TNR And "Death By Attrition" The Truth

I spent the afternoon talking with someone I really care about, and respect, we are on different paths when it comes to re-abandoning cats... However,. she ended up saying, "gosh it looks good on paper.. but I'd never considered beyond the feed and neuter part"..
And most people don't... even I say " unassisted death" because the truth is something I deal with on a daily basis, and sometimes " Oreo just needs a break"... but to the average cat owner, who loves the cat, takes it to the vet, and when the time comes has it put to sleep, or euthanized, relieved of it's suffering, the loving owner does that.. These cats are ownerless and they deserve better than to have their death " just go away, you know, it's attrition" Well it isn't humane attrition, and I am going to call bullshit every time I hear that stupid phrase. An undocumented death is still a death. When the ACO's pick up ear tipped cats off the roadway ( usually they are left for carrion at the side of the road ) it's not tracked, so we don't have "death by vehicle" obituaries for Feral Cats. When the cat dies under a bush with FIV or organ failure, it is not documented, so another uncounted " death by attrition"  When the cat is poisoned or shot, it's unowned and undocumentd., it's uncounted........ These feral cat lives matter, and they deserve to die with the same dignity we would offer any of the felid species .....There is no other domestic animal that we allow to starve and die of disease,  And then they pat each other on the back that they have " saved them" all they have done is trade a humane death for a " death by attrition' the cat is still going to die... Only their way it will suffer and die alone in agony, If that seems humane to you ... talk to a vet, ask them how the disease kills the animal slowly.........ask them if in good conscience they would let " your" cat die that way, Would you let YOUR cat die that kind of death. i thought I would write this because the topic is under discussion in the City of Sparks and some people really don't think " attrition" all the way through. Drop the " wild" crap, Cats fear, they suffer, they die. Your cat could end up in a colony just by being a free roaming cat....Here's what the TNR Orinance that was passed, says:

“Feral Cat Colony” means a group of cats that congregates, more or less, together as a unit. Although not every cat in a feral cat colony may be feral, any non-feral cats that congregate with a colony shall be deemed to be a part of it."

This is illegal, cruel and a threat to all owned pets, that may never leave 
their own yard....... Please consider these cats" end of life experience."
This is no way to die.

It's called attrition 

For All The TNR Potty Mouth Types

Sparks Nevada Is Weary Of " Hosting Colonies"

Where are the Koi ?.. and what the hell is "hosting a colony" ..is that like having a BBQ in somebody else's backyard because you don't have room to take care of it in yours?  I think of hosting as an agreement between parties, so the City of Sparks has never "hosted" cat colonies. We may have at times, tolerated them, but never "hosted"
Two recent newspaper articles stirred the pot and started a dialogue, I share with you the numbers from screen grabs taken from the comments on those two articles. Since we are not yet a populist nation, we are a society of representation by elections.......these are just numbers of some local interest. Numbers are combined from both to avoid confusion. Break down available upon request, Oreo aims to please..
The comments to support the "ban on colonies"   were from all over the country and primarily people deeply involved in professional animal care, generally with letters behind their name :) There were 82 BAN comments
On the PRO Cat Colony ( save our furbabies, save our grants side ) There were 30 comments, 25 of those comments were from Nevada Humane Society Staff,  they even stated in their plea, that this would cost them funding......
Well guess what. I don't think we should pay Shelters to dump cats, so I don't feel pity for them.  The state law was never changed, they did try, however.  Therefore  per a legal opinion that has not been reversed by a higher authority, that opinion stands.  This is a land use issue, a zoning issue and why in hell would we allow illegal activity on any parcel within our City of Sparks? That puts Sparks in the " litigation seat" when one of these cats infect a citizen. Below is an excerpt:

. "However, at the present time, considering the exact wording of the statutes, ordinances and contacts related to this issue, the return aspect of the 'Spay/Neuter
Return"Program is an illegal abandonment of the cats and should not be sanctioned by Washoe County.
County Code does not authorize the County to return animals in our custody to the location where they are found nor does the PSA or state statute allow NHS to release animals in such a manner.
Sincerely,
RICHARD A. GAMMICK
Distict Attomey
TS:lm
cc: Barry Brode"

I just tossed that in for people who may not know...... The truth is, it's an impactive land use and even if it becomes legal in some areas, like prostitution, porn or fracking, it remains a dangerous and fiscally impactive land use...

Sparks Proud Planning Commission

Feral Reality..