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The Board has received numerous complaints about the feral cats that have joined our community. The Humane Society has a program called SPOT and will neuter or spay the cat for $10 and then you can release it back into the wild. You can also trap the cat and surrender it to the Shelter free of charge to be euthanized. To read correspondence from the Humane Society, click here…
I am a volunteer with the Idaho Humane Society SPOT (Stop Pet Overpopulation Today) Program for low income family pets and feral cats. I was recently notified of a feral/stray cat problem in Banbury where there was debate between residents concerning the cats. One kind man was able to trap and fix approximately 22 cats and rehome them at his shop. I understand that some people were poisoning the cats. For others, a contractor was called upon to remove cats from the area. We don’t know if those cats were treated or killed humanely (I heard they were not). A few men were even bragging about killing cats. Seriously, an intelligent person would do that and brag about it?
Unfortunately, some of the cats may have belonged to residents or may be lost from a home that is searching for them. They should first be checked for microchip identification. IHS has lost/found information so an effort can be made to find an owner.
You may already be aware that laws exist preventing cruelty to animals, even to nuisance cats. We’d like to offer some humane alternatives to killing healthy cats:
1) The SPOT program offers spays/neuters for feral cats for just $10 each. The ideal scenario is for cats to be returned to their environment once they are fixed. Many people don’t mind feeding stray cats or having them around to keep mice down. Problems arise when they start reproducing. We have fixed hundreds of cat colonies in the 4 years since we started this highly successful program. Feral cats do not usually live long lives. After 2-3 years, only about half of the cats remain. Unless new ones are dropped off, the colony will not grow. If someone in the neighborhood is in charge of the cats, they can monitor for new arrivals. It is essential to trap and fix each newcomer before it has a chance to breed. There is almost always someone who will take on responsibility for the cats given the opportunity.
2) If it is voted that the cats can absolutely NOT be tolerated in a neighborhood, I’d offer this suggestion. Contact myself or the SPOT program at (208) 331-8554 for assistance. We have many volunteers who are willing to help fix and relocate the cats if possible. Keep in mind, finding new farm homes can take a month or two. The best bet is if someone in the neighborhood has a friend with a farm that is willing to take the cats and offer them food, water, and shelter, AFTER they are spayed/neutered.
3) If cats are unable to remain in the neighborhood and no homes are available, the humane thing to do is to trap and take them to the shelter where they will be humanely euthanized. We try to prevent euthanasia, but sometimes this may the only option at a particular time.
I expect that the cost to fix each cat is not much more than, if any, hiring an exterminator to trap and kill the cats. I assume we are dealing with mostly intelligent people with some amount of income in neighborhoods with homeowners’ associations and not trailer parks and low income areas. That being said, we even have trailer parks that care enough about animals that have successfully completed a TNR (trap-neuter-return) effort.
We do have a free trap loan program for anyone wanting to have feral/stray cats fixed. We have experienced volunteers who can provide trapping tips and can arrive at a location to help if/when needed.
For areas where low income individuals have tame cats or pit bulls, we offer a low cost spay or neuter for just $25. Pet owners can contact us at the number above or by calling the IHS Medical Center at (208) 342-3599. We even help people who do not have transportation!
I hope this adequately explains the program we have in place. The SPOT program is subsidized by tax deductible donations, volunteer hours from veterinarians and technicians, and volunteers from the community. If we can be of help to you, please don’t hesitate to call or write for assistance or advice.
Thank you!
Lou Ann Gaskell
IHS SPOT Volunteer
(208) 891-4008