Once again the airwaves and newspapers have been buzzing about cats being incredible predators, reportedly responsible for killing billions of birds and other small prey. The aim of these biased reports is to create a public outcry for the extermination of all feral cats, an absurd, cruel and unfounded goal.

Alley Cat Allies and the CATalyst Council have issued their own rebuttal statements defending the successful Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs in place around the world. And as I reported five months back when the “bird people” published another inflammatory article, our own county-wide TNRing has made a great difference in the 23 years Catalyst for Cats has been in existence.

Alley Cat Allies notes that, “The authors arrived at their chosen conclusion by cherry-picking data in the most egregious fashion. Worse still, they cite a discredited researcher, a colleague who was convicted and then fired for trying to poison cats.” That same researcher worked for one of this new study’s authors.

The CATalyst Council executive director, Jane Brunt, DVM, “…expressed concerns that the study and corresponding articles may hamper the ability of shelters to place cats in adoptive homes.”

“We regret the fact that the articles written about the study have maligned cats as a whole, when in fact, the vast majority of the estimated destruction to wildlife was reportedly by feral or stray cats,” she said. “This works to discourage prospective cat owners from adopting one of the hundreds of thousands of healthy, enjoyable cats that are held in shelters across this nation,” states Dr. Brunt.

A very disturbing fact for me is that this skewed study was funded by the Smithsonian, an institution I always trusted to be all about knowledge and truth.

Of course cats are predators; so are dogs, birds, lizards and every other living meat-eater on our planet including humans. They are animals, and they are ruled by instinct. This is the very reason local ranchers call us for feral mousers, for without cats in the barn, rats and mice would overrun the place. We need hunting felines in our midst, but not free-breeding ones.

This is mating season. An intact female in heat will drive you crazy trying to get outside to breed, and even if inside her scent will draw toms to your front door. Nightly brawls between the males vying for her are punctuated by the pungent odor of urine sprayed around your house. Your intact male may suddenly go missing for several days, only to return with wounds requiring an expensive trip to the veterinarian. Not good for the cat; not good for your wallet.

Even spayed females in your yard will bring in hopeful toms. I know, as it’s happening right now at my house even though the fixed kitty hanging out on the porch is not mine. Please keep your cats inside, especially at night so they do not become a nuisance to the neighbors.

As long as the public climbs on board with fixing their pets that are allowed outside, and also picks up the phone to call us or Animal Control when stray and feral cats appear in their yards, our job will be that much easier. Please don’t wait until kittens appear; it is safe to spay a pregnant cat. Better that then letting her have an unwanted litter.

The whole month of February is dedicated to spay/neuter through the CatNips program offering $20 surgeries, a tremendous bargain. Call today before all the appointments are filled up at the SYV Humane Society at 688-8224, the SMV Humane Society at 349-3435, the SB County Animal Services at 934-6968, or C.A.R.E.4Paws at 968-2273.