TALKING THE TALK - Essential Feral Cat Advocacy Terms

(Some of these definitions were taken from Alley Cat Allies at www.alleycat.org)

Adoption

The process of bringing a homeless companion animal into your home as a household pet.

Back to Top

Advocacy

“The act of pleading or arguing in favor of some thing, such as a cause, idea, or policy; active support” (American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition). Feral cat caregivers, both individuals and groups, are advocating for non-lethal feral cat reduction in communities throughout the nation.

Back to Top

Caregiver

A compassionate human who feeds feral cats, performs Trap-Neuter-Return, and provides long-term care and monitoring for free-roaming, primarily feral, cats that are returned to them after sterilization. Caregivers are men and women of all ages from all walks of life. Most of the leading feral cat organizations were founded by caregivers whose commitment to feral cats grew to encompass entire communities. AzCATs is one such organization.  

Back to Top

Categories of Shelter Animals

Maricopa County’s Maddie’s Pet Rescue Project categories cats and dogs entering the shelters and foster homes of participating organizations in three categories. The names of those categories are “Healthy”, “Treatable” and “Unhealthy & Untreatable.”

Those terms are only the names of the categories.  They could just as easily be called “Categories I-III.” The names do not connote what the public typically thinks of when using those words. The category within which an animal falls does not in and of itself determine whether the cat or dog will able to be adopted.

To read those category definitions visit http://www.maddiesfund.org/organizations/asilomar_definitions.html

Back to Top

Definitions of Shelter Animals

See Categories of Shelter Animals

Eartipping

A technique of painlessly removing a quarter inch off the top of a feral cat’s left ear while the cat is anesthetized for spaying/neutering. Eartipping is the universal symbol of and only proven way to permanently identify (both close up and from a distance) a feral cat that has been sterilized, and returned to a managed colony. Eartipping ensures that a sterile cat will not undergo unnecessary repeat trapping and surgery.

Back to Top

Establishing Colonies

This refers to the myth that feral cat caregivers establish new cat colonies, often by rescuing cats scheduled to be killed in shelters and putting them outside. The truth is that feral cat colonies already exist in abundance in the United States. Feral cat advocates and caregivers who practice TNR, humanely trap, and sterilize feral cats already living in colonies and return them to their outdoor homes, thereby reducing the population both immediately and in the long term.  Feral cat caregivers do not establish new colonies.

Back to Top

Euthanasia

“The act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment” (American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition). The term “euthanasia” does not apply to killing healthy companion animals and/or feral cats because there are too many of them.

Back to Top

FeLV, Feline Leukemia Virus

A retrovirus specific to cats, FeLV causes an immune system breakdown, making the cat susceptible to diseases it might otherwise be able to fight off. FeLV cannot be transmitted to humans nor can it be transmitted to other species. FeLV positive cats may remain asymptomatic (although contagious, they are shedding the virus, primarily in saliva) for many years. With supportive care and symptomatic treatments, many FeLV positive cats live a high-quality life for months to years, while others may succumb quickly. FeLV is spread primarily from mother to kitten.  

There are many reasons why AzCATs does not test the cats for FeLV.  Here are a few of those reasons:

• Studies show that there is no greater incident of disease in feral cats than there is in tame, owned free-roaming cats.
• It is unaltered cats, regardless of whether they are from feral colonies or private homes, that wander, fight, reproduce, and have the potential to spread disease.
• Sterilization reduces or eliminates the behaviors which spread disease.
• Studies show that using our scarce economic resources to sterilize more cats than otherwise would be sterilized given the cost of testing, actually works to more quickly reduce the number of FeLV positive cats.
• The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) recommends retesting all cats that initially test positive.  AAFP states that the decision to euthanize should never be made solely on the basis of one positive test.  It is impractical or impossible to hold feral cats for the period of time necessary before retesting can occur.
• False positives do occur and a negative test does not necessarily mean that the cat has not been exposed to disease.
• Asymptomatic, infected cats can remain healthy for several years.  Cats sterilized through AzCATs’ TNR programs receive ongoing care and monitoring from their caregivers.  Any cat showing signs of illness can be subsequently attended to.
• Removing and euthanizing a cat that tests positive will not necessarily prevent the spread of infection within the colony since the colony’s exposure to the virus would already have occurred.
• Exposure does not always mean infection.

