"Throwaway cats": Strays are often forgotten

Niko is a fine cat. He enthusiastically greets guests, meows appreciatively when he gets attention, adores playing chase the laser light. He is litter box tidy and helpfully tries to assist when his human companions read books and send e-mail. He has handsome golden eyes, soft gray fur and Russian Blue features.

Jack and Sue Majors adopted Niko in May at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region after seeing his photo online and then visiting him.

After all, they say, who wouldn't love this cat?

Apparently, not his former owner, who never bothered to search for him at the Humane Society when he strayed, according to shelter officials.

There are thousands of Nikos out there. They are sometimes called "throwaway cats."

Cats vs. dogs

"It's heartbreaking," says Ann Davenport, local Humane Society spokeswoman. "Owners view cats as disposable. Most of the cats that come in don't have collars or tags or microchips. It's so hard to see all these cats begging you to love them."

Now, it's undeniable that the Pikes Peak region is a friend to dogs. Men's Health magazine recently rated Colorado Springs the best city for dogs.

But don't we also value our feline friends?

Consider that only about 6 percent of the area's stray felines go home again.

It's not as bad as national figures - estimated at 3 percent to 5 percent - but local and regional cat advocates think we can do better.

Last year 6,311 cats ended up at the local shelter. Only 409 were reclaimed by their owners. That compares with the 4,211 dogs reclaimed out of the 7,979 lost dogs each year.

With statistics like that, it means death row for many cats. The local shelter saves 83 percent of dogs, but only 47 percent of cats. This isn't peculiar to the Pikes Peak region. Nationally, hundreds of thousands of cats are euthanized because owners didn't retrieve them. The retrieval rate is only 2 to 5 percent, the Humane Society of the United States reports.

Some cat owners don't search their own neighborhood for their lost cat, let alone check for them at the shelter, says Wes Metzler, local Humane Society executive director.

Sometimes this is because of family dynamics. Maybe Dad didn't like the cat, so no one goes looking for Sylvester. Others don't search for their cat because they think it will come back after a few days, or figure that cats can survive on their own and might be happier on the street. Still others assume that the cat was victim to hungry coyotes - which is rarely the case.

Often the feline is waiting at the shelter.

The idea that your tame cat has street smarts to lead a life in the great outdoors is one of the biggest myths that leads to throwaway-cat syndrome.

Outdoor cats live to be an average of only 5 or 6 years old, compared with 18 to 20 years for indoor cats, Davenport says.

"When people have to get new cats every couple of years because they let them out and they disappear, what kind of commitment do you think they will have toward those animal as compared to an animal that becomes a part of the family for 20 years?" Davenport asks.

In recent years, those working to spay and neuter feral cats are finding more tame strays trying to attach to feral cat colonies. The local Humane Society and Rocky Mountain Alley Cat Alliance estimate that there are 125,000 feral cats in Denver and more than 25,000 in Colorado Springs.

Tame cats don't know how to fend for themselves and don't integrate well into feral colonies. They are shunned, harassed and kept away from feeding stations, according to Amy Angelilli, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Alley Cat Alliance.

Value assessment

To add insult to injury, we turn our backs on cats even when they are kept in our homes - not nearly as much money is spent on cats' veterinary care, grooming, food, toys and cat care books as is spent on dogs, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

Why does Colorado Springs and the state seem to be so mean-spirited toward kitties?

Some believe a contributing factor is an outdoor lifestyle that's more conducive to bonding with dogs.

"You can't climb a fourteener with a cat," says Angelilli, of the Rocky Mountain Alley Cat Alliance. Well, not easily, anyway.

It is also a matter of supply and demand.

Americans own 88 million cats, compared with 74 million dogs. The average pet owner has 2.3 cats, compared with 1.7 dogs. Cats may be victims of their own popularity, advocates say.

They say there is a direct association between excess numbers of cats, their devaluation and our "easy come, easy go" attitude toward them.

"‘We've got to get rid of all these kittens.' How many times have you heard that?" asks Nancy Glanzer, board member of Hamlett Spay and Neuter Clinic. "When their cat gets lost, they say, ‘Oh, well, we'll get another one.' And they are right. They probably have a neighbor who has failed to spay their cat and has a houseful of kittens."

