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Feral
Cats
Feral, or stray,
cats are a huge problem in the
Tampa Bay area. Some of these
are unwanted pets that were never
fixed or tagged and just let go
by irresponsible owners. Some
are multi-generational feral cats
that have been living on their
own.
Feral cats can become
a huge nuisance since most are
not spayed or neutered and alot
of people feed them. Populations
get large and with them come fleas
and decimation of native birds
and wildlife.
The Trapper Guy
can come out and trap and remove
your feral cats. All cats are
brought to the County Animal Services.
Call
today!
727-710-0373
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News
article on Feral cats:
Help Available
For Feral Cat Caretakers In Tampa Area
Feral cats tend to live
in colonies behind businesses, near
barns or dumpsters or in other places
with humans close by who will care for
them. There are programs available to
caregivers to trap the cats and have
them sterilized for minimal cost.
By YVETTE
C. HAMMETT | The Tampa Tribune
Published: December
19, 2008
TAMPA - They are untouched
by human hands but willing to get close
enough for a handout.
There are people who
love them enough to care for them, if
from a distance.
But there is a major
problem – cats reproduce rapidly.
Hillsborough County
is home to an estimated 200,000 feral
cats, many of which end up at Hillsborough
County Animal Services, where they are
euthanized because they are wild and
not eligible for adoption.
Feline Folks, a nonprofit
group in Sun City Center, has started
Operation Feral Fix, or OFF, to help
combat the problem in southern Hillsborough.
In Tampa, Mission: MEOW,
with a feral cat coordinator, helps
guide caretakers to similar programs.
Caretakers trap the
cats and bring them to designated clinics
to be sterilized and then released back
into the community.
The goal is to reduce
the free-roaming cat population humanely,
OFF co-founder Judy Stimson said.
"For $10, we'll
spay or neuter them, give them a rabies
shot, treat them for fleas, if needed,
and give them an ear tip," which
identifies them as having been sterilized.
Mission: MEOW (Managing
and Ending Overpopulation Wisely) works
under the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
Its coordinator directs caretakers to
clinics offering the same type of trap-neuter-release
programs, group President Tara Hood
said.
"We help condo
associations and businesses that are
having problems with feral cat issues,"
she said. "We direct them to individual
trappers that work with feral cats."
For information, call
OFF at (813) 944-7651 or e-mail Mission:
MEOW at missionmeowtampa@yahoo.com.
Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached
at (813) 865-1566.
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