Back to Top

Feral Cat

Feral is just another word for wild.  It means that the cats have not been socialized to humans and that they are afraid of people.  It does not mean that the cats are aggressive or dangerous.  Feral cats run from people.  They do not attack unless they are cornered and feel that they have no other alternative but to fight for their lives.

Maricopa County’s Maddie’s Pet Rescue Project uses the following definition of “feral cat”:

Over the age of 8 weeks and not sufficiently socialized to people and, therefore, reasonable and caring owners/guardians in our community would find them unsuitable as a pet.

Back to Top

FIV, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

Also a retrovirus specific to cats, FIV is transmitted from cat to cat primarily by deep bites, as the virus is shed in the saliva. Perhaps the most prevalent method of transmission is bite wounds in fighting cats, especially roaming males. Intimate contact through grooming, sharing food, etc., does not spread the virus. Overall, FIV is less common than FeLV. FIV-positive cats often live long, symptom-free lives.

There are many reasons why AzCATs does not test the cats for FeLV.  Here are a few of those reasons:

• Studies show that there is no greater incident of disease in feral cats than there is in tame, owned free-roaming cats.
• It is unaltered cats, regardless of whether they are from feral colonies or private homes, that wander, fight, reproduce, and have the potential to spread disease.
• Sterilization reduces or eliminates the behaviors which spread disease.

• Studies show that using our scarce economic resources to sterilize more cats than otherwise would be sterilized given the cost of testing, actually works to more quickly reduce the number of FeLV positive cats.

Back to Top

Free-Roaming Cats

Cats that are allowed to roam free and unrestrained outside for at least a part of the day.  Free-roaming cats may have or may not have an “owner.” The temperaments of free-roaming cats range from completely tame with any human to completely wild and afraid of all humans.

Back to Top

Goal

Responsible feral cat advocates and practitioners of TNR share one goal with wildlife and environmental groups, animal control agencies, and public health officials: to reduce the number of feral cats in the environment in the long term. We strive to demonstrate to these groups that TNR coupled with other non-lethal practices is showing results and should become the standard method of feral cat control everywhere.

Groups that advocate adoption for feral cats are ignoring the documented wild nature of feral cats and their fate when adoption proves impossible—death in a shelter or animal control facility.

Back to Top

Humane Trap

A metal wire "cage" rigged so that when an animal steps into it, the door closes, preventing the animal from leaving. These traps do not cause the animal any pain and are the only type of trap to be used for Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).

Back to Top

Managed Feral Cat Colony

A group of feral cats living together in which all cats have been sterilized and are provided daily food and shelter by a caregiver. The caregiver regularly monitors cats and captures any who need veterinary care, in addition to trapping any newcomers to be sterilized. A properly managed colony is a healthy, stable colony in which no kittens are born.

Back to Top

No-Kill

A belief that healthy animals should not be killed simply because there are too many of them. No-Kill advocates that animals sick or injured should be euthanized, but that healthy animals should be given the opportunity and resources to live.

For more information on The "No Kill Declaration", which AzCATs supports, click here.

Back to Top

Predation

"The capturing of prey as a means of maintaining life” (American HeritageDictionary, Fourth Edition).

The question of what, if any, role free-roaming cats playin the decline of wildlife is controversial. Some environmental and wildlife groups maintain that cats, both homeless and owned, are decimating wildlife and that all cats must be removed from the outdoors. This position is flawed on two counts.

First, by far the primary issue in wildlife decline is ongoing habitat destruction, disruption, and fragmentation caused by development and other activities associated with human population growth. The major reputable studies on avian and wildlife population declines all point to habitat loss, drought, and pesticides produced by human activities that must be curtailed or corrected if wildlife is to prosper once again.

Second, removing cats from the outdoors sounds like a simple, straightforward operation, except that, as a nation, we have been trapping and removing (killing) free-roaming, primarily feral, cats for decades with no reduction in their numbers. Communities that practice this outdated approach have as many or more feral cats as ever.

