Who Speaks For The Cats?
The vast majority of feral cat caregivers, in the order of 80%, are women who have a unique voice that needs to be heard in the public policy debate on legal protections for animals. In particular, the public needs to know that their definition of protection is rooted in sterilization, not “humane” killing; and, moreover, that they are dedicated to protecting individual animals, and do so at great personal cost. That women have long been marginalized is a historic fact, and that the legal remedies have been incomplete is a present reality.
In the debate on legal protections for animals, Wendy Anderson argues that protection lies in sterilization, not in “humane” killing, which is the number one documented cause of death of all cats in the United States. Estimates from the Shelter Statistics Survey (1994-1997) show that 70-73% of all cats entering U.S. animal shelters are killed. Cats are also the most populous pet in the United States, with about 90.5 million living in 37.7 million households. This compares to 73.9 million dogs in 43.5 million households, per the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.
Feral cats are those who have been raised without human contact and therefore are unsocialized. As such, they are fearful of humans and it is considered cruel to force them to live in a human home; most are killed upon admittance to a shelter.
Animal control laws were originally written to address the damage caused by animals (specifically the loss of livestock because of dogs). However, currently these concerns with respect to cats are obsolete, although in some cases the laws have been amended to include cats.
There are individuals nationwide who care for stray and feral cats at personal expense. Networks have evolved for these advocates, which serve as a buffer in protecting individuals from the government and private entities by being active in the legislative process and voicing the idea that the existence of strays is not the problem. Sometimes these individuals can be personally subjected to harassment, job loss, eviction, death threats, and the liability that is imposed on original owners of the animals.