SIMCOE, ONTARIO, CANADA - Euthanasia is officially on the table as a possible response to Norfolk’s burgeoning problem with feral cats.
During Norfolk’s levy-supported budget deliberations last week, Waterford Coun. Harold Sonnenberg said that wild cats kill large numbers of birds. If he had to choose between “a mangy cat” and a beautiful songbird, Sonnenberg will side with the latter each and every time. The trapped feral cats that can’t be adopted out should be put down, Sonnenberg said.
“I’m sorry, I’m a bird fan,” he said. “You’re releasing a cat into the wild to kill birds and I can’t handle that.”
Langton Coun. Roger Geysens feels pretty much the same way.
“If you can’t adopt them out, put them to sleep humanely,” he said. “That’s how we’re going to solve this problem. Do not release them back into the wild.”
No one knows the exact number of homeless cats in Norfolk County. One thing for sure, however, is that their numbers are growing.
These cats appear to have the perfect vantage point for their next meal. Some Norfolk County councillors have said euthanasia is a possibility for dealing with the feral cat population in the county, especially if it means saving songbirds. KIM NOVAK/Simcoe Reformer
Cathie Hosken, shelter manager and president of the Simcoe & District Humane Society, said conditions for breeding last fall were just ideal. The weather was mild throughout and there were plenty of rodents for the cats to eat.
A fertile feline can produce more than a lot of kittens. A female cat will have as many as three litters a year, with each ranging from six to eight kittens. The Simcoe humane society is getting 300 or more calls a month regarding homeless cats, litters and colonies. Each call involves up to some 50 cats.
Hosken is not taking sides on the issue of euthanasia. She says each cat should be assessed on its own merits, the prospects for its future, and the potential for suffering if it were returned to the wild. However, Hosken is certain the problem has grown to the point that the humane society is no longer address it alone.
“We need a stray program and someone to run it,” Hosken said Friday. “Norfolk can no longer rely on a non-profit, volunteer program like it has for the past 65 years. It’s time for the county to do something as part of that program. It’s time for the county to make a contribution. I do believe a re-homing program is needed.”
Norfolk has set aside $50,000 in this year’s budget specifically for wild cat control. Council directed Chris Baird, Norfolk’s general manager of development and cultural services, will soon produce a report on options for managing this population. The report will contain a section on the pros and cons of euthanizing the cats that no one wishes to adopt.