My recent exposé of our volunteer efforts…

My recent exposé of our volunteer efforts to spay and neuter stray cats has turned our contraception conundrum into a veritable feral feline fiasco. Here are the final comments I’ll share on this page. Further discussion is welcome on facebook.
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I agree [the feral cat issue] is a hard situation and responsible pet ownership is the answer. As former director of the Houston Audubon Society, I no longer feel the same kind-hearted attitude you do. However, I have never had to be the one to make the lethal decision, so I am simply talking philosophically – and that is easy. I can’t even keep the neighbor’s cat from stalking the quail in my sagebrush! I just think we have to protect our native critters that are losing on so many fronts. A non-native predator is something they have no defenses against.

Amen, sister. Here’s another reader who is hounded by cats.
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While I applaud the effort of trying a humane answer to feral cats, after neutered then what? We have a major problem with feral cats jumping our fence, terrorizing our small dog, marking our lawn furniture and I am highly allergic to cats. Don’t I have rights as a responsible pet owner to not have to live under feral cat attacks? I feel for innocent lives and feral cats, but I do not agree to returning them to the wild. Compassionate idea, but to me not a fair reality.

Dr. Nichol:
There is a difference between the fuzzy feline snuggle bunnies so dear to many of us and the urban pests that bedevil you and your pint-sized petrified puppy. You need a new plan, Stan.

Leave no food, water, or garbage outside. Mounting a Scare Crow (pestproducts.com/scarecrow) on your fence will provide hours of entertainment. Clap with glee as unsuspecting feline rapscallions trigger the motion sensor and get generously hosed. Take the next step and put the Cat Diva’s environmental deterrents to work. Find Cats in the Garden at facebook.com/drjeffnichol. Canine vigilantism? Picture a gang of 8 pound hoods patrolling your yard and guzzling beer in those desecrated lawn chairs of yours. Just don’t let them ride their motorcycles home when their crime watch shift is over.

Dr. Jeff Nichol treats behavior disorders at the Veterinary Specialty Centers in Albuquerque and Santa Fe (505-792-5131). He cares for the medical needs of pets at the Petroglyph Animal Hospital in Albuquerque (898-8874). Question? Post it on facebook.com/drjeffnichol or by US Mail to 4000 Montgomery Blvd NE, Albuq, NM 87109. Unpublished questions may not be answered individually.