10 Things Most People Don’t Know About Cats

As someone deeply passionate about animal welfare, particularly our feline friends, I’ve encountered numerous cats, each with their own enigmatic personalities and behaviors. Despite their ubiquity in our lives, there are still aspects of cats that often escape our notice or understanding. Let’s explore ten intriguing insights into the mysterious world of cats:

  1. Cats Have Unique Nose Prints: Similar to dogs, cats possess distinct nose prints that are as individual as human fingerprints. This distinct feature highlights the remarkable diversity among our feline companions and underscores their uniqueness.
  2. They Have a Remarkable Sense of Balance: Cats are renowned for their agility and grace, thanks in part to their exceptional sense of balance. This innate ability allows them to navigate narrow ledges and precarious perches with remarkable precision.
  3. Cats Use Their Whiskers for Spatial Awareness: Whiskers, or vibrissae, serve as sensory organs for cats, helping them navigate their surroundings and detect changes in air currents. Their whiskers play a crucial role in spatial awareness, aiding in hunting and exploration.
  4. They Have a Specialized Collarbone: Unlike humans and most other mammals, cats have a floating collarbone, also known as a clavicle. This unique anatomical feature allows them to squeeze through tight spaces with ease, showcasing their adaptability and agility.
  5. Cats Can’t Taste Sweetness: Unlike humans and some other animals, cats lack the ability to taste sweetness due to the absence of sweet taste receptors on their tongues. This evolutionary trait reflects their carnivorous nature and dietary preferences.
  6. They Have a Third Eyelid: Cats possess a third eyelid, known as the nictitating membrane, which helps protect their eyes and keep them moist. This translucent membrane is rarely visible but can be seen when a cat is experiencing certain health conditions or moments of extreme relaxation.
  7. Cats Sweat Through Their Paws: Similar to dogs, cats have sweat glands in their paw pads, which they use for thermoregulation. While panting is not a common cooling mechanism for cats, they may sweat through their paws during periods of exertion or high temperatures.
  8. Cats Can Jump Up to Six Times Their Body Length: With their powerful hind legs and flexible bodies, cats are exceptional jumpers. They can leap impressive distances, reaching heights up to six times their body length, making them adept hunters and agile climbers.
  9. They Have a Unique Purring Mechanism: While purring is often associated with contentment, cats may also purr when they’re injured, stressed, or in pain. Research suggests that the frequency of purring may have therapeutic benefits, aiding in healing and relaxation.
  10. Cats Have a Social Hierarchy: Contrary to popular belief, cats are not solitary animals; they have complex social structures and form hierarchical relationships within multi-cat households. Understanding feline social dynamics can help foster harmonious interactions and reduce stress among our furry companions.

Delving into these lesser-known aspects of cat behavior and physiology can deepen our appreciation for these fascinating creatures. By recognizing their unique characteristics and needs, we can strengthen our bonds with them and provide better care and companionship. Let’s continue to unravel the mysteries of the feline world and celebrate the extraordinary beings that enrich our lives.

Call to Action: Let’s strive to learn more about our feline companions and embrace their individuality. Whether through responsible pet ownership, supporting feline welfare initiatives, or simply observing and appreciating their behaviors, each of us can contribute to creating a brighter future for cats everywhere. Together, lets unlock the secrets of the feline world and ensure that our beloved companions receive the love, care, and respect they deserve.

Navigating the Complexities of Animal Welfare: A Perspective by Ed Boks

Ed Boks provides proven no-kill solutions to communities and shelters

As an animal welfare advocate with decades of experience in the field, I’ve encountered a diverse array of issues concerning the treatment of animals in our society. From factory farming to regenerative agriculture, compassionate conservation, and domestic pet management, each topic presents its own set of challenges and opportunities. In this article, I’ll delve into the multifaceted landscape of animal welfare, including the pressing issue of domestic pet management, with a particular focus on feral cats.

Factory Farming: Balancing Efficiency with Ethical Considerations

Factory farming remains a cornerstone of modern agriculture, providing a means to meet the growing demand for animal products. While it offers efficiency and affordability, the industry is plagued by concerns regarding animal welfare. The cramped and unsanitary conditions in which many farm animals are raised, coupled with routine antibiotic use and limited access to natural behaviors, underscore the need for reform.

As advocates for animal welfare, it’s imperative that we push for higher standards in factory farming. This entails supporting initiatives that promote more humane housing systems, such as cage-free environments and outdoor access. By prioritizing animal welfare in agricultural practices, we can create a more ethical and sustainable food system that benefits both animals and consumers.

