There is definitely a concern among animal lovers when it comes to feral dogs and cats. “Feral” basically means dogs and cats that are born and live without any human contact, seemingly wild and untamed. It is to no fault of their own and they know no other way of life but in this day and age with more and more “built up” of communities and increased traffic, these poor animals are either in danger of ending up in shelters (where no one is going to want to adopt them) or they tragically end up as road kill. That is very sad.
What on earth can we do about this situation when we seem to have no control over these animals? That is such a tough one. Feral cats are nearly impossible to domesticate whereas a stray that may now seem feral can sometimes be re-socialized. It is unfortunate but true that the feral population does carry a lot of diseases which concerns residents everywhere. It does not appear as though there are as many feral dogs.
The most common method of feral population control is "trap and kill," or feral "eradication." Isn’t that a sad solution? Groups that support this seemingly direct, simple, and immediate method of population control have several reasons for doing so, including the control of the diseases that they carry. The problem is not the fact that they are cats or dogs, but rather that we do not see these animals as we see squirrels, deer, and birds—as wild animals. People must confront the feral overpopulation both by refusing to create more wild cats and dogs in the first place through abandonment, and by preventing the inevitable feral population expansion which occurs where human food is made abundantly available to these animals.
The domestication of dogs and cats began thousands of years ago and since then they have relied on us to care for them. These animals do not possess the skills to survive in the wild as the ancestors and do whatever they can to survive.
Dogs are social animals and usually find other stray dogs to form a group or pack. These dogs quickly forget their human families in the effort to survive. Rural areas are sometimes plagued by groups of feral dogs killing livestock and frightening people. These animals live in abandoned buildings, old cars, in the sewer systems - anywhere they can get shelter from the elements. Most live off garbage. The average life span of a feral cat is about two years. Some of the dangers facing feral cats include traffic, other animals, heat or cold, disease, and poisoning.
This is all such a sad situation but what can us as innocent bystanders do to help any of these situations. First, it is against the law to just abandon an animal and put them in this situation; if you see someone doing so, report them, or call the ASPCA should you see an abandoned animal . . . or try to lure them and get them to a shelter and out of harm’s way.
And, of course, people who own pets should obey the animal control and protection laws, have their pets spayed or neutered and fulfill their obligation to care for and protect their pets. They do depend on us for all their needs. Let’s not fail them.
Don’t forget to do all you can to support your local animal protection groups and shelters as they can only do so much and we all need to work together.
About Susan Lee Susan Lee holds a certification in dog grooming and pet care, and has worked in the pet industry for more than 25 years. Susan is also the Rockford Pet Care Examiner for Examiner.com and writes articles for various other internet sites. You can reach her at pupelv7@charter.net for any of your pet related concerns.