By curtailing overpopulation through spaying and neutering, much of the throwaway-cat problem could be alleviated, animal advocates say. The national and local efforts to convince owners to spay and neuter dogs have been more successful than similar cat campaigns.

Cat advocates have some ideas on how to turn that around.

One strategy - charge more for cats. It's sort of like cars. Which do you baby the most, the Lamborghini you paid $206,000 for or the rusty Ford Pinto you inherited?

"If you pay a lot for something, you respect it more. Cats should never be given away free," says Lee Smith, a Colorado Springs cat-rescue advocate.

Some rescue groups and shelters charge up to $150 or more for a spayed and neutered cat that has been vaccinated. Some shelters charge the same for dogs and cats.

At the local Humane Society, though, dogs generally go for about $98 to $395, and cats from $68 to about $195 for those with fancier pedigrees.

Along these economic lines, paying a licensing fee for owning a cat can elevate a cat's worth, advocates says. When cats aren't licensed, there's less motivation to retrieve a stray.

Most communities license dogs, and some cities, such as Pueblo, Fort Collins and Denver, license cats. There have been several failed attempts in Colorado Springs to license cats. The arguments included concern about administrative costs for a law that they feared people wouldn't comply with anyway.

But Metzler said that the Humane Society plans to tackle the licensing issue again.

Valuing cats, though, doesn't have to start with laws and policy issues. It can start with something as simple as buying a litter box or a scratching post.

About 83 percent of homes provide litter boxes and 41 percent provide scratching posts, according to pet industry statistics. The alternative - destructive pets that owners want to get rid of.

Even cat toys can occupy a cat and keep his claws away from the new sofa.

Owners should schedule regular checkups and vaccinations for their cats. Keeping the cat healthy cuts down on vet bills, which lead some owners to give up their pets.

Simple things.

But convincing cat owners to do them may take overcoming a public relations problem. How do you re-brand Garfield?
"It's a big task," says Emily Stone, public affairs manager for the Dumb Friends League, which has shelters in Denver and Castle Rock.

Written off

Consider how far cats have fallen from favor since they were revered and worshipped in early Egyptian cultures. In the 13th century, the Catholic Church decreed that they were an abomination. During the Middle Ages, they were linked to the plague.

"And it's gone downhill since then," Stone says.

Many people stereotype cats - independent and standoffsh, as opposed to the "man's best friend" image that dogs enjoy.

Tanya Patriquin, cat coordinator for Dreampower Animal Rescue Foundation in Colorado Springs, says, "Cats are not dogs. It's usually a different kind of bonding but can be as strong a bond as is created by man and dog. People need to look at cats in a different way."

Because they have personalities that place them closer to their wild roots than dogs, their attractiveness as pets can either be endearing or off-putting.

For sure, cats meet you on a more sophisticated level.

"There's less drooling over you. Cats have different personalities; some come when called and are extremely affectionate and like to be lap cats; others are happier doing their own thing," Stone says.

"That mean's there's a cat for everyone."

In an attempt to alleviate the return rate on cats, the Humane Society last summer began eHarmonylike cat-matching services. Feline-alitytesting includes a personality test for the cat and a lifestyle test for the owner, designed to better match the right cat with the right human.

It's a start. But if these matchmaking services don't work out, guess who'll get custody of the house. It won't be the furry one.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0371 or carol.mcgraw@gazette.com

CAT AWARENESS

Two symposiums last winter took steps to address the cat's image. The Dumb Friends League participated in the "Re-branding Felix" cat symposium attended by national representatives from shelters, rescue groups, veterinary clinics and the pet-product industry.

They agreed that something had to be done to save the cat. The steering committee formed at that meeting has joined forces with the CATalyst Summit (catalystsummit.org), which has a national initiative to "champion the cat." It includes groups such as the American Veterinary Medical Association, Morris Animal Foundation, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Petco, Hill's Pet Nutrition and others. The goals are to improve cats' health care and image, and promote awareness.