Port Marina cats now barn cats

The lives of the 'marina cats' that inhabited the rocky crevices of the public boat ramp at the H.H. Knoll Park on the Lake Erie shore of Port Colborne have been dramatically changed by the Port Colborne Feral Cat Initiative (PCFCI).

The feral cats - cats that are afraid of human contact - lived among the rocks of the boat ramp in a 'feral colony'. They depended on food handouts from kind hearted people to avoid starvation and suffered through frigid winters in an extremely harsh environment. The number of cats in the colony fluctuated with the relentless cycle of deaths and births. The average life span of a feral cat is two years, with three out of four kittens born to feral cats not surviving to adulthood.

Kristi Mallinson-Vogel knew there was a way to end this cycle of suffering and founded PCFCI, a volunteer group committed to humanely address the feral cat problem with a community Trap-Neuter-Return program, known world wide as TNR.

'Feral cats are the direct result of human neglect,' says Kristi. 'We've created this problem and we need to fix it. Pet abandonment, pets that are not spayed/neutered and lack of TNR programs for feral colonies all contribute to the massive number of feral/stray cats, not only in our community but around the world.' Feral cat numbers are estimated to be in the tens of millions in the United States alone.

Program funding was granted to PCFCI by the City of Port Colborne in May and the marina cats were the first to benefit. Over the course of a few days in June, PCFCI volunteers worked around the clock to humanely trap, sterilize and vaccinate the feral marina cats. A barn home for the cats was secured which provides food, shelter and medical attention, if needed. In return, these lucky cats have all 'volunteered' for mouse patrol!

'PCFCI is very happy to report that the marina cats are safe, healthy and well cared for in their new country home,' says Kristi.

Kittens having kittens...

Her caregivers call her Missy. A tiny strawberry blonde feline with white trim, she is barely more than a kitten herself. Five days ago, outside in frigidly cold weather Missy gave birth to her first litter of kittens. Thanks to the PCFCI TNR program, this litter will be her last.

Missy's caregivers reached out to PCFCI to assist them with the ever-growing colony that they have been feeding and sheltering for over six years. These people have provided shelter and food to countless numbers of cats over this period of time. Despite neighbourhood complaints about the odour and the noise from territorial fighting, they could not bear to watch the homeless cats and kittens literally starving in front of their eyes. They contacted various agencies to see what solutions were available. Sadly they came to the realization that if surrendered to the shelter the unsocialized adult cats would be killed as they were deemed unadoptable. The final straw was the day they saw a hungry cat eat a Kleenex out of the garbage. They built shelters and started feeding the most nutritious diet they could afford. They found homes for many of the kittens and friendly adults. Unfortunately, as evidenced by the ever-increasing size of the colony, this just wasn't enough to resolve the problem.

The missing piece of the puzzle was sterilization. No matter how many cats they were able to find homes for, the remaining cats continued to reproduce, resulting in a never ending supply of new cats to the colony. This is why TNR is the only humane and fiscally responsible solution to address the issue. TNR translates into no more kittens, no more noise and no more odour. Over time the colony dies off through attrition.

Missy and her kittens will have a temporary new home, safe from the many predators that prey on small kittens. When the kittens are old enough to eat on their own, they will be placed in foster care in order to further prepare for adoption. Missy will be spayed and also placed in an adoption program, waiting for her forever home.

With your generosity and support, PCFCI will continue to work toward making a difference in the lives of these cats. At the very least they are deserving of the safe haven of a managed colony and just maybe a chance at finding their forever home.

Need for education never greater...

Ms. Kuruziak's (Niagara Wildlife Haven) letters to the Editor in the Welland Tribune on Feb 20 and March 4 are an indicator that there has never been a greater need for community outreach and education on the issue of the feral and homeless cat crisis sweeping the Niagara region and beyond.

Ms. Kuruziak’s comment that the proposed PC community-wide TNR program is 'a poorly thought out plan to spend taxpayers money on just 20 feral cats’ is both puzzling and erroneous. As Ms. Kuruziak was never present during any of the meetings with city staff, the Welland and District Humane Society or the three presentations made to Mayor Badawey and members of council, she does not possess any first hand knowledge of the various components of our proposal. Any funding granted will be used to help pay for the sterilization of as many feral and homeless cats as possible. Depending on the price that we are able to negotiate with sympathetic veterinarians this could be upwards of 50 cats in year one of the plan from these funds alone. Based on our research this proposal will in fact result in savings to the taxpayer over the long term, as well as being a humane and ethical solution.

Ms. Kuruziak seems to be unaware that our proposed community wide TNR program, and all that it entails with respect to the dedicated year round care, assessment of cats/kittens for potential adoption, carefully monitored feeding and seasonally appropriate shelter is only one component of the ultimate strategy to stop the flow of unwanted cats and kittens being abandoned outdoors or relinquished to a shelter. We, along with NAfA and CAAN are actively working towards implementation of all of the various components required to create a ‘No Kill’ community, a model that will over time eliminate the use of euthanasia as a primary method of animal control.

Ms. Kuruziak’s statement that these cats are not indigenous wildlife and should therefore not be afforded any protection smacks of nativism, a theory which purports that an animal’s value stems from its lineage and that a species worth is determined from being at a particular location first. We disagree and feel that all living creatures deserve both respect and protection.

