100 Things Restaurant Servers Must Stop Doing!
Former Commish Kerik Cries During Court Appearance
Bloomberg Speaks Out On Anti-Hugging Cabbie
Shootings At Fort Hood, TX Army Base: 12 Dead, 31 Wounded
UWS Protests Puppy Mill Pups at Store
Forget terrorists or crippling airline delays: Cats are enemy number one at JFK Airport. After years of airport and airline employees taking care of the many feral cats who make Kennedy their home, the Port Authority is trapping the cats. Rescue groups are worried, because the cats are feral, they are very unlikely to be placed in homes - which means they will probably be killed.
A large cat population has grown at the airport partly because so many cats, who are being transported by plane, get lost and end up living there. Rescue groups believe that many of the cats at the airport are airline passengers' lost pets - or their descendants. And the Times reports that many cats - as well as others pets - are abandoned there, either by travelers who don't want to pay kenneling fees or by people who just want to get rid of their pets.
However, the Port Authority says, "This is ultimately a safety issue and an unsafe condition being created," because food not eaten by cats attracts birds and birds can fly into planes. The PA spokesman said, "We are not going to jeopardize the safety of more than 46 million air passengers who use JFK Airport." Still, doesn't garbage attract birds? Plus, the cats eat rodents (who can eat away at very important wiring!).
A number of rescue groups have been sneaking onto airport grounds to feed as well as spay and neuter the cats, but the Port Authority has been cracking down on them lately. Some groups have rescued kittens from the colony (the pictures above are of two of them); the hope is that the feral kittens will be socialized enough for adoption.
If you want to voice your complaints about the Port Authority's actions, we've included information how you can do so after the jump.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Call, fax and email Port Authority officials and protest the extermination effort. Urge them to meet with NYC Feral Cat Initiative representatives and come up with an intelligent plan to Trap-Neuter-Return and manage the JFK cats. The NYC Feral Cat Initiative is a program of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals.WHO TO CONTACT:
Susan Baer, General Manager, JFK Airport
sbaer@panynj.gov
718-244-3501Laura Francoeur, Aeronautical Services,
Airport Operations Division
Phone: 718-244-3773
Fax: 718-244-3777
lfrancoe@panynj.govFor more on the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals: www.animalalliancenyc.org
For more on Neighborhood Cats: www.neighborhoodcats.org
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Error: "Cats ARE enemy number one at JFK Airport"
"Forget terrorists or crippling airline delays: Cats enemy number one at JFK Airport. After years of airport and airline employees taking care of the many feral cats who make Kennedy their home, the Port Authority trapping the cats."
When did grammar skills become obsolete in journalism?
In Defense of Animals will be organizing a rally outside of Port Authority headquarters, off Union Square, at 225 Park Avenue South, between 18th and 19th Street on Monday, Oct 29th from Noon to 1pm to appeal to the Port Authority to halt the extermination program at the JFK Airport.
Please attend and pass on the word to help stop this! Thank you.
Don't the cats take care of both the rodents AND the birds? Seems like every airport should have a kitten army.
How adorable would that be?
So the dimwits at JFK lost people's pets, and now they're going to kill them? Pathetic.
What I just don't understand is the Port Authority actually believes that by getting rid of 100 cats that 100 more cats won't take their place. Instead of going to the heart of the problem or even working with rescue groups, they cry "security," which yes, is a concern, but sounds more like a cop-out to me. The airport doesn't seem to realize that nature happens... and will continue to happen, whether it's killed or not.
Ugh. I just don't understand people sometimes.
Anyhoo, I sent a note off to Baer and Francouer, thanks.
the Port Authority ARE trapping the cats.
If you read things through out loud one time before posting them you will catch these errors.
BTW, the Port Authority is now telling callers that the cats are adopted out... if you call and they say this, just laugh at them. Tell that that feral cats are NOT adopted out by the ASPCA or any other organization. The friendlies are adopted, but the unsocialized ferals are ALWAYS put down if they are not relocated to other colonies.
Or you could hire an editor. Oh, wait, you ARE the editor!
