Maui Resort In Talks to ‘Remove’ Senior Outdoor Cats
The Grand Wailea Resort in Wailea, Maui is home to 31 spayed / neutered, vaccinated adult cats who are in danger of being displaced or worse.
The cats, according to a resort employee who has been caring for the colony (as per her interview with KITV), are friendly seniors. The probable reason for the removal of the cats is the resort’s response to a lawsuit from an environmentalist group that claims the lights on the property attract and disorient endangered seabirds. The birds fall from flight in confusion, and that makes them easy prey for cats (and other human-introduced predators such as mongooses).
The resort leadership has not specified how they would remove the cats. The possibility of eradication exists but even moving the cats to other properties (which is a very unlikely solution given Hawaii’s laws to protect native wildlife from cat predation) or shelters would be detrimental to senior cats’ wellbeing.
The ACR community can help convince the resort to allow these cats to remain on the property and be cared for by volunteers. Below is a letter template that you can sign and send to the resort decision-makers. It explains why removing the cats is not the proper way to protect seabirds.
The cats, according to a resort employee who has been caring for the colony (as per her interview with KITV), are friendly seniors. The probable reason for the removal of the cats is the resort’s response to a lawsuit from an environmentalist group that claims the lights on the property attract and disorient endangered seabirds. The birds fall from flight in confusion, and that makes them easy prey for cats (and other human-introduced predators such as mongooses).
The resort leadership has not specified how they would remove the cats. The possibility of eradication exists but even moving the cats to other properties (which is a very unlikely solution given Hawaii’s laws to protect native wildlife from cat predation) or shelters would be detrimental to senior cats’ wellbeing.
The ACR community can help convince the resort to allow these cats to remain on the property and be cared for by volunteers. Below is a letter template that you can sign and send to the resort decision-makers. It explains why removing the cats is not the proper way to protect seabirds.
[Date]
Grand Wailea Resort
3850 Wailea Alanui Dr.
Wailea, HI 96753
To Whom It May Concern,
I am among the many citizens concerned for the welfare of the 31 cats living on the Grand Wailea Resort’s grounds. It has come to my attention that the Resort is strongly considering removing these cats from the property.
If the cats are relocated to a new outdoor location it can easily result in the deterioration of the cats’ health, even causing them to die. The same would be true should the cats be taken to a shelter, especially considering the advanced age of most of these cats.
I care about all animals, including birds and sympathize with the desire to protect these birds, but displacing the cats to the detriment of their own survival is neither compassionate nor necessary. Older, well-fed cats are unlikely to hunt. Cats are opportunistic feeders and if volunteers continue providing them with easy meals, these older cats will not be motivated to put the effort into catching moving prey.
TNR stands for “trap-neuter-return,” which is the process of trapping, spaying/neutering, vaccinating, and then returning feral cats back to their outdoor homes. TNR is effective because it stops the breeding cycle of outdoor cats. As is evidenced by the reduction of the outdoor cat population at the resort from the original 300 to just 31, this method effectively decreases cat populations, and the number of cats at the resort will continue to dwindle over time.
The senior cats who are there now prevent new, unaltered cats from moving into the area (their “territory”) and breeding. Without your current small colony guarding the property, you will actually end up with a new colony within a short period of time. These younger cats would be more likely to and capable of hunting, and would therefore pose a much greater threat to seabirds and other wildlife in the area.
I hope you will consider this information, for the good of the birds and cats alike.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Grand Wailea Resort
3850 Wailea Alanui Dr.
Wailea, HI 96753
To Whom It May Concern,
I am among the many citizens concerned for the welfare of the 31 cats living on the Grand Wailea Resort’s grounds. It has come to my attention that the Resort is strongly considering removing these cats from the property.
If the cats are relocated to a new outdoor location it can easily result in the deterioration of the cats’ health, even causing them to die. The same would be true should the cats be taken to a shelter, especially considering the advanced age of most of these cats.
I care about all animals, including birds and sympathize with the desire to protect these birds, but displacing the cats to the detriment of their own survival is neither compassionate nor necessary. Older, well-fed cats are unlikely to hunt. Cats are opportunistic feeders and if volunteers continue providing them with easy meals, these older cats will not be motivated to put the effort into catching moving prey.
TNR stands for “trap-neuter-return,” which is the process of trapping, spaying/neutering, vaccinating, and then returning feral cats back to their outdoor homes. TNR is effective because it stops the breeding cycle of outdoor cats. As is evidenced by the reduction of the outdoor cat population at the resort from the original 300 to just 31, this method effectively decreases cat populations, and the number of cats at the resort will continue to dwindle over time.
The senior cats who are there now prevent new, unaltered cats from moving into the area (their “territory”) and breeding. Without your current small colony guarding the property, you will actually end up with a new colony within a short period of time. These younger cats would be more likely to and capable of hunting, and would therefore pose a much greater threat to seabirds and other wildlife in the area.
I hope you will consider this information, for the good of the birds and cats alike.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]