The critical point about predation is that, no matter what role cats may play in any predatory situation, the solution is to have fewer free-roaming cats in the environment. Trap-and-remove schemes have failed for decades to achieve this goal. TNR, on the other hand, has been succeeding since it began in the United States over a decade ago. The answer to predation concerns is for feral cat advocates and environmental and wildlife groups to endorse TNR as the standard method of feral cat control everywhere and continue to reduce feral cat numbers.

Back to Top

Rabies

Rabies is a virus that affects the central nervous system of mammals, causing first encephalopathy and ultimately death. In the United States, rabies is overwhelmingly a disease of wildlife; the vector species are raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes. Cats routinely account for about 3 percent of rabies cases and are not a primary vector. Pre-exposure rabies vaccine is available for both animals and humans. Treatment for humans exposed to rabies is completely effective if it is administered before the onset of symptoms. After symptoms occur, there is no cure. While rabies is a lethal disease to be treated with utmost caution, rabies control is a major public health victory in the United States. Human deaths from rabies average 2 to 3 per year. In at least 13 years, none of those rabies cases were acquired from cats.

There has not be a reported case of feline rabies in Maricopa County since 1982, and no reported cases of canine rabies in Maricopa County since 1977.  For more information on Rabies in Arizona click here.

Back to Top

Relocation

Feral cats are better off being returned to their established outside homes after sterilization, to be watched over by caregivers. Cats bond with their territories and with other cats in their colony. Relocation is difficult, time-consuming, and often costly, and comes with no guarantee that the cats will stay in their new location.

Back to Top

Sanctuaries

Proposals to confine feral cats in sanctuaries are rarely plausible. Establishing an animal sanctuary requires land; building(s); hiring/training staff and/or recruiting, training, and maintaining volunteers; ongoing food and veterinary care; insurance; licensing; and ongoing funding. Few cat sanctuaries can house even 100 cats, due to the cost. The most conservative estimate of feral cat numbers in the United States is 20 million. It would require some 200,000 sanctuaries to house them.  Some private citizens who have the necessary resources, have created their own private sanctuaries.  For more information on sanctuaries visit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.  

Back to Top

Stray Cat

A domestic cat that strayed from home and became lost or was abandoned.

Back to Top

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)

A non-lethal sterilization method to halt the reproduction of feral cats in the environment both immediately and for the long term. A comprehensive, ongoing program in which homeless, free-roaming cats already living outdoors in cities, towns, and rural areas are humanely trapped,sterilized by veterinarians, and returned to their outdoor home.  Cats that are ill or injured beyond recovery are humanely euthanized.  

TNR was brought to the United States from Europe and the United Kingdom in the late ’80s. The practice of TNR grew rapidly in the ’90s when Alley Cat Allies began providing information and assistance to people caring for feral cats who recognized that their numbers must be controlled and reduced through sterilization. In communities where TNR is widely embraced, feral cat numbers have dropped.

TNR programs operate largely or entirely through the dedicated efforts of committed volunteers. TNR works because it breaks the cycle of reproduction. In general, the cost of sterilizing and returning a feral cat is less than half the cost of trapping, holding, killing, and disposing of a feral cat. TNR protects public health and advances the goal of reducing the numbers of feral cats in the environment. The public supports humane, non-lethal TNR as the long-term solution to feral cat overpopulation.

Back to Top

Vacuum Effect

Feral cats establish territories based on availability of food sources and shelter. When the cats are removed from this environment, more cats quickly move in to take advantage of those resources. These new un-sterilized cats will breed to the capacity of the site. The vacuum effect has been documented around the world.

Back to Top

Zoonotic Diseases

Diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans.  Opponents of TNR sometimes cite zoonotic diseases as threats to public health and reasons to eliminate cat colonies, but it has been demonstrated that cats are rarely the primary or even a significant source of disease, that the diseases connected with cats are extremely rare, and that unowned free-roaming, primarily feral, cats enjoy the same level of health as owned cats in the United States.

Back to Top

Arizona Cat Assistance Team (AzCATs)

P.O. Box J

Scottsdale, AZ  85252

480-968-4TNR (4867)

480-967-0202 fax

info@azcats.org

Www.azcats.org

Office Location

225 W. University Dr. Suite 103

Tempe, AZ  85281