Regenerative Farming: Nurturing Nature and Livestock

Regenerative farming represents a promising alternative to conventional agriculture, emphasizing soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience. Practices like rotational grazing and cover cropping not only enhance soil fertility and reduce erosion but also offer animals a more natural living environment. By allowing livestock access to fresh forage and the opportunity to express natural behaviors, regenerative farming holds potential benefits for animal welfare.

However, scaling up regenerative farming practices while maintaining high welfare standards presents logistical and economic challenges. Additionally, we must remain vigilant in addressing potential risks to animal welfare, such as exposure to predators and extreme weather conditions, within these systems.

Compassionate Conservation: Ethical Considerations in Wildlife Management

Compassionate conservation advocates for minimizing harm to individual animals while pursuing broader conservation goals. By prioritizing the well-being of animals and promoting coexistence between humans and wildlife, this approach challenges traditional conservation strategies that may prioritize population-level outcomes. While the ethical commitment of compassionate conservation is commendable, it’s crucial to acknowledge the potential conflicts that may arise when balancing individual welfare with conservation objectives.

Domestic Pet Issues: Fostering Responsible Ownership

In addition to agricultural concerns, animal welfare extends to our treatment of domestic pets, including cats and dogs. While many companion animals receive love and care from their owners, others face neglect, abandonment, or mistreatment. Feral cats, in particular, present a complex challenge, as their populations continue to grow, leading to concerns about their impact on wildlife and public health.

Managing feral cat populations requires a multifaceted approach that combines trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs with public education and responsible pet ownership initiatives. By addressing the root causes of both dog and cat overpopulation and promoting spaying and neutering, we can reduce the number of homeless dogs and feral cats while improving their welfare.

As we navigate the complexities of animal welfare, it’s essential to consider the interconnectedness of these issues and the broader implications of our actions. By fostering dialogue, collaboration, and innovation, we can work towards solutions that prioritize the well-being of animals while promoting sustainability, conservation, and responsible pet ownership. Let us endeavor to create a world where compassion and empathy guide our interactions with all creatures, great and small.

Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR): A Humane Solution to Feral Cat Overpopulation

Ed Boks and feral cats
The formula to end the killing of feral cats works

Feral cat overpopulation poses a significant challenge in various regions, including Hawaii, where colonies of free-ranging cats have become a contentious issue. The practice of Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) emerges as a humane and viable solution to address this problem. Despite protests and criticism, TNR stands out as an effective approach that not only addresses feline overpopulation but also addresses the concerns raised by ecologists and wildlife advocates.

The Cat Conundrum in Hawaii

Hawaii, with its warm climate and history of non-native species introductions, faces a unique challenge regarding feral cat overpopulation. The abundance of free-ranging cats, descended from or abandoned by pet owners, has led to ecological issues, such as the predation of local birds and the spread of diseases.

The Deadly Impact of Free-Ranging Cats

Free-ranging cats in Hawaii have been identified as a significant threat to native wildlife. They are skilled predators, capable of killing a substantial number of animals annually. The impact on endangered bird species, such as the ua’u and a’o, is particularly devastating, contributing to Hawaii’s unfortunate title as the “extinction capital of the world.”

Moreover, the spread of Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite carried by stray cats, poses a threat to wildlife and humans alike. The parasite has been linked to the deaths of endangered Hawaiian monk seals and various bird species, highlighting the urgent need for intervention.

Countering TNR Criticisms

Critics argue that TNR is an ineffective solution and that other approaches, including euthanasia, should be considered. However, the evidence supporting TNR as an effective population control method cannot be dismissed. Critics, including PETA, claim that TNR fails to address the root cause and can even encourage abandonment. Contrary to these claims, TNR has demonstrated success in reducing feral cat populations when implemented consistently.

Christopher Lepczyk, an ecologist at Auburn University, argues for a multifaceted approach, including adoption, enclosed sanctuaries, and euthanasia. While these methods may have merit in specific situations, TNR remains an essential component, especially considering its humane nature.

The Human Dimension of the Cat Crisis

One critical aspect often overlooked is the human responsibility behind the cat problem. Dumping pet cats on the streets is identified as the primary cause of feral cat colonies. To truly address the issue, efforts should be directed towards educating pet owners about responsible ownership and providing accessible spaying and neutering services.

