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Extra, Extra
Early Addition
The Brooklyn Paper has a sad tale of some Prospect Heights kittens. The ferals wandered into the back yard of the Pond family, who immediately fell in love, had them spayed/neutered, called them their own and named them Inky, Blinky, Mookie and Clyde.
The Ponds grew so attached to their backyard kitties that they began treating them as if they were their own. They had the cats spayed and neutered. They fed them daily. When the Ponds vacationed, they had a cat-sitter watch over their frisky charges.Sadly, their Cruella DeVil neighbor didn't fancy the felines as much. In June she began to trap the cats, who from time to time wandered into her yard, and disposed of them in Queens! After one week Mookie was the only one left. What did the neighbor have to say about this when confronted on the catnapping?
“When I saw five stray cats living in my backyard … I did extensive research to figure out how I could bring them to be sterilized,” said the neighbor. "All anyone could offer was to come and sterilize the cats. But I would have to first trap the cats and provide a space for them to recover from the surgery. I was not willing to do that. It was too laborious. I personally don’t think cats should be allowed outside to be exposed to cat AIDS, or to get maimed by other cats,” she said. “If I wanted a cat, I would have a cat and I would keep it in my house. “I didn’t destroy it,” she said. “I didn’t hurt it. I just wanted to lower the population of cats. I thought I was doing a service to the neighborhood.”Seems like it might have been easier to trap them and drop them off at a local shelter. The director of Slope Street Cats says the cats will meet a grisly fate in Queens (they think they were dropped off in Floral Park) -- either starving, getting hit by a car or meeting "a nasty end." Perhaps the Ponds should have made them indoor cats.
Photo via dlemieux's flickr.
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or perhaps Pond should be arrested for animal cruelty...
Arrested for animal cruelty? How exactly is taking care of feral cats cruel, let alone a crime?
PLEASE print the addresses so we can go and snuff this cat-hating, cunt of a neighbor.
DWIGHT SCHRUTE
Shouldn't it the cats have been Inky, Blinky, PINKY and Clyde? Where did Mookie come from? Don't these people know anything about Pacman?
I say we trap the neighbor,
poor kitties. Clyde looked so cute with his black hat.
seriously, what a cold, cold woman. oh and extensive research on how to sterilize them, um maybe you should have talked to your neighbors. you know, the ones who actually figured out how to do it.
Some people are fucked up. I don't like cats either, but I do feed the strays in my neighborhood. If it has a mouth, it has to eat. My next door neighbor did almost the same thing, except he killed the whole litter. He trapped them and one by one they disappeared. I hate him for that. Bastard.
" I did extensive research to figure out how I could bring them to be sterilized" - but they were already spayed/neutered... I don't get it.
If I were the cat owners, I would move ASAP. Sure you take a risk letting your cat outside, but the risk is usually from cars and dogs, not angry spinsters.
well, it can be difficult to tell if a cat has been fixed, that's why ferals often get ear-tipped. but this lady sounds like a dick. she pays lip service to fearing for that cats' safety (AIDS, maiming), then ups and dumps them in the next boro. somebody should dump her in queens and see how she likes it.
Cruella should be spayed!!
"the cats will meet a grizzly fate in Queens"
OMG Will they be fed to bears??? I think you meant "grisly."
Cats shouldn't be outdoor cats - it's bad for the cats, and bad for the bird population.
If the Ponds liked the cats so much, to the point of feeding them, playing with them, and having them neutered, why didn't they take them in altogether, or at the very least collar them? They didn't realize that unidentified cats living outdoors are eventually not going to be there anymore?
Pretty dumb. But the neighbor should just have called animal control, so she doesn't come off any better.
This woman is just full of crap. She's "doing a servide to the neighborhood"? How? She was just doing a service to herself. Who the hell is she trying to fool? Does she honestly think anybody would fall for her unbelievable rationalizations?
Cats pounce like coiled snakes on dogs, eternally optimistic creatures.
#14 - ditto.
Unbelievable. Didn't the neighbor notice that they were well fed and cared for??
"I just wanted to lower the population of cats. I thought I was doing a service to the neighborhood." Um so you dump them in another NYC neighborhood??????