The NY Feral Cat Council is one group dedicated to spay/neutering feral cats. Plus, they let the cats sit on a dais and draft legislation.
Actually its "the Port Authority IS trapping the cats".
-Coolmikeperry (Grammar Cop)
coolmikeperry with the grammatical smackdown FTW!
I know that JFK has a program as well that uses a team of trained birds of prey (falcons) to either eat or scare away birds. i always thought that was pretty cool. let's see more creative solutions like that.
I understand the Port Authority's concern about mishaps caused by encounters between birds and planes, but it is difficult to understand their logic that the presence of cats would attract birds.
However, I'm sure that greater reductions in the numbers of homeless cats at JFK would have resulted if Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) efforts were consistently supported.
With TNR programs and continued monitoring by dedicated volunteers, cats no longer reproduce, nuisance behaviors and complaints are reduced or eliminated and costs are decreased. An added benefit of TNR is that there are volunteers to care for the cats and take action when new cats appear. Strategies such as relocating feeding stations, feeding at set times and cleaning up any remaining food should make the cats less visible and the premises cleaner.
I hope the Port Authority will take advantage of the NYC Feral Cat Initiative's offer to effectively and humanely manage the feral cats at JFK through TNR.
Nancy Peterson, RVT
Feral Cat Program Manager
The Humane Society of the United States
Washington, DC
www.humanesociety.org/feralcats
This is so upsetting, especially given the fact that some of these kitties could be people's treasured pets.
Domestic Cats gone feral are vermin and should destroyed on sight. The absolute damage they do if far beyond any potential they may have for killing rodents. Lets take the first stes toward a "Cat Free USA". Destroy all feral cats!
Can we start that program with you?
There are plenty of hopelessly single women in this city to adopt cats.
Seriously? Are you really saying that leaving feral cats to roam around the airports is a good thing? That they should be left to wander around pissing and crapping and getting into everything because they're cute?
That make sense?
I'm not calling for a cat-free America, but how about some common sense? Wild animals should not be loose in the airport, no matter how cute they may be.
No one is saying they should be put to death (well, one person is) but catching them and taking them somewhere where they won't do any harm sounds like a good idea to me.
ultraclay: I hope you're not naive enough to believe that the Port Authority are boarding the cats in a 4-star hotel do you?
What do you think they are going to do with hundreds of cats who can't be adopted? They are getting killed, ultraclay.
Do you think they contracted with EXTERMINATORS to snuggle with the kitties?!?!
If everything is so well and rosy, why do you think they have shut out every single animal rescue group??? Think for a moment!
Ultraclay, NYC Feral Council explains it all for you.
Howsabout some good-hearted kitty lover(s) volunteer(s) to take in the feral cats & neuter, then care for &/or adopt them out? The JFK area is also home to many breeding (small) birds, mammals and even cool reptiles. Feral cats (NO, I'm not saying kill them!) are non-native instinctual hunters. Workers should not be feeding them, and they should not be hunting the J-Bay wetlands. Proper (non-lethal) management & control of invasive species only makes sense.
Also, interesting that two people in the Bronx shot in the head: few comments.
Trap a cat? Lots.
Interesting demographic and illustration of priorities.
Dadoc
i hear black cats are harder to adopt!?
Dadoc, I'm totally with you on the wacked out values here - my own included.
To the others, sorry, I don't see why leaving feral in the airport is a better alternative. If people want to adopt them, they should certainly have the option, but are people really saying that we should have these cats wander wherever they want? And that no one should ever try to get them out of there?
The TNR method mentioned in the link about feral cats doesn't really say anything about the population that come in when attrition does its duty. Attrition just means dying off of natural causes. After that, new animals will come in as well. Just as removal processes will have to continue if the cats are removed, so will they have to continue if they are neutered and returned.
When new ferals come into a colony, their caretakers do another round of TNR. you don't do another round of TNR? I think you are assuming that there are no caretakers for the particular colonies mentioned in the article. It would be a completely different story if there were no one taking care of them at all. The rescue groups are trying to work with Port Authority to allow the groups to continue their colonies.
