Letter to the Editor of The Stuart News, Palm Beach, Florida
3/16/01

Trying to help feral cats is a mistaken venture

Editor:

I would like to make caretakers of feral cats aware of the saga I experienced while being a caretaker myself. I thought I was being a compassionate and caring person by feeding these poor abandoned felines.

It all started with one cat that came to my door. I trapped him, had him checked for leukemia and AIDS, inoculated and neutered, and released him back out into the wild. He soon after started spraying urine all over my yard, garage and doors. This action brought more cats to beg at our door. Soon we had nine cats feeding outside.

One by one, we trapped and released these cats. Early last year we noticed they were scratching at their ears; unable to trap them a second time, there was little we could do about their ear problems. We noticed they were losing their hearing, probably from the ear mites that were infested in their ear canals.

I would like to share the horrible and sick feeling I got when I accidentally backed over one of the very cats I tried so hard to save. He did not hear my vehicle start and he was sleeping right under it. I then realized my greatest fear: I was not helping these cats, I was only prolonging a terrible lonely and disease-filled life that I would not wish on anyone.

The feral cat colony supporters need to realize that what they are doing is not humane or compassionate -- it is a selfish act of the heart.

Lauren Saccachi
Port St. Lucie