Christopher Lepczyk suggests that making it easier for licensed vets from other states to practice in Hawaii could alleviate the cost barrier to spaying and neutering. Additionally, a fundamental shift in people’s understanding of pet ownership as a privilege rather than a right is crucial to tackling the core issue.

Conclusion

The Trap/Neuter/Return approach emerges as a humane and effective solution to the challenges associated with feral cat overpopulation. While critics may point to alternative methods, the evidence supporting TNR’s success in reducing cat populations, combined with addressing the root cause of abandonment, highlights its importance in finding a balance between animal welfare and ecological preservation. It is essential to recognize the interconnectedness of human actions, responsible pet ownership, and effective population control measures to achieve a harmonious coexistence between cats and native wildlife.

Operation FELIX: Feral Education and Love Instead of X-termination by Ed Boks

Ed Boks and Albert EinsteinInsanity, according to Albert Einstein, is “doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.” Many communities address their feral cat problem over and over again with two basic methodologies ­- only to be disappointed by the consequences of their efforts.

Feral cats are cats who have reverted to a wild state – born from tame cats that owners abandon or allow to run loose. These cats mate with other free-roaming cats, and their offspring, raised without human compassion, are wild, or feral. They grow up and breed with other feral and free-roaming cats and the cat population increases exponentially. Feral cats are considered a public nuisance by some and a public health concern by others. They needn’t be either.

The two methodologies employed by most communities are Do Nothing and Eradication. Decades of applying these methodologies has proven they don’t work – and there are very real biological reasons why.

It is easy to understand why doing nothing has little impact on the problem, but it is not as easy to understand why eradication does not work.

Feral cats typically live in colonies of 6 to 20 cats. When individuals try to catch cats for extermination, this heightens the biological stress of the colony, triggering a survival mechanism that causes the cats to over-breed and over-produce. Consequently, instead of birthing one litter per year with two or three kittens, a stressed female will produce two or three litters with 6 to 9 kittens each.

Even in the unlikely event that a person could catch and remove all the feral cats in a neighborhood, a phenomenon known as “the vacuum effect” would result. The removed colony had kept surrounding colonies at bay, but once removed, all deterrents evaporate and the surrounding cats enter the new territory to over-breed. The vacated neighborhood is quickly overrun with feral cats fighting for mates, caterwauling, and spraying for territory. Extermination only exacerbates the problem and actually produces worse results than doing nothing at all.

However, there is a third methodology that is increasingly practiced in communities across the United States and around the world with amazing results. It is called Trap/Neuter/Return, or TNR.

With TNR, all the feral cats in a neighborhood are trapped, sterilized, and returned to the area where they originated – under the care of a colony manager. The colony manager is a trained volunteer in the neighborhood willing to feed, water, and care for the colony.

Ed Boks and feral cats
Feral cats are descended from domestic cats but are born and live without human contact. Trap/Neuter/Return is the only effective – and humane – method of controlling the feral cat population.

TNR prevents the vacuum effect. Altered cats display none of the troubling behaviors of intact cats. Feral cats provide free rodent abatement, a service many neighborhoods unknowingly rely on. Since feral cats only live three to five years, the problem literally solves itself through attrition, provided TNR is implemented community-wide.

TNR also solves public nuisance complaints. There is an adage that says “you can’t herd cats.” In fact, you can herd neutered cats because they tend to hang around the food bowl. No longer having the urge to breed and prey, they follow the food bowl wherever the colony manager takes it. Feral cats can be trained to congregate in areas out of the way of the public.

TNR is a non-lethal, humane and cost-effective solution. Understanding these facts, municipal animal shelters ought to  enact a moratorium on accepting feral cats until a comprehensive community-wide feral cat program can be initiated.

TNR empowers citizens to solve this troublesome problem once and for all. Feral cats are trapped, neutered, vaccinated, health-checked by a veterinarian and returned to their neighborhood where their population is stabilized and reduced through attrition.

If you would like more information on TNR or if you need help to develop this program in your community, please contact me.

LA’s Citywide Cat Program (E1907610)

Los Angeles, August 29, 2019 – The City of Los Angeles has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of the proposed Citywide Cat Program (proposed Project) that addresses free-roaming (feral or stray) cats in the City. The City is requesting input on the Draft EIR from public agencies, residents, and other interested project stakeholders.

