The Foster City Council pounced on an idea last night that would team bird lovers and feline fanciers in an attempt to lower the feral cat population near the bay.
Councilmembers agreed to help the Homeless Cat Network educate the public about the feral cat population and the feeding techniques necessary to trap and neuter them. But, the plan's not purrfect - both council and residents fear the increased attention will encourage cat haters to harm the homeless animals.
The HCN plans to use a trap-neuter-release program to lower the population. The program is used across the country and is considered the most effective way to lower feral cat populations. By placing traps along the Bayshore, the HCN will trap cats, neuter them and adopt them out if they are sociable. Cats that cannot be adopted will be released back to the Bayshore, but won't be able to reproduce.
For the plan to work, the city and the HCN must get people to stop feeding the cats. The HCN will establish feeding stations along the Bayshore that don't interfere with bird habitats and establish a strict feeding schedule. The feeding schedule requires the cats to go days without food. Traps stocked with food will be set when the cats are most hungry, making them more likely to take the bait.
However, some are afraid the feedings stations will provide an easy target for people who want to harm the cats.
"When you identify a station, the next person down the walkway can do what they want to those cats," resident John Bird said.
Bird has been trapping cats on his own for the past 15 years. He pays for the cats to be fixed by the Peninsula Humane Society and releases them back to the Bayshore. Bird sets two traps at a time at 4 a.m. and picks them up by sunrise. If he leaves them out longer, people vandalize the cages.
Violence against the cats and those who care for them have become a problem in recent months. While there are dozens of people who feed the cats, there is an equal amount who destroy the food, harm the cats and even pick fights with feeders.
On May 31, a man was detained by police for using a water gun loaded with cleaning fluid to poison cat food along the walkway.
Other feeders have reported verbal assaults by people who believe the cats are encouraged to live there and reproduce by the amount of food left for them.
Without a formal vote, the City Council agreed to educate the public about the process while HCN pays for all the trapping and neutering. The Sequoia Audubon Society of San Mateo County agreed to work with the HCN to locate feeding areas away from birds.
"It's going to be a cooperative effort of the two that will make this work," Mayor Marland Townsend said.
Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.
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CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
Pappan Democrat = liar = wave you off = tax increases = more money for her and social giveaways
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
CA Is Burning said:
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