Talk with Tanya

(written by Tanya Hilgendorf – posted by DKern)

Around here I am fortunate to be a member of an elite group of staff and volunteers that are cat crazy.

I wasn’t always so. Though I have had cats all of my adult life, I was a bit more of a dog person. The dog we had growing up was my best friend. My family is full of dog nuts—the kind that make homemade birthday cakes for their dog’s half-birthday.

It really wasn’t until I got to HSHV that I began to truly appreciate the unique qualities, and the great suffering, of our feline friends.

I spoke to another shelter director who said she went through the same metamorphosis. The job turned her into a cat nut. Part of it came from the vast exposure allowing us to truly know these majestic creatures. The other part, we agreed, came out of the mistreatment that we see within our communities and, sometimes, within our own shelters.

Because their communication is more difficult to interpret and their affections typically hard won, cats are still quite misunderstood. They also have many more prejudices against them than dogs. I talk to a lot of people who “hate cats” but rarely hear the same sentiment about dogs. My mother, a superstitious woman of Italian descent, thinks cats are bad luck and are disposed to suffocating babies–a more common myth than one might expect. These types of ignorances tend to lead to abuse and neglect.

As far as mistreatment in shelters goes, this is largely due to bad design and inadequate space. Historically shelters have been built for dogs…cats more of an afterthought. Old, loud, cramped shelters with small cages are torturous for animals that hate change…do not appreciate ruckus…and require by instinct places to run, jump or hide when scared.

As such, cats are often terrified in shelter settings and quickly become very sick as a result. Leaving us to wonder if the “cure is worse than the disease”.  At HSHV our current 60 year old facility is the epitome of bad sheltering for both cats and dogs. It is nothing more than a warehouse, working against us at every turn. At least half our cats require medical treatment solely as a result of being a resident at our old shelter. Our new shelter will be worlds better for animals and people.

Exacerbating the problem further is the severe over-population. While many communities have gotten their dog population under control (pitbulls being one large and sad exception), the overpopulation of cats is still widespread and the majority of homeless cats are still being put down for no other reason than the shelter is full.

According to the 2008 Michigan Department of Agriculture report, the Michigan Humane Society (which has no affiliation with HSHV and serves animals in Wayne and Oakland County), euthanizes about 72% of incoming cats and kittens. This rate and higher are common in most animal facilities that handle stray animals.

At HSHV we are proud to say that the percentage of cats euthanized is now less than 20% (down from 60% four years ago) and we are committed to even greater decline.

But, if I can say without too much hubris, HSHV is special. We have a renewed passion for saving lives and generous donors supporting innovative programs and practices that are implemented by out-of-this-world volunteers and staff.

You shouldn’t have to be a special organization, however, to have alternatives to needless euthanasia. The “no-kill” movement has mistakenly put the blame for euthanasia on individual animal shelters. While all organizations should continuously strive to do better, the responsibility for needless euthanasia falls on the shoulders of the entire community and the insufficient resources and policies put in place to address (or not address) the problem.

Sadly, I do not believe we can ever end animal abuse and homelessness. Not unless we can end all of the many human frailties and ailments that put their animals in the crosshairs. But I do believe there are important steps we can take to reduce the numbers of homeless cats and ensure their humane care.

Cats are very prolific creatures. They can have 3 litters in one mating season and some scientists now believe that global warming may be extending that season.

Cats get the chance to procreate because their owners fail to have them sterilized. Then, with the cats’ drive to reproduce still raging, owners do one of three things. Let them outside. Lose them outside. Or, abandon them outside.

Their babies flood our shelter or, if not brought in and socialized early, become feral (largely untamable by 5 months of age) and within less than a year’s time are having babies of their own. Like most, our county has thousands of feral cats.

Tragically, in many communities these perfectly innocent and beautiful creatures are trapped and put to death because the same foolish species that caused their proliferation also finds them a nuisance. Their only crime being that they are great survivalists.

The fact that people are allowed to breed animals completely unfettered, intentionally or not, while millions of animals are being put down for lack of homes defies logic.

The most surefire way to improve the value and treatment of cats in our society is by reducing their numbers, and the only way to do this is through spay and neutering. Communities need to find more ways to mandate or to at least strongly encourage spay/neutering.

Two years ago HSHV became one of the only humane societies in Michigan to create a Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) program for feral cats. Through this nationally recognized model program, funded solely by donors, we end the needless killing of healthy animals and institute the ONLY proven method for reducing over-population. Such programs should exist in every community.

If you are a cat nut like me or if you are just an animal lover that wants to help end needless suffering of companion animals there are lots of things you can do to help.

• Please make sure your companion animals are spayed/neutered and encourage your friends, family and neighbors to do the same.

• Become a volunteer for our TNR program. The rewards are immeasurable.

• Provide financial support to spay/neuter programs.

• Consider bringing a cat or two into your family, they are great for your health and please always make adoption your first adoption.

• If you are in a community that routinely euthanizes feral cats, start educating your policymakers about the effectiveness of TNR.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 1:50 pm and is filed under Local News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.