By The WVS Committee
Cat history
Cats are a species that have managed to ensnare the hearts of millions of the adoring public, whether they be in Europe or Africa people worldwide offer love and friendship to this most independent of the domestic species whose endearing but fickle nature allows it to survive even in the most adverse of environments.
The moral perception towards cats has fluctuated from benign to malevolent throughout human history. What’s remarkable is just how different that perception has been when you contrast the attitudes towards this species by different civilisations and cultures.
The neutering programmes organised by various charitable organisations that WVS vets, nurses and active members assist with are often in places where a high influx of tourists have pressured local communities to act with positive regard to control an unwanted feral population. Initially, locals view these animals favourably; they catch rats which reduce the prevalence of disease and are a non-competitive companion species which naturally shows affection and friendliness towards humans. Unfortunately, as adept hunters and scavengers the feral cat population in such areas soon builds up and becomes more of a plague than an endearing background animal, the results are that the cat is viewed as a pest and is subject to an element of persecution and neglect.
An interesting statistic published in the Twinkle Trust handouts is that female cats normally have at least three litters a year, the average litter size being four. This means that in five years one female cat could actually be responsible for 20,000 kittens being born.
Tourists do not overtly help the plight of the stray cat, often they feed the cats with scraps from meals and provide a sanctuary for the sicker ones that by natural selection would help maintain a self regulating population. The result is a population that exceeds the food supply available to it and by definition ensures a certain element of that population will starve and increasing the incidence and prevalence of disease within it.
Neutering programmes
Neutering programmes (or TNR Trap-Neuter-Release programs as they are often known) are designed to stem the proliferation of an unwanted feral population in an attempt to re-introduce an element of self-regulation. The benefits of these have yet to be proved (see WVS clinical studies) but the concept is to reduce suffering and neglect in the cat population, not only in terms of a reduction in endemic disease spread but also by improving public health to the local communities – hopefully to the extent that the moral perception of these animals is increased.
The neutering programmes that WVS is associated with are organised by various animal charities that are in need of a veterinary resource. The WVS volunteers are part of a team effort and it should be emphasised that each member of a neutering team albeit, vet, nurse or catcher are as fundamental as each other in ensuring a smooth operation.
Volunteering
The Twinkle Trust and the Kismet Account are two examples of excellent charities which operate neutering programmes throughout Europe to try and stem the population of feral cats. Worldwide Veterinary Service tries to provide some of the drugs and members of the team required for their regular projects and needs plenty of support from both veterinary trained personnel and non-veterinary personnel in order to do so. As a registered member of WVS you will have access to our charity database which allows you to see when trips like these are and what support crews they require. Any money donated to WVS goes to help and facilitate projects such as these and as a member of WVS you will receive a newsletter which describes the projects that have been undertaken and the good that your money has done.
