbers as the resident, non-breeding populations deterred other cats which would have
swarmed into a vacated area. The few cats which did join the managed colonies could be
identified, trapped and neutered, or rehomed if tame.
Eradication methods, even if implemented humanely, cannot solve the feral cat problem.
Trap-neuter-retum methods sometimes seem like a drop in the ocean, but offer a longer-term
solution, giving healthy ferals the chance of a decent life and freedom from the otherwise
endless cycle of breeding while those which cannot be re-released can at least be given a
humane and painless escape from their predicament.
Further Reading:
Feral Cats: Suggestions for Control, UFAW Publications.
Practical Guide to Working with Feral Cats, Anne Haughie, FAB Bulletin Autumn 1991, V0128,
No 2.
Resiting Feral Cats, Anne Haughie, FAB Journal Winter 1992, Vol 29, No 4.
. This will return you to the Feral Cat Coalition Home Page
Last updated Saturday, February 01, 1997 11:26:54 AM
Content Copyright 1995 Sarah Hartwell / Feline Advisory Bureau
HTML Copyright 1996 Feral Cat Coalition
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The American Feral Cat Problem
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The American Feral Cat Problem
The following is an article by Sarah Hartwell. It is copyrighted by her and is presented by the
Feral Cat Coalition with permission. Sarah has written many articles about feral conditions in
the UK, US, and Australia. Many of her works were originally intended for audiences outside
the US, but the information is very good and is useful to people from all comers of the globe.
One of her original reasons for research and writing, was to raise money for feral programs.
Note: This article is a few years old and may be out of date on some issues. The underlying
premises are, of course, valid.
Britain has an estimated 7 million pet cats and 1 million ferals. By comparison, the United
States has approximately 60 million pet cats and 60 million ferals. Feral populations are
swollen by breeding and the dumping of unwanted pets; 5 million cats and dogs are 'dumped'
annually according to the US Department of Agriculture while American surveys suggest that
between 36% and 60% of unneutered pet cats go feral within 3 years.
Despite this huge and longstanding problem, the first national organization concerned solely
with feral cats did not appear until 1990 when Alley Cat Allies was founded by Louise Holton
and Becky Robinson as America's version of Cat Action Trust. Holton and Robinson are
campaigning for humane control by sterilization of ferals and stabilization of colonies rather
than constantly destroying healthy cats.
Concerned individuals were already doing their best to tackle local feral problems. Inspired by
Peter Neville's talk at a WSPA conference in Boston in 1984, AnnaBell Washburn set about
neutering feral cats on the island of Martha's Vineyard. At the time, information about feral
cats in the US was scarce; the Animal Protection Institute of America said that it did "not know
enough about feral animals to begin programs geared to assist and protect them".
Consequently, much of the information used by American feral cat welfare groups was from
British studies.
WILDLIFE ENEMY NUMBER ONE
Although the position varies from state to state, the "house cat" is a "non-game mammal" to be
killed if "unduly predatory" and the "wild house cat" is an unprotected animal to be shot with
impunity. Fish and Wildlife Services may state that it is not their policy to control feral animals
except in cases where they carry rabies, yet at the same time produce brochures advising that
all "vagrant" cats be "destroyed". Each year, game wardens trap or shoot thousands of feral
cats, for real or imagined destruction of domestic stock or game animals.
As well as facing extremes of weather, variable food supplies, motorcars and hostile humans,
American ferals are prey for feral dogs, coyotes, bobcats, hawks and owls. In turn the cats
prey on wildlife and are frequently blamed for a drop in the numbers of birds or small
mammals. Recently, songbirds in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park went into decline; feral
cats were blamed rather than the recent landscaping of the park causing a loss of habitat and
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The American Feral Cat Problem
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food for the birds! Feral cats make useful scapegoats.
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A major problem faced by humane societies dealing with ferals is that of Rabies. The Rabies
vaccine licenced for use in Europe was qeveloped in the US, but ironically is not licenced for
use in the US! Rabies is on the increase on the east coast of America and part of the
"solution" is to trap and destroy feral cats as potential carriers. Although feral cats are a vector
for Rabies and may also cause a nuisance by raiding chicken coops and rabbit hutches, they
are less of a danger to man and livestock than feral dogs which have been known to attack
humans.
FCC Note: The literature indicates that cats are actually not a vector for rabies. They can,
however, carry the disease for the very short time it takes them to die from it themselves.
Another item of note here is that rabies is transmitted by siliva (bites), not claws (scratches).
