STRAYS IN THE SNOW
Geez I go to take a short break from wildlife posts, and look what happens! I revert back to a cat rescuer. Oh well. This is a photo of one of the thousands of stray cats on the streets of Greece. If I ever visit this place I can't imagine the cost of my air fare back after I wind up adopting a few hundred of these guys. Sadly this may never happen.
Hans Sylvester made a big name for himself photographing these beauties, although he had a big advantage with the stunning beauty of Greek ports and the charm of the strays.
What's facinating to me is that many of these photos show the strays by the docks. This is exactly how cats were domesticated in the first place. Ships would dock near where wild cats lived, and the smell of cooking meat and the presence of rodents near the docks attracted the cats. The cats were happy to have such abundant hunting, and the humans were thrilled that the rodent population was kept down. The same thing happened on farmlands with rodents infesting barns. Cats' presence was first tolerated and then encouraged. Thus the beginning of a sometimes beautiful relationship.
In truth, the situation is quite dire for these cats now! People do not allow them in their homes, and they are treated by the authorities as vermin - rounded up and killed. Although they are not kept as pets, some sympathizers will put collars on the strays they like and it spares them from being collected by animal control.
Most of these kitties are very thin and never get veterinary care and suffer from chronic illnesses. As they are not "fixed" they continue to reproduce at a rapid rate and it becomes a vicious cycle. Here in the U.S. the problem is just as serious.
These cats are forced to kill thousands of wild birds and mammals, and often spread diseases to other wild cats such as cougars, bobcats, lynx and even to non-feline mammals. Needless to say, keeping our companion cats indoors is the best way to prevent these problems in the first place! It's good to know the difference between a stray cat and a feral cat. Stray cats are simply cats who were once owned but became lost at some point. They might look unhealthy or scared, but they have the general look of an unhealthy, but domestic, cat. (The cats in the photos area strays).
Ferals, on the other hand, tend to have a very different demeanor and look. They will always run in terror from humans, if they are seen at all. If cornered they may attack out of extreme fear. They tend to have squinty eyes and are usually very thin. They are absolutely not wild animals, but they are usually the offspring of a mother cat who has had no contact with humans and so are very fearful. If a "colony" is kept, they may appear only "semi feral" and of course the lines are constantly blurred. Alley Cat Allies is a tremendous organization and a great resource. I learned from their website how to build a fancy feral cat shelter.
For the record, I beleive that killing strays and ferals is the wrong move since thousands of people allow their unneutered cats outdoors, and once one colony is destroyed another one just moves in. This happens on Hawaii where thousands are rounded up and killed in order to save Hawaii's endangered birds. But Hawaii still allows people to bring their cats onto the island and it's the same situation. Until we have a moratorium on allowing cats outdoors, no feral cat should be killed. That's my stance.
How to help: If anyone lives in a cold area of the country, it is nice to put out a simple feral cat box on your front porch. Do not leave out food, and it will not attract cats but may save a cat from freezing to death. Most strays in cold areas do not starve, rather they die of hypothermia. All you have to do is take a cardboard box, place a fleece blanket in it, seal it up, and cut a square hole in the side. Prop it up on some bricks if it's in an area where it can get wet. Don't put out food unless you are going to find them an indoor home!
A more expensive, although much easier option is to buy a small dog igloo (doghouse) and put some fleece blankets or even coats inside. They work wonders by trapping the cat's own body heat. And it's really easy to keep them snow-free. If you have snow in your area, you may be surprised to find kitty footprints near your home! Okay, my cat rescuer side has had its fix. Thanks Voxters!
Comments
Thank you Pax! This issue is really close to my heart. I'm still struggling with the editing and linx (darned Vox! LOL!) but I'll have more helpful links up within the hour.
I'd be curious to learn about the challenges the cats face in New Mexico. Of course you know I'd take them all home if I could! ;)
Thanks for the igloo/box idea....now I'm going to go back at look at those sweet faces...
Sweetie is a very very lucky cat! I love the photos you post of him, always cheers me up. Although the stray situation is sad I am always optimistic especially with Alley Cat Allies and other groups out there.