Project Background: In 2006, the City’s Department of Animal Services began to implement a “trap, neuter, return” (TNR) policy and program for free-roaming cats. The City also distributed vouchers to be used for free-roaming cat spay or neuter surgeries, issued cat trapping permits, and otherwise provided support and referrals to community groups that engage in TNR programs. In 2008, the City was sued, and in 2010 the Los Angeles Superior Court issued an Injunction which prohibited the City from further implementing the TNR policy and program without completing an environmental review process in compliance with CEQA (Case No. BS115483). The City prepared a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) in 2013, but ultimately decided to modify the proposed Project and prepare an EIR. The scoping process for the EIR began in 2017.

Project Description: Under the proposed Project, the City would: Directly engage in or make available funds for the spay/neuter of free-roaming cats that may be returned to where they were found, relocated to a working cat program, or adopted; Make amendments to the City of Los Angeles Administrative Code (LAAC) to broaden the permitted use of Animal Sterilization Funds and to the City of Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) regarding the definition of a cat kennel; Implement a modified trap, neuter, and return (TNR) program that includes facilitation of trapping, neutering, and returning, TNR-related community education and outreach and collaboration with TNR organizations, and use of incentives to encourage the capture, sterilization, and release of free-roaming cats, including to TNR groups who may return the cats to free-roaming status; Publish and implement program guidelines and ecological conservation measures; and Create a working cat program.

Project Objectives: Broadly stated, the purpose of the proposed Project is to assist in achieving the City’s no kill goal and support the City’s adoption of TNR as the preferred method of addressing the free-roaming cat population in the City. The objectives of the proposed Citywide Cat Program include: Facilitating spaying and neutering of cats in the City; Reducing the relative number of free-roaming cats in the City over time; Facilitating more public and community education on animal-related topics, including free-roaming cats; Training animal services center staff members on cat management programs and engage in collaborative efforts with local rescue groups to help respond to and address free-roaming cat issues; Further implement the City’s no-kill policy by reducing the rate of euthanasia of cats in City animal services centers; and Establishing TNR as the preferred policy to humanely address free-roaming cats.

Environmental Impacts: The analysis contained in the Draft EIR determined that the proposed Project would not result in any significant environmental impacts. No mitigation is required.

Public Review Period: The Draft EIR public review and comment period begins August 29, 2019 and ends on October 28, 2019. The Draft EIR is available online at the Bureau of Engineering website:  https://eng.lacity.org/citywide-cat-program-e1907610

Hard copies may also be viewed at the following locations:

  • Los Angeles Central Library located at 630 W 5th St, Los Angeles, CA 90071.
  • City of LA, Bureau of Engineering, 1149 S. Broadway, 6th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90015
  • North Central Animal Services Center, 3201 Lacy Street, Los Angeles, CA 90031
  • South LA Animal Services Center, 1850 West 60th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90047
  • West LA Animal Services Center, 11361 West Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064
  • Harbor Animal Services Center, 957 North Gaffey Street, San Pedro, CA 90731
  • East Valley Animal Services Center, 14409 Vanowen Street, Van Nuys, CA 91405
  • West Valley Animal Services Center, 20655 Plummer Street, Chatsworth, CA 91311

Public Meeting: A public meeting to receive comments on the Draft EIR will be held on Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. at the Ramona Hall Community Center, 4580 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90065.

Comments: Please send comments on the Draft EIR to:

Dr. Jan Green Rebstock
City of Los Angeles
Public Works, Bureau of Engineering
Environmental Management Group
1149 S. Broadway, 6th Floor, Mail Stop 939
Los Angeles, CA 90015-2213

Comments may also be submitted by e-mail to jan.green.rebstock@lacity.org. Please remember to:

  • Send your comments in letter format as an attachment to the email;
  • Include a mailing address in the comment letter; and
  • Include “CAT PROGRAM” in the subject line.

Following the close of the comment period, the City will consider and prepare responses to the comments received and compile a Final EIR. The Final EIR will be posted online at the Bureau of Engineering website:  https://eng.lacity.org/citywide-cat-program-e1907610.

All responses to comments submitted on the DEIR by public agencies will be provided to those agencies at least 10 days prior to certification of the Final EIR. The Board of Animal Services Commissioners and City Council Committee(s) may consider and make recommendations to the Los Angeles City Council regarding the Final EIR and proposed Project. The Los Angeles City Council will make findings regarding the extent and nature of the environmental impacts as described in the Final EIR. The Final EIR will need to be certified by the City prior to making a decision to approve or deny the proposed Project. Public input is encouraged at all public meetings before the City.

