Texans view property right as an important topic. Many love our pets like they're our children. Many don't desereve their pets. Basic neighborhood civics is part and parcel of the free roaming cat issue. Most believe in the do unt oothers creed. So, if you let your cat run loose and it uses my car or porch for a waste station it makes me think you are not of the same school. Maybe you don't want to clean out a litter box or train your pet. Have heart. Dog kennels can be used as cat habitats with a little thought. If you want to help I am starting an effort to change laws and policies in Brazoria county. Lake Jackson Texas is our 1st stop. L.J. has an exemption to their leash law allowing cats to roam at will. It is home to the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory and multiple refuges. We are in the middle of some of the most important bird habitat in the USA. We have more species than most any county in North America. Here's a write up by an Audubon writer we endorse but plan on expanding. I'll post more about Lake Jackson and who to call soon.
Cats
by Susan Roney Drennan,National Audubon Society
If anyone ever needed more proof that people love cats, consider that the longest-running show in Broadway history, based on T.S. Eliot's poems in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, with music by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, is none other than Cats. Now in its second decade on Broadway, it has grossed over $2.2 billion and been seen by 47 million people worldwide.
People have been captivated by the beauty and nature of cats for about the last 4,000 years, since the first cats were domesticated in Egypt. They were introduced to Europe about 2,000 years ago and came to North America when Europeans colonized this continent. In America, the domesticated cat is the most numerous pet, numbering about 60 million, according to U.S. Census data. In fact, nearly 30% of households have them. Careful estimates place free-ranging, feral cats at about 40 million. The combined total of 100 million cats nationwide is astonishing. Each of those animals must eat. Feral cats eat predominantly birds, rodents, and small mammals. Domesticated cats, even when fed regularly by their owners, retain their motivation to hunt. These cats also prey on the same animals that feral cats do. It is easy to see why the question of cats is a growing subject of controversy around the country.
At the most recent meeting of the National Audubon Society Board of Directors, the cat issue was addressed both as a policy matter and because some Audubon chapters have become involved in the issue in their local communities. After lengthy discussion, the Board voted to adopt a resolution regarding the cat issue. It took the following salient and science-based points into consideration before passing the resolution:
Feral and free-ranging cats kill millions of native birds and other small animals annually;
Birds constitute approximately 20%-30% of the prey of feral and free-ranging domestic cats;
The American Ornithologists' Union, American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc., and the Cooper Ornithological Society have concluded that feral, homeless, lost, abandoned, or free-ranging domestic cats are proven to have serious negative impacts on bird populations, and have contributed to the decline of many bird species. Worldwide, cats may have been involved in the extinction of more bird species than any other cause, except habitat destruction;
Feral cat colony management programs known by the acronym TTVNR (Trapped, Tested, Vaccinated, Neutered, Released) are not effective solutions to the problem. In fact, these cat colonies are usually fed by very well-meaning cat welfare groups. The unnatural colonies form around food sources and grow to the limits of the food supply. Feeding these strays does not prevent them from hunting; it only maintains high densities of cats that dramatically increase predation on and competition with native wildlife populations;
Free-roaming cats are likely to come in contact with rabid wild animals and thus spread the disease to people. They pose a risk to the general public through transmission of other diseases like toxoplasmosis, feline leukemia, distemper, and roundworm.
The resolution approved by the Board states that the Society will convey these science-based conclusions to Audubon chapters so that they will be in a position to work constructively on this issue, if they wish. Audubon will also work with scientific, conservation, and animal welfare communities to educate the public about the dangers that feral and free-roaming cats pose to birds and other native wildlife. It will also work on this issue with federal wildlife agencies, public health organizations, and legislative bodies as it decides are appropriate.
The National Audubon Society advocates responsible ownership of all pets.
Note: See the NAS Board Resolution
Back to CN III, 1
New update in Texas. Property rights and the environment be damned the Texas Legislature goes against science and the TP&W----This was posted in the Alley Cat Allies Newletter-- Advocating Against Policies that Harm Cats This month, cats were protected in Texas thanks to calls for change from Alley Cat Allies and our advocates. The Texas legislature was considering a poorly worded bill that could have led to the killing of countless Texas cats. The bill, S.B. 691, aimed to control, prevent and eradicate invasive species—introduced species that threaten the economy, the environment, or human health. But the bill's language was so broad and vague that cats could qualify as invasive species and could lead to many being impounded and killed. Facing outcry from Alley Cat Allies and our advocates, the bill’s sponsor published a statement of legislative intent stating that there was no intent to classify cats or dogs as invasive species. Although the statement makes clear that the Senate does not intend cats to be invasive species, the statement is only guidance, not binding language of law. While state agencies typically follow the guidance of the legislature, Alley Cat Allies will monitor the Texas departments overseeing invasive species control to make sure they do no harm to cats
Friday, October 31, 2008
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