And Dadoc, what do you want people to say about a shooting in the Bronx that hasn't already been said? The analogy that you are dredging up tries to make people guilty about caring for animals. Can't people care about animals and humans at the same time?
But again, what is someone suppose to say about the shooting in the Bronx? And more importantly, did YOU comment on the shooting in the Bronx?
TNR stabilizes and controls the population, and it is the only effective solution for doing so. Poisoning and killing do not reduce the population; more cats then would come in, repeating the process and repopulating the colony.
The Port Authority should realize that dollar for dollar, TNR is much far less costly than impoundment and killing of animals. In New Hampshire, as one example, every dollar spent on the spay/neuter program in its first seven years has saved $3.15 in reduced impoundment costs. TNR is also the only program that works, and there are organizations willing to carry out the program.
The Port Authority, of course, is rolling in money, I must asume, since it wants to pull out of such a cost-effective solution to this problem.
Not to mention, the premise is silly and the plan is diabolical.
There seem to be several conflicting views on here; i'll only speak to a couple. Nanpet: i applaud the important work of your program and agree that TNR should be applied in lieu of "trap and kill" -- SO LONG as there is a progression toward zero pop. of feral cats at the airport. In that regard, i totally agree with ultraclay: its an AIRPORT -- we don't need feral cats there, period. The key to integrating these two POV's is, as nanpet suggested, "relocating feeding stations, feeding at set times and cleaning up any remaining food" because its all that catfood, probably scattered outside by well-meaning cat lovers, that attracts birds and rodents which the satiated cats are less interested in hunting.
Hi, everyone. I am a TNR advocate and I fully agree with Nancy Peterson of HSUS about relocating the feeding stations, setting feeding times, and cleaning up left overs. I also want to add:
1.) There must be a registered or designated feral/stray cat feeders so that it will be done consistently. The problem when you have many feeders who don't know each others and coming in different times, cats will come out to eat even if they have been already fed. Cats are trainable, and they will learn quickly when they are supposed to eat and who feeds them. Also, when you have a designated cat feeders, these cats would learn to come out only for the people they recognize because these cats will associate them with food. Feeders must also remove any left over so it won't attract insects and wild animals. When these things are done consistently and properly, the TNRed cats will become less visible because they will hide or run away from unrecognized people.
2.) How about building a raised feeding station on a relocated feeding location? Those who have conducted a study with feral cats and wildlife built a raised feeding station to keep away critters.If you want to see their design, check out www.tnr-plus.protectwildlife.org and click feralcat/wildlife impact study.
3.) The other importance of supervising feeding and cleaning up is you want to keep an eye on bad people who want to poison the cats. It happened to one of my 9 mos. old kittens in my own residential property. Since I became attached to these kittens, I ended up adopting the remaining 4 kittens and brought them inside my home and turned them strictly indoor. Three years have passed, only 1 became fully tame. The other 2 are semi-feral and the last one is still feral. Based on my experience, one can adopt a feral cat but there is no guarantee that you can tame it. It is ideal to tame feral kittens when they are newborn or at least less than 2 mos. old. It was too late for my adopted cats because their mom moved them to my yard when they were 5-6 mos. By the way, the one that is still feral, she finally let me touched her tail but with supervision (lol)and I had to be brief.
4.) Lastly, I don't think the airport is a safe environment for the remaining cats that are unadoptable. But, they're there and as long as rescue groups are monitoring their safety, their health, and most important, reducing their population that would be fine. However, something must be done to prevent people from dumping their cats there at the airport othrwise it is not going to end. Airport is simply not a safe place for these cats. Another benefit to monitored feeding and removing food is that feeders will spot any new cats. Those readers here who would ask: "How can you tell a new cat from the old ones?" It's simple. Any cats that has been TNRed would have his or her left ear tipped. Ear tipping is humane and painless, and it's a universal sign that a feral/stray cat has been TNRed.
