Can I trust these shady people that say they're spaying/neatening the cats?
I’m apart of a club that helps stray cats by feeding them food from pet stores and cleaning the areas they reside in. One day, I saw a trap next to the gates of where the cats live. Two slightly older than middle-age ladies in a black truck with suspicious bags in the back said they were spaying/neutering the cats after they trapped them, because one of the stray cats "were pregnant."
They were wearing jackets with leopard patterns. I asked them if I can volunteer (they said they worked in a shelter) but they said that it wasn’t really a shelter. But one thing that was MOST suspicious to me is when they said one cat was pregnant. That didn’t connect, because they were never here before, so how would they know that a stray cat here was pregnant?
This bothers me because I’m a very paranoid and pessimistic person and I predict that they are going to put the cats to rest before shedding their fur for clothing, etc.?
Should I report them?
The ladies kept smiling after every sentence, and it kinda spooked me if you group that with the sinister aurora. Kinda reminds me of Cruella De Vill but in cat-fur-lover form….?
5 Comments on “Can I trust these shady people that say they're spaying/neatening the cats?”
Your suspicions sound pretty ridiculous. There are a lot of groups and individuals out there that practice TNR (trap, neuter, return), which is a management strategy for feral cat colonies. They trap the cats, spay/neuter them, vaccinate them, and ear tip them to identify them as part of a managed colony. The cats are then returned to their colony where someone feeds them and looks after them. These colonies are often times so well managed that you may not see the caretakers or feeding stations – they are kept fairly well hidden to discourage people from bothering the cats or dumping more cats there. Many women participate in these organizations – they seem to be more cat-friendly than older men, but that’s just my observation. If you are concerned, you could call the animal shelter or SPCA in your area to inquire about feral cat activist groups – they may know the ladies that you saw and can reassure you that no harm will come to the cats. They were truthful that they didn’t have a shelter, because the cats don’t go to a shelter – they are trapped, go to surgery, and then come back within a day or two. They may have known about the pregnant cat because the caretaker in the area told them, or because they trapped her and saw that she was noticeably pregnant. Spaying a pregnant feral cat is especially important, because you don’t want them to reproduce and have more kittens that are born feral – they are especially hard to catch and tame and find homes for. Your club should really not be feeding the stray cats without also managing their population through spaying and neutering. Vaccination is also very important for public health – rabies is a deadly disease that humans can catch from cats.
Could they be part of a feral spay/neuter organization? There are organizations that trap feral cats and spay/neuter them as well as vaccinate them. The one in my area works along with the veterinary college and the vet students volunteer.
Very suspicious. Call local humane society or animal rescue organization and you will be saving lives from these people. If they are doing trap-neuter-return program they are supposed to wear coat with official animal rescue logo or something. Just call and check than be sorry.
when they spay them they usually tag the ear or put a nick in it for future reference when looking for feral cats, so they know they have been done. so if you can check the cats before they take any.
also even if they haven’t been seen in your area, one of your neighbours could have reported seeing a pregnant cat and that may be why they are there.
i would personally ask for id next time you see them. if they are from any kind of shelter or rescue place they will have something on them.
and dont worry about them wearing leopard print, its just showing how much they love cats!! i cant imagine it would be worth skinning a feral cat for its fur, not when there are so many more other animals that have nicer fur.
hope this answers you, im no expert but having got 2 cats myself i spent a lot of time talking to the rescue centre i got them from.
you should have them investigated. if they are, in fact, doing something perfectly harmless with the cats, then your fears can be alleviated and they can continue their good work. problem solved, no harm done. If not, then you will have stopped them from doing something completely cruel. I would do it just to make sure.