Alley Cat Allies Director Writes to Patch
Britt Cocanour is not amused over a Baldwin Township resident's comments.
The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch received the following email on July 6.
Other than addressing some minor grammatical issues, the wording seen below was written as is.
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As the only national organization dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats, we are deeply disturbed and dismayed by comments concerning cruelty to cats made at a recent Baldwin Township Board of Commissioners meeting ("Man Wants Stray Cats Controlled—Or Shot," June 6, 2012). The article quotes a citizen as publicly stating that he should be allowed to shoot cats and that he has murdered two cats himself by drowning them in his swimming pool.
Let's set the record straight. Killing cats is cruelty to animals, and it's illegal in all 50 states. Inhumane, brutal acts like the ones this man publicly boasted about committing are against the law, and in Pennsylvania, they are punishable with a first-degree misdemeanor penalty for animal cruelty.
We applaud the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society for launching an investigation. We can report that the resident has since retracted his statement and says that he did not kill cats in his neighborhood(, according to a representative from the humane society).
Still, the haunting image and damaging sentiments he has put into the public discussion about how to live with cats illustrate the very reason we have these laws. Threats to animals' lives must be taken seriously, and violent acts against them must be prosecuted. There are humane ways to live peacefully with cats—violence is not an option. For more information, please visit our site at www.alleycat.org.
Britt Cocanour, Executive Director, Alley Cat Allies (info@alleycat.org)
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JustMe
2:37 pm on Monday, July 9, 2012
Naturally he retracted the statement even though some of his neighbors said that there was dead cats in his swimming pool. Wish they would of taken pictures of the dead cats in the bottom of the pool.
Rick W.
8:04 pm on Monday, July 9, 2012
Brit, what can be done with feral cats. These cats are wild cats that can be vicious and carry disease. They also use my mulch as a litter box, the odor of cat urine on a hot day is strong,
which also can be a health concern. I have a small child and am concerned about these cats. I feel by fixing them it does not take care of the health concerns. I am a cat owner but something other than fixing these cats needs to be done
JustMe
11:28 pm on Monday, July 9, 2012
Rick I'm taking this off another post for you to read, it is a very smart idea and actually does work. I'm not sure if I will get in trouble for this but here goes:
cc
8:32 pm on Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Anna if you go to Starbucks or any coffee place and ask them for their used grinds, they would be more than happy to give them to you as they won't have to pay to get rid of them in the garbage. What you do is spread them out over your dirt underneath trees, plants, around your vegetables in your garden. Cats don't like the smell of the coffee and they won't be doing their busiess in these places. Coffee grinds are actually good for your soil too, so your killing 2 birds with one stone. I go every week and pick up a black bag of used coffee grinds every week at Starbucks and do a section of my yard every week. Since I purchase a cup of coffee from them every day, they are more than happy to give me the used grinds. I pick up a bag on Friday morning on my way to work and Friday night is when I do my yard work depending if it rains or not. Just make sure if you get a black bag of coffee grinds you have some sort of container to put them in your truck as the bag might have a hole in it and you don't want coffee grinds all over the trunk of your car and the smell of coffee in there.
(continue)
JustMe
11:28 pm on Monday, July 9, 2012
Anna they don't want to be spaying people animals, they are going to do the ones that are feral, the ones that doesn't come near people as they are afraid of them. They also take the kittens if they are real young because they can be placed in peoples homes as indoor pets.
JustMe
11:30 pm on Monday, July 9, 2012
10 Tips for Keeping Cats out of Yards & Gardens
Tue, 05/08/2012 - 23:04 — michellem
Here are some helpful suggestions for neighbors who wish to keep cats out of their yards and gardens.
1. Cat Stop® is an ultrasonic, battery-operated cat repellent with a motion detector. See the SafePetProducts web site to read more about this highly recommended product.
2. Push wooden chopsticks or 10-inch plant stakes into flowerbeds every eight inches to discourage digging and scratching.
3. Cats dislike citrus smells. Scatter orange and lemon peels or spray with citrus-scented spray. You can also scatter citrus-scented pet bedding such as Citrafresh.
4. Coffee grounds and pipe tobacco also work to repel cats. Some people have also suggested lavender oil, lemon grass oil, citronella oil, eucalyptus oil and mustard oil.
5. Spray cat repellent (available at pet supply stores) around the edges of the yard, the top of fences, and on any favorite digging areas or plants. For information call your local animal supply store or PetsMart Corporate Office at 602-580-6100 or visit them on-line at www.petsmart.com.
