Traffic lights needed at intersection
Traffic lights should be installed at the intersection of Kaumualii Highway and southbound Maluhia Road, or maybe just a red stop light in the turning lane onto Maluhia Road.
Drivers (locals and tourists) from the east at that intersection seem to always want to beat the traffic from the west going east. It’s been many times I’ve seen and experienced drivers turn in front of the oncoming vehicles 50 yards (which isn’t much time to make a turn) away.
State DOT, plan on installing a traffic light(s) there.
Howard Tolbe, Eleele
Eliminating feral cats not solution to toxoplasmosis
I’m writing in response to Becky Robinson’s letter in Sunday’s Garden Island (Forum, June 24).
The following information comes from the Mayo Clinic. I copied it directly from their site.
The causes of toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii or T. gondii) are:
• Coming into contact with cat feces that contain the parasite. You may accidentally ingest the parasites if you touch yourmouth after gardening, cleaning a litter box or touching anything that has come in contact with infected cat feces. Cats whohunt or who are fed raw meat are most likely to harbor T. gondii.
• Eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Lamb, pork and venison are especially likely to be infected with T. gondii.Occasionally, unpasteurized dairy products also may contain the parasite. Water contaminated with T. gondii isn’t common inthe United States.
• Using contaminated knives, cutting boards or other utensils. Kitchen utensils that come into contact with raw meat canharbor the parasites unless the utensils are washed thoroughly in hot, soapy water.
• Eating unwashed fruits and vegetables. The surface of fruits and vegetables may contain the parasite. To be safe,thoroughly wash and peel all produce, especially any you eat raw.
• Receiving an infected organ transplant or transfused blood. In rare cases, toxoplasmosis can be transmitted through anorgan transplant or blood transfusion.
In my opinion feral cats are necessary to help keep down the rodent population. Besides, if caught as kittens they can besocialized — my two cats were feral when they came to live with me and I’ve never had more loving cats.
House cats with litter boxes are just as likely to infect small children and pregnant women with toxoplasmosis as are feralcats, if not more so. Ridding the island of feral cats is not the solution.
Susan Campbell, Kalaheo
Aloha Kakou,
Thank you for the very informative article from the Mayo (medical) Clinic.
It inspires us to not only wash our fruits and vegetables well but to also adhere to the VEGEN Lifestyle of eating…no animal parts for food, nor dairy.
Eating very dead animals vs. very fresh local and alive washed fruits and vegetables makes for a clear choice of what you would want to put in your body for having a live vibrant body and mind enjoying the full potential of life’s Longevity.
Let’s hear it for our KAUAI natural non-poison Ag chemical using FARMERS…!
Mahalo,
Charles
You left out that lovely shade of yellow as a vegan selling point!
Get back to us Susan when you’ve figured out how to train all feral cats on the Island NOT TO KILL BIRDS! Rats can be dealt with in many ways.
Susan Campbell you failed to address the biggest problem, feral & domestic cats killing and eating birds, if continued we will soon see some of our native Hawaiian birds extinct, but you don’t care about birds just your 2 “lovely” kittens……
“In my opinion feral cats are necessary to help keep down the rodent population.” You forgot their impact on keeping down our bird population many of which are endangered.
Yes please let’s have MORE feral cats!! Not only do they not cause toxoplasmosis, they don’t eat endangered species- and using their tiny feral paws they’re building a new 35,000 seat sports stadium! And fighting fires! So glad we have all these feral cats- what would we do without them?? Let’s bring in coqui frogs next – they’re really cute too!
Another light ?? No thank’s how about the easiest solution be wary of the intersection. As for feral cats I like cats but there’s no room for feral cats on Kauai
Mr. Tolbe… Our best tool for traffic management are roun-a-bouts . Signals are what’s creating more congestion and hazards
Steve Martin, “you’re right that would be better!”
Howard Tolbe
In between the hardcore positions of killing or not killing cats is the idea of a publicly sponsored sanctuary.
Anyone who thinks cats are not contributing to the death of your monk seals by spreading toxoplasmosis into your soil and streams needs to google “CDC toxoplasmosis biology” and go to https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/shining-light-toxoplasmosis-hawaii..
Do you know how meat gets infected with toxo? The animal eats food with toxo cysts. Toxo ONLY reproduces in the digestive tract of felines. Not removing all feral cats is stupid.
In the same time period:
More seals were killed by sharks than TOXO,
More seals were deliberately killed than by TOXO,
More seals were accidentally killed (boat strikes, nets etc) than by TOXO,
Who or what are you gonna kill for that?
Go down to Costco and get the Jumbo box of perspective!
Toxoplasmosis is completely dependent on cat species for maintaining a chain of transmission. The cat advocates in Hawaii have been told this repeatedly, but persist in the misinformation tactic of implying that toxoplasmosis in meat and vegetables does not also have to do with cats. in fact all food contamination originates from cat feces.
You’re so far from being right, we can’t even call ypou “wrong!”
Forget toxowhatever, the feral cats are a total nuisance as they kill the native birds and provide nothing positive to the island ecostructure…
Oh, Oh, there goes another West Kauai rat right behind you!