HELPING FERALS

Feral cats are not wildlife. They are the offspring of abandoned pets left to fend for themselves.

In the last 20 years, this community has made a huge effort to assist people managing feral cat colonies. As Diana Huntington said in her letter of March 15, Greenhill Humane Society helps with free or low-priced neutering of ferals. In addition, the Stray Cat Alliance — with the help of volunteer veterinarians and hundreds of others — neutered more than 4,500 cats free or at a nominal fee.  

The Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, with its mobile veterinary clinic from Portland, came monthly over a period of years and fixed more than 100 cats at each visit. The Willamette Animal Guild has just neutered, at low cost, its 50,000th cat.

With the help from grants from businesses like PetSmart, Petco and other humane foundations, plus the generous support from local donors, the feral cat population has been somewhat stabilized.

There are ways of dealing with animal issues without inhumane laws against feeding them.

Let’s continue with the success we have had with feral cats, and not go backwards.  

Deanna Kuhn

Eugene