ALLEY CATS ALLIED

A headline in the local paper recently read "OFFICIALS TO TRAP FERAL CATS". Reading further, I noted that the healthy ones would be taken to local shelters, and those that were "ill" would be destroyed. There is no question that if a huge colony had been allowed to develop in Freetown, it was problematic as to how to control it or fix the situation. As a rescue person myself, I look at this situation from a totally different perspective. The Marion library is obtaining pamphlets from Alley Cats Allied, an advocacy group, describing what to do with strays in your neighborhood and why killing off ferals will not stop the population from growing once again in an area where there is food (and, of course, is inhumane, except for those who are truly ill). Basically: you are not being kind in just feeding a stray that comes to your door. After inquiring with neighbors as to whether or not he/she is owned, the kindest thing to do is to trap the cat and have it spayed or neutered. ( I will volunteer to have a jar on the library counter to help raise funds. ) Then, release it. As the feral cat advocacy experts say: Ferals like living away from humans. If there is a food source, they will stay in that area and be content. Spaying and neutering all strays, hopefully one by one, will keep the colony from growing. Then, folk may feed them, and even provide outdoor shelter, to their heart's content. I will be writing more about this as events unfold. The Freetown Library, where this is happening, will have information to help their citizens, too. There's a lot of work involved in loving animals, but we can do it together!