feral/stray cat overpopulation, many
“The greatness of a nation and its moral
communities in North America have
progress can be judged by the way its animals
adopted TSR method.
are treated.”
After they have been released back into
The quote, attributed to Mahatma Gandhi,
their colonies, colony caregivers provide
is often cited by the Friends of Feral Cats in
them with food and water daily, and monitor
Hawkesbury. You could also say that a
their numbers and health.
society is judged by the way it treats its
“Do the tomcat prowl when the sun goes
elderly, children and impoverished. But we
down.” That is from the Doug and The Slugs
can only handle one issue at a time and we
are talking animals here. If you follow this
song, “Tomcat Prowl.”
thread, the mention of Gandhi leads to
Some old cats cannot be taught new tricks.
Gandhi and claws
images of India, a country where cows are
While we think that with a lot of love and a
sacred and rats are venerated.
few cans of tuna we can tame any animal,
The group also feels compelled to explain
volunteers are also working to change a bad
Meanwhile, back in our world, try to get
some cats are simply born to be wild. The
the logic behind its trap-sterilize-release
attitude, which sadly seems to be pervasive
your head around the concept of 11 million
true feral cats have never had any human
system. When it comes to cat crowd control,
among certain elements of the population.
cats, or 11,606,777 felines to be exact. That is
contact and cannot be tamed. They are best
there is no quick or easy fix.
People have to take responsibility for their
the figure the Friends of Feral Cats uses to
left alone to live out their natural life in the
Studies have shown that controlling
animals, by ensuring that they are sterilized
underline the importance of keeping the cat
colony that they are accustomed to.
feral/stray cat populations through trap and
and well cared for.
population under control. Felines breed like
It is comforting to know that a group is so
kill programs are cruel, ineffective and costly.
“Don’t get upset. It is just an animal.”
bunnies. One unspayed female cat,
determined to help out those little creatures.
When feral/stray cats are removed from
That kind of remark can make an animal
Sure, animal welfare is just one way we
producing six kittens, three males and three
their colonies and euthanized, those left
person go wild. Anyone who thinks that an
females can be responsible for 430,000 cats in
can judge our society. It would be naive to
behind become more fertile and reproduce
animal is disposable is obviously not thinking.
believe that, because so many of us love
seven years. The FOFC refers to a cat
to fill the territory vacated by those removed.
Sadly, some pet owners believe that is all
“pyramid,” showing that in nine years, this
animals, we can be satisfied with our “moral
Removal programs must therefore be
right to simply drop off an animal in the
progress.” But who among us can dispute
litter will have ballooned to 11.6 million cats.
constantly repeated. To help better deal with
country. The countryside is littered with pets
There is no telling how many stray cats
the words of Gandhi?
that have been dumped by sickos who leave
there are wandering around Hawkesbury.
Offre d’une durée limitée! 88 $ Perdez du poids. Résultats garantis. LES 8 SEMAINES À † Au printemps, je me redécouvre et je pense à moi.
pets in the middle of nowhere to fend for
But we know that there are fewer felines
themselves. Many of these poor creatures
than there were in 2009. That was when the
« Je suis maintenant une femme sans peur qui a confiance en soi! »
cannot survive on their own. They die slow,
FOFC was formed. At the time, the stray cat
painful deaths or become easy prey for
problem was deemed to be a “crisis.”
wildlife.Sadly, too many of us have
The group of cat-loving volunteers, with
encountered neglected and abused animals.
the help of the Cornwall branch of the Ontario
The
FOCF
volunteers
have,
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Nancy a perdu 191 livres et 179 pouces. et 22 tailles de vêtements*
understandably, more than a few horror
Animals, launched a trap-sterilization-
stories that can be shared. We will take the
release program.
case of “Bella,” a female short-hair
The sterilization of 77 male and 70 female
tortoiseshell, dropped off on the side of the
cats in 2009 and 2010 has meant that there
road. When she was rescued by the FOCF
are 500 fewer unwanted kittens in town.
Bella was covered in about 200 ticks. After
Plus, the town is quieter. And Hawkesbury
the ticks were removed, and Bella was
sure smells a lot better, too. Because of the
sterilized and vaccinated, it was discovered
reduced numbers, there is less fighting,
that the cat had been horribly abused. Some
spraying and howling in town. You can visit
jerk had brutally beaten the creature. But
http://friendsofferalcats.weebly.com to
there is a happy ending. The FOFC reports:
learn more about the group and how you
DE VRAIS ALIMENTS CONSEILLERS PERSONNELS PRODUITS NATURELS Un système bien pensé pour une perte de poids qui dure : dure :
“She was later adopted by someone willing
can help.
to love and care for her regardless of her
“May God protect Man from himself and
condition and is now living in the comfort of
animals from Man.”
250, rue Main Est, Hawkesbury, ON Tél. : 613 632-9282 • Télec. : 613 632-0791
a loving home where she is loved and cared
That is another line used by the FOFC.
for and now sleeps on the pillow next to her
The small group does a lot of hands-on
new owner every night. Her scars she will
work, trapping wild cats, replenishing
*Notre clientèle est variée, tout comme ses résultats. †Offre valide pour les services personnalisés en perte de poids pour nouveaux contrats d’un an. Ne peut être jumelé à d’autres coupons, spéciaux ou promotions. Doit d’abord satisfaire aux critères d’admissibilité pour être accepté dans un programme. Le coût des produits et les vrais aliments sont en sus et sont à prix régulier. Offre valide jusqu’au 3 avril 2011 © 2011 Herbal Magic. Tous droits réservés. g
have forever, but she will never have to
feeding stations, schlepping the animals to
herbalmagic.ca
worry about being abused ever again.”
and from veterinarians’ offices. But the
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