Every year we run across cases of suspected animal abuse within the county. Just this month we had two in Santa Ynez.

The first was a feral nursing mom we trapped near Roblar and Edison. She had been shot in the face with a BB gun. The projectile entered the eye, ricocheted off a bone and ended up in her cheek where it caused an infection and abscess. The BB was discovered and removed when she was taken in for spay, but a week later it was apparent that she had lost the eye and would require surgery.

She is now in recovery at the home of one of our dedicated trappers. Someone’s carelessness cost our organization hundreds of dollars and the cat weeks of needless suffering. We are unsure as to the fate of her kittens although we suspect they are the three-day-olds found on the site, two of which died and the other is being bottle-fed. When momma has healed, she will be returned to her territory where we hope she does not meet with another BB. Her remaining kitten will be put up for adoption when old enough.

BB guns are not toys. They are lethal weapons that can kill small animals including song birds and cats. It is illegal to shoot both. If you are a parent of a child who “plays” with one of these guns, please include a lesson on the sanctity of life. No living thing should ever be used for target practice.

More recently another feral nursing mom was discovered on Baseline lying on top of her two-week-old kittens. They were crying, hungry, and still trying to nurse on their cold, dead mother. From the report of someone who had watched the cat the day before, she had been fine but by evening was observed leaning against a tree and struggling to breathe. This is where she was found in the morning. It sounds like a case of poisoning.

Poison is an ongoing issue due to the rodent problems we all face. Gophers, ground squirrels, rats and mice are everywhere. At some point many will resort to poison and this is where it becomes dangerous. Any product that causes a secondary kill should NEVER be used. Every year pets are killed because they consumed a rodent poisoned by one of these baits.

It is also NOT okay to just spread poisonous bait indiscriminately around one’s property. Who knows what will eat it and die? Better to use traps that kill quickly rather than poisons that cause an animal to bleed out slowly or die of thirst, both excruciating and lingering deaths.

Nature has provided us with the best rodent control of all, the feral cat. These natural hunters will keep your yards, barns and fields free from mice, rats and ground squirrels. Part of our community service is to relocate feral cats from places where they are not wanted to places looking for mousers. We even spring cats on death row at local shelters and give them a chance to earn their keep.

We are working hard trapping in the Santa Ynez Valley this summer as several large colonies have come to light, two of them where the cats above were trapped. If there are too many cats in your area, please call us before taking drastic measures. We can trap and relocate the “excess” ferals without killing. If you have need of good mousers, call us and we will bring them to you.