US halts plan to remove iconic stray cats from a historic area in Puerto Rico's capital

Alley Cat Allies, an advocacy organization for the humane treatment of cats, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) to halt the removal of community cats from the historic district of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. The NPS had proposed removing an estimated 200 cats from the area surrounding the Paseo del Morro, a seaside fortress in San Juan, citing concerns over sanitation and the impact of the cats on the site. The plan, which could involve lethal measures, has sparked strong opposition from animal advocates and locals who see the cats as part of the area's cultural identity.

US halts plan to remove iconic stray cats from a historic area in Puerto Rico's capital. Image: DALLE.

Alley Cat Allies argues that the NPS's plan violates the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other legal protections, insisting that the longstanding Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program, which controls the cat population humanely, is a more effective solution. The organization has also sought a temporary restraining order to stop the removal, citing the likelihood of new cats moving in if the current population is eliminated (known as the "Vacuum Effect"). They emphasize that killing the cats would be not only cruel but also futile.

“It’s a victory for the short term, but long term, these cats are still at risk,” said Yonaton Aronoff, an attorney for Maryland-based Alley Cat Allies. Aronoff said in a phone interview that removing the current cats is an impossible task since new cats would take their place.

“They’re going to have to keep doing this forever,” he said. This legal battle highlights broader debates about wildlife management, community values, and humane treatment of animals.

Puerto Rico is under U.S. jurisdiction. It is an unincorporated U.S. territory, which means that while it is part of the United States, it does not have the full rights of a U.S. state. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but the island has limited representation in Congress, and residents cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections. The U.S. federal government, including agencies like the National Park Service (NPS), has authority over certain aspects of governance and legal matters on the island.

Sources: Alley Cat Allies and Associated Press.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

This stray cat brings his feline friends to a Metro station in Istanbul

Ginger tabby owns the Istanbul Metro. Screenshot.

This video, for me, is a reflection of the relationship that Turkish people living in Turkey have with their stray cats. They have community cats in Turkey and Turkey has an ancient tradition going back thousands of years to be kind to street cats. That's the way I see it. There are two cat breeds which originated in Turkey namely the Turkish Van and the Turkish Angora. Although, in my view, they are one and the same cat breed. What happened was this: the cat fancy took one Turkish non-purebred community cat and turned it (selective breeding) into two different cat breeds. But that's my theory and I can't really support it.

The real Turkish Vat.

But the real Turkish Angora is entirely different to the American cat fancy version of the Turkish Angora. And something similar can be said about the Turkish Van.

The real Turkish Angora.

But to get back to the video, initially we see a ginger tabby enjoying sitting on the barrier to Istanbul's Metro. The reason why this cat is there is because it is warm. They enjoy the warmth coming out of the machine. 

And then people stroke him because he is adorable (the vast majority of ginger tabby cats are male cats). And when they stroke him, he might follow them down the escalator by sliding down the side of it as if he is on one of those ski slopes about to do a job at the end.

And at the end of the video, you will see that feline mates of his join him in Istanbul's Metro where they do exactly the same thing; sitting on the warm ticket barrier waiting to be petted. It is here that they get access to company and some interaction with humans. That's what they like.

They should be in someone's home. It looks cute and lovely in many ways but it is very sad in another way. They don't have a genuine home and a cat caregiver to look after them properly. That is the failure of community cats. People do look after them in an ad hoc way but they don't really get the kind of care they need such as veterinary care.

TNR woman at odds with Iowa city over feral cats

NEWS AND VIEWS: I love this woman. She's gentle and kind. She is concerned about cat welfare. And she's become connected with the community cats in Edmonson Park, Oskaloosa, Iowa, USA as she's looked after them for a long time under TNR principles.

Woman is tearful over the prospect of losing the feral cats she cares for. Screenshot.

The story is so typical of the cat world. The authorities - the local council or city administrators - have a businesslike vision of their city. It needs to function well. Their viewpoint is in no way sentimental. But in seeking this efficiency their decision-making lacks compassion. And it lacks sufficient concern for animal welfare.

This inevitably leads to a conflict between some individual residents and the council as is seen the video on this page.

It is a paradigm example. Something similar has happened a thousand times before across the US. It is happening right now. 

Nearly always a lady or small group of ladies fighting the local authority over the care of feral cats who were put there by negligent human behavior.

The woman wants to find a compromise which saves the lives of the cats in her care. Is that asking too much? The council should listen and stop being bully-boys.

