Essay Sample on Cat Overpopulation

Do you have a cat? There are over 85 million cats in the United States. That is a lot of cats, and almost 32 million of them are feral. What is a feral cat? The definition of feral is “An animal that has escaped [domestication] and become wild.” (“Feral, Adj. (2).”) A feral cat is a cat that was once domesticated and now living outside in the wild. Feral animals are going to be afraid of humans and not used to human contact. If you have a pet cat they likely came from the animal shelter. Cats are wonderful companions, and they suffer so much from the stigma of being aggressive, unloving, or bad luck, and because of that they are dumped and abandoned by the people they depend on. Unlike their predator ancestors, domesticated cats cannot just be thrown outside and be expected to fend for themselves. Cats suffer from predators or domestic animals attacking or eating them, cars hitting them, exposure to harsh weather, and to add to it the stress of birth and mating. A female kitten is ready to breed at six months of age and she can breed every fourteen to twenty-one days and have on average four to six and in extreme cases ten or more kittens a litter. The mating season lasts six to seven months and is usually between March and September. A cat in estrus or heat is ready to mate. The heat will continue to repeat until the female is pregnant, fixed, or too old to have kittens.  

Cat overpopulation is a problem in Warren County. It only takes an unfixed pair to create a colony of cats. If your female cat is unfixed she will go into heat at least twice a year, she would be more likely to develop cancer, and males will follow her around during mating season. Why is this a problem? Heat is when a female mates and will keep mating until she is pregnant. Your female in heat will yowl and urinate to attract mates. If a female is spayed before her first heat, she will be less likely to develop infection and breast tumors which are cancerous. A female in heat will be sought out by males and possibly attacked. If your male cat is unfixed, he will be more likely to roam, spray, and behavioral changes. A male will roam around his territory to look for females to breed during heat and for males to fight. A male will spray urine around his territory to ward off other males and to attract females. Male's hormones can make them more aggressive at times with other males and it will prevent the previous behavior problems. It is important to get your cat fixed because of how many babies they have and how they suffer. 3.2 million cats are surrendered, and 530,000 cats are euthanized in America. insert graphic of reproduction rates. “Quote from local shelter about surrendering and how the shelter has become full” There are so many animals out there that need help because people do not take the precautions to fix their pets.  

The community is affected by overpopulation because of the vast number of animals. The shelter cannot fix all of them or take care of all of them. The places cat colonies live can suffer damage from trash being dug through, shelters made from buildings, as well as a decrease in prey population and vehicle damage. The animals suffer from being uncared for, they become feral and untrusting of humans, they live day by day trying to survive. Hungry, cold, and scared, they live in places we don’t know about and come out at night when it is safer. The cost of damage because of cat overpopulation is extremely high. Paying for medical/food for one cat is a lot and adding two or six more can get expensive very fast. Owned animals with unwanted pregnancies the responsibility falls on the owner and if they don’t want them the animal is given to someone else or abandoned which makes more cost. One cat is expensive so making more is going to be expensive and a bad idea. 

The solution to overpopulation is to get cats fixed. You can do this by helping support local animal rescues such as the humane society. The humane society takes in animals and provides care for them through donations and volunteers. They fix animals, give them their shots/ deworm tick flea treatment, and house them. These are so important because they provide the animal care until they are adopted. Support these facilities to provide animals with more opportunities to live. You can also participate in events and the T.N.R or feral cat program that traps, fixes, and releases feral cats back into their environment. This is important because it helps to prevent reproduction, it lets the cat live in its home. Another benefit is the T.N.R. program keeps the shelters from having to house more feral cats leaving room for other animals in need. The best way to help is to learn, become more aware of the pets you get and their needs, become more aware of the stray population in your community, become aware of the programs and shelters that help animals in need. By learning about our pets, we have a better understanding of their needs and how we can help them live longer healthier lives. By learning about our community issues like spaying and neutering we can help prevent more suffering by educating others and taking preventive care of our pets. By learning about shelters we can start supporting programs to help local animals and save their lives.  

The opposing view is that they are healthy, and this doesn’t pose a risk. Another viewpoint is that killing, hurting, or starving animals is a solution. Add source about Australia trying to kill cats.