Feral cats are a very minor player in the rabies chain.
As if Rabies, being eaten by large predators or shot by game wardens isn't bad enough,
American ferals have a bad image. One writer in an American magazine stated that that feral
cats routinely preyed on pet cats; immediately reinforcing the indoor-only style of cat
ownership and perpetuating the feral cat's unfortunate and undeserved image.
KILLING THE PROBLEM, NOT THE CATS
Large-scale Trap-Test-Vaccinate-Alter-Retum schemes are still in their infancy in the US and
face opposition from some of the large humane societies. The Humane Society of the US
e (HSUS) is totally against feral cats and colonies, even monitored colonies, claiming that
TTVAR schemes are "subsidized abandonment", and forcing feral cat caretakers to constantly
defend their position. A number of humane organizations routinely trap and destroy ferals,
while others trap and destroy ferals which are "causing a nuisance".
An added complication is the pet overpopulation problem in the US. 80% of domestic cats
taken to humane shelters are euthanized, or worse, the shelters are legally obliged to hand
over unhomed animals to laboratories ('pound seizure'). In such a climate of overpopulation, it
is often impossible to place domestic kittens in homes, let alone tamed feral kittens. If so, feral
kittens may be spayed/neutered at 8-12 weeks of age and retumed to the colony. American
veterinarians report no adverse effects of early neutering.
Alley Cat Allies and the other groups which are now being set up throughout America are
working hard to improve the lot of the feral cat and to "kill the problem, not the cats".
Sources:
Maverick Cats, Ellen Perry Berkeley
Alley Cat Action (the Alley Cat Allies newsletter)
e [II This will return you to the Feral Cat Coalition Home Page
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Last updated Saturday, February 01, 199711:28:53 AM
Content Copyright Sarah Hartwell / Feline Advisory Bureau
HTML Copyright 1996 Feral Cat Coalition
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The Unsociable Cat
The following is an article by Sarah Hartwell. It is copyrighted by her and is presented by the
Feral Cat Coalition with permission. Sarah has written many articles about feral conditions in
the UK, US, and Australia. Many of her works were originally intended for audiences outside
the US, but the information is very good and is useful to people from all comers of the globe.
One of her original reasons for research and writing, was to raise money for feral programs.
For years, 'experts' have told cat owners that domestic cats are solitary creatures who dislike
the company of other cats. No doubt cat owners have viewed the communal sleep heap on the
armchair with puzzlement, IIYOndering whether it is the cats or the experts who have their facts
wrong.
While the ancestors of our domestic cats may have been solitary hunters in the forests of
Europe and Africa, domestic cats frequently live in harmonious groups; playing, sleeping and
evening hunting together. Many form close attachments to other cats and even to other
domestic animals.
It was suggested that keeping several cats in one household, forced them to become more
sociable due to unnatural conditions. However, more recent studies on feral colonies have
shown that domestic cats, like lions, are rather sociable creatures and even battle-scarred
e tomcats will return from walking alone to relax with the family.
Cats in captive colonies at animal shelters, often form close friendships. Eagle shared an
enclosure with 11 other 'unhomeable' cats. The other eats frequently rubbed against him and
chose to sit close to him. When Eagle died, the relationship between the other cats broke
down and the colony fragmented into several small groups. The super-sociable Eagle had
been the glue that held them together.
Cats rub against their companions to mingle their scents and reinforce the bond. Biologists
studying farmyard colonies noticed that lower ranking eats often rubbed against higher
ranking cats. Rubbing also has a hierarchical function and a cat's social standing can be
measured by the number of times other cats rub against it. When our cats wind round our
ankles it is more than an affectionate greeting; they are letting us know that we rank higher
than them. Maybe it's time to IIYOrry when Puss DOESN'T rub round our ankles.
Rubbing, nose-bumping greetings and sitting close to other members of the eat's 'family' are
not actions caused by keeping eats in 'unnatural proximity' to other eats. All of these activities
have been observed among cats living in feral colonies. Behaviourists studying both urban
and rural colonies found that the cats formed 'family groups' rather than remaining solitary. It
is easy to dismiss this as several cats exploiting a single food source, but the amount of
mutual grooming and even communal kitten-rearing suggest that these colonies are more like
prides of lions. Communal hunting is only rarely observed since, unlike lions, cats hunt prey
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The Unsociable Cat
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Even co-operative hunting does sometimes occur with closely bonded cats. Littermates
Bubble and Squeak were two such hunting partners. Between them, they quartered the field in
front of my home, flushing out field mice for each other and often sharing the catch. 12 year
old Scrapper regularly teamed up with unrelated 6 month old Aphrodite to hunt the birds that
devastated my fruit bushes. This was a beneficial partnership as Scrapper, who had no teeth,
flushed birds towards Aphrodite who despatched them, but never eats birds! There was no
doubt that Scrapper masterminded the operation as Aphrodite is not very bright!
