STREET CATS AND THE CITY
Speaking of sterilization, it didn’t surprise me when I found out most community cats were in a trap-neuterreturn (TNR) program. What surprised me was that places like Greenbelt, Technohub, and the Ortigas business area had similar programs for their own cats in their areas. And it was all voluntary and donationbased. These are all incredibly busy areas and finding out that people who either work or live around there are going out of their way to help out the cats is really heartwarming.
Of course, it’s difficult if you’re part of a group who monitors cats in a wide area. That has its problems and hardships. Without maybe having a way to tag or identify cats, it becomes a problem when some strays come in and you have no clue if they’ve been spayed or neutered, or if they are new faces. [Most cats in a TNR program have the tips of their ears clipped off; that way, volunteers can easily tell them apart from those who have yet to be neutered. -Ed.]
Another thing: Just like other animals, cats are very territorial. If a community has a TNR program for cats, that means that no new strays come in. [Neutered cats pose fewer problems, behavior- and health-wise. -Ed.] Community cats don’t completely prevent the presence of other strays, but it could lessen their numbers in the surrounding area. The netizen who initially posted about the cats around the BGC area being rounded up and forcefully relocated, specifically around Serendra, said in her Facebook post from September 19 that they “have no rodents. Cockroaches in the basements are also close to zero. And since cats are territorial, only the brave strays can attempt to take up space in the gardens and basements.” That has to count for something good, right?
I for one would love to house a cat of my own (or a dog, or even just a furry friend in general) but due to outside factors (like housing and people with allergies), I can’t really keep a kitty of my own. The most I can do is offer help when I can to community cats in need. This leaves me feeling even just a little bit happier knowing that I can help an animal friend.