Unwanted guests

— A long time ago, in a state far, far away-well, it was not so far away, being Louisiana-we knew a lady who liked to feed the neighborhood animals. All the animals. Even the raccoons. A family of cats moved in under her backyard shed, and she fed them, too. There was no way we could convince the dear old lady that she wasn’t doing the neighborhood any favors. And please, ma’am, do stay away from the raccoons.

No doubt you’ve known people like that. Aw, look at the poor kitty. It looks hungry.

It can’t be helped: Good people do good things. The world is a better place because of them. But sometimes . . . well, you know what the road to Hell is paved with.

Fayetteville has a problem with cats. Feral cats. Not your Socks or the neighbor’s Fluffy. These cats in Fayetteville are wild. They live outdoors 24/7, breed and breed and breed, and carry diseases, too. And sometimes good people feed them, which keeps the cats around, breeding and disease-ing.

Fayetteville’s city council is considering a proposal that would help control the feral cat population-without having to kill them, or, as they say in euphemismese, Put Them Down.

Some city agency (yet to be named) is to trap the feral cats, take them somewhere to be spayed or neutered, then release them back to their environs and the folks who take care of them. Oh, if that could only be done to deer in Eureka Springs!

These caretakers (cat-takers?) would need to keep up with all these feisty felines, including shot records, and whether any newborn kittens turn up. Because they shouldn’t.

The most striking thing about this Save the Cats idea is that it’s not supposed to have much an effect on the city budget. If so, let’s do it. Elminating a nuisance at little or no cost is even better than eliminating the nuisance.

First let’s see if this public service can be performed humanely. Sometimes it pays to be kind. That sweet old lady we once knew would be pleased.

Editorial, Pages 12 on 09/10/2012

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