Feral Cats
Steve and a volunteer trapped five feral cats at Forks Mobile Home Park; the park is infested with cats, which destroy property, knock over trash cans and spread garbage around on the ground, and continue to reproduce unchecked. Two adult cats and three kittens were trapped, along with one pet cat that was released. The kittens will stay at the Sanctuary, where they are currently being treated for respiratory infections, and learning not to fear people. The adult cats were spayed/neutered and released.
Sterilizing and releasing feral cats is a proven method of reducing feral cat populations over the long term; when cats are euthanized or relocated, new cats simply move in from the surrounding area and the population is not impacted, but when the cats are released after sterilization, they continue to defend the territory against newcomers, without producing any offspring. Gradually the population declines; there will always be a few cats in the area, but the population will remain small and manageable.
We hope to be more involved in feral cat spay/neuter/release projects in the future, and have discussed making it a regular part of the Olympic Animal Sanctuary's activities.
Posted on October 25, 2007
