ALLEY CAT RESCUE
  • Home
    • About ACR >
      • Our Team
      • History
      • Board of Directors
      • Email Sign-up
      • Financial Information
    • ACR in the Press
    • ACR Publications
    • Adoptions >
      • Adoption Application
      • Advice for Adopters
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Contact Us
    • Partnerships
  • Action Alerts
    • The Feral Fix
    • Spay Neuter Pledge
    • No Declaw Pledge
  • Spay/Neuter
    • Early Age Spay/Neuter
    • Misconceptions About Spay/Neuter
    • State Low Cost Spay/Neuter
  • Community Cats
    • What is a Feral Cat? >
      • Feral vs. Stray Cats
      • Benefits of Feral Cats
    • Trap-Neuter-Return >
      • TNR Step-by-Step
      • TNR/Community Cat Care Resources
      • Introduce TNR to Your Shelter
      • Solutions to Common Complaints
      • TNR Statistics
    • CAT Action Teams: TNR Groups by State
    • Feral Kittens >
      • What to do if you find kittens
      • Orphaned Kittens
      • Fostering Kittens
    • Providing Shelter
    • Health Care
    • Cat Overpopulation
    • Relocation
    • How to Adopt Out Cats
    • Protecting Cats During Winter
    • Protecting Cats During Summer
    • Feral Cats and the Law
    • Cats and Wildlife >
      • Why Eradication Methods Fail
    • Handbook 2023 Ed
  • Cat Health
    • Health Care for Your Cat >
      • Vet Care Financial Assistance
    • Common Cat Health Issues >
      • FeLV and FIV
      • Feline Panleukopenia
      • FIP
      • Rabies
      • Zoonotic Diseases
      • Indoor/Outdoor Cats
    • Cats & Claws
    • Animal Cruelty Against Cats
    • Poisonous Hazards >
      • Poisonous Plants
    • Cats and COVID-19
    • Pet Food Banks
    • Pet Disaster Preparedness
  • Cat Behavior
    • Solutions to Prevent Surrendering your cat >
      • Rehoming
    • Introducing Cats
    • Tips for Entertaining an Indoor Cat
    • Lost Cat
  • African Wildcats
    • AWC Conservation Projects
    • Press Release on African Wildcat Campaign
    • AWC Photo Contest
  • Donate
  • Store

12/12/2023

Letter to the Editor: NY Times

11 Comments

Read Now
 
In response to: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/12/climate/cats-nature-biodiversity.html

Alley Cat Rescue (ACR) is an international nonprofit focused on compassionate treatment of all cats. We advocate for keeping pet cats indoors, and entertaining them properly with exercise and “catios.” This is safest for the cats and it does of course prevent them from hunting wildlife.

However, feral cats are a different matter. Though some people may not appreciate them or even think much about them as they do pet cats, feral cats are equally sentient and deserving of life. If their presence is destructive or unwanted, they cannot simply be kept indoors.

This is why ACR has been working for nearly three decades to reduce feral cat populations through the only practical and humane method of trap-neuter-return (TNR). The article touches on TNR only to discount its efficacy, saying “research has shown that those efforts tend to have limited or no success in reducing populations unless they are performed at continuously high intensities.” Our immediate response to this is - where is the problem? TNR should be done consistently and aggressively, especially considering the enormous number of feral cats in the country in general. 

When TNR is done correctly, it is not only effective but the MOST effective means of population control while catching and removing (often by killing the cats) is actually more expensive and only a temporary solution. When cats are trapped and removed from an area, new cats quickly move in to fill the vacated territory and take advantage of the resources that had been sustaining the cats there before them and start the breeding process all over again. This phenomenon is referred to as the "vacuum effect." 

One example of the vacuum effect is a 2015 study conducted in the forests of Tasmania, Australia. Over 13 months, researchers trapped and killed cats and by the end of the period, they found that the number of feral cats at the two target sites had actually increased by 75% and 211%. When the cat culling stopped, the researchers saw the cat population return to the same level as before the experiment had begun.*

The reason for the decrease in population after the study is because, when a colony of cats is neutered and returned to an area, the presence of the original cats will continue to keep other new (not-neutered) cats out.

Whatever one’s concerns about outdoor cats’ effect on the environment, one cannot deny that 1) feral cats exist and 2) they have nowhere else to live. Even people who do not value the lives of feral cats must understand from research that trying to get rid of them would backfire. Widespread, focused TNR is the only real solution from a rational as much as moral standpoint.



*Reference: Lazenby, Billie T., et al. “Effects of Low-Level Culling of Feral Cats in Open Populations: A Case Study from the Forests of Southern Tasmania.” Wildlife Research, vol. 41, no.5 2014, pp. 407-20.

Share

11 Comments
vidmate.onl link
5/16/2025 12:11:25 am

I wanted to express my gratitude for your insightful and engaging article. Your writing is clear and easy to follow, and I appreciated the way you presented your ideas in a thoughtful and organized manner. Your analysis was both thought-provoking and well-researched, and I enjoyed the real-life examples you used to illustrate your points. Your article has provided me with a fresh perspective on the subject matter and has inspired me to think more deeply about this topic.

Reply
8k bet link
7/7/2025 11:41:22 pm

8k bet nhanh chóng chiếm lĩnh thị trường cá cược nhờ nền tảng 8kbetxn com thân thiện, bảo mật tốt, nạp rút nhanh và tỷ lệ thưởng hấp dẫn, trở thành điểm đến lý tưởng cho hàng ngàn cược thủ Việt.

