Shelter Cats

[Ethesis]

As I said. I've seen cats on European trails, especially Italy.

But. People were committed in hiking in food and engaging in other care for them.

It looked to me that it was a more than once once a week endeavor. Supporting shelter cats would be a lot of work.

Would be neat if there was an easier solution than hiker responsibility for keeping shelters clean of mice.

[TNhiker]

Would be neat if there was an easier solution than hiker responsibility for keeping shelters clean of mice.

well............

it all boils down to food storage and all that..........

which, is the hiker's responsibility........


no food---no mice.....

[Fredt4]

The fleas the rats carried, carried the plague. No rats, no fleas, no plague

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulrod.../#750097eaa342

Gerbils were probably the culprit but they've loveable & cute, whereas rats are ugly.

[egilbe]

Still rats.

[kestral]

Bell on the collar? Or maybe one of these?

i woke up the other morning with a very bad smell in the room. Upon investigation, I found a dead squirrel under the bed which my cat Felix, aka "ninja assasin " had undoubtedly brought in for our mutual enjoyment. The squirrel was not partially eaten, just killed with no obvious injury.

I just ordered these silly clown collars, I let you know if they work. Perhaps the cat will be too embarrassed to hunt, or the local small fauna might die laughing.

As to OP, I think abandoning a cat in the wild at a shelter would be cruel, but when the alternative for captured feral cats is euthanasia perhaps it would be ok. I can argue both sides. I volunteered at our local animal shelter for a short while. They have a huge task in Brevard county and a lot of euthanasia takes place. I stopped volunteering there because I was so depressed. I now volunteer at a people clinic where we don't euthanize. The animals complained less.

[MuddyWaters]

well............

it all boils down to food storage and all that..........

which, is the hiker's responsibility........


no food---no mice.....

Id suggest ....no food....less mice.
Mice are there anyway, living on their natural food sources
And are particularly adaptable to living in shelters, in fact prefer it I think, regardless of where they might find their food.

[illabelle]

i woke up the other morning with a very bad smell in the room. Upon investigation, I found a dead squirrel under the bed which my cat Felix, aka "ninja assasin " had undoubtedly brought in for our mutual enjoyment. The squirrel was not partially eaten, just killed with no obvious injury.
I just ordered these silly clown collars, I let you know if they work. Perhaps the cat will be too embarrassed to hunt, or the local small fauna might die laughing.
As to OP, I think abandoning a cat in the wild at a shelter would be cruel, but when the alternative for captured feral cats is euthanasia perhaps it would be ok. I can argue both sides. I volunteered at our local animal shelter for a short while. They have a huge task in Brevard county and a lot of euthanasia takes place. I stopped volunteering there because I was so depressed. I now volunteer at a people clinic where we don't euthanize. The animals complained less.

In my rural neighborhood there's one home that always has a dozen cats hanging out, some of them feral or semi-feral. One of them used to come eat at our house now and then, until animal control came out and trapped him. I'm sure he was put down. I was curious about the issue, so I did a little bit of research. I learned that "experts" recommend a neuter-and-release program instead of euthanasia. Being territorial, the presence of feral cats deters others from moving in, which amounts to a limiting factor in the feral population. Removal and euthanasia just meant a different cat took its place.

[Offshore]

Bell on the collar? Or maybe one of these?

Only if wild birds are significantly more afraid of a cat dressed as a creepy clown than of a cat not in costume. Have cats ever been shown to be subject to coulrophobia?

[Sarcasm the elf]

Have cats ever been shown to be subject to coulrophobia?

That sounds like a question for Schrödinger.

[kestral]

In my rural neighborhood there's one home that always has a dozen cats hanging out, some of them feral or semi-feral. One of them used to come eat at our house now and then, until animal control came out and trapped him. I'm sure he was put down. I was curious about the issue, so I did a little bit of research. I learned that "experts" recommend a neuter-and-release program instead of euthanasia. Being territorial, the presence of feral cats deters others from moving in, which amounts to a limiting factor in the feral population. Removal and euthanasia just meant a different cat took its place.

There is a local privately funded program which does neuter and release, they are limited though and most feral cats go to the animal control shelter which is run through a branch of the sheriffs office. The solid colored black cats are statistically least likely to be adopted and are therefore the first to be euthanized... so black cats beware!

[kestral]

... most feral cats go to the animal control shelter which is run through a branch of the sheriffs office. The solid colored black cats are statistically least likely to be adopted and are therefore the first to be euthanized... so black cats beware!

The sheriffs department is trying to address this worrisome situation.
http://www.brevardsheriff.com/home/w...dProfiling.pdf