Below is our official statement to the GT administration about the new plan to remove the on campus feeder stations and feral cat population...
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April 27, 2010
Dear Capital Planning and Space Management,
The Animal Welfare Association (AWA) has recently learned of the proposal to remove the feral cat population and their feeding stations from campus as part of the Master Landscaping Plan. The AWA—Georgia Tech’s only student organization dedicated to animal welfare—is alarmed about this and actively opposed to the policy.
The maintenance of feral cat colonies through established feeding stations and the practice of trap-neuter-return (TNR) has been widely recognized by organizations such as the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United States as the most effective, efficient, and safe way to deal with the problem of feral felines. If feeding stations for established colonies are (re)moved, this will not remove the problem. When a stable, vaccinated, and sterilized population is moved, other feral cats can and likely will move in on the territory, breeding a new generation of cats and possibly even introducing diseases into a previously healthy population.
The root of the feral cat problem on the Georgia Tech campus, and nationwide, is twofold. First, some individuals acquire cats that they do not spay or neuter, and then let those cats roam freely. Second, other individuals may “dump” their cats when they are no longer wanted. This problem is particularly acute on college campuses, where many cats are left behind as students return home for the summer or graduate and move. While education on the Tech campus and in the surrounding community as well as access to low-cost spay/neuter programs can begin to curb some of these practices, they will not eliminate all feral cats. Beyond education, TNR is the only reliable, healthy, and economically viable option for this problem.
While removing the feeding stations may fit with the larger aesthetic plan for the campus, it could lead to detrimental outcomes. Monitoring the cats’ health, as well as assessing any newcomers to the colonies (including trapping and sterilizing them) would be virtually impossible. If the current cats were moved, the newly unoccupied territory could become quickly overpopulated with unsterilized and/or unhealthy animals, possibly introducing diseases such as feline leukemia or FIV. The progress that has been made over the last 15 years in reducing the size of the feral cat population from approximately 180 to 45 would be quickly undone.
The feeding stations on campus are crucial to the well being of the cats on campus—as well as human health. In fact, the cats on campus reduce the rodent population in many areas of campus, thereby reducing one possible vector of disease. Most people on campus are unaware of the feeding stations, as they are in remote locations, hidden from view. The stations allow us to monitor the arrival of new cats and ensure that they are sterilized and vaccinated. They provide us with optimal locations to set up traps to continue our spay/neuter program. If the cats do not have access to feeding stations, they will start going through trash and scavenging from dumpsters and houses on campus. This would lead to both health and aesthetic problems. Most importantly, the problem of feral cats on campus would get worse, not improve.
Removing the feeding stations and the feral cats from the Georgia Tech campus would disrupt the current balance in the cat population and invite more problems. The Animal Welfare Association is dedicated to the well being and survival of these cats, as well as the health and safety of all of those who work and study on the Georgia Tech campus. We hope to work with you in any way necessary to resolve this issue. Thank you for your prompt assistance with this matter.
Sincerely,
– President, Animal Welfare Association
Mary Courtney Delvin - President-Elect, Animal Welfare Association
Dr. Amy D’Unger - Faculty Adviser, Animal Welfare Association