I do not believe when they said that none of the 50-75 feral cats slated for trapping this weekend will be killed but will all be adopted into homes! And I do not believe when they said that Cats down jets and ferals are all quickly adoptable. That's political lies and deception you're telling to the press and public! We are not born yesterday! I don't buy it and - boy, you think we are all real dumb!
Cats are living breathing creatures that are also man's best friend. Just because Cats do not have a voice, it doesn't mean you can abuse them! Cats can get rid of rodents. You should have cats eliminate rodents in NYC, Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, and the tri-state area. You have more than 100 million rodents, why don't you kill and get rid of rodents instead! Stop being a coward and a cruel cold evil person and leave the cats alone! Stop picking on innocent cats!
I am totally against the extermination effort of cats! That's is unethical and immoral thing to do! That is totally inappropriate! How would you feel if you and other humans was to be euthanized because of overpopulation in USA! Cats deserve to live and have every right to live just as every human has every right to live! You should meet with NYC Feral Cat Initiative representatives and come up with an intelligent plan to Trap-Neuter-Return and manage the JFK cats. The NYC Feral Cat Initiative is a program of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals.
Sincerely,
Jane Chiang
Port Authority is in for a little surprise, if it thinks it will be successful with this plan. After all of this costly and unnecessary killing, and still plenty of cats will be there.
Maybe next time, the Port Authority will wise up and reconsider. Hmmm...
Alley Cat Allies Condemns Trapping and Killing of Feral Cats by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey at J.F.K. Airport
Organization Cites Recent Harris Survey: Americans Don’t Want Feral Cats Killed at Animal Shelters
November 1, 2007 -- Alley Cat Allies, the national advocate for stray and feral cats, today condemned the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s decision to trap and remove feral cats located around J.F.K. airport.
“Trapping feral cats and bringing them to animal control—where they will be killed—is not a humane solution and we know that Americans are not in support of this cruel practice,” said Becky Robinson, President and co-founder of Alley Cat Allies. A recent national survey conducted by Harris Group for Alley Cat Allies reveals that an overwhelming majority of Americans — 81% — believes that leaving a stray cat outside to live out his life is more humane than having the cat caught and killed. These results reveal a significant disparity between the public’s humane ethic and the operating policy of most U.S. animal pounds and shelters.
“Americans need to understand that the killing of feral cats, like those at J.F.K. airport, happens every day around this nation. Contacting animal control agencies to remove outdoor cats is handing these animals an immediate death sentence,” said Robinson. “Feral cats are not a threat to humans. They are not socialized to humans and cannot be adopted, so most shelters capture and kill them. Not only is this practice cruel, it is also a waste of money and resources and is not effective in reducing the total number of cats who live outdoors.”
Alley Cat Allies has reached out to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey offering to assist with Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), the non-lethal method of managing outdoor cat populations. With TNR, stray and feral cats already living outdoors are humanely trapped, vaccinated, and sterilized by veterinarians. Kittens and social cats are adopted into good homes. Healthy feral cats are returned to their outdoor habitats where they are provided food, water and shelter and monitored by volunteer caregivers.
Respondents to the Harris survey were also asked to consider the most humane outcome if they were to assume the stray cats would be hit and killed by a car in two years; 72 percent said it was still more humane to let the cat live out his natural life.
The Alley Cat Allies survey also found that more than two in five Americans have put out food or water for a stray cat, with more than one in five respondents reporting to have done so in the past year.
For a full copy of results from the Harris survey, “U.S. Public Opinion on Humane Treatment of Stray Cats” visit
http://www.alleycat.org/PublicOpinionPoll
About Alley Cat Allies
The mission of Alley Cat Allies is to protect the lives and promote the wellbeing of our nation’s population of stray and feral cats, and to end the killing of cats in animal control pounds and shelters – the number one documented cause of cat death in the United States. Since 1990, Alley Cat Allies and its 150,000 supporters and volunteers have pursued this mission nationwide through educational and outreach programs. Alley Cat Allies also advocates for the use of Trap-Neuter-Return programs to control reproduction of cats. Visit Alley Cat Allies on the Internet at http://www.alleycat.org