Many cats, both feral and domestic, apparently enjoy each other's company for its own sake
and not just because there is safety in numbers. Though unneutered tomcats are often hostile
towards each other, there are exceptions where toms which have been reared together may
remain companionable when mature - supply of food and females permitting.
In our households, unrelated cats often form close attachments to each other and a recent
survey by British behaviourist Claire Bessant found that a number of cats grieved or pined
when a companion cat died, sometimes to the extent that force-feeding was needed or
another kitten had to be acquired to provide companionship.
It is only quite recently that experts have started saying what many cat-owners have known all
along - cats are not necessarily solitary creatures. Far from suffering when kept in groups,
many pet cats thrive in the company of other cats especially if they have grown up among
other cats. Its ancestors may have walked by themselves, but the cat has evolved into a far
more sociable animal both in a feral and a household setting.
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Last updated Saturday, February 01, 199711:30:20 AM
Content Copyright Sarah Hartwell / Feline Advisory Bureau
HTML Copyright 1996 Feral Cat Coalition
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Park Cals Shot & Killed
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Park Cats Shot & Killed
Letters urgently needed!
At least thirty-one feral cats from a managed colony were recently shot and killed by Animal
Damage Control (ADC). After first denying the killings, East Bay Regional Park District
officials finally admitted ADC involvement in killing feral cats in Garin Park, one of 57 regional
parks. The Park District has announced a temporary moratorium on the killing, until an April 1 ,
(2 P.M.) Board of Directors meeting to determine permanent contracts for control- including
the possibility of resuming eradication efforts.
Activists are seeking to establish a permanent policy of humane, non-lethal control and
management for all district parks. Volunteer caretakers have been managing the park's cats
for at least four years, feeding, trapping, and relocating more than 177 cats from the park,
paying for expenses out of pocket or through donations. According to Doreta Reinhart,
spokesperson for the Animal Rescue Coalition (ARK), the Park District is refusing to support
these cost-effective, nonlethal, management and control efforts.
The Board's natural resources committee has recommended continuing a $67,000 contract
with ADC, despite records indicating that the largely ineffective ADC eradication program has
been going on since at least 1992 with no progress toward a long-term solution. Nationwide
ADC predator "control" programs have killed over 2 million animals including red fox, bobcat,
wolves, skunks, coyotes, and feral cats. Methods used include leghold traps, gassing of whole
A dens, shooting, and pOiSOning., often done with indiscriminate lethal effects on other wildlife.
,., Activists and concerned taxpayers are questioning why these costly contracts should be
continued when nonlethal and effective alternatives are available at no or little cost.
Letters are urgently needed, to pressure the Park District Board of Directors to permanently
abandon the wasteful ADC eradication programs in favor of working with local volunteer
caretakers and animal welfare groups to establish cost-effective, non-lethal trap, sterilize and
release (TNR) control and management programs in all district parks. It is crucial that the
Board consider the many advantages of the nonlethal TNR alternative before automatically
approving continued taxpayer funding of inhumane ADC programs that are not working and
wasting scarce budgetary resour<:es.
Alley Cat Allies has been promoting TNR for over seven years as a cost-effective, humane
and nonlethal alternative that provides a long-term solution to controlling feral cat populations.
Study after study has shown that costly attempts at eradication are a cruel quick-fix that only
temporarily reduces the numbers of ferals. Thousands of caretakers nationwide have worked
with property owners, managers of industrial work sites, college administrators, condo
associations and other public land managers to successfully implement TNR management
and control in a wide variety of settings. Despite the reluctance to consider new approaches,
numerous examples now prove that TNR is the most humane, ethical, and cost-effective
method for controlling feral cats.
WRITE TO:
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Park CaIs Shot & Killed
http://wNw,feralcatcom/parkcals,hlml
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Board of Directors
East Bay Regional Park District
2950 Peralta Oaks Court
Oakland, CA 94605-0381
(510) 635-0135
FAJ<(510) 569-1417
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