Style, not Substance

An article appeared last week in Style Weekly magazine about trap-neuter-return programs and the issues relating to feral or community cats. The article was poorly researched and contained inaccurate information with a lack of attribution. It is concerning to me to have inaccuracies spread to our community about feral cats and trap-neuter-return (“TNR”) programs, since the cats’ lives quite literally depend on the public understanding the truth and supporting the position that these cats should be treated with compassion.  Not to mention that accuracy in journalism is just a really good thing.

Therefore, we will set the record straight here in our own blog.

1. The Style article indicates that there are critics who oppose TNR. However, no local critics are named or quoted. If there is a controversy about feral cat issues in this community, as the article suggests there is, then it should be made clear who the critics are and what they have to say. The only critic that is specified is the American Bird Conservancy with a statement that relates to all cats allowed to roam outside (including owned pets), not specifically to ferals. 


2. The article indicates that these unnamed critics believe that returning the cats to the outdoors through TNR programs may contribute to the spread of rabies. This makes no sense since each feral cat brought to our spay/neuter clinic under our TNR program, and every other spay/neuter clinic that I am aware of, receives a rabies inoculation at the time of the surgery and we provide updates when the time is appropriate. In fact, TNR is the only approach that addresses the rabies issue. The rabies issue is not addressed through old trap and kill approaches since, without doubt, other cats will fill the vacuum created by the cats that are removed and killed and those replacing cats will not have been inoculated for rabies.


3. The article states that the recent ordinance adopted by City Council approving an MOU between the Richmond SPCA and the city requires “both parties to work toward ending the killing of healthy dogs and cats.”  In fact, we have saved the life of every healthy homeless dog and cat in Richmond since 2006 – that is not something that we need to work “toward” but simply to sustain.  The MOU sets as the new goal that we also save the life of every treatably sick and injured homeless pet. The MOU does embrace TNR as the appropriate approach to caring for feral cats in the city and we are happy that is the case.


4. There is no “Richmond chapter” of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and we are very tired of telling the writers and editors of Style this fact. The Richmond SPCA, like every other organization with a name containing “Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,” is a free-standing and independent organization that is not a part of, or a chapter of, anything else.  Never has been, never will be.


5. This sentence in the Style article is a real head scratcher: “But with shelter space limited, there might be few other viable alternatives [meaning other than TNR].” More shelter space would not provide any alternative. Shelter space is irrelevant since feral cats will almost without exception be killed in those shelters that take them in because they are very unlikely to be behaviorally adoptable. 


6. The Richmond SPCA’s advocacy for TNR is not because of the “absence of a more perfect solution,” as this article suggests; TNR is the only effective and humane solution for feral colony management. There is absolutely no valid reason to kill feral cats when a well-managed trap-neuter-return program is available for free as it is in this city. For so long as people continue to turn cats out and desert them, there will be cats that are able to survive on their own outside. This is one of the most amazing and impressive things about the cats that I love so much. It is important that people treat these cats with respect and compassion. It does nothing but debase us to kill them.


7. A crucial piece of information was omitted. Smoky’s Spay/Neuter Clinic, at the Richmond SPCA, has provided free sterilization procedures and rabies vaccinations to feral cats since 2004. Last year, of the nearly 13,000 spay and neuter services performed in our clinic, about 1,700 were done for feral cats at no charge to the volunteers who trap and care for them. Feral cat caretakers may call 804-521-1300 for more information about these free services.

This community is not well served by inaccuracy and sloppiness in reporting. 

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Comments

[Karen Gammon]

Gosh, it sure does feel good to read this and see the facts. Just this morning while on my run I was thinking about a paper I wrote in college and how much research I had to do to support this thesis and how wrong it would have been if I had not done that. It seems like more and more people just write stuff and post it somewhere, either online or in written form and then people just believe it. I guess that is human nature to believe what you see. This just goes to show you really do have to question what you read. Thanks for posting this!

[Luna Serles]

Where can a copy of the MOU be viewed? I am working on something similar for feral cats in my community. Thank you.

[Tabitha Hanes]

Hi Luna,
We will be happy to provide you with a copy of the MOU by email. Thanks for your interest in helping the feral cats of your community.
Tabitha