PETA’s office has been hearing from concerned Athens-area residents who were disappointed by the article “Alley Cat Advocates” [Oct. 1], which didn’t mention any of the numerous concerns of animal protection organizations opposed to Trap/Neuter/Release (TNR) programs. I’m hoping that, upon reflection of the facts, you will consider publishing an article explaining the serious drawbacks - for cats, other animals, and the ecosystem - of TNR programs. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) would be happy to help by providing our perspective on TNR and humane feral cat population control.

You may be surprised to know that PETA is generally opposed to “releasing” cats outdoors to roam freely. Our extensive experience with TNR programs and “managed” feral cat colonies have made clear that these programs - unless they comply with stringent guidelines that protect the cats and the animals whom the cats hunt - are simply not in animals’ best interests. Having witnessed firsthand the gruesome things that can happen to feral cats, we cannot in good conscience oppose euthanasia as a humane alternative for dealing with overpopulation. We don’t take this position lightly, and we realize it’s considered controversial.

While spaying and neutering feral cats prevents the suffering of future generations (our mobile spay/neuter clinic provides low-cost surgeries to thousands of cats every year, including feral ones), it does nothing to protect homeless cats from the litany of other painful accidents, afflictions and hardships that they endure. Contagious diseases such as herpes viral conjunctivitis, feline AIDS, leukemia and infectious peritonitis are common in cats left outdoors, and even easily treatable conditions can become deadly for cats who are not seen by veterinarians and are not routinely handled and examined. Minor cuts or puncture wounds can turn into raging infections and abscesses. Untreated upper-respiratory infections cause cats’ eyes and noses to become so caked with mucus that animals can barely see or breathe. Ferals often scratch their ears until they bleed, because they are driven mad by the pain and itching of ear mites and related infections. Others die from blood loss or anemia because of worms, fleas and untreated injuries. Urinary-tract infections, which frequently lead to urinary blockages in male cats, cause slow and excruciating deaths if they go untreated.

If cats miraculously escape these perils, they may still fall prey to agonizing deaths at the hands of cruel people. Our office is flooded with calls about cruelty to animals every day. Across the United States, free-roaming cats are mutilated, shot, drowned, poisoned, beaten, set on fire, sacrificed, stolen by butchers for medical experimentation or used by dogfighters for target practice or as “bait.”

Finally, compassionate people can’t ignore the fact that sterilizing cats - who are not native wildlife and do not fit into the predator-prey ecosystem - doesn’t change their instinct to hunt, no matter how well fed they are! Cats allowed outdoors terrorize, maim and kill countless native birds and other small wild animals who struggle to survive existing challenges such as development in their habitat, and who aren’t equipped to deal with such predators. These small animals die from repeated puncture wounds and by being crushed by cats’ jaws. As you probably know, many cats spend a great deal of time playing with their dying, convulsing prey, whose suffering is intense. Many of these animals are then left to die slowly when they stop struggling but remain alive.

While the idea may sound appealing, in reality, TNR programs sanction the abandonment of cats in parking lots, warehouse districts, fields and barns (where they are pushed as cheap rodent control). We contend that no cat, whether social or not, should be abandoned and forced to endure the harsh conditions of homelessness. The “humane community” sends to the public a clear message when it endorses TNR programs - that cats can survive and thrive living outdoors behind dumpsters and in barns. It’s not only the wrong message - it’s absolutely untrue.

I hope you will consider printing an article that examines the dangers of TNR, both to the cats themselves and the animals they prey upon.

Thank you for your compassion for animals and for covering this important issue.

Teresa Lynn Chagrin, PETA

Norfolk, VA