Letter for Friday, February 28, 2020

It costs too much to surrender feral cats

Recently a friend told me that he had taken a feral cat to the Kaua‘i Humane Society’s shelter, and was required to pay $90 to surrender the animal because it was not microchipped. Apparently this is the new policy.

My friend was shocked by this, and so am I. What is KHS thinking? Is the intent to discourage people from bringing feral felines to the shelter? I understand and sympathize with the humane society’s need for funds, but this strikes me as a classic example of a false economy.

Anyone who has not spent the past 20+ years living at the bottom of the sea must know that Kaua‘i has a serious feral cat problem. Many of these poor animals are hungry, sick, fearful, and have recently been discovered to carry the toxoplasmosis virus. The ecological damage they can do is immense. People who humanely catch them and take them to our animal shelter are doing the cats and the community a service. They should not have to pay $90 for the privilege.

Moreover, many residents can barely afford proper care for their own animals. How likely are they to fork over $90 in addition to their costs for trapping and transport, to take an animal to the shelter?

Surely there must be a better way to deal with this. I do not know what it is, but Kaua‘i has an abundance of thoughtful and compassionate citizens, many of whom read this newspaper. Does someone out there have a suggestion or a humane, inexpensive and effective solution to the feral cat-astrophe?

H.M. Wyeth, Anahola