Feral Cat Attack!

On my weekly trip to the library (via the Rum River Trail), I noticed signs posted at the feral cat hang-out. An animal activist group "Animal Ark" has taken it upon itself to "fix" the feral cat "problem" in our fair city. This means trapping, neutering and returning the cats to the site. Looking at their web site I noticed that this organization offers shelter and placement services for pets in the area. There are also articles about "unacceptable" cat and dog behaviors, and also sections concerning feral cats. I couldn't make any sense of it.

Look, Minnesota is pretty harsh in the winter. A lot of these cats don't make it. Also, predation by dogs and coyotes also takes a toll. These cats don’t live very long. No matter how many kittens are born, the population stays about the same. The cats replace natural predators (foxes) and may have an impact of bird populations. (But not the geese!) These cats live a short, glorious life. Most of their time is spent napping, hunting, or just exploring. They don’t exhibit the neurotic behaviors of many house cats. These cats range over an area of hundreds of acres, and do little harm to anything (they probably keep the rodent population down). They are not friendly, but they are curious, and look forward to visits from “the regulars” on the trail. When the population gets too large for the food supply, some of the weaker ones die. This is the way of the natural world. This is a lot of money and work to correct a “moral” dilemma that doesn't exist. There are many animals that ARE abused and need help but these cats are not among them.