Update 12/8/14 7:30pm Apparently the problem is still an issue on W. Jefferson St.
When it comes to issues with animal control in the borough, I can only really raise awareness towards the issue and recommend people call Media Borough. About a year and a half ago, a few people reached out to me regarding a feral cat problem on the westside of Jefferson Street. I checked it out but I had no idea what I was looking for other than maybe seeing a large population of cats roaming around. I didn't, but also didn't hear anything more about the issue.
A few weeks ago, I was contacted with a similar problem with outdoor cats on the eastside of Media between Edgemont and Jefferson Streets by third and fourth streets. Apparently these cats are free-roaming and essentially live outside. I'm not sure it they are intentionally raised this way or what, but it seems to be becoming a problem and a potential health hazard.
Solution? Float a friggin' bond!
ReplyDeleteMost of the time, these cats are outside because they have been DUMPED by their owners. there are several TNR groups and others who are trapping them and taking them to the SPCA either here in Media or in West Chester. They get them neutered or spayed and try to find homes for them. There are 3 websites that you can check to see if a cat is lost, their owners post pictures and tell where they have been lost. Others find them and post picture and tell where they were found. LOST PETS OF DELAWARE COUNTY, DELAWARE COUTNY SPCA, AND BRING THE LOST PETS OF DELWARD COUNTY HOME. These websites are monitored and updated daily. Also, there are posts on Media, Everybody's hometown.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could proactively contact the SPCA or another shelter. Why would someone contact you about it?
ReplyDeleteI think that the problem is that people feed them and so, they increase in number. They have pushed over our trash cans ( on wheels) and gotten into the trash. I do not feed them, I just live between two houses that do feed them. I have called the borough, but they no longer have an animal control person. They also use my front lawn as a litter box. It is very frustrating because there is not much that I can do.
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be an issue all over Media. There are several stray cats all over the south (of Baltimore Pike) west side of town. Walking through the LInden Ave. apartments to the train station, I pass at least 3 separate areas where food is set out for the cats. As mentioned above, feeding these cats doesn't help the problem. They become dependent on the food without reasonable shelter. I see many many new kittens every spring/summer/fall, only to see many of the dead on the street during the winter. Is this really what people want when they feed the cats?
DeleteTNR is a scam...feed the cat then he's yours. Stay the hell on your own property. Maybe a feralndog colony would be nice too?
ReplyDeleteDog owners and animal lovers understand that, even though cats can sometimes survive on their own, it is important to try to locate an owner and provide care in the meantime. Treat a feral cat the way you would treat a lost dog. There are families who are searching for lost cats.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, feral and free-ranging cats that have owners are a major problem worldwide. According to the Wildlife Society:
ReplyDelete“600 million cats worldwide and 148-188 million within the U.S. Domestic cats have great reproductive potential. Individuals become sexually mature as early as 6 months of age, and reproduction can occur throughout the year. A single female may produce as many as 3 litters each year with 2 to 4 kittens per litter, with the capacity to successfully raise as many as 12 offspring in any given year.
Domestic cats are significant predators on small mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Feral and free-ranging cats also serve as reservoirs for several diseases, including rabies, toxoplasmosis, bartonellosis, typhus, and feline immunodeficiency virus, that can have significant effects on the health of humans, wildlife, and other domestic animals.
Because humans often feed free-ranging cats, they can reach population levels that may result in abnormally high predationrates on wildlife and increase the spread of diseases.
Domestic cats have tremendous impacts on wildlife and are responsible for the extinction of numerous mammals, reptiles, and at least 33 bird species globally. The supplemental feeding of cats does not deter them from killing wildlife; often they do not eat what they kill.”
(Source: http://joomla.wildlife.org/documents/positionstatements/28-Feral%20&%20Free%20Ranging%20Cats.pdf)
“We estimate that free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.3–4.0 billion birds and 6.3–22.3 billion mammals annually.”
(Source: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v4/n1/full/ncomms2380.html)
The 'feral' and homeless cat epidemic in every city was CREATED by the residents of each neighborhood. The cats are not IMPORTED.. When will people stop the childishness of allowing YOUR cat out UNFIXED to breed freely with unfixed cats that are dumped onto the streets? Felines can produce as many as 4 litters per year. When YOUR neighbor opens the door and allows their unfixed cat outside you can be certain it will find another/usually a dumped cat to breed with. WAKE UP and demand stricter laws and big fines for your irresponsible neighbors who do such.In my lower west side neighborhood in Chicago I tested Trap Neuter Return because a neighbor in an apartment building was now feeding 5 breeding cats dumped by tenants that mved out of her building. reached out to PAWS Chicago and borrowed a few traps. Dince I performed Trap Neuter Return for thos cats 3 years ago there has not been one kittens born outdoors in our area. One of the cats was killed by a car and another I relocated to a relatives rurral farm. I did thi on my own time and money and IT WORKED. Due to that proof that TNR works I applied for a grant from Trio Animal Foundation, Chicago and in my spare time FIXED 130 cats in my Pilsen area. Since then the area I worked TNR is clean, neighbors are vigilant about unfixed cats being allowed outdoors and residents are no longer finding dead and sick litters of kittens. The population is under control now and I wirked under a Cook County Ordinance where the colonies are registered and data tracked. This saved my fellow taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars due to a a drop in cats being collected/ taken to our municipal kill shelter. Cost of intake, housing, and euthanization is costly. Did I think at that first action TNR would have been so effective? No , I just wanted to fix one problem on my block.I sere it all the time, The American way these days: Stand around and idle and complain without any knowledge .Myself and other volunteers across the country went out on our own dime and time and helped stop the epidemic that is RESIDENT created in the first place. Shut up and get the facts first before you blah, blah.. Then again most people wouldn't have the guts and gumption to step up as myself and other residents do. GROW UP AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY and get your cats fixed . Animal abandonment is cruelty and is a felony in our city.
ReplyDeleteUnder control.....there should be NO feral cats roaming.There are NO colonies of dogs and science has proven the problem with cats killing billions of other species.They should NOT be fed and science proves TNR does not work.Whose property are these cats wrecking?Yours? Yes cat owners should keep THEIR CATS ON THEIR PROPERTY!
ReplyDelete