Reply
FB 88 link
7/11/2025 09:06:09 pm

Cá cược tại FB 88 – nhà cái uy tín với giao diện thân thiện, nạp rút nhanh và nhiều trò chơi hấp dẫn. Đừng bỏ lỡ fb88 fishing, tựa game hot giúp bạn thư giãn và trúng lớn mỗi ngày!

Reply
Gem88 link
8/2/2025 06:45:59 pm

Gem88 là sân chơi đổi thưởng uy tín, sở hữu kho game đa dạng từ slot đến bài truyền thống, nạp rút siêu tốc, bảo mật tuyệt đối, trải nghiệm cực cuốn cho mọi game thủ – tham gia ngay tại gem88 ws

Reply
bomwin link
8/12/2025 04:14:26 am

bomwin – cổng game bài đổi thưởng chất lượng, rút tiền siêu tốc 1 phút. Giao diện thân thiện, nhiều trò chơi hot. Khuyến nghị truy cập đúng tên miền để bảo vệ tài khoản và thông tin.

Reply
ibet88 link
8/15/2025 10:06:07 pm

ibet88 nổi bật với hệ thống nạp rút nhanh, tỷ lệ trả thưởng rõ ràng. Người chơi tham khảo ibet88 wiki để trải nghiệm đa dạng game như bóng đá, bắn cá, slot, game bài cùng ưu đãi hấp dẫn.

Reply
https://new88v.asia/ link
8/17/2025 01:07:48 am

new88 là nhà cái trực tuyến hợp pháp tại châu Á, new88v asia nổi bật với cá cược thể thao, slot, đá gà, bảo mật SSL 256-bit hiện đại, tốc độ giao dịch nhanh chóng, người chơi có thể tham gia dễ dàng .

Reply
bomwin link
8/17/2025 03:58:39 am

Gia nhập cộng đồng game thủ tại bomwin – cổng game đổi thưởng hấp dẫn. Với bomwin to, bạn dễ dàng cá cược, nhận thưởng và bảo mật tuyệt đối.

Reply
https://fraht.ru.com/ link
8/17/2025 10:09:21 am

HB88 luôn tạo sự khác biệt với các sự kiện thưởng khủng mỗi tuần cùng giao diện trực quan dễ sử dụng. Người chơi chỉ cần truy cập đúng cổng vào chính thức để trải nghiệm trọn vẹn mọi dịch vụ https://fraht.ru.com/

Reply
https://ganzo.ru.com/ link
8/18/2025 07:47:40 pm

888B được quản lý hợp pháp bởi tổ chức Cagayan. Phục vụ hơn 20 triệu người dùng toàn cầu, giao diện mượt, cược đa dạng. Chi tiết: https://ganzo.ru.com/

Reply
Nhà Cái NEW88 link
9/3/2025 03:53:38 am

Nhà Cái NEW88 là điểm đến uy tín cho người chơi yêu thích giải trí trực tuyến hiện đại. Với giao diện dễ sử dụng, tốc độ truy cập nhanh và hệ thống bảo mật mạnh mẽ, người dùng hoàn toàn yên tâm khi tham gia. Đặc biệt, nền tảng new88c co luôn cập nhật nhiều trò chơi thể thao, slot và game bài hấp dẫn kèm ưu đãi lớn.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

Details

    Author

    Alley Cat Rescue is leading in the way in promoting humane and compassionate care for ALL cats.

    Archives

    July 2025
    June 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    June 2024
    April 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    October 2023
    January 2023
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016

    Categories

    All
    Animal Welfare
    Australia
    Cat Rescue
    Legislation
    Safety
    TNR

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
    • About ACR >
      • Our Team
      • History
      • Board of Directors
      • Email Sign-up
      • Financial Information
    • ACR in the Press
    • ACR Publications
    • Adoptions >
      • Adoption Application
      • Advice for Adopters
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Contact Us
    • Partnerships
  • Action Alerts
    • The Feral Fix
    • Spay Neuter Pledge
    • No Declaw Pledge
  • Spay/Neuter
    • Early Age Spay/Neuter
    • Misconceptions About Spay/Neuter
    • State Low Cost Spay/Neuter
  • Community Cats
    • What is a Feral Cat? >
      • Feral vs. Stray Cats
      • Benefits of Feral Cats
    • Trap-Neuter-Return >
      • TNR Step-by-Step
      • TNR/Community Cat Care Resources
      • Introduce TNR to Your Shelter
      • Solutions to Common Complaints
      • TNR Statistics
    • CAT Action Teams: TNR Groups by State
    • Feral Kittens >
      • What to do if you find kittens
      • Orphaned Kittens
      • Fostering Kittens
    • Providing Shelter
    • Health Care
    • Cat Overpopulation
    • Relocation
    • How to Adopt Out Cats
    • Protecting Cats During Winter
    • Protecting Cats During Summer
    • Feral Cats and the Law
    • Cats and Wildlife >
      • Why Eradication Methods Fail
    • Handbook 2023 Ed
  • Cat Health
    • Health Care for Your Cat >
      • Vet Care Financial Assistance
    • Common Cat Health Issues >
      • FeLV and FIV
      • Feline Panleukopenia
      • FIP
      • Rabies
      • Zoonotic Diseases
      • Indoor/Outdoor Cats
    • Cats & Claws
    • Animal Cruelty Against Cats
    • Poisonous Hazards >
      • Poisonous Plants
    • Cats and COVID-19
    • Pet Food Banks
    • Pet Disaster Preparedness
  • Cat Behavior
    • Solutions to Prevent Surrendering your cat >
      • Rehoming
    • Introducing Cats
    • Tips for Entertaining an Indoor Cat
    • Lost Cat
  • African Wildcats
    • AWC Conservation Projects
    • Press Release on African Wildcat Campaign
    • AWC Photo Contest
  • Donate
  • Store