Proper care of cats needed

Better regulations necessary to protect feline friendsThis article is not one of those warm fuzzy ones that people like to read. This is an article about a group of kittens that, if local shelter statistics prove true, don't have a very bright future.
On Monday, the manager of Petco, Teri Price, called and asked me to put out a plea on the Doctor Joe and The Dog Man Radio Show for donations to the Wichita Country Humane Society. Price told me that over the last few days more than 80 kittens had been released to the shelter. And according to Marvin Wright of the Wichita Country Humane Society, such a sudden large influx of kittens is almost too much for the shelter to accommodate.
Although Wright and other shelter workers would like to see all the kittens go to new homes, they know the cats could easily be among the 60 percent of all shelter animals that are euthanized each year at our local shelter. In other words, at least 48 of these kittens might not live to see their first birthdays.
The Humane Society of the United States has declared June as National Adopt a Shelter Cat Month, so Dr. Joe Wurster and I have focused our radio show on feline issues and the problems of cat overpopulation. While some animal rights activists believe that feral cats deserve the focus of protective efforts, other cat lovers would like to see more attention paid to free-roaming house cats.
Free-roaming house cats often are hit by cars or they fall victim to disease, starvation, poisons, attacks by other animals or mistreatment by humans. These cats also prey on small mammals, songbirds and other wildlife; spread zoonotic diseases such as rabies; defecate on other people's property; and can even cause car accidents. Well-fed housecats, much like their wild cousins, kill wildlife because of their instinct to hunt prey, not because they need the food. Also, since cats are not a part of natural ecosystems, their predation causes unnecessary death to wild animals. This can cause conflicts among neighbors, pitting gardeners and bird lovers against cat owners who allow their pet cats to roam freely.
The Humane Society of the United States believes that everyone, from cat lovers to public officials, should incorporate the following guidelines when developing regulations to address the problems associated with free-roaming cats:

• Cats belong in homes. All cats deserve loving, permanent homes with responsible caregivers who keep cats safely confined and meet their special needs. Long-term solutions to respond to cat-related conflicts should foster the responsible caretaking of cats.
• Cats elude simple categorizations. Free-roaming cats are often referred to as either stray or feral, but these designations do not reflect the many types of outdoor cats. Free-roaming cats can be owned cats who are allowed to roam; owned cats who have become lost; previously owned cats who have been abandoned and no longer have a home; cats who roam freely and are fed by several residents in an area but "owned" by none of them; and so-called working cats who serve as "mousers." Because cats exhibit varying degrees of sociability, even an animal-care and control professional may not immediately be able to tell the difference between a feral cat and a frightened indoor-only cat who has escaped and become lost.
• Cats are not adequately protected by laws. Domestic cats have been the nation's most popular pet since the mid-1980s, and more than 60 million now live in U.S. households. But laws and policies developed to protect and control cats have not kept pace with their status as America's preferred pet. Few communities, for example, register or license cats or require that they be confined or supervised when outdoors. Fewer still regulate feral cats.

So what is the answer to the ever-increasing problem of cat overpopulation? The HSUS believes that community cat care and control programs should include the following:

• Mandatory registration or licensing of cats. If a fee is charged, it should be higher for unsterilized cats than sterilized cats.
• Mandatory identification of cats. In addition to requiring that cats wear collars and tags, communities should consider implementing a back-up permanent identification system such as microchips.
• Mandatory rabies vaccinations for all cats more than 3 months of age.
• A mandatory minimum shelter holding period for stray cats consistent with that established for stray dogs. This policy should allow for euthanasia of suffering animals prior to completion of the holding period.
• An ongoing public education program that promotes responsible cat care.

The Wichita Country Humane Society still needs donations of all types, which may be dropped off at the shelter on the Old Iowa Park Road. And remember, by allowing your cat to roam freely outside, you not only expose a beloved companion to potential harm and disease, but you also affect the people and other animals in your community. If your cat is not spayed or neutered, you could be unknowingly be contributing to the problem of feline overpopulation and possibly sentencing a kitten to an early death.
FYI: Special thanks to the Best Buy store on Kemp for their generous donations of a printer and other computer equipment to the Top of Texas K9 Search and Rescue Association. This equipment will be used this weekend during a training exercise at Davey Crockett National Forest in East Texas. Contributions are still needed to assist in training the canine search and rescue dogs. Send your tax-deductible contributions to: #2 Newcomb Terrace, Wichita Falls, Texas 76308. Remember, this is your search and rescue team.
Also, the Faith City Kennel Club, in conjunction with the Wichita Falls Public Library, is offering a special way to remember your beloved companions, either human or animal, who are no longer with us. For a $25 contribution to the library, your loved one's name will be placed in the front of an animal related book. The library has a list of preferred books from which you can choose. For more information please contact the library at 767-0868.
Eamon P. Riley is a professional dog trainer and animal behavioral consultant. For suggestions or comments, he can be emailed at dogmanusmc@aol.com or by calling 689-9483.