Perhaps I need to rethink my position against those who espouse the AdvoCat philosophy. I have read the arguments for saving cats by trapping them, then spay/neuter, vaccinating and chipping these feral animals before releasing them back into the environment.
Perhaps I need to rethink my position against those who espouse the AdvoCat philosophy. I have read the arguments for saving cats by trapping them, then spay/neuter, vaccinating and chipping these feral animals before releasing them back into the environment. This is because, I guess, cats are used as pets and have a right to live. But why should just cats get this special treatment?
Certainly dogs deserve such consideration. There needs to be an “AdvoDog” group who will work with the Humane Society as AdvoCat does to “adopt” the dogs, spay/neuter, and vaccinate these poor animals. And if they are too mean to be used as pets, like most feral cats are, they should just be released, and then fed and watered around the hotels, beaches, parks, pastures and communities. I am sure everyone will not mind the feces of the dogs any more than the feral cats that make litter boxes of our beaches. And, of course, packs of feral dogs are just as harmless as cats to the environment, and perhaps less since the dog does not carry the toxoplasmosis parasite like the cats. Also, the dog can’t climb trees to kill the native birds as the cat does.
But why stop there? Our family has had two mongooses live with us as pets for several years and each has gotten along well with our pet cat, dog and rabbit. They are very smart and make fun, gentile, interesting pets. So why not an “AdvoMongoose” society? Mongooses can then be trapped, spayed/neuter (ours were neutered) and then released back into the environment. Another pet we have right now is a feral pig sow named Hannah who lives in our fenced yard. She is spayed, vaccinated and loved. Pigs deserve their “AdvoPig” group, too. Pigs have about as many piglets per year as cats have kittens. So the AdvoPig people will be very busy trapping, fixing and releasing all the pigs they are able to catch. Some will evade trapping, just like the cats, so there will be a net increase in the populations.
In my youth I loved my pet rats and mice so these too have a right to live a natural life in the wild. Therefore “AdvoRat” and “AdvoMouse” societies seem logical, too.
The hotels could help both the AdvoDogs and AdvoPigs by putting out their scraps from the dining rooms. This along with the society’s feeding programs will help insure that the animals will not be stressed or pushed into killing livestock or eating farmers’ crops. This will be just as effective as the argument that feeding cats will stop them from killing birds. And, of course, the feeding programs will also insure a nice healthy population.
In the past our family has also had pet goats and sheep. More Advo societies are needed. And like it is with cats, so too there should be laws against shooting or killing mice, rats, rabbits, pigs, chickens, dogs, sheep, goats or any other feral “Advo” animals.
Again I’d like to know why we ignore the consequences of cats while making it so hard on mice, rats, pig, mongoose, dog, etc. etc.?
Pat Hall is a resident of Waimea
