Feral Cats And Public Responsibility

Most of us are familiar with feral – better known as wild – cats.

They’re lean, mean, often tabby, always hungry and glare balefully at you before they turn tail.
Often battered old ‘Toms’ they’re the perpetrators of blood curdling nocturnal fights as they tangle with your pet ‘moggy’ who tends to come off second best.

And if cornered watch out as their innately feral nature means they should not be tampered with. I know that from bitter experience.

Stray and feral cat populations are increasingly coming to the notice of the SPCA and although expectations are that the SPCA is the one stop shop for unwanted animals, Dannevirke branch manager Jacqui Perry wants to remind the public that there are processes we can do first.

She notes a “dramatic increase” in phone calls regarding stray cats and kittens and not just in Dannevirke but from rural areas as well.

Her message is: control of feral and stray cats is not the responsibility of the SPCA and there is no funding for it; the SPCA does not pick up stray/unwanted cats; do not feed unless you want to be responsible for them; leaving out scrapes or rubbish will also attract hungry cats.

Problems fielded by the SPCA range from neighbour complaints regarding un-neutered cats that are constantly breeding, un-vaccinated, disease carrying cats and abandoned cats and kittens that put wildlife and some animals at risk.

Some other examples: If a cat stays continuously in the area for several days don’t just ring the SPCA but make neighbourhood enquiries first; if cats are unable to be handled hire a trap as ‘unhandable’ cats must be caught and brought to the SPCA in a secure – not a man made - trap.

If a litter of wild kittens is found and they are healthy try to keep them until around eight weeks old, try to handle them daily and then bring them to the SPCA for rehoming.

Other reminders include the SPCA’s non-acceptance of healthy wild felines from industrial or commercial areas. Instead refer to appropriate pest control companies in the Yellow Pages. There are also prevention – desexing - measures around numbers of wild cats around a property. The SPCA advises that if several are desexed and released back into the area other wild cats will not move in.

Anyone considering bringing in a wild cat to SPCA is asked to ring first – it may be unable to accept animals.

As a voluntary organisation the SPCA relies entirely on donations, bequests and fundraising. During this year it has neutered 85 animals at no charge to the public and cared for and rehomed ‘hundreds’ of animal, Mrs Perry said. 

By Hilary Pedersen