My Pet World: Develop this winter-time habit to save pets' lives

Cathy M. Rosenthal, Tribune Content Agency on Jan 18, 2023

Dear Cathy,

I was dismayed by your reply to the lady about building a community "home" for "outside" cats. Outside cats, or feral cats, destroy millions of harmless songbirds worldwide each year. Many of these bird species are already in peril due to habitat loss. The only reason to feed feral cats is to create a bait station so they can be captured, euthanized, and removed from the landscape. Please reconsider your response. Respectfully,

— Ron Stromstad, via email

Dear Ron,

Thank you for your letter, even though I respectfully couldn't disagree with you more. Feral cats deserve our compassion and empathy. These felines have either been dumped by their owners when no longer wanted or are the offspring of those abandoned cats.

In other words, this is a man-made problem, and the solution is not to kill cats but to find humane ways to care for them, prevent them from breeding, and provide for their needs for the duration of their short lives. When their needs are met, they are less likely to go after birds and get into trouble with the public.

We also must educate people to not dump their cats. When cats are fed, fixed, and cared for, they don't display annoying mating behaviors and aren't fighting with other cats to mate.

I was always taken aback by a young man in his 20s who helped his grandma's neighborhood fix about 80 feral cats. He said, "All we can do is let them stay," he said. "It's just as much their neighborhood as it is ours."

I can't change your mind any more than you can change mine. But I can use this as an opportunity to educate people about how TNR – trap, neuter, return — is the most viable solution to addressing the plight of feral cats.

If you want to make a difference, ask your neighbors not to dump their cats. Thanks for writing.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)