JFK's Feral Cats' Fate is Terminal

The Port Authority has decided that the thousands of feral cats that roam JFK Airport's property are best dealt with by way of extermination.

The PA claims the wild kitties are a danger to aircraft and passengers, so it has trapped them, with vague explanations of its intentions. It has now made those intentions explicit: The cats will be rounded up and turned over to animal shelters, and since feral cats are unadoptable, this effectively means that the cats will be destroyed.

Animal advocates have argued a more effective and humane solution would be a catch, neuter, and release program that would allow the animals to survive and control their population by limiting procreation. As for the danger cats pose to aircraft and passengers, the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals thinks it's overblown.

The Alliance's Jane Hoffman told AMNY, "It's astounding. Every time we answer them, they come up with a new question. They say they are a danger to aircraft, but that's silly. I have never seen a feral kitten pole vault into the engine of a jet airplane. Someone there must really have a bee in their bonnet about feral cats."

The PA has stated in the past that the 5,000 acre facility that serves 50 million travelers annually is an unsuitable location for a feral cat population.

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By Dave Hogarty in News on May 28, 2008 2:56 PM

Comments [rss]

Cilla

Of course none of the articles about this topic mention that JFK has placed the kittens in no-kill shelters. Of course not! To mention that wouldn't put people into hysterics sufficiently.

I understand wanting to strive to get the airport to do TNR if you really do not believe in euthanasia, but be a mature, intelligent, grown adult and present balanced information to the public.

Funny how when the Republicans give slanted biased news coverage on Fox News it's horrible, but when our Liberal newspapers and blogs do it it's okay.

d041173c

Feral cats are only unadoptable because people say they are. While they are much harder to deal with than a pet or even a stray, they will come in the house if someone offers. They quickly figure out how to use the litter box & why. They just don't want you to pet them. So, if someone caught the feral cat, sterilized it, got it shots and took it home, it would eat as daintily as any other cat, use the litter box (assuming you crate it for the first week so that it gets used to using the box before you let it roam your house). After a while, it will sleep near you on the bed. Just don't try to pet it or pick it up. Eventually, it will sniff your hand. After 3 or 4 years, it MAY allow you and only you to pet it. Which will be good because the shots you got it will have expired and it will be time to take it to the vet... I know all this because 5 of my 14 cats were ferals. Further, I have had other feral cats that were younger and they actually were acting like pet cats in less time as long as it was only me around. They still hid from everybody else. Kittens born to feral cats can be turned into pet cats just by playing with them while they are still nursing (you watch for the mother to leave and go play with them for a short time each day). Once they are no longer nursing, you scoop them up, get them shots and give them away as pet cats. No one has returned any of these kittens to me claiming they were too wild. So, homes could be found for these cats, only no one will make a push to do it because they have a large number of easier to place cats also needing homes. I must say, I think it is BS that the cats are endangering the airplanes. They just don't want those homeless cats wandering around looking pathetic.

mattkime

Other stray cat will just move into the vacated territory. I wonder how many cats their going to kill before they figure out that this won't solve the problem.

Jerky

I'm sure they could get a decent price in Chinatown for them. Tastes like Chicken!

sonyactivision

These "feral cats" provide a valuable public service as they subsist largely on the corpses of Nigerian stowaways who fall out of their wheelwell coffins on approach.

Spirit of 76

I would suggest to the Mayor's Alliance that the best way to deal with the Port Authority is not logic, but trapping and euthanasia.

Sinchy

Cats kill birds which might fly into an engine, why kill the cats/

CR

How many cats we talking about that live over there? Yes, I'd say neutering/spaying is the way to go. But release back onto the airport grounds? Not so sure about that one... I would say that cats do a decent job of keeping the mouse/rat population down and they don't eat wires the way rats/mice do...