JustMe
11:30 pm on Monday, July 9, 2012
10 Tips for Keeping Cats out of Yards and Gardens
6. Cover exposed ground in flowerbeds with large attractive river rocks to prevent cats from digging (they have the added benefit of deterring weeds).
7. Plant the herb “rue” to repel cats, or sprinkle the dried herb over the garden.
8. Use a motion-activated sprinkler. Any cat coming into the yard will be sprayed but unharmed and it is good for the lawn. If you are unable to find one, telephone Contech at 1-800-767-8568 to find out how to order one.
9. A garden repellent called Reppers, manufactured in Holland by Beaphar, is available at PetsMart, petsmart.com, pets.com, Foster & Smith or your local pet store. Reppers retails for around $19.95.
10. A non-chemical cat and wildlife repellent called CatScat is made of plastic mats that are pressed into the soil. Each mat, complete with flexible plastic spikes, is cut into four pieces. The spikes are harmless to cats and other animals, but are effective in discouraging excavation. They are sold in packages of 5 for aproximately $12.95 from Gardener’s Supply Company, at www.gardeners.com or 1-800-863-1700
JustMe
11:34 pm on Monday, July 9, 2012
Red pepper seeds on porch furniture will hurt their paws and they won't jump up on them, mothballs stuck in the ground also around the plants work. so does chop sticks that you can purchase cheap in a craft store placed about 4 inches apart work around bushes.
JustMe
11:40 pm on Monday, July 9, 2012
Rick you can get ahold of AATO and talk to them about TRN,
AATO Army
8:21 pm on Tuesday, June 26, 2012
https://www.facebook.com/AnimalsAgainstTheOdds
AATO, 511 Towne Square Way, Suiter #213, Pittsburgh, PA 15227
You can get a hold of Animal Friends and Humane Society and have them put you in contact with organizations that does TNR.
Cindy M.
4:23 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
I just had to comment on this topic and I really do not care if the cat lovers of this area or of the world think I am awful or not. I do not care.
Yesterday I was in my house. I have a beautiful pine tree in my yard. My husband came running in saying that a baby cardinal had fallen out of the nest and he was trying to catch it to put back up in the tree or just to rescue it. He had to go to an appointment and said I should watch for the momma bird who was flying around desperate to get to her baby. I watched for her and kept looking for the baby. There was another baby in the tree and I thought it might have been the baby that fell. I kept a watch for a while and decided to do some work outside all the while looking for the baby.
Not 5 minutes later I heard the sound of a cat moaning walking across the street to the house where it supposedly lives. It had the baby bird in its mouth and was moaning most likely because the poor little bird was still alive. The cat saw me and I yelled for it to drop the bird but it took off around the house and ran around it moaning very loud.
So, still want to talk about cruelty to animals? Really? How about the cruelty to that innocent baby bird who never had a chance? How about the cruelty to the momma bird who desperately wanted to find her baby and save it? The birds have just as much right to LIVE, even more because they belong outside, not the damn cats. I have decided to trap these cats and take them to a shelter.
JustMe
7:23 pm on Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Cindy when a bird is big enough a mommy bird will push the bird out of the nest for the bird to fly. The baby can either flap its wings and fly or it is going to hit the ground. The mom isn't going to go pick it off the ground and put it back in the nest.
Have you never watched animal planet and how animals hunt and eat other animals for food. That is humane nature for animals to eat other animals. Yes it is cruel but that is how nature works and keeps in balance.
How do you know the last time the owner fed that cat, I have neighbors that never feed their cats and say they can eat what nature provide them. Thank goodness she has her two cats fixed and they don't spray the neighborhood marking their territory. We do go over there ever day and feed those cats and give them water so they stay in their own yard and keep out of ours.
Tyrion Lannister
11:16 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
You mean CATS actually catch and kill BIRDS?! Well, holy crap, you just might have NATURE occurring in your backyard! You definitely better start trapping cats for these awful transgressions of BEING CATS!
Cindy M.
4:27 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
I am trapping them and taking them to a shelter so that I do not have to scrape up any more of their feces from my yard, patio, patio furniture, flowers, so that I do not have to smell their feces on my yard, patio, patio furniture, flowers, so that I do not have to hear them screaming at night when they are either fighting or mating, and so that I do not have to see CRUELTY to animals such as baby birds, bunnies, etc. I have reached the point where I am tired of these people in the Haverhill/Crestline/Edgeridge neighborhood bring these animals home and then leave them out for everyone else to have to deal with. And I could care less if you think I am cruel. Perhaps by taking them to a shelter they can go to a home where someone really will care for them, not in this home where they could care less about the cats and their neighbors.
JustMe
7:24 pm on Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Have you ever gone and talked to your neighbors about their cats.