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| Cat • Cat lady • Feral |
This column is about cats – and the people who adore them.
Since my wife and I married over a decade ago, I've been learning a lot about both cats and their devoted fans. Currently, we have seven indoor cats and feed several outdoor strays daily.
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Our cats tolerate me, but they dote on my wife, who showers them with time, attention, and love. She also maintains a disciplined household, as much as one can with cats.
Our home is clean, attractive, and orderly, thanks to my wife. Messes are promptly dealt with, litter boxes are cleaned at least twice daily, hair is regularly vacuumed, and the cats know the few places (mostly kitchen countertops and the dining-room table) they cannot go.
Interactions between so many cats are always interesting and often entertaining. Each has a unique personality, and their pecking order is dynamic, depending on which cats are interacting. They all get along, though; my wife insists on it.
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These are lucky felines. All were rescues – the youngest three directly from our neighborhood. One, abandoned as a weeks-old kitten, was living in a neighboring debris pile; two others, littermates, took up residence in a vacant garage.
Now all eat well and are spoiled. They have their choice of beds and litter pans, several window seats, two cat trees, several scratching posts, and the run of a large house.
While kept indoors, none show much interest in going outside. They know it’s a rough world out there.
However, abandoned cats' abilities to survive outside are impressive. Smart, cautious, and agile with incredibly quick reflexes, they can find food and shelter through all four seasons even at very young ages.
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Yes, they turn predatorial and feed on birds, rodents, and small rabbits. Sometimes they are reduced to eating garbage. Often they will form sizable colonies in vacant buildings when their populations aren’t controlled.
Feral cats and cat colonies can be found in every neighborhood around Johnstown. I suspect the same is true in most communities. There just aren’t enough places to hold stray cats or people willing to adopt them.
Enter cat ladies – a phrase I use with respect and affection, given that my wife has become one. These women pour untold hours and personal resources into tackling the abandoned-cat problem anywhere they find it year-round.
Cat ladies live-trap stray cats and kittens, take them to veterinarians or clinics where the cats are neutered and given rabies shots and medicine for worms, ear mites, fleas, and ticks. Some cat ladies spend thousands of dollars annually on this unending effort.
If they know of adoption or fostering opportunities, they place the cats. If not, cat ladies release the strays back where they were trapped. The practice is known as “Trap-Neuter-Release” or TNR.
People may wonder why cat ladies do that, but cat ladies wonder how so many people can heartlessly abandon cats. Cat ladies know that TNR helps control the feral cat population and gives those cats a better chance at longer, healthier lives.
Cats that haven’t been neutered are more territorial and fight with encroachers. Bites and scratches spread bacterial infections and deadly diseases such as rabies, feline leukemia, and feline immunodeficiency virus.
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Abandoned cats also face an unending assault of fleas, ticks, and worms. Then there are vicious dogs, wild animals, and hostile humans, who consider them a nuisance (failing to notice how they control rodent populations).
More people need to open their homes through fostering or adoption. Given the opportunity, many stray cats can adjust beautifully to a home environment.
If interested, reach out to my email address. I know a few dedicated cat ladies who would be happy to talk with you.
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