More information on the value of TNR programs in your community can be found here:

Analysis of Feral & Stray Cat Solutions

Operation FELIX: Feral Education & Love Instead of X-termination

Trap Neuter Return & FELIX

Time to solve our Feral Cat Problem

Why TNR works and plays an important role in achieving No-Kill

TNR is good public health policy by Ed Boks

Ed Boks and TNR
Managed feral cat colonies provide toxin free rodent and disease abatement.

During my tenure as executive director of Maricopa County’s Animal Care & Control (1998/2003), I prevailed upon the County Board of Supervisors, with the support of Public Health Director, Dr. Jonathan Weisbuch, to proclaim Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) the County’s official methodology for humanely reducing feral cat populations.

In addition to reducing the killing in local animal shelters, another benefit to implementing TNR in our cities is that managed feral cat colonies serve as a toxin free rodent abatement program.  TNR ends the need for poison to control rodent populations and I think we can all agree that this better for our environment, our wildlife and our pets. Continue reading “TNR is good public health policy by Ed Boks”

Formula to end feral cat killing by Ed Boks

Ed Boks and feral cats
The formula to end the killing of feral cats works

It is commonly understood that any serious initiative to end shelter killing has to focus on ending the “supply side” of the surplus animal equation.  The only way to do that is to preemptively spay/neuter those animals most likely to “supply” (give birth to) animals most likely to die in animal shelters.We

The three categories of animals dying in the largest numbers in most shelters throughout the United States are feral cats, pit bulls/pit bull mixes, and Chihuahuas.

There are effective solutions for ending the killing of these populations; and those solutions begin and end with targeted spay/neuter programs.  In a previous blog I addressed the need for targeted spay/neuter programs for pit bulls.  In this blog, I focus on how to end the killing of feral and stray cats.    Continue reading “Formula to end feral cat killing by Ed Boks”

Good news from IRS to volunteers by Ed Boks

Ed Boks and Jan Van Dusen
Jan Van Dusen paved the way for volunteers to deduct unreimbursed expenses that further a rescue group’s mission, such as fostering homeless animals.

One of the best kept secrets to being an animal shelter volunteer is a 2011 U.S. Tax Court ruling.  The ruling brought some much-needed clarity to deducting unreimbursed expenses incurred by volunteers helping IRS-recognized charities like your local animal shelter or animal rescue organization.

The case involved Jan Van Dusen, who appeared before a U.S. Tax Court judge and a team of IRS lawyers regarding a tax deduction for taking care of 70 stray cats. Continue reading “Good news from IRS to volunteers by Ed Boks”

State sanctions county, municipal feral cat programs by Ed Boks

Ed Boks and feral catsThe Yavapai Humane Society (YHS) does not accept feral cats. Taking unadoptable feral cats into an animal shelter is a death sentence and is contrary to the YHS no-kill ethic. Rather than employing the “catch and kill” methodology used by many shelters, YHS champions trap/neuter/return (TNR) as the only viable and humane method for effectively reducing feral cat populations.

The Arizona state legislature recently came out in strong agreement with YHS on TNR. Arizona’s governing body overwhelmingly passed SB1260. The new law encourages animal control to return healthy “stray” cats to the vicinity where they were captured after being sterilized; the very definition of TNR.

Coincidentally, perhaps the strongest scientific support for Arizona’s robust endorsement of TNR comes from a 13-month study conducted by the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries in Hobart, Australia. The study, entitled “Effects of low-level culling of feral cats in open populations” appeared in a recent edition of the journal Wildlife Research, 2015. The findings, trumpeted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Discovery Science, and other media, directly contradict the Australian government, and its environment minister Greg Hunt, who has called for the “effective” eradication of all feral cats by 2023.

Biologist Billie Lazenby, who led the study, says she expected to validate the use of lethal culling (catch and kill) promoted by the Australian government but instead found, to her dismay, that culling markedly increases the numbers of feral cats in an area.

Lazenby and her team of researchers used remote trail cameras to estimate the number of feral cats at two southern Tasmania study sites before and after a 13-month “low-level culling.”

However, Vox Felina blogger Peter Wolf observed, “The effort was anything but low-level. Over the course of 13 months, researchers managed 2,764 trap-nights-an average of seven traps every day of the culling period. Each trapped cat was, after being left in the trap for up to 12 hours or more, ‘euthanized by a single shot to the head from a 0.22 rifle using hollow point ammunition.'”