Why are there so many cats on Cyprus?

Community cats of Cyprus. Some of the estimated 1.5m on the island where there are 1.2m humans. Picture in the public domain.

There are several reasons why there are so many cats on Cyprus:

1. Historical background: Cats have been living on the island of Cyprus for thousands of years, dating back to ancient times. They were brought over by early settlers to help control rodent populations.
2. Climate: The warm Mediterranean climate of Cyprus provides an ideal environment for cats to thrive. They are able to survive and reproduce year-round without the threat of harsh winters.
3. Cultural significance: Cats hold a special place in Cypriot culture and are often viewed as good luck symbols. Many locals believe that feeding and caring for cats brings blessings and positive energy into their homes.
4. Lack of spaying/neutering: Many cats on Cyprus are not spayed or neutered, which leads to an overpopulation of cats. Without proper population control, the cat population can quickly grow out of control.
5. Tourism: The island's popularity as a tourist destination has also contributed to the cat population. Tourists often feed and interact with stray cats, leading to their continued presence in urban areas.
6. Overall, the combination of historical factors, climate, cultural significance, lack of spaying/neutering, and tourism has resulted in a high population of cats on Cyprus.

Community cat of Cyprus. Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay 

The negatives and positives concerning 'community cats'

The phrase "community cats" has a different meaning depending upon where they are. In the USA, for example, those feral cats which are managed by volunteers in TNR colonies are sometimes referred to as 'community cats'. They are quite nicely looked after, and they can live quite decent lives and indeed long lives. They certainly buck the image that some people describe regarding feral cats namely that they are very sick and live only for three years.

Community cat. Image: in the public domain.

Developing countries

But community cats are more common in countries where there is a very laissez-faire or lax attitude towards cat ownership. I'm referring, without criticism, to developing countries and even those that you might consider to be developed such as India which is a kind of hybrid because certain parts of India are well-developed whereas other parts are underdeveloped.

But in India there are lots of community cats. Arguably, there are far more community cats than there are true domestic cats living under the caretaking of their owner. Community cats are cared for by the community as the term implies which means shopkeepers and anybody who wants to be involved.

Little or no veterinary care for community cats in developing countries

But they live pretty wretched lives a lot of the time. They are fed scraps and I guess sometimes crappy food and rarely decent well-balanced cat food. And I would suspect, too, that they are rarely taken to a veterinarian when they are ill. So, they don't get veterinary care.

Therefore, they die and a much younger age than they would otherwise if they were living with a caretaker.

Still better than feral

So, the upside for these community cats in places like India and the Far East is that they are cared for to a rudimentary level but no more. That's the plus point. It is better than being an abandoned feral cat, totally alone and surviving the elements in an urban jungle where they are likely to die young at about three years of age.

But the downside as mentioned is just a very rough life by and large without a proper caretaker.

TNR and community cats in developing countries

TNR is not that well adhered to in places like India or the Far East. It seems to me that the unowned cats in those places are not going to receive the benefit of volunteers involved in TNR programs.

I suppose TNR programs do exist in certain parts of India, but I would suspect that they are rare, indeed very rare. And this is why feral cats procreate unhindered in places like India and Pakistan and so on. They can procreate. They do procreate.

This exacerbates the unowned cat problem. These are stray and feral cats. And of course, as mentioned community cats. The attitude towards spaying and neutering in certain countries is too lax which means they have a perpetual abundance of stray and feral cats some of whom will become community cats because somebody wants to take care of them.

TNR developed countries

The best community cats are those as mentioned which are TNR colonies cared for by volunteers in countries like America. Although it must be said that TNR is controversial. In general citizens support it as it is the only way.

TNR volunteers are often or at least sometimes supported by the local authority through taxpayers' money supplied in a minimum way, but any money is effective in helping to support TNR programs. Donations are solicited to provide veterinary care.

And of course, TNR programs are designed to gradually stabilise and reduce the number of feral and stray cats in the community. And they want to reduce the size of the colony of cats in their care which they describe as community cats.

So, the most effective TNR programs put the volunteers out of work because over a long period of time, and it may take 30 years, there are no longer any feral cats to take care of.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the life of a community cat is better than a life of a feral cat in developing countries. And the same will apply to developed countries if volunteers manage TNR programs and look after a colony of feral cats. But the fact is that in developed countries community cats as mentioned do receive veterinary care. 