By the way I will post more links in the next few days, I'm not sure why I'm still so busy on my winter break LOL! I should have mentioned that any small doghouse will work as long as it's small enough to trap in the body heat of a cat and large dogs can't follow the cats inside.
ps So glad to have a fellow cat lover around!! ;)
He isn't a lap cat or a bed cat or a pet-the-cat-cat. He lives a parallel life, sort of, and interacts with me for food and an occasional howl and brief ear scratch. He respects what he seems to think my territory is and won't trespass - and he is up all night, and sleeps most of the day. I know how very different he is, bec we always had cats in the house (insdie only!!!) and he's the first to be so "wild." I think a lot of people wwould have returned him to the SPCA, since he scratches anyone who comes near him, except me, and he'll go after me if I do something "odd." I'm really lucky to have this glimpse of nature, living in the house!.
I'd be curious to learn about the challenges the cats face in New Mexico.
I'm sure it's the same challenges as everywhere. We just have a lot of them. So do you euthenize them, capture and neuter them, let nature take its course? None of the options seem ideal.
He is absolutely a very unique and gorgeous cat, but I have to say his slightly aggressive tendencies are not at all unusual. I've seen it a million times. It can be from not being socialized correctly as a kitten by his previous owner or some cats are really just that way. He sure is lucky to have such a cool and indoor home. He always looks so happy!! ;)
I live near a park here and every other season, we get a new bunch of strays. We're not too far from Syracuse University and it's always been suspected by us that students either don't know what they're getting into or get caught and instead of doing the proper thing, think they're helping the animal by giving them a shot at 'freedom'. They're not. It's not easy for any domesticated animal to try to 'learn the world'. I can't imagine it's any easier for animals that are feral to begin with -- unless there's a bit of symbiosis going on like how some farmers keep and treat ferals for taking care of mice (but I bet that's still sketchy).
Great question, I think as long as owned cats are allowed outdoors no solution will work. But hypothetically if everyone agreed to keep owned cats indoors, all we would have to do is neuter all remaining strays and ferals, adopt any cats who can possibly live with humans (techs like myself who've had lots of training can socialize almost any feral. It's really not that hard) and since ferals live such short lives we would just wait for the remaining neutered strays to die of disease or "old age" (usually between 6 to 10 years old for ferals) and VIOLA! No more outdoor feral cats. It would be great.
I was wondering about New Mexico because unless I'm mistaken there is probably not lots of below zero weather and I wonder if feral cat shelters are still useful against severe heat, predators, etc or if it's not worth bothering. We can't leave out water here because it always freezes unless we have an outdoor bowl heating unit. ;)
Hi Bouche!!
I must go to your website and look for Hailey pics, that is one fortunate kitty!
Funny, I was just reading about strays on campus. It is definetly a big problem. Education is so important but also very challenging. Boy, I love Syracuse and I would love to hold some kind of seminar there about ferals. It would be so cool.
The farmer thing has been going on since the dawn of time and it was fine when there were many fewer humans and fewer cats! Now with habitat loss and development killing off natural places at a record rate, plus overpopulation of cats things have really changed. Things used to be much more rustic, sigh.
The whole stray cat thing was actually kind of romantic and cool when people lived more simply, of course it was never ideal but now it's just completely out of control.
I was wondering about New Mexico because unless I'm mistaken there is probably not lots of below zero weather and I wonder if feral cat shelters are still useful against severe heat, predators, etc or if it's not worth bothering.
It depends on which part of New Mexico. Here in the Four Corners, we're at high altitude (roughly one mile), so the temperature varies greatly over a 24-hour period. Making shelters for the feral cats would definitely benefit them, especially this time of year. There isn't much in the way of predators, but I imagine a lot of them die from the cold at night.
The previous owners of our house had a doghouse for their pooch. We don't have a dog, but we've never dismantled the doghouse. A know a number of strays have used it from time to time, as well as a pregnant skunk that gave birth in there. You know, nothing is cuter than baby skunks... from a distance. :-P
Although it's apparently more dire for cats, I believe the practice is still highly valid for dogs. Both pets *should* be spayed and neutered for good health and to discourage pet overpopulation. Apparently, people didn't haven't listened well enough to Bob Barker and I have no idea if Drew Carrey has continued the message (ha, right).