Smitty, cats are ANIMALS. They can lead happy outdoor lives with responsible owners.
Journalistic Gold!!
Good job Jen!
@ #19: She's a selfish piece of trash, especially when you consider she didn't know that the cats were already sterilized. "Oh, can't have filthy strays breeding in my neighborhood, I'll just dump them in Queens and let them become someone else's problem."
#19 - I beg to differ, cats shouldn't be allowed to freely roam outdoors. It's bad for the cats because it exposes them to hazards and disease--and it's doubly bad for the birds they kill.
If you're wanting help dealing with feral cats of your own, Neighborhood Cats is a great resource.
Cat AIDS . . . gulp.
PROTECT BACKYARD BIRDS AND WILDLIFE: KEEP PET CATS INDOORS
by Katherine Noyes, Senior Editor – Animal Welfare
backyard birds
More than 600 species of backyard birds live in the United States, and more than 82 million Americans enjoy watching and feeding them. Unfortunately, bird populations are declining faster than ever before around the globe, and one of the leading reasons is predation by domestic cats. By keeping your pet cat indoors, you can help give backyard birds and wildlife the best possible chances for survival.
Of the roughly 90 million pet cats in this country, about two-thirds are allowed to go outside. That's in addition to the millions of homeless stray and feral cats who are forced to live outside. Together, it's estimated that these outside cats kill hundreds of millions of backyard birds each year as well as billions of small backyard animals such as chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels, shrews and field mice.
Among the backyard birds that fall victim to outside cats are common bird species such as cardinals, blue jays and house wrens, as well as rare and endangered species such as the piping plover, Florida scrub jay and California least tern. Even if a caught bird escapes, it usually dies soon afterward from infection. Sadly, it is pet cats' instinct to hunt – not real hunger – that usually drives them to kill backyard birds and wildlife.
Domestic cats are not a natural part of ecosystems, yet they are among the most widespread predators across the globe today. By virtue of their close connection with humans, they also generally enjoy a standard of living that protects them from many threats themselves. When pet cats hunt backyard birds and small native mammals, they deprive other native species, such as the Great Horned Owl and Red-Tailed Hawk, of food. In so doing, they pose a significant threat to the diversity and health of local ecosystems. They can also transmit diseases to wildlife, further weakening the health of natural populations.
Allowing pet cats to roam outside is not just bad for backyard birds and wildlife, it's bad for the cats too. Outdoor cats are exposed to disease as well as the dangers of traffic, traps, poisons, abuse, and attacks from other animals. In fact, outside cats frequently don't live past the age of five, while indoor cats often live to be 17 or more.
It's a fallacy that cats need to roam outside to be happy, and the common strategy of putting bells on their collars has been found to be ineffective for alerting wildlife to their danger. The best solution for everyone is to keep pet cats inside.
* Keep your pet cat inside. If you're about to adopt a young cat, it's usually pretty easy to establish that his territory does not extend beyond the back door. For cats that have been allowed out, however, it can take a little more effort on your part to get them accustomed to staying in. The Humane Society of the United States offers a number of tips and suggestions on bringing an outside cat in and keeping a cat happy indoors. For pet cats who are tough to convince, safe options for enjoying the outside include walks on a harness and leash or providing a safe outdoor cat enclosure. Scratching posts, cat trees, toys and a supply of fresh "cat grass" (available at most pet supply stores) can also go a long way toward replacing what cats have come to expect outside. Also be sure your cat is spayed or neutered; unaltered felines have a harder time accepting the limits of life inside.
* Start a community effort. By helping educate those around you, you can help protect backyard birds and wildlife not just in your own yard but in your whole community. The American Bird Conservancy has developed a broad array of downloadable brochures, presentations, educators' materials, posters and public-service advertisements as part of its Cats Indoors! campaign. Success stories and detailed instructions on launching a community effort are also available from ABC. Similarly, the Humane Society has educational materials available online as part of its Safe Cats campaign, and the Audubon Society has a number of other practical suggestions for protecting backyard birds and wildlife.