Health and welfare from desexing

Another point worth mentioning is that both spaying and neutering improves the welfare of female and male cats respectively. It improves the health of female cats and improves the behaviour of male cats and stops them or minimises the chances of them getting into fights during which they become injured.

US National Park Service wants to get rid of Puerto Rico's community cats and there's uproar

This is an example of cat loving people power winning for the time being in a battle against a US government agency.

First things first: Puerto Rico is neither a US state nor an independent country, but a territory of the United States and it is an island in the Caribbean. It is described as an 'unincorporated US territory'. That's why the US National Park Service is involved in deciding to remove all or some the beloved cats of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

There is a battle going on between the citizens of San Juan and I presume the wider population and the US National Park Service.

San Juan TNRed cat. Image: Pixabay.

The citizens are challenging the Park Service officials who feel that the cats have become a problem. The National Park Service have a plan and in it they mention "encounters between visitors and cats and the smell of urine and faeces [which] are inconsistent with the cultural landscape".

Their aim is to improve the visitor experience and protect cultural and natural resources. They want to reduce health and safety concerns and "alleviate nuisance issues". They also believe that the cats are killing wildlife in the area.

The Park Service do not want a public discussion about these community cats. There are many supporters of the cats, who want a proper formal hearing about what to do with them.

This caused a clash last Wednesday when dozens of people gathered for the first of two public meetings on the issue. The National Park Service said that there would be no hearing and demanded that the citizens write down their comments. That angered the citizens and those that love the cats.

They said that they have questions and doubts about the plan, and they want to ask questions in a meeting.

Eventually their demands were met, and the doors opened to a small theatre. They had their chance to have their say and one by one they did so to loud applause.

Apparently, several non-profit organisations demanded evidence from the National Park Service to support statements in the plan that some people did not want the cats.

They asked the question because citizens see tourists totally enamoured of the cats. They are a feature for tourists. And when you walk around the Old San Juan you see tourists interacting with the cats.

As I understand it, volunteers do operate TNR on these cats to control the numbers (see image above - left ear tipped). One person who is particularly concerned about the potential removal of the cats (which they believe would lead to killing them) is an animal lover, Alfonso Ocasio, who has been visiting the old town since 2014 to feed the cats a couple of times per week.

He said: "I don't know how these people dare face the world with their proposal." He spends up to $15 a week feeding the cats. He adopts those that are sick and elderly and cares for them during their last days.

The people have questions about what the National Park Service plan to do with the cats. And there are questions about whether there had been ecological assessments and what the consequences would be of removing them. Would there be a rat problem?

On my interpretation, it looks as though this is an example of people power and they are going to make sure that there is a proper hearing and a proper assessment about how to manage the beloved cats of this old city, the capital of Puerto Rico. I sense that they will be protected.

University of Texas looks after their campus cats

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-NEWS AND COMMENT: It is really great to read about this university which is sensitive to the well-being and welfare of the community cats living on their estate. One of the resident cats at the University of Texas (UT), Domino, appears to be a favourite. Perhaps he is well known because of his strong coat pattern. He looks well fed by the way and I reckon he has a good life because of the volunteers helping him.

UT campus cat Domino. Photo: UT

It appears that the University of Texas is going through a bit of landscaping and refurbishment which meant they removed some bushes that had been damaged during February's winter storm. Domino used these bushes as hiding and resting place.

The university employs contractors to do this work. Carin Peterson, senior training and outreach coordinator for Environmental Health and Safety is coordinating the work. They use a business called Landscape Services and it appears to me that they are all on the same page about how to ensure that the work causes the minimum amount of disruption to the cats and Domino in particular.

For example, the contractor did not fill in the hole that Domino uses to go under a building and they replaced a shelter and a food bowl after removing the bushes. Peterson said that Landscape Services wanted to ensure that everyone knew what was going to happen before they started work.

Domino has temporarily moved himself to a new location but he should relocate back to his original position shortly. His caretakers say that he is fine. Although he has been frightened by the activity. He is eating okay at his new location.

The contractor plans to replant the bushes in the autumn and Domino can then safely return according to Veronica Trevino the media manager for financial and administrative services at the University.

However, one of Domino's volunteer caretakers, Albert MacKrell said that Domino is scared because his original shelter made him feel secure and it has been removed. He said that Domino is hiding more than usual. MacKrell is an assistant professor of practice in the College of Natural Sciences.

