Forum Draws Large Crowd

By DARLA M. YOUNGS
ONEONTA
Approximately 80 people attended the Community Cat Forum on Thursday, February 9 at the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center. They gathered to discuss the increasing numbers of unowned cats in Otsego County and share strategies which might curtail that growth.

“Community cats” is a term used by the American SPCA to describe outdoor, unowned, free-roaming cats. They can be friendly, feral, adults, kittens, healthy, sick, altered and/or unaltered, and may or may not have a caretaker. A caretaker is a person who monitors and provides care to a community cat, but who is not the legal owner. The only outdoor free-roaming cats who are not community cats are those who have an owner, by the ASPCA’s definition.

A panel of animal welfare specialists and advocates assembled by Stacie Haynes, executive director of the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, addressed the audience to explain shelter overcrowding issues, the dangers to shelter staff members treating feral cats, and to offer a solution.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, the most pressing cat issue in the U.S. is the large population of unsterilized outdoor cats. The HSUS official position on cats reads, “Regardless of whether they are owned or not, cats who are outdoors are the leading cause of cat overpopulation in communities and can be a conservation threat to at least some species of wildlife on a case-by-case basis.”

Edie Offhaus and Jill Masset, co-founders of East Aurora-based Feral Cat Focus Inc., spoke to the group via Zoom about the success of TNVR, or Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return. Founded in 2003, Feral Cat Focus is an all-volunteer 501c3 charitable organization dedicated to helping solve Western New York’s feral and free-roaming community cat overpopulation crisis.

As explained on the Feral Cat Focus website, TNVR is based on continued colony management and it is this responsible management that helps ensure the success of TNVR. Feral and free-roaming “community” cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies, evaluated, and eartipped to identify them as spayed or neutered and vaccinated. Animals whose suffering cannot be alleviated are euthanized.

After recovery, the cats are returned to their home—their colony—outdoors. A feral colony caregiver provides food and shelter and monitors the colony for new arrivals. Caregivers monitor for sick cats they can vet and for newcomers that need to be spayed or neutered and vaccinated. Whenever possible, tame adults and kittens that can be socialized are removed from the colonies and evaluated for adoption, the Feral Cat Focus website explains.

Libby Post, executive director of the New York State Animal Protection Federation, addressed the legalities of TNVR, were the model to be replicated in Otsego County.

“The legal status of TNVR is nil,” Post said. “It’s not legal and it’s not illegal. As far as I’m concerned, if something isn’t illegal, it’s legal.”

Residents from across Otsego County—including the communities of Cherry Valley, Colliersville, Laurens, Maryland, Oneonta, Pittsfield and others—recounted their struggles with cats inbreeding, sick and injured cats, trapping difficulties, the growing cost of food, cat hoarders, and their inability to find a place to have cats spayed and neutered.

“There is a massive shortage of veterinarians and vet techs nationally,” agreed Post.

Haynes said the SQSPCA will be hiring a full-time veterinarian in June and plans to spay and neuter at least 15 community cats per week to start, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.

At the close of the forum, a sign-up sheet was circulated so interested parties could sign up to join the working group, the first step of which will be to meet with Feral Cat Focus representatives to learn the specifics of their program.

“An interested community is an absolute necessity,” said Masset, whose organization works with caregivers, municipalities, communities, organizations and businesses.

“Start small,” encouraged Masset. “Every cat spayed is a win.”

Those interested in being part of the Community Cat Working Group should contact the SQSPCA at (607) 547-8111 or info@sqspca.org.