This posting is in response to reader’s comment made this morning about how I dealt with a dangerous feral cat.
“I appreciate your taking the time to write your comments in regards to the feral cat. You are obviously passionate about this issue. However, please note several things here. This is not a decision that I made lightly. Indeed, I spent several months feeding this cat and trying to talk to him. In every way I tried to deal with this cat in a compassionate manner. If you read my series of blog postings, you can see that I was very concerned about doing this right. It did not turn out the way I wanted, but I was honest enough to post the real outcome when I could have easily avoided it.
I have had many, many cats over my lifetime (60 years) and have fed, and yes, spay-neutered many strays and ferals. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am not a cat murderer, as you have labelled me. This cat defied all my previous experience with cats. I’ve never encountered anything like this gray cat.
I truly believe in the TNR approach and will continue my efforts in this way. However, these are the issues I had to consider in making my decision:
- Feral, gray cat attacked my two tabbies in such an agressive manner that they had deep puncture wounds on their legs and face. These were infected and required antibiotics. This happened three times.
- Each of these attacks were more vicious than the previous one. It reached point where I could no longer let my own cats outside, because I was in fear for their lives.
- I had to consider that the behavior of this cat might due to more than hormones and that he could be rabid, making him a serious threat to the welfare of my family and the other cats in our area, some of which are ferals which I am taking care of.
- One of these ferals on our property has new kittens, which I was also trying to protect.
These issues weighed more in the balance of things when I made my decision. I admitted to calling Animal Control right here on my blog where I’ve been chronicling the story about this cat. If you take a moment to read these postings, you would realize that I’m not a heartless person.
As much as I love cats and will do everything I can to help all cats, ferals, strays, etc. I will not endanger the lives of my own cats or my family by harboring a dangerous animal.
Addendum: I did not go to Best Friends site to ask what to do about this cat, because obviously I had made my decision. I went there in hopes of having a rational dialogue with others who had maybe encountered a similiar situation.
The keyword here is rational dialogue. Emotional attacks on others, not knowing all the circumstances, does not help create an atmosphere of learning and growth. If we are to learn from our experiences, then we must learn to listen to each other before judging.”
