Cats and dogs can and do survive without human intervention. The packs of coy dogs that roam rural areas are notorious for causing trouble. That's not surprising. What else would you expect from a bunch of mere dogs! But the flocks of feral cats are another story.
Since I've never hung out with a pack of coy dogs, I can't speak for them. But I have observed and hung out with a flock of feral felines. And I am impressed. On their own, cats are magnificent beings, more intelligent than humans. Throw humans into the wild with no resources and most of us wouldn't do nearly as well. Look what happens to us during power failures. Without our modern conveniences, most of us are sunk.
Sure, life can be tough for feral cats, especially in winter. But how they love life. They are totally different creatures than the cats trapped indoors. Ever notice how much your house cat sleeps? It's boredom. When cats are allowed to roam, they are very active. They're busy with places to go, prey to hunt and general mischief to get into. Unfortunately, sometimes the mischief gets them. And even more unfortunate, cats are also prey.
Several of my tamer feline victims of mischief and predators are now confined indoors. But without a doubt, given a choice, my beloved hostages would choose freedom. And sometimes, I feel really guilty for depriving them of their freedom. They were free for a while and they know what they're missing. And they get really frustrated sometimes. But every time my jailer mentality starts to waiver, I think of the hellacious vet bills and heart break their freedom has cost me.
The animal supply store I frequent the most has a little room filled with glassed in cages. The cages are always crammed with cats, sometimes several cats to a cage. On the glass observation windows are little tags. The little tags state the cats' names and approximate ages, and often say, "Rescued from a terrible feral life," or some reasonable facsimile. In their cramped cages, the cats lie listlessly, beside litter boxes, with barely enough room to move. Sometimes, the newest prisoners show a little spirit, but it is soon broken. And I have to wonder if those cats would choose the way of life being forced upon them.
When the first feline squatters appeared on my property, I had this naive notion that humans and feral cats could peacefully co-exist on the same spot of land. And it seemed to work out great for a while. I supplied food and shelter. They supplied companionship, provided endless education and entertainment, and the ubiquitous mouse heads on the door step and chipmunk carcasses on the lawn. But the feral herd soon overwhelmed me. In less than two years, I was trying to peacefully coexist with over twenty cats! The rate at which the little varmints reproduced was a terrifying thing to behold. Finally, for reasons of self preservation, I had to override their free will. I had to trap or capture every every single feline on my property to deprive each one of the ability to reproduce. Whew! That's done, and hopefully I'll never have to trap another cat.
Without the ability to reproduce, my herd is dwindling. I'll continue to do everything I can to make their lives easier. And they will continue to provide me with dead moles, frogs, mouse heads, etc. No doubt, they will also continue to use my flower pots as port-o-pottys. But those remaining wild cats are welcome to stay for the rest of their lives.
P.S.: There is one exception to the no trapping rule. If I ever move, I'll trap them and bring them along.
No comments:
Post a Comment