Dooley Noted: 11/9/2016
Leahy jumped on my side at 5 AM yesterday.
He meowed in my face to feed him, as most cats do.
I put my hand to brush him away.
He put his up, too – across my face.
It wasn’t a tap but a huge gash into my right cheek – nearly hitting my eye.
As blood ran down it, I realized how threatened he was – and how not at home he still feels after 6 months.
This is the life of a feral cat forced into adoption.
The ASPCA didn’t tell me the cats were feral.
I hope they didn’t know.
But it took us ten minutes at home to see it, from their absolutely constant yearning for food to their hissing and inability to cover their droppings.
I hope people didn’t willingly trap two feral cats and think their lives would be better indoors.
We cautiously took the advice of cat lovers, showering them with toys and scratch stations (both of which they ignore).
We gave them catnip, which seemed to make them MORE skittish.
We gave them homeopathic remedies, to watch them stare at us as to say, “Uh, why do you think this will work? We are unhappy here.”
They sit in the windows, eager to be outside hunting.
Otherwise, they are staring us down on the couch, awaiting their next meal.
I look at them and know immediately that they don’t want to be indoors.
My incredibly kind, animal-loving husband, who has fostered many animals, said, “These cats are just unhappy here.”
So, before you go trapping feral cats and sending them to a shelter, please remember that those cats may be happier outdoors.
Some cats don’t need rehabilitation – because they like being outside.
If you feel the need to catch them, please consider a program like the NYC Mayor’s Feral Cat Initiative. They catch, neuter, and release the animals back to their home outdoors.
These cats help control rodent populations, and they are happy to do it!
Or you can be a bleeding heart, helping to create more bloody faces while the cats remain unhappy.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley
The website for the Mayor’s Initiative:
