I did not have a blog back then and there was no Twitter. But I was not about to let the PA Game Commission make cats targets for hunters. So I and a handful of other cat lovers trekked to Harrisburg. After waiting hours I got to read testimony I composed. For the record, this was the first proposal by the PA Game Commission that was defeated.
RE: Support for TNR Programs
Dear Members of the PA Game Commission:
I have traveled to Harrisburg today with a lot of anxiety and determination to petition you in supporting Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) programs in the State of Pennsylvania.
Your proposal to ban all Trap-Neuter-Release programs of feral cats is very chilling and sinister. What do you propose to do with the explosion of their population?
Is it the Game Commissions’ plan to allow open season on all stray and feral cats with the passage of the amendment?
Is it to give hunters and people that poison cats free reign to kill cats as though they were vermin? Or is the plan to allow trappers to now have free reign to CRUELLY TRAP PUSSY CATS!!!??? What’s next, selling their fur on some international fur trade market like the PGC cruelly allowed last year when you passed the amendment to allow the trapping and killing of bobcats for the first time in 30 Years.
Not enough wildlife targets for all the thrill seeking hunters who just love to go out and cut down creatures in their prime of life for cheap thrill or trophies?
We are not passively going to let you arbitrarily decide that feral cats are now to be considered fair game. Or that feral cats are not subject to the laws against cruelty to animals just as they apply to all cats and dogs and other creatures?
The answer is that we will never stop taking care of cats and never stop fighting the PGC by exposing this cruel and medieval proposal. I think this decision is extremely cold hearted.
State Rep. Barbette Joseph (D) Phila.) who co-sponsored a resolution supporting trap, neuter and release programs that was just approved this past Friday, asked if you plan to shoot them too. Erich Hendricks, executive director of the PA Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals questions the Game Commission's authority in calling feral cats “wildlife” in the same class as deer or other animals under ownership of the commission.
PUSSY CATS WILL BECOME FAIR GAME
I will ALWAYS protect cats.. I will never sit still for cruelty to cats or any animal. I agonize over homeless animals since childhood and since I can’t bring any more cats home, I help feed and provide shelters and put in a lot of time and money caring for a small group of cats that are living behind a local pet food store. I care for them in addition to my own seven kitties that live with me and my husband in our home.. All were once either stray or feral. Each one of my seven kitties (Elvis, Lasher, Sambo, Garbo, Dino, Camille and Violet) has a distinct personality and communicate with me and add great comfort and pleasure to our lives. They are excellent companions.
There is no difference between my precious kitties at home and the ferals that are struggling out on their own because they are the offspring of cats that were abandoned by their owners or got lost.
Since I’ve started personally taking care of the small group of ferals (now down to three cats) I am relieved of some of the pain of knowing there are so many homeless precious little creatures out there and feel that I am making a difference in the quality of life for some of them at least. I feel that it is a spiritual act which in turn affects the welfare of all cats. Any one of my cats could still be out there instead of under my solicitous attention.
I will never stop helping them and I will continue my activities.
I think it is absolutely outrageous that it is now going to be against the law to care for strays and cats will become “prime open season targets. Stop this slaughter before it begins. The Game Commission’s proposed plan threatens to fine participants like me in local TNR programs $100 per Cat. Responsible and compassionate behavior should not be punished. We should be thanked for our public service instead.
From the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals I submit herewith:
CATS RIGHTS
1. The Right to be recognized as a unique and important species.
2. The Right to have their individual lives cherished and protected.
3. The Right to be free from cruelty and abuse.
4. The Right to receive aid and comfort, including food, water, shelter, and medical care.
5. The Right to a fair share of public resources for the care and treatment of companion animals.
6. The right to be treated as equal members of the animal kingdom.
7. The Right to be represented accurately and humanely by those who speak on their behalf.
Lovers of cats in Pennsylvania out-numbers those of you that have no particular love for cats. These animals need our compassion and help. Trap, neuter and release are the only humane solutions to control the feral cat population.
I am here to humbly ask that you please reconsider and change your mind.
Cats are very “personal” animals and are dearly loved and adored by millions of us cat owners who experience and take great pleasure in their exquisite and sensitive presences. They are very special animals and part of the fabric of family life in America. Save and protect our feral cats!
Multiplication Chart for Cats
(Courtesy of Forgotten Felines of Sonoma)
Two uncontrolled breeding cats create the following”
Two litters a year…at a survival rate of 2.8 kittens per litter with
continued breeding
12 cats the first year
66 cats the second year
2,201 cats in the third year
3,822 cats in the fifth year and so on
multiplying to a staggering 80,399,780 cats in the tenth year!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment