Published in the Martinsville Bulletin on 1, 28, 2017.
Ed Clark’s Jan. 11 column, “Cats are natural-born killers,” ignored important facts while making unfair claims about cats. He doesn’t understand why Trap-Neuter-Return is so popular. TNR is practiced by more than 600 communities nationwide because it is humane and effective in stabilizing community cat populations. It is scientifically proven to reduce the size of cat colonies naturally over time. One peer-reviewed study (Levy, 2003) found a 66 percent decrease in the populations of managed colonies over 11 years. People who talk about cats’ role in the environment in the ways that Mr. Clark did are usually trying to make an argument to round up and kill outdoor cats. However, our cities have already been doing this on a huge scale and it hasn’t worked. Killing stray cats has failed, and just as importantly, Americans overwhelmingly reject lethal control. Mr. Clark is scaremongering about toxoplasmosis. In truth, people are far more likely to contract toxoplasmosis from eating undercooked meat than they are from a cat’s litter box. And yes, Mr. Clark, they are community cats. They are part of our cities and towns, and we have a responsibility to care for them humanely just as we do the birds, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks and other animals who are part of our community.
Becky Robinson is the president of Alley Cat Allies