<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">The article pasted below (which I learned of thanks to Bill Mueller of the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative) is to me very useful and informative. The position expressed by the American Veterinary Medical Assoc. could be very useful if you hear about the promotion of trap-neuter-release programs. I think it goes even further on the issue of TNR programs than does the American Bird Conservancy's Keep Cats Indoors program<BR>
Wisconsin's Conservation Council is currently examining the question of whether cats can be shot by hunters. As I'm sure you can imagine, this proposal has produced some hot debate.<BR>
Regards<BR>
Bob Fisher<BR>
<BR>
Wisconsin State Journal Guest column, March 19, 2005<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
If there is one thing that everyone<BR>
can agree upon regarding<BR>
Wisconsin's feral cats problem,<BR>
it's that it is a highly charged and<BR>
emotional issue.<BR>
We need an open dialogue about<BR>
what to do with outdoor freeroaming<BR>
and feral cats. To begin<BR>
this dialogue, we need to understand<BR>
the facts behind the issue<BR>
and what the state of knowledge is<BR>
about cats.<BR>
According to a recent forum in<BR>
the Journal of the American Veterinary<BR>
Medical Association, the<BR>
AVMA's Committee on Environmental<BR>
Issues has concluded the<BR>
following:<BR>
Free-roaming (outdoor) cats are<BR>
an exotic species in all habitats in<BR>
which they live. That is, cats are not<BR>
native to the ecosystems, such as<BR>
the ones here in Wisconsin.<BR>
Free-roaming cats have significant<BR>
and well-documented effects<BR>
on wildlife populations and can<BR>
exert substantial detrimental predatory<BR>
effects on wildlife.<BR>
Maintenance of free-roaming cat<BR>
colonies does not eliminate predation<BR>
on wildlife, and these colonies<BR>
do not solve the problem of cat<BR>
overpopulation, suffering and disease<BR>
transmission.<BR>
Based upon these points the<BR>
AVMA committee recommends:<BR>
The humane elimination of<BR>
feral cat colonies through capture<BR>
(not trapping and releasing).<BR>
The passage and enforcement<BR>
of ordinances prohibiting public<BR>
feeding of free-roaming cats and<BR>
people from releasing cats into the<BR>
wild.<BR>
Keeping cats indoors, in outdoor<BR>
enclosures or on a leash.<BR>
Programs to neuter or spay<BR>
cats.<BR>
The development of ordinances<BR>
to require spaying or neutering<BR>
of cats over 6 months old,<BR>
unless the owner purchases an annual<BR>
intact permit, breeders permit<BR>
or both; to require all cats to be licensed<BR>
and vaccinated against rabies;<BR>
to discourage cats from freely<BR>
roaming outdoors.<BR>
Keeping farm cat numbers<BR>
small and using alternative methods<BR>
of rodent control in agriculture.<BR>
Opposing ordinances that legalize<BR>
maintenance of cat colonies<BR>
through programs such as trap neuter-<BR>
release.<BR>
Besides the AVMA, other professional<BR>
scientific societies have researched<BR>
free-roaming cats and<BR>
come to nearly identical conclusions.<BR>
One of the hallmarks of science<BR>
is repeatability, and the<BR>
findings about outdoor cats have<BR>
been repeatedly demonstrated.<BR>
So, where does this leave us with<BR>
the issue of feral cats in Wisconsin?<BR>
First, we need to increase education<BR>
and awareness. It has repeatedly<BR>
been demonstrated that<BR>
outdoor cats are very detrimental<BR>
to wildlife (mammals, birds, reptiles<BR>
and amphibians), live far<BR>
shorter lives than indoor cats, pose<BR>
health risks, and have lower qualities<BR>
of life.<BR>
Second, we need to encourage<BR>
responsible pet ownership by requiring<BR>
that cats be kept indoors<BR>
and licensed, and we need to encourage<BR>
neutering and spaying. A<BR>
simple analogy of responsible pet<BR>
ownership is the case of dogs. We<BR>
as a society do not tolerate free ranging<BR>
outdoor dogs, but instead<BR>
require them to be on leashes, licensed<BR>
and vaccinated.<BR>
Third, we need to promote humane<BR>
removal of feral cats from the<BR>
landscapes of Wisconsin.<BR>
While the proposal put forward<BR>
through the Conservation Congress,<BR>
which could lead to the<BR>
hunting of feral cats, may be considered<BR>
inhumane to some, so too<BR>
is trap-neuter-release, which has<BR>
also been called "trap-neuter-reabandon"<BR>
by vets and has been<BR>
shown to be an ineffective tool. On<BR>
the other hand, one humane approach<BR>
is trapping and then either<BR>
adoption or placement in a cat<BR>
sanctuary.<BR>
Christopher Lepczyk, a certified ecologist, is a<BR>
postdoctoral fellow in the Department<BR>
of Forest Ecology and Management at<BR>
UW-Madison.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
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