4 & jtg i was thinking the same thing!! lol!
smitty it's a little thing called "survival of the fittest" if those stupid birds can't stay away from the cats they deserve to be eaten. go watch the discovery channel & stop whining about animals behaving like animals. from your dumb article:
they also generally enjoy a standard of living that protects them from many threats themselves.
followed by this piece of wisdom:
Outdoor cats are exposed to disease as well as the dangers of traffic, traps, poisons, abuse, and attacks from other animals. In fact, outside cats frequently don't live past the age of five,
contradict ourselves much? duh.
if the ponds wanted to keep those cats they should made sure the cats didn't go into other people's yards. duh.
Uh, ok, but domestic cats aren't a natural part of the ecosystem, so it isn't a natural survival of the fittest. Your logic is a little fallible.
Also, cats who are left outdoors are at great risk of catching and spreading FIV...and getting hit by cars.
Yeah, drop them off at a shelter where they will be put to sleep because there are already thousands of cats in NYC shelters. Great idea, Gothamist!
Here is an interesting piece on indoor/outdoor cat pros and cons: http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanagement101/a/indooroutdoor.htm
Her points for keeping cats indoors:
Pros:
1. Injury or death by vehicles
2. Poisoned intentionally or accidentally
3. Injury or death by fighting with other cats
4. Infectious diseases contracted from other cats: FIP,FIV,FeLV,URIs
5. Parasites: fleas, ticks, ringworm
6. Injury or death by sadists
7. Injury or death by dogs or predators
8. Killing of wildlife by outdoor cats
9. Getting lost, picked up by A/C
10. Theft for sale as laboratory animals or "bait" for illicit gaming
11. Problems with neighbors: cats littering their yards
Cons:
1. Indoor cats are lazy, and don't get the exercise they need.
2. Cats by their very nature deserve the freedom of outdoor life.
3. The cats love the outdoors, fresh air and sunshine, and I love watching them there.
P.S. It's Cruella De Vil
" they also generally enjoy a standard of living that protects them from many threats themselves.
followed by this piece of wisdom:
Outdoor cats are exposed to disease as well as the dangers of traffic, traps, poisons, abuse, and attacks from other animals. In fact, outside cats frequently don't live past the age of five,
contradict ourselves much? duh."
Having a home to sleep in and regular meals doesn't prevent the other things from happening when a cat is outside. There's nothing contradictory here. They can both be true.
You can also substitute "humans" for "cats" in the above statement, and it's still true.
i like turtles.
my outdoor cat lived to be 16... couldn't catch a bird if his poor life depended on it. Upstate though, not in NYC.
I love my half indoor half outdoor cat.
i swear she could fight off a coyote and probably did when we go upstate. sad to say she only lived to about 10, my mom's indoor cat lived to age 14.
we were more worried bout coyotes than cars upstate.
I'd like to go back a comment or two and reflect on what that person said. WHAT ABOUT THE TURTLES? Has anyone stopped to think about what their place in all of this is? No, you haven't. And that's what the real tragedy is hear.
I also like turtles.
Wow, that's the crappiest story I've ever heard... the woman doesn't think cats should live outdoors so she had someone dump the cats outdoors? You have got to be kidding me, she didn't take them to a shelter? She had them dumped in a park in Queens? Give me a freaking break. Idiot.
she ate them.
Kill the evil cat napping bitch.
or perhaps Pond should be arrested for animal cruelty...
Whoops,
I meant the neighbor lady who took the cats to Queens and dumped them should be charged with animal cruelty...not the Ponds.
I posted too quickly. Sorry.
If you are going to pay to have stray cats spayed and neutered, why not bring them inside.
If you want to feed stray cats and have them roaming into your yard and your neighbor's yard, you must realize that they will be urinating all over the yards. I have no problem with anyone feeding the stray cats but go the full step and either adopt them and bring them in or start cleaning up when they do what usually happens after feeding.
Its the same nonsense when the loons feed the birds. There is one woman who strolls through my neighborhood feeding the pigeons. The birds are the size of small turkeys and they then crap all over our windowsills and cars.
#41 where do you live that has pigeons that are "the size of small turkeys?" Sounds like some new, interesting hybrid pigeon.
@Smitty: More birds are killed by pollution, pesticides, and sprawl than cats could ever HOPE to eat. So stop scapegoating (scape-catting?) felines and start addressing the real problems...