Man opposes trap, neuter, release program for feral cats

Port Perry resident Geoff Carpentier asked that his letter about feral cats be brought before City of Kawartha Lakes council

Mykawartha.ca
May 8, 2018
Mary Riley

A Port Perry resident’s letter opposing a petition to introduce a ‘trap, neuter and release’ (TNR) program for feral cats in the City of Kawartha Lakes came before council on Tuesday (May 8).

Geoff Carpentier of Avocet Nature Services wrote to the City Clerk on April 26 and asked that his letter be forwarded to council.

Council has heard many times from many residents seeking City support to deal with tens of thousands of feral cats; as recently as last fall from Kinmount residents.

Carpentier argues that feral and free-ranging cats “are a devastating influence on native wildlife, both here and around the world. Single-handedly they are the greatest cause of avian mortality, outweighing almost all other factors combined.”
"There is no place for them anywhere in a natural environment and they should be eradicated not fostered."

He noted the City “is a green community that is proud of its flora and fauna and actively brands itself as an outdoors and wildlife haven. How then can it consider endorsing this devastating program that assuredly will needlessly kill millions of birds and other animals?”

Carpentier noted feral cats and house cats that run loose “are not part of a natural community and never have been. They are as alien as Phragmites, Dog-strangling Vine and Emerald Ash Borer and more devastating by far. There is no place for them anywhere in a natural environment and they should be eradicated not fostered.

“I realize this is an emotional issue but how can forfeiting the lives of millions of native species to cats be justified under any circumstances?,” he wrote.

He added recent studies show that in Canada, cats kill five per cent of birds (269 million) every year.

“Around the world, the impacts are so great that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) now lists domestic cats as one of the world’s worst non-native invasive species.”

Carpentier added he has reviewed “much of the data presented to the scientific community in newly released studies” and has written about the subject.

“TNR programs have been proven historically to be generally ineffective and in fact often generate outcomes exactly opposite of what is desired. Studies show that feral cat numbers actually increase after a TNR program is introduced in many cases. Costs escalate and the problem is magnified not abated. Often more, not fewer, cats are released once the program is running as people think the cats will simply be cared for so why bother going to an animal shelter with them?”

Carpentier closed by saying he hopes “that staff will consider this information and do some careful research into the problems and impacts of feral cats before recommending any amendment to local bylaws.”