Why do folks neglect to spay/neuter their pets? I understand such when people breed pets for show and or for work (although such is much rarer today), but... I suspect that the problem does not lie with breeders, at least not wholly.
@Bouche: how some farmers keep and treat ferals for taking care of mice
I seem to know them as "farm cats", as that is what we generally called them (I live in a 'keyhole' city so I'm not a slicker) but was not aware they were considered feral.
That's so exciting!
I'll message you privately as well, but in just in case any other readers would like some hints, here is a very brief overview of the most important things:
I strongly recommend reading The Tribe of Tiger by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. If you don't have time to read a book, just look up what it means to be an obligate carnivore. All cat's behavior and most nutritional needs can be understood by knowing what that is.
Don't declaw. It causes physical and behavior problems, and it's not reversable.
Spay and neuter, I'm sure everyone know that already anyway.
Buy Wellness or California Naturals pet food.
Keep the cat indoors.
If anyone wants an elaboration on this, let me know. I'm a certified vet tech and I do cat behavior consulting. (And pet sitting, MT! Too bad I don't live closer LOL!)
Hey there!
I completely agree, most of the time what I see is people either not wanting to spend the money or they think it's somehow ethically wrong. It's mostly ignorance, although some folks actually just buy a pet on impulse and tell me "my (cat or dog) is not allowed in the house" and it's just left to roam the streets and breed (or freeze to death).
I'm a country gal too so I know what you're talking about, many of them were just strays who lived outdoors and once they found a cat lover with a barn they would hang around to get fed. However, nowadays most feral cat groups will actually buy barns and trap any ferals living near dumpsters in the cities. Once they are neutered they will relocate them to barns out in the middle of nowhere and hope they can find homes or at least stay in one spot. It's very controversial.
I'll tell him you said HI!
Now, this is interesting, what you write. Because I live in a condo and one of my neighbors, who is native Greek, has a cat that he leaves outdoors all year, all the time. This cat only goes inside to eat I think. He's a beautiful, unfixed tom who I've been able to befriend. He lets me hold and snuggle him.
I've wanted to put copies of info re:outdoor cats from the MSPCA in this neighbor's door, but haven't gotten around to it. Mishu, the kitty, has fattened up quite a bit for the winter so I don't worry so much as I did. Only I know, with the level of care he receives, he's probably being fed the crappiest food. His coat is dry and un-fulled looking. Oh well. At least he has food... :-\
We were lucky, Ives was owned by a family before so we knew his birthdate and all, though at 2 years old he was not yet neutered and had never seen a vet, but we were very lucky to have found him.
Your cat is very lucky. It's so hard to say, some cats react really badly to any change. Some feral kittens can be socialized quickly whereas others take months or years to get there, and some house cats are just naturally nutty. Always a mystery! LOL.
Our deceased cat Tory was also a stray from the MSPCA and the vet who saw him the first week was trying to figure how old he was. I guessed 10 years and the vet began giggling. "Oh yeah, we'll go with ten." She winked at me. I think that meant that he was older, and judging by his rotted teeth (that we had fixed later) I think he may have been very old indeed. But we had him for six years and boy was he a gift! ;)
Peace to cat lovers!! ;) Yay!
I'm so lucky to have cat folks in my neighborhood! Yay!
You rock for trying to help that kitty, Jaypo, and it takes courage to confront someone. I find it's always worth it to speak up. Without people who speak up animals would suffer so much more.
In my experience by far the most difficult challenge is getting people to change. But every once in a while you find people who are primed and willing to make a change and it works. The most success I've had is when I took people out for coffee and had a nice face to face conversation with them, and I was always excruciatingly careful to be calm and act like I was 100 percent in agreement with what they did.
I usually act like a salesperson and tell them all the wonderful benefits of keeping their cats in, like less vet bills, better behavior, less worry etc. Then I would slip in that "oh and your cat will have so much fun too!" I find any hint of "you're doing something wrong" always backfires.
Well I bet that kitty just loves you to death, and I'm so glad he has you to keep him company. Blessings!
Hey Rachel! So glad you stopped by!