Comment: this sort of major maintenance work is bound to severely disrupt campus cats but on my reading of this story they are doing the best they can to minimise disruption. What I like about it in particular is that they are factoring in the cats' well-being. It is the exact opposite to what happens in some housing estates and even some universities where the general mood is against the presence of the cats. There are debates going on probably across the country about whether campus cats should be allowed or removed. The University of Texas should be commended for their attitude.

Singapore resident blocks access to HDB apartments with barricade and sign "NO CATS ALLOWED!"

SINGAPORE NEWS AND COMMENT: In Singapore a high percentage of residents live in blocks of flats owned and managed by the authorities called the Housing Development Board. They obviously have access points for the residents. One resident, clearly frustrated with stray cats defecating and urinating in common areas (as she/he saw it) decided to take the matter into her own hands by placing a home-made barrier using various items across the access point and attached a sign saying NO CATS ALLOWED!

The photo comes from the Stomper website hence the embossed wording.

Singapore resident blocks of access to apartments with sign "NO CATS ALLOWED!". Source: Stomper.

He or she had to take the barricade down because it's obviously against the terms of the lease. She was asked to take it down by the authorities and she complied. The authorities say that they routinely clean common parts on a daily basis to 'remove any urination and defecation found in common areas' to use their words.

It is a snippet of Singapore life where they do have community cats which are either liked or loathed it seems to me. They do seem to polarise people as they do in the West. The answer to them is the same answer that you apply to any country and any place: education, to ensure that all domestic cats are spayed and neutered and properly cared for. That they are not abandoned at any time or under any circumstances and that proper TNR programs are managed throughout Singapore supported by the state. That would be my solution. I understand this person's frustration but it appears to have been more a statement rather than a functional effort to stop cats coming into the common areas of this block of flats.

Should feral cats be regarded as wild cats?

Are feral cats wild animals? No, they are not. It is wrong to regard feral cats as wild cats as one journalist has in an article about TNR in New Zealand (which Kiwis nearly always criticise). Feral cats are really domestic cats that have gone feral. It is important to distinguish between feral domestic cats and true wild cats. They are very different animals. Often feral cats are semi-domesticated at which time they are referred to as community cats.

Feral cats of a well-known Mumbai park. Photo: Mid-day.

A young person may become 'feral' if the parenting is neglectful. Essentially the feral cat is a domestic cat but because they've not been socialised and domesticated, they become fearful of people. This gives the impression that they are wild cats. However, there is a distinct difference between the character of feral cats and wild cats. Note: of course, feral cats are born feral too.

THAT SAID, SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT SOME AUSTRALIAN FERAL CATS HAVE EVOLOVED INTO TRUE WILD CATS!

You can domesticate, through socialisation, a feral cat. It may take a short time if you are dealing with a kitten. If you are dealing with an adult cat, it may take several months or even a year. But it can be done. If you try and domesticate a wild cat you never get to the same point that you would with a feral cat. The wild cat retains their wild character because they do not have 10,000 years of domestication behind them.

10,000 of domestication has resulted, in my view, in the domestic cat carrying that domestication in their DNA. It is gene memory. So, when a domestic kitten is born, all it takes is a little bit of socialisation in the first seven weeks of their life for them to become domesticated. You try doing that with a wild kitten, say a bobcat kitten, and you won't get the same result.

The feral cat and the small wildcat are different animals even if they are pets. Sometimes people like to keep exotic pets and this includes servals, caracals, cheetahs et cetera. These true wild cats always retain a different character when semi-domesticated compared to a feral cat that has been domesticated. Essentially, it is wilder. For the wild cats, that harsh, predator personality is not removed by socialisation.

I say "semi-domesticated" because that is how it happens for the wild cat species when they been socialised. But they feral cat can be completely domesticated to behave exactly like a domestic cat.

Cyprus had one domestic cat 10,000 years ago and now there are 1 million

I have discovered that some welfare organisation believe that there are 1.5 million cats in Cyprus. There are 1.2 million humans. It's ironic that Cyprus now has a cat problem because the first known or recorded domestic cat was dug up with their owner in Cyprus at an archaeological dig and they dated the remains to about 10,000 years ago. 

This gives Cyprus a status. It is thought that a wildcat was semi-domesticated and brought to the island from the mainland, perhaps from Syria which is essentially the home of the domestic cat. That, too, is ironic because that country has been blown up by civil war and the cats living there have also been blown up except for some cats protected by one or two cat rescuers who heroically look after the strays and ferals.