“Contrary to our prior expectations,” reported Lazenby, the “number of feral cats rose 75 percent at one test site and 211 percent at the other.” Of particular interest, “Cat numbers fell, and were comparable with those in the pre-culling period, when culling ceased.” Suggesting feral cats fill a stable self-regulated ecological niche.

The researchers ultimately concluded the surprising population explosion was the result of “influxes of new [adult] individuals after dominant resident cats were removed.” A phenomenon YHS refers to as the “vacuum effect.” When cats are removed but natural conditions (such as food sources) remain the deterrents of existing territorial cats vanish and neighboring cats quickly invade and overpopulate the newly open territory.

When culling feral cats, Lazenby now says “You may be inadvertently doing more damage than good.”

“What we should focus on when managing feral cats is reducing their impact; and you don’t reduce impact by reducing numbers.” In fact, a growing number of studies conclusively prove lethal culling induces a biological imperative that causes feral cats to overbreed and overproduce to survive. Counter-intuitively, lethal culling directly exacerbates feral cat problems.

Gratefully Arizona has a legislature who understands the science and through SB1260 is directing county and municipal animal control agencies to recognize TNR as the only viable, humane solution to our communities’ vexing feral cat problems.

Arizona is leading the nation through this ground breaking legislation. How wonderful would it be if Yavapai County and local municipalities took the lead by building an effective and humane trap/neuter/return program on this historic foundation?

Putting cats to work helps them and us By Ed Boks

Ed Boks and feral catsIn a perfect world, all cats would have a loving home, they would be spayed or neutered and they would be kept indoors. Stray cat problems arise because unaltered pet cats are permitted to roam freely outdoors and they either become feral (wild) over time and/or they produce feral offspring.

The only time a cat should ever be allowed outdoors is when it is too feral to keep indoors and then only if it is spayed or neutered so it doesn’t contribute to feral cat overpopulation. However, the responsibility for making sure feral cats are spayed or neutered often unfairly falls to a compassionate person who voluntarily steps up to feed them.

Truth be known, these caregivers and their feral cats deserve our respect and our support; they provide an important service to our developing communities. They help alleviate pressure on our overcrowded shelters; they help keep rodents in check without the use of pest control chemicals that are toxic to the environment and dangerous to pets, wildlife and children; and they help reduce rodent related public health risks, such as the plague, the fatal Leptospirosis, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Murine Typhus, Rat Bite Fever, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, and Eosinophilic Meningitis.

Feral cats have taken the place of the diminishing wild animal populations in preventing an overpopulation of rodents. This is why more and more U.S. communities are joining Denmark, England, Israel and other countries in relying on feral cats to serve as a “green” (environmentally friendly) rat abatement program.

The reason feral cats are so effective is because rodents flee neighborhoods where these cats make their presence known. They actually give off an odor through their paws as they prowl about and once rodents get a whiff of feline, they quickly vacate the premises.

Less grisly than glue traps — and much more effective – feral cats go about their “work” naturally. They prowl, they eat and they sit in the sun; although they prefer to spend much of their time hiding from view.

And the oft heard complaint that feral cats are a public nuisance can be humanely remedied through a formalized feral cat program – because, contrary to conventional wisdom, you can herd cats. Feral cats tend to follow the food bowl. Unobtrusive feeding stations established in out of the way locations ensure feral cat nuisance complaints are greatly reduced if not eliminated altogether.

I encourage municipalities to support feral cat caregivers through a program called Operation FELIX (Feral Education and Love Instead of X-termination). Through Operation FELIX, feral cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, micro-chipped and ear-tipped (under anesthesia while the cats are being altered, veterinarians notch an ear tip, the widely recognized sign that a feral cat is altered).

To truly be effective, local municipalities should allocate funding to support Operation FELIX in their respective jurisdictions, as they are typically the recipients of feral cat complaints. Until that happens, YHS depends on donations and grants to help support our community’s volunteer feral cat care givers as they voluntarily provide this valuable community service.

If you want to help support this innovative, non-lethal feral cat program please make a donation to your local shelter and specify “FELIX” on your check.

For more information on Operation FELIX or how to solve feral cat problems in your neighborhood contact me.

If you have a rodent problem in your home or place of business, consider adopting a Working Cat as a humane solution.

In the cold weather, be sure to tap the hood of your car before starting it. Cats often look for warmth under the hood and this simple practice could save a life.