Letters to the Editor can be important tools for educating the public and
your elected officials on a number of issues regarding free-roaming cats. The
following are two sample letters to the editor: one on the importance of keeping
cats indoors, and one on the problems with trap/neuter/release efforts or
"managed" cat colonies. Please feel free to use these in whole or in
part, but before you do anything, be sure to check the requirements for each
publication, because many have limits of 200 or 300 words. If you are reacting
to an article that appeared in a publication, be sure to submit your letter
within one or two days of that article. Tailor the letter to your local
situation, including species of birds vulnerable to cat predation, problems
caused by cat overpopulation, hazards to the cats themselves, experiences with
cats in your yard, or your own experiences with keeping cats indoors. Include
your home address and phone number so that the editor can verify that you are
the person who submitted the letter. If your letter gets printed, please send
ABC copies, and always remember to direct people to our Web site for more
information.
Sample Letter to the Editor re keeping cats indoors:
The overpopulation of free-roaming cats is a human-caused problem which
affects the health and well-being of cats and our native wildlife. Solutions to
this problem must protect cats, wildlife and people.
Whether owned, stray, or truly feral, cats are domestic animals and are not
native to North America. Outdoor cats, even well-fed ones, kill hundreds of
millions of wild birds and other animals each year in the U.S., including
endangered species. Birds that nest or feed on the ground are especially
vulnerable.
Free-roaming cats are in constant danger from being hit by cars, contracting
diseases and parasites, or being attacked by other animals or people. Cats can
transmit diseases to humans such as rabies, toxoplasmosis, and cat scratch
fever. In the U.S., cats are the top carrier of rabies in domestic animals.
Through the Cats Indoors! campaign, American Bird Conservancy (ABC)
and its many partners, including The Humane Society of the United States and
American Humane Association, encourage people to keep their cats indoors, train
them to go outside on a harness and leash, or build outdoor cat enclosures. Cats
should be spayed or neutered before they can produce an unwanted litter,
and should never be abandoned because it is illegal and cruel to cats,
birds, and other wildlife.
Many materials, including brochures, posters, fact sheets (including how to
make an outdoor cat a content indoor pet), a teacher's activity guide, slide
shows, and public service announcements, are available from ABC's Web site at: www.abcbirds.org/cats/catsindoors.
Make your community safe for cats and birds. Keep your cat indoors.
Sample Letter to the Editor re Trap/Neuter/Release:
Efforts to trap, neuter, release (TNR), and maintain stray cats in
"colonies" are misguided, potentially illegal, and do not protect the
public, the cats, or the native birds and other wildlife that cats kill.
Whether owned, stray, or truly feral, cats are domestic animals and are not
native to North America. Outdoor cats, even well-fed ones, kill hundreds of
millions of wild birds each year in the U.S., including endangered species.
TNR programs that some, but not all, animal rights activists promote are not
humane to the cats or the wildlife and they do not solve the cat overpopulation
problem. The cats are still subject to hazards that all free-roaming cats
face--disease, parasites, attacks by other animals, getting hit by cars, or
severe weather. Not all the cats can be trapped and the cat food attracts more
cats. Colonies often become dumping grounds for unwanted pets, thus continuing
the inhumane cycle. In addition, the cat food attracts rats, raccoon, opossum,
skunk, fox, and coyote--all predators of birds and carriers of diseases, such as
rabies, which can be transmitted to humans.
People concerned about these cats should trap and remove them. If homes
cannot be found and euthanasia is unacceptable, then they should keep the cats
on their own property. Several groups have set up completely enclosed stray cat
sanctuaries on private property. They protect the cats, native wildlife, and the
public, and are a much better solution.
Cat owners can help by keeping their cats indoors, having them spayed or
neutered before a litter can be produced, and never abandoning cats.
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