National Feral Cat Day urges rescuing

About 10 minutes after getting stuck with an anesthetic shot, one freaked out tabby settled into a dreamy state, limp and ready to be carried off to the operating room.

Blue scrub-clad women took patients in and out of the 21-foot-long van owned by River City Community Animal Hospital.

For Mari Molina, president of Second Chance Cat Rescue, the traps filled with 27 feral cats denoted a successful National Feral Cat Day.

Molina garnered the support of all the cities and towns in Flagler to join other cities in proclaiming the national day. The proclamation encouraged residents to support a policy to trap, sterilize and return feral cats to their environment when trying to reduce populations -- as an alternative to euthanasia. Some animal advocates argue that euthanasia is a better alternative than uncared for cats susceptible to disease.

Second Chance held the free spay and neuter clinic Monday to kick off a yearlong education campaign on trap, neuter and return. Second Chance picked up the approximately $1,400 bill for the clinic.

Trap, neuter and return is a message advertised for years, and this year it's printed across bumper stickers, pamphlets and posters that note a change in a national campaign to inform the public.

"There is a lot of misinformation out there, and we're trying to correct that," she said.

One misleading fact is that adult feral cats make loving pets. Frohman said while feral kittens can learn to socialize with humans, adults won't.

One point locals would like to get across is the difference between a feral cat and a stray cat. Ferals may look like strays and house cats, but they're far less social with human beings, Molina said.

The Flagler group hopes to sterilize as many females as it can, Molina said, because one female cat can lead to many kittens and those kittens in turn can lead to many more, she said. She said with human population increases, pet populations and overpopulation follow.

She suggests domestic cats stay indoors for their own protection and sterilization alleviates crowded shelters.

"Any effort in that way is a huge help to animal shelters,' she said.

Hammock resident Florence Boll picked up a male feral to release later that afternoon.

"This to me was great,' she said. "I wish everybody in the area could trap a cat."

Reference: www.news-journalonline.com

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