City Council addresses problem with feral cats

DECATUR — For the second time this year, the Decatur City Council addressed the growing feral cat population that has plagued not only Decatur but many communities nationwide. The council found out just how difficult this problem really is.

With many animal rights groups protesting the destruction of these animals in spite of the fact that feral cats have, in part, been responsible for the extinction of several bird species, the council looked at ways of controlling the population by other means, including the Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) method.

What is a feral cat?

Simply put, it is a domesticated cat gone wild. National Geographic defines them as “offspring of stray or abandoned household pets. Raised without human contact, they quickly revert to a wild state and form colonies wherever food and shelter are available.” (news.nationalgeographic.com) Around half of the world’s population of cats are ferals.

A feral cat is often mistaken for a stray. The two types of cat differ in one important way. A stray, when coming into contact with humans, often shows some signs of domestication like walking upright like a house cat. A feral cat, which stays low to the ground, runs away when approached by humans.

Ferals roam in packs of 10 or more cats and are nocturnal hunters. On occasion, they do hunt during the day when food sources are scarce. They are territorial animals, covering a range of between 2.5 and 740 acres.

The male is two times larger than the female and generally has a lifespan of two years.

It is estimated that feral cats kill from one to four billion birds and from six to 22 billion mammals (mice, rats, chipmunks and squirrels) each year.

A female can have up to two or more litters a year with an average of six kittens per litter. Of those six kittens, three will survive to adulthood.

At present, Gentry has a policy similar to TNR but with one key difference. Instead of only spaying or neutering, the city animal control takes the cats to a veterinarian for a physical and vaccinations before releasing them in the same spot where they were trapped. The process takes around 12 hours to complete. This method gives the wild cat the treatments it needs against feline diseases and rabies with little stress on the animal.

Decatur animal control is working with a Gentry veterinarian on a solution similar to that of Gentry’s policy (subject to approval by the city council).

Ultimately, it is up to cat owners to take responsibility for controlling the feline population in Decatur and Northwest Arkansas. Residents are urged to have their cats spayed or neutered. The cost for this procedure can range from $50 to $100 for neutering or $100 to $200 for spaying. Contact a local animal clinic for exact prices on these procedures.

For more information on the feral cat situation in Decatur, call 479-7523912.