How wonderful that you're rescuing a shelter cat. I'm so happy for you and the lucky kitty that will have your love. As a cat behaviorist and vet nurse I'm always here for my Voxter cat owners, just let me know if you need anything! ;)
Regarding outdoor cats, **sigh** I know it's a complicated issue. The cats I grew up with always went outdoors. Of course I may play devil's advocate here but with absolute, unequivocal respect for our different viewpoints!! ;)
I'd just say that as a former wildlife rehabilitator (before I went pro biologist LOL) I interned at wild bird center and birds attacked by cats often did not die right away but instead suffered from systemic infections, one of the most painful ways to die. I despise introduced species, but it's really not the bird's fault that humans brought them to a place where they don't belong.
And also there's the consideration that housecats are killing exactly the same wildlife as feral cats. It simply seems unfair to exterminate the ferals while allowing the housecats to do the same damage outdoors.
Of course, my stance is that every cat should be given a perfect indoor home and be spoiled rotton! LOL. I always tell people that it is not cruel to keep cats indoors - indoor-only cats are healthy, happy, well-behaved and playful. I see no reason to let a cat outdoors once they are settled in and happy and much more safe than outdoor cats.
Again, I mean no disrespect, and I do so love discussing cats in any shape or form! LOL!
ps I also love skinks, I must send you the photo of the little reptile that my boyfriend took of one in South Carolina - I would love if you could help me identify it, it has me stumped!! ;)
I will be sure to remember to ask your advise on kitty behavioral issues should ours arrive with any baggage! :)
you are right of course, pet cats do still kill native creatures. I think the biggest difference for me is that the ferals live in the bush where the wildlife is the only option it has for food.
and yes I always hate to see a cat not quite kill off its prey before it gets away badly injured.
I have more to say about all this I think, I need to go away and ponder it some more.
trouble is, I dont feel right about keeping a cat indoors (Im not saying that it isnt right, just that it feels a bit too much like a big cage for me) so i need to think really carefully about weather cat ownership for me can be justified.
thanks again for the discussion, and again, I mean no disrespect either :)
When people let their cats outdoors and indoors it is always done with love for the cat and the cat's guardian usually believes that the cat has much less freedom and enjoyment indoors. So I truly understand that many cat guardians feel really guilty about locking them in the house.
Here's to peaceful debates! ;)
Going through all the pros and cons, I feel confident that I could let a cat out doors here with minimal risk. Mostly because in this area, there are not a lot of native birds to be caught. I dont like to see cats maim non natives, but that is a price I would be willing to pay for a cat to enjoy the outdoors. it might also discourage the blackbirds from scratching in my garden.
Here I feel a little two sided as Im supportive of the new subdivisions that do not allow cats to lessen the damage they do (these are being built in areas with more wildlife).
Also when we eventually move to a peace of land it will hopefully be in a more native environment and I would not want to leta cat outside there. now I wonder would it be fair to let a cat out here for 5 or so years and then keep it indoors when we move to somewhere that actually has some native wildlife?
hmm its a dilemma!
:) Hi RachJ!
I'm sorry I'm not familiar with your area or house, so I can't speak eloquently as to the realistic options; but my friend who's also a cat behaviorist has a fenced in back yard and she lets her (6!!) cats out, supervised while she has tea. (She's so British, LOL) and it's great fun! That may be a good compromise but again I don't know your situation.
The good thing here is that a brand new cat to your home is not going to "miss" what he never sees. He may be curious about the outdoors, but just like a toxic plant, he can live without discovering it and not have it negatively affect his life as long as he has fun, creative entertainment and exercise inside the house. I also leash walk my cat, but most people recoil in horror when I suggest it LOL!
Also I'd say, wildlife are being pushed out of native areas and are also travelling to funny places due to global warming, so we are seeing more widespread wildlife sightings. We had a pelican here in Massachusetts a few weeks ago! They are not usually found farther North than South Carolina. Not to mention the diseases that cats can get from eating stuff outdoors. You may save a fortune in vet bills if you keep him inside.
Anyway, just my regular cat spiel, ;) I hope you find a lovely kitty (I recommend an older neutered male, just my bias!) and if you decide to keep him indoors let me know and I have lots of tricks to keep the annoying blackbirds away from the garden - we have the same problem.
Cheers!
p.s. I probably should have said "harness walked", cat's necks are not strong enough to endure a leash.
Also watch out for fences, I've seen cats impale themselves trying to jump over them. Thus the supervision. ;)