This tragic situation has been created by human neglect. It is a public problem demanding a public solution. All the stakeholders within a community must collaborate to create long term solutions, including implementation of programs that will address the root causes of the problem itself. No matter what biases we all bring to the table, the continued destruction of unwanted and abandoned companion animals is never going to accomplish this.

chilling reality...

There's a bone chilling air swirling around the Niagara region. It's got nothing to do with winter but everything to do with numbers. It is estimated that 5,000 cats and kittens are displaced each year in our region alone. Frightened felines that for whatever reason are no longer wanted by their caregivers are relinquished at a shelter or worse, abandoned outdoors to fend for themselves. A small percentage of these cats find another home to call their own. Tragically most do not and they end up being destroyed. Many do not realize that there is a hefty price tag attached to this activity. The cost to society is conservatively placed at $100.00 per cat. This would include the administrative costs of intake, housing and food, destroying and disposing of the body. This means that our region alone is spending upwards of $500,000.00 per annum to destroy unwanted cats. Tragically the number is far, far higher when one factors in all the other unwanted companion animals that are destroyed in the same fashion. Utter madness does not even come close to putting a label on this. As a 'civilized' society, can we not implement more proactive methods to deal with this crisis and resolve it over the long term? We are working together with our fellow animal welfare groups to make this happen in the Niagara region. Community wide TNR would be a positive first step in stabilizing the feral and homeless cat population.

a new dawn...

It seems like ages since the initial dialogue commenced between us and a member of city council. In only 8 short weeks we have made contact with so many wonderful, caring people from around the region of Niagara and even further afield. A nationally renowned rescue group from the U.S., the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, cheered us on with advice and moral support, even pledging to send us all the Canadian coin that they receive in their donation boxes. Closer to home, NAfA and CAAN have been with us every step of the way. The Welland and District Humane Society has been so very generous with their time. Saying thank you to these people simply doesn't seem to be enough. It's clear that those who care passionately about this issue don't need much - it is reward enough to see their many years of hard work paying off in the form of helping another group that just might be able to make a difference.

After meetings with city staff, a member of council and the Welland Humane Society in early January, we made two presentations to Mayor and members of council at budget meetings. After our second presentation it was voted unanimously by the council budget committee to receive draft approval for the 2009 budget. Nothing is final yet, however we remain optimistic that the Mayor and city council will realize that a community wide TNR project is the only fiscally responsible and humane method of solving the feral and abandoned cat crisis over the long term. A new day is dawning when animal welfare will take the place it so justly deserves in our society.

Life on the rocks....

Dawn breaks slowly over the frozen shores of Lake Erie. Massive mountains of ice lay jumbled along the lake where water meets land. Man-made shoreline consisting of piles of snow and ice covered rocks, intended to keep erosion at bay, is now home to a growing colony of feral cats. Assorted shapes, sizes and colours, there are a couple that are probably only 3 - 4 months old. Who knows how they came to live at this unlikely location. They may be a splinter group from a nearby colony or some may have been dropped off there at some point, abandoned by their human caretakers - one can only speculate. Now this is the only home they know. They have managed to survive, at least for now, the frigid temperatures, raging blizzards and howling winds that this winter season has unleashed on them. Thanks to kind souls that supply them with food and fill up the little spaces between the rocks with straw where they huddle to keep warm, they are alive. Sadly, females who are no more than kittens themselves may already be pregnant with the first litters of 2009. Is this any way to treat creatures that were domesticated by man and were more than likely someones companion animal? We think not. Trap, neuter, return, along with a dedicated volunteer caretaker and appropriate shelter will ensure that they receive the best quality of life under the circumstances. We think it's only fair...

See what the 'No Kill' revolution is all about......

T-N-R: a primer

Lots of folks are asking, 'Well, what exactly is T-N-R?' Great question! Trap, neuter, return, commonly referred to as T-N-R, is a simple, elegant model that is a proven solution to the feral cat epidemic sweeping North America and beyond. This humane and ethical programme provides for a designated, volunteer caretaker to feed, monitor and shelter the colony, live trapping the cats within the colony to be spayed/neutered, vaccinated where appropriate and ear-tipped, which identifies the cat as being sterilized. The cats are then returned to the colony where they are fed and monitored for the remainder of their natural lives. The caretaker closely monitors for the arrival of any new cats which require sterilization, as well as any cats/kittens that may be adoptable.

Statistics show that managed T-N-R programmes show a definite decline in the feral cat population, as well as a decline in euthanasia rates. In order for it to be effective there must exist a very strong degree of collaboration between the many stakeholders in the community. For example, the co-operation of the caretaker is required to facilitate the trapping and provide long-term oversight. A local veterinarian is needed to provide discounted spay/neuter surgeries. For the cats' long-term security, the owner of the property and neighbours need to understand and accept what is being done. The municipality will also play a role in determining whether a managed colony will be permitted and endorsed.

Animal control/humane societies, public health officials, elected officials such as the mayor and city council and city employees need to be working partners in the collaborative effort. Community residents need to be educated and consulted so they do not resist or resent the process. Presentations at every age within the school system are an excellent way to reinforce the concept that all domestic cats deserve loving, permanent homes with responsible caretakers.

So, while we said earlier that it is 'simple', it is in fact a complex undertaking that requires all stakeholders to join together, initially creating a dialogue and then working together towards embracing and acceptance of the T-N-R philosophy.