Is it genocide?

[gallahadesquire]

I'm nearly over the loss of my previous pet, and I'm looking at various ways to adopt.

 

In my search, I found the New York City Feral Cat Initiative: http://www.nycferalcat.org/colonyregistration.htm

 

It's a Trap-Neuter-Return foundation (TNR), the hopes of which are to have the individual

colonies of cats eventually die out.

 

My mind says: It's the story of the four Chinese, side to side, walking past a given line. You'd never sterilize all of them.

[i hope the above is not too Politically Incorrect. it's an old allusion.]

 

My consternation: This sounds almost equivalent to genocide: Neutering will eventually "kill" the

colonies, and there would be fewer cats in NYC.

 

Mind you: Given the circumstances, I think TNR is a great idea ... and contrary to nature.

It just bothers me.

 

Y'all are a great source of conversation and opinions. I'd like you're input on this.

 

Sign me: Morally ambiguous.

[+ purplekow]

You are not killing cats, you are neutering them. Colonies are not living beings in and of themselves and therefore the colony cannot be killed. Genocide by its very definition is a killing of people. If anything, it would be felinocide (i believe this is not even a word). Population control of animals by neutering is a much more natural way of reducing populations than the alternative, which has been capture and kill. You are not aborting kittens, as we all know, life does not start until birth (at least some abortion proponents would tell you that) except in human beings when it starts when the father ejaculates. At least that is what many so called "right to lifers" would have you believe.

 

I fully expect this thread to be moved very soon to the political forum, where is will die a death by neutering of political ideas in the lounge. That will not be genocide either.

 

• gen·o·cide
  /ˈjenəˌsīd/ http://search.aol.com/assets/en/US/aolcom/0860maolr04/img/0860maolr04_icon_sound.png
  noun
  

1. the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.[TABLE=class: synonyms]
   [TR]
   [TD=class: synonym-label]synonyms:[/TD]
   [TD=class: synonym-list]mass murder, mass homicide, massacre, annihilation; More[/TD]
   [/TR]
   [/TABLE]
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[rvwnsd]

Dear Morally,

 

Having just euthanized a feral cat that I adopted seven-plus years ago I can tell you from personal experience there is a world of difference between a domestic and a feral cat. Ferals don't make suitable pets. I was lucky: mine wasn't destructive and was a very good companion to my dearly departed and beloved cat, particularly in the beloved's final days. However, Miss Former Feral hid under the bed most of the time and would not allow me to pick her up, making nail-clipping, grooming, medicating, and getting her to the vet virtually impossible. MFF wasn't destructive (not much to destroy when parked under the bed) and the first time I ever held her in my lap was in the minutes before she was put to sleep. Sometimes, kittens of feral cats can be adopted as pets, but even they can present challenges. For those reasons, I support Trap-Neuter-Return. If the feral cat colonies died out we would be doing them a favor. Feline leukemia, FIV, post-catfight infections, predators, and arguments with cars all kill ferals. Theirs are not happy lives and rarely come to a peaceful end.

 

That being said, I understand your consternation and torn feelings. It does seem unnatural, but so is returning a domesticated animal to the wild, which begins the cycle. Although in theory feral cat colonies would die out, that outcome is unlikely because there are always litters of kittens that don't go through TNR and have their own litters of kittens. Thus, the cycle continues.