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August 18, 2015

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

The fur flies in battle to control stray cats

By Xu Wenwen | 00:10 UTC+8 August 18, 2015 | Print Edition

STRAY cats annoy some residents, who press the government to get rid of the homeless felines. An effort is then made to reduce their numbers. Good news, yes. But there are so many that a long-term solution is needed.

Bo Jue, a Hangzhou animal protection volunteer, has many stories to tell after 10 years at the front line. She recalls people poisoning stray cats, trapping and eating them, and fighting with neighbors over whether they should be fed or not.

Dogs may be man’s best friend, but human relations with cats are a bit trickier, she said.

“The conflict between people and stray cats sometimes boils over into conflicts among people,” Bo said.

On the one side are people who hate cats because of their caterwauling, their fleas and their hunting of small birds. On the other are people who feel sorry for the cats or stand for the freedom of animals out of compassion.

The problem is overpopulation. There are an estimated 300,000 stray cats in urban Hangzhou, according to the Hangzhou Animal Protection Volunteer Association, of which Bo is a member. Many of them are abandoned pets that were never neutered and breed in the wild.

TNR program

A year ago, Hangzhou initiated a pilot project to trap, neuter and then return the strays to their habitats. It is the first so-called TNR program in Chinese mainland, and it is modeled after similar projects overseas to reduce feral cat populations.

The programs date back to the 1950s, when animal activists in the UK advocated ways of paring feral populations without mass killings. Similar programs have been initiated in countries like the US, Canada, Denmark, France and South Africa. Proponents cite success in reducing cat populations. So how is the program working in Hangzhou?

Authorities say more than 600 feral cats have been trapped, neutered and released in the city.

“If nothing had been done, we were looking at the number of stray cats rising into the millions,” said Mu Anxiong, an official with the Hangzhou Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine Bureau, the main authority responsible for the program.

“A stray cat’s life expectancy is only around three years, and a female stray typically has two litters a year of an average four kittens each,” Mu added.

The government has allocated 300,000 yuan (US$46,920) a year to cover the cost of neutering the cats. Each procedure costs 280 yuan. Seven hospitals in urban Hangzhou are designated as cat neutering sites. Citizens are encouraged to trap stray cats, send them to hospitals and then return the cats to where they were trapped. Cages are available free at the hospitals.

Zhang Xu Pet Hospital, one of the seven, said it has neutered more than 100 strays in the past 12 months.

Male cats require hospitalization for at least three days after neutering, while females may require up to a week.

To avoid a neutered cat being trapped again, the tips of the ears are clipped to identify those who have been through the program.

Bo said the public needs to be educated about the program, and sterilizing only 600 cats a year won’t stop the problem.

“We do appreciate what has been done,” she said, “and we hope more hospitals will take part. People need to be aware of why TNR is so necessary.”

It’s not just a matter of making life easier for residents. Reducing cat populations also helps the animals.

“Too many cats in one place will lead to more fights among themselves, less food and more spread of disease,” said Dr Pei Zengyang, director of Pet Shield Animal Hospital in Hangzhou, who studied veterinary medicine in the US.

West Lake area

According to the municipal authorities, the northwest corner of the West Lake area has the highest cat density in the city, with 300 cats in an habitat of less than 0.05 square kilometer — or one cat on average for every 166 square meters.

The feral cats are blamed for a decline in the number of birds around West Lake.

“On one hand, cats are bird hunters and are not welcome in scenic areas, and on the other hand, too many cats in one place worsens their living environment,” said Bo.

Globally, cats are thought to be a factor in the extinction of 33 bird species, according to a report published by the American Bird Conservancy in 2005. Many strays were once pets abandoned by their owners, Pei said.

In China, the problem is exacerbated by the Buddhist believe in “freeing captive animals,” Bo added.

The northeastern area of West Lake features a large temple and picturesque natural scenery, so many people believe it is an ideal spot to let animals “go back to nature.”

People also go there to feed the animals, often the wrong food, Bo said.

She and other volunteers are frequently in that area trying to talk to people who feed the cats, urging them to put out clean cat food and calling on them to assist the TNR program.

“TNR is merely a patch on a problem,” Bo said. “The main source of the problem is people abandoning their pets.”

Hangzhou


 

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