If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Happy Tails scratches and claws its way to success in sterilizing Miller Park's feral cats - now if it can just control humans
Happy Tails scratches and claws its way to success in sterilizing
Miller Park's feral cats - now if it can just control humans By Blair Anthony Robertson -- Bee Staff Writer Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, January 7, 2006 Story appeared in Metro section, Page B1 When scores of volunteers from Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary finally managed to spay or neuter the entire feral cat colony at Miller Park - one trapped cat and one surgical procedure at a time - they considered it a milestone. But it was hardly the end of the story or the struggle. In the best of worlds, sterilizing cats and returning them to the park along the Sacramento River would ensure no more litters, no legacy of untamed animals trying to survive apart from human companionship. What these helpers could not control was the far larger population of humans who dump their cats off at the park, betraying a pet and violating state law. The phenomenon is keeping the volunteers busy. Happy Tails, which began 12 years ago when founder Melinie diLuck researched a story on throwaway pets for a national cat magazine, now spends about $1,000 a month on food and veterinary bills for the cat colony at Miller Park. The nonprofit group adopts out tame cats and maintains a cage-free cat sanctuary in east Sacramento, complete with music as background noise. Miller Park's prominent cat colony is simply the best known piece of a far larger puzzle. Claudia Schlachter, who runs a countywide feral cat program and helped coordinate the effort at Miller Park, says she has 180 colonies in her database. Since the Miller Park campaign started in late 2003, more than 100 cats from the park have been sterilized with help from the city's Animal Control. At monthly clinics that springboarded from the Miller Park idea, 800 feral cats from throughout Sacramento County have been altered. Miller Park became ground zero for feral cat problems years ago, Schlatcher said, when people began feeding the colony. But the kibble, scattered along the ground, caused all kinds of problems - skunks joined in the feeding and their population exploded out of control. Cats began marking their territory and disrupting park visitors. "Part of the project was to educate people about abandoning cats," Schlatcher said. "But there's still a constant inflow of cats. People still go down there to dump." In fact, diLuck was reluctant to talk about the Miller Park colony, fearing it would encourage more such dumping. She noted that abandoning a cat or other pet is against state law, with penalties that include up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. The cats at the park are wary of humans and slink away when people get too close. Two cat houses provide a gathering place and shelter from inclement weather. During a visit Friday, several cats climbed to the roof of the shelter and ate out of several bowls. Becky Maclay is one of the most consistent volunteers, often showing up twice a day to feed the animals. She finds the work rewarding - until she spots a newly dumped cat. "It's very depressing," she said. "People think it's better than taking them to the shelter, but it's not fair to the cats." New cats that are tame can be shunned by the colony or attacked and are susceptible to any number of diseases. The lucky ones demonstrate their tameness by meowing when people approach. They're often adopted out to new homes by Happy Tails. The feral cats don't meow and don't allow humans to touch them. Still, Maclay says she senses a connection to the animals whenever she visits. "There's something about cats. There's almost a human feeling when you look into their eyes," she said. "You can see them thinking and feeling." http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/s...14878207c.html === "Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done." -- Andy Rooney _________________________________________ Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server More than 140,000 groups Unlimited download http://www.usenetzone.com to open account |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|