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We are currently trapping feral cats in the Banyan Bay area for neutering, rabies vaccine and release. If, for some strange reason, you have a cat that you do not want neutered, please keep him/her on your property for the next few weeks.

Please keep in mind that an uncontrolled cat population is bad for the cats due to transmission of disease, bad for local wildlife as cats are not a native species and rapidly wipe out birds and other small animals and bad for people as there are health risks associated with uncontrolled feral cat populations.

If you would like to find out about trapping in your area, please feel free to PM me or contact SAGA.

Many thanks to SAGA for making this possible.

Thanks collyk. SAGA is great. I have a bunch of stuff I'll be bringing down within the next week, maybe make the kitties feel better.

Saga does a lot of good work. But, I take issue with releasing unwanted domesticated animals.

"Please keep in mind that an uncontrolled cat population is bad for the cats due to transmission of disease, bad for local wildlife as cats are not a native species and rapidly wipe out birds and other small animals and bad for people as there are health risks associated with uncontrolled feral cat populations."

Releasing domesticated animals to fend for themselves that do not have humans to provide them with food and shelter is more cruel than sending them to animal heaven.

While I agree with you in principle bywarren, there are reasons that release is necessary. Research on feral domestic animal populations has indicated that without release, the vaccum created by the absent animals creates a niche for new, uneutered animals. As long as the necessary resources are available to support a population, the population will come. A population of neutered feral animals is preferable. Neutered feral animals also are healthier and less of a public nuisance.

In an ideal world, no companion animal would be without a loving permanent home.

Sorry, that logic totaly lost me. I see no reason for animals to be left to scavage for food and become deseased - neutering does not keep them from desease - if there are not people willing to take care of them.

Jesse: raccoon heaven.

PS: the only reason there is a feral cat problem is because others did before you exactly what you are doing, i.e. releasing domesticated animals to fend for themselves.

But, as I said, SAGA does a lot of good things. I disagree with releasing, but I don't want to overshadow all the other good things SAGA does debating this. Keep up all the good other work.

PS: the only reason there is a feral cat problem is because others did before you exactly what you are doing, i.e. releasing domesticated animals to fend for themselves.

By, to some extent, but more than likely, feral cats (since they were not neutered) will continued to breed and reproduce. I understand what SAGA is trying to do to TRY and control the population and I commend them for that.

Numerous studies have found that releasing neutered strays is the most effective method of controlling feral populations. While I understand your concern bywarren, your solution only perpetuates the problem and causes suffering of a never ending supply of animals. The released population also tends to be much healthier due to a reduction of fighting and STD's.

I do also. I just feel animal heaven is a better approach. Releasing animals to compete with other animals for a limited food source so that some will not survive thereby reducing the population of animals that should not be there anyway seems more cruel to me. Who can say that the animal that is neutered will be the one to survive as opposed to the one that is not. And if the neutered ones die because of lack of food or desease instead of the non-neutered ones, then what has been acomplished other than one animal suffering instead of the other.

PS: Simon, I am familiar with the TNR studies. I just disagree with the findings. Sorry, just my logic not just accepting others.

Just out of curiosity: When you do not want to create a vacuum in the feral domestic cat population, why then neuter them in the first place? I also don't think neutering and vaccinating for rabies has any effect on hygiene. On top of that cats do not only wipe out birds and other small animals, but all local wildlife - thus there is no place for them on the island.

I think the procedure is pretty inhumane and irresponsible, as SAGA thus becomes part of the problem. In the end wasted money and incomprehension will be the only results of this action. I don not intent to demotivate, but to encourage a responsible - non emotional - and more humane solution.

I can only suggest that you do some study before you jump to conclusions. If you think killing off all the stray cats will solve the problem it won't. You'll just end up having them replaced within a matter of a year or less by a new (and larger) population, a never ending cycle.