Where Am I?

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This is a quick clip of one of the girlies recently extracted from the colony case. It illustrates fairly well part of the problem. 

You will notice that she is quite friendly. The clip is too short to actually show just how friendly she is. She is a very cuddly girl, she wanted fuss so much that she kept trying to climb out of her temporary pen. While she was here it was difficult to actually give her the attention she wanted, as we needed to be using PPE, and avoiding contact with our clothes or skin, as we didn't know what contaminants the colony cats may be carrying.

Why is friendly a problem?

There are two reasons. 

Firstly, the reason that there are a lot of friendly cats is because the family who lived there genuinely loved cats. Some people don't see it as a kindness to neuter animals. These people did not neuter the cats, so they reproduced and reproduced (are still reproducing), and the family enjoyed each new litter and each new generation... those that stuck around, anyway. 

The second reason it's problematic is that these cats have been semi cared for. They are fed with dry and wet cat food, and have litter. Yet, when I'm seeking rescue space for them, the centres I phone, even the Animal Care Manager here, inevitably assume that cats from a feral background will require outdoor homes. Some of these will suit homes on farms, in stables, outhouses, etc., but many of them will also make lovely pets. Those that would be better off as pets, but end up directed to outdoor homes, if their new homes do not provide food in the way that they are used to, may well struggle to get by.

The little lady in this clip has gone to another centre now. She is so outgoing and enthusiastic about human contact though, that I've no doubt she'll be going to a domestic home.




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