Community cats of Cyprus are too numerous for some. Picture: Oman Observer.

But the point of this article is that over 10,000 years or so the number of cats on Cyprus has increased from 1 to around a million. The authorities say they have a cat problem. They do. These are community cats. They are semi-feral. They are cared for by the community. One such person is Dinos Ayiomamitis. He is one of a number of volunteers feeding the island's community cats.

He admits that there is no official count but the assessment is that the population of cats on the island equals the population of the people on the island which is 1.2 million.

He feeds 200 cats daily at various locations around Nicosia the capital. The problem? Nowhere near enough cats are being sterilised and the weather is kind to the cats. There are volunteers and some cats are being sterilised but there has to be a massive renewed investment in TNR. It's manageable because 1.2 million cats is not a massive number. It depends upon the commitment of the government. If they want to do something about the cats, they've got to put money into it.

I would suggest that they work with volunteers to expand TNR dramatically. They should help fund volunteers and work with animal rescue organisations as well to create a network and a unified approach. But I don't want to lecture. Although the solution is obvious. The cats are procreating when they shouldn't be. 

SOME PAGES ON COMMUNITY CATS

Clearly, at the moment, there is an acceptance of these cats. Perhaps they are a feature of the island. Perhaps some people love them and some people hate them. Perhaps some are poisoned and abused in the off-season. That's what happens in Greece. Tourists might like them but they aren't always there. What do the residents think about the community cats? 

If they really want to do something about them, there is only one acceptable way which is to sterilize them and leave them where they are. If you do that consistently with commitment over a long enough period of time they will disappear.

And there's got to be an improvement in cat ownership on the island as well because obviously some irresponsible cat owners are letting their cats procreate and wander around becoming feral. Not a good idea. The cure there is education. Education is fundamental to cat welfare.

Tenting for termites killed 6 community cats in South Beach Miami

SOUTH BEACH, MIAMI - NEWS AND COMMENT: Six community cats were killed by a fumigation chemical possibly colorless sulfuryl fluoride when they entered a building that was being 'tented'. There are businesses which cover a building in a tent so no gases can escape from it and then they pump in fumigation chemicals to kill every termite and nasty organism inside the building to render it completely free of these pests.

This is a file photo from Wikipedia of a tent fumigation process in Los Angeles, Calif.

Clearly it is a dangerous process because the chemicals can harm animals and people. Therefore, there must be strict rules on how they go about fumigated buildings in this way. They have to check to make sure the building is free of all life before they pump in the chemicals. They have to make sure there's no means of an animal getting into the building.

In this instance, six cats did get into the building or to buildings that were being tented and were trapped after they draped the tent over the building. It seems that nobody checked to make sure the building was clear and as a consequence they were poisoned. They were community cats which means that they were domestic cats living in the community being cared for by volunteers.

CLICK FOR PAGES ON KIDS KILLING CATS

The volunteers got to know these cats very well and they become their pets. One such person is Holly Whalan who lives in South Beach, Miami. She said that three of the cats who died were come into her home and snuggle with her on the sofa. One cat, Sol, would hug her. They had become her pets she said and she is extremely distraught. She said: "I can only imagine their fear. Being suffocated to death and having nowhere to hide."

The 6 cats killed by tenting. Montage: 7News Miami.

Three of the cats, Maru, Sol and Chloe were known to Whalan. They were three of 15,000 community cats living in Miami Beach. A local non-profit caring for the cats in partnership with the city, SoBe Cats, emphasised that they were not feral cats and that they were looked after in all respects including veterinary bills, by volunteers.

Whalan said that the building had a crawlspace which allowed the cats to get in which was subsequently fixed. She says that it was a code violation to leave that crawlspace access open to the cats. She claims that it was a code violation. SoBe Cats made a complaint to the city about the fact that the openings were not covered properly.

A further three were also killed in the same way. These cats were Oreo, Barbie and Lemon. Another South Beach resident was very fond of them. A local news media business, 7News, said that the city had known about this problem for a long time and therefore it must have happened before without any action being taken.

The city say that they cannot pass laws regulating fumigation companies because it is the state's responsibility. In the meantime, the volunteers wonder what can be done to protect community cats under the circumstances.

Comment: based upon the report on 7News it is clear that the fumigation business was negligent but they not been punished because of a lack of evidence, apparently. And it seems that nothing will be done in the future in the way of proactive steps to stop a recurrence.