The News- Friday October 13 2006

Homeless cats in Oceanside are everybody's responsibility

Several people called me to see if I had read the recent letter to the editor on the destruction of feral cats at the local SPCA.

That outcome is the reality for feral kittens and cats.

Being terrified should be no reason to die. Feral cats are here because people did not neuter their cats and then abandoned them.

Trapping kittens between five and seven weeks and handling them often gives them a good chance for a normal life.

In August I got a call from a woman about a feral cat and five kittens in Coombs. She has already found there was no help except to trap them and to have them put down.

I took two traps and found the kittens were already eight or none weeks. I got them in a foster home and took them to a vet in Nanaimo to be spayed and that's when I found "no good deed goes unpunished" as five of the six were female, meaning an extra $55 each for spaying. They have now all been adopted and each new owner given as much advice as we could.

Most people don't want to trap a cat and deliver it to be killed.

I encourage people who call me to trap, neuter,release and feed. That amount of help makes a huge difference to the cat's health and you've prevented lots of babies being born.

Feral cats form colonies and if spayed, health-checked and fed daily they can live nine or ten years. The colony does not grow larger as they maintain their numbers.

Abandoned or stray cats that become wild are a totally different cat, once trapped, cleaned up and fed, their memory kicks in and they become a pussycat in as little as three days.

I have been fortunate that several people have helped me raise money to spay and feed wild cats. Most of our donations come from the garage sales come through Vera McMullan.

I am not in a position to take in any cats right now but I encourage everyone to spay one cat a year that isn't theirs. Never be reluctant to help any wild or stray cat but remember feeding without spaying just makes them stronger to breed.
Homeless cats are everyone's responsibility.

Peggy Bodnar lives in Qualicum Beach

Jean Martin
Lantzville BC