Vertebrate Pests - Bobby Corrigan: Cats in the Community, Part II

In last month’s column, I discussed the problem of community feral cats — that is, cats that have become part of communities either in parks, college campuses, industrial complexes or simply within a local neighborhood. Community cats are those that are being cared for by local residents or by organized volunteers that feed, neuter and claim to immunize them. Part I also discussed how feral cats are health and environmental hazards, as well as general nuisances, and thus stressed that feral cats in communities must be properly managed.

How the cats are "managed," however, is no small issue. In communities where feral cats are being taken care of, the decision for their proper management is highly controversial and emotional. Consider that cats are the No. 1 companion animal in the United States, with 69 million pet cats. (Pet dogs are second with 62 million.) In June of 2003, a TV show produced for cats was aired for the first time by Meow Mix TV. A 37 cent United States stamp with the photo of a cat and the words neuter/spay has become a widely requested stamp from the post office. Hundreds of cat hotels exist all around the world that will pamper cats and allow their owners to enjoy their vacations, free from worry or guilt of having "abandoned" their cats all alone at home.

Thus, the cat is obviously a mammal loved by hundreds of millions of people around the world. But a cat cared for and restricted to the confines of someone’s dwelling is one thing; hundreds of cats roaming free and in a feral state around neighborhoods, parks or campuses is another. Let’s briefly examine the biology, behavior and management options for both individual feral cats and community cat populations. Those professionals needing more information than what is presented here can consult any of the university Web sites addressing wildlife management (e.g., www.wildlifedamage.unl.edu).

Feral cats are house cats that have escaped their owners or have been abandoned and have adapted to living wild. From a general appearance feral cats look the same as any domestic pet cat relative to size and pelage color. As you might expect, feral cats often appear thinner and more "straggly" than pampered house cats. The behavior of the feral cat is best described as unpredictable. But many are wild and aggressive to people and other animals the cats perceive as a threat. This is especially true of those feral cats that were born in the wild or have been feral for several years. Thus, thousands of children and adults reaching to pet a seemingly gentle kitty have sustained severe scratches and bites.

Cats produce litters ranging between two and 10 kittens, which may be born any month of the year. When food and harborage are abundant, the female may produce as many as three litters per year. In urban communities, feral cats are most active at night. Consequently, similar to urban raccoon populations, many urbanites are usually unaware of the severity of a local feral cat population around their neighborhoods or community parks. During the day, cats use established dens or lairs to rest and hide. Dens are often located in old buildings, crawl spaces, beneath porches, within the cover of dense low-lying vegetation, around granaries, drainage pipes and junked cars, and in similar places that afford protection. Feral cats are opportunistic predators and scavengers, feeding on rodents, rabbits, birds, carrion, garbage, leftover pet food and of course those foods as provided by feral cat volunteers.

House cat owners often tell stories of their cats living for upwards of 30 years. But most feral cats live for only about three to five years before succumbing to disease, cars, traps or some larger predator, such as a large dog or coyote. Feral cats are territorial with a home range of about 1½ square miles (4 km2) from their den.

"MANAGING" INDIVIDUAL FERAL CATS. The management of feral cats often falls to pest management professionals or wildlife management professionals hired by municipalities and a wide range of commercial clients. Many larger cities and towns use animal control programs with "officers" (the local "dog catcher") that typically round up abandoned dogs and cats.

Community education efforts can go a long way in managing feral cat populations. The elimination of habitats and food refuse attractive to cats in neighborhoods can dramatically affect whether or not cats invade a local area. Commercial cat repellents can help reduce activity around garbage cans and gardens. But large-scale use of these chemicals is usually expensive, time consuming and of little value. Cat and dog repellents are also offensive and irritating to many people.

In the majority of cases, feral cats are managed via live trapping and removal campaigns. When done for hire, the program trappers must be aware of local laws. Cats (and dogs) are usually considered personal property if ownership can be established with collars, registration tags, tattoos, brands or legal description and proof of ownership. Cats without this protection are considered feral and are rarely protected under state law. They become the property of the landowner on whose land they exist and the landowner can do with them as he or she wishes.

The larger models of live traps are required for cats. Traps should be set in areas of cat activity as identified by their feces, feeding locations (e.g., dumps and garbage cans) or nearby suspected dens. Successful baits for live traps include fresh or canned fish, commercial cat foods, fresh liver or chicken. Traps should be well hidden and secured.

Feral cats are notorious for bad temperaments, especially when they are trapped. To avoid being scratched, live catches should be handled with extreme care and personal protection equipment. To help keep the cat calm, the trap can be covered during transport. Captured feral cats can be turned in to animal control agencies without harm, given back to the owner with proper warnings or humanely euthanized. Some veterinarians provide euthanizing services for a reasonable fee.

No toxicants are registered for the control of feral cats and none should ever be devised in any attempt to poison a cat.

COMMUNITY CAT MANAGEMENT. First, feral cats and/or those cats no longer wanted by their owners should not be driven to the country and abandoned to farm lands or given to local farmers using "rodent control" as a justification. Farm cats are not effective controllers of farm rodents (refer to Vertebrate Pests column in the June 1997 issue of PCT). In my town’s situation as described in Part I, it seems logical to me that the onus of the responsibility for the cat population’s welfare is placed squarely where it belongs — on the volunteers. Why should the community ’s health and environment be put at risk? Or why should the budget of the local parks and recreation department be taxed to manage the cats in an opposing and inefficient effort to the cat volunteer program?

It seems reasonable to me that one or more of the volunteers donate or locate an acre or more of space to construct a fenced-in cat sanctuary. In this way, the cats can be fed, cared for and perhaps even adopted.

But the snafu here is probably obvious. Once the cats are confined, the program becomes formal and the "volunteer work," of feeding, spaying, immunizing and de-parasitizing takes on a new dimension of commitment and costs in time, labor and money. Nevertheless, to tie down a community park company or campus with the burden and risk of debating whether the cats should stay or go is unjustified and a waste of time for those not sharing the cat-lover’s enthusiasm.

Why should the cat, feral or otherwise, be elevated to the status of the community’s No. 1 protected mammal? If this is the case, should a community then also appease feral dog lovers? Or for that matter, any feral animal?