Nature is all about balance. Predator-prey cycles are based on a feeding relationship between two species: if prey or food is plentiful, predators gorge and numbers increase until the predators eat so much that the prey population or food source dwindles again. Predator numbers subsequently decrease due to starvation, which in turn leads to a proliferation in the prey population–and a new cycle begins.
This occurs naturally with wild species such as wolves and big cats. Population numbers are determined by the availability of resources including food, habitat and mating opportunities. In animals that live in groups, not all individuals will reproduce. Breeding is suppressed in more submissive or lower-ranking individuals during lean years, with only the alpha or more dominant animals producing offspring, consistent with the ability of the group to feed the young. In bumper years, more pairs will mate and produce offspring since more food is available to support more mouths. Group-living wild animals, therefore, have the intelligence and ability to self-regulate their population number according to resource availability.
This is an ability we bred out of our dogs and cats when we domesticated them, resulting in all being able to produce offspring regardless of how much food is available, which quickly leads to a population size exceeding the carrying capacity of the environment.
It is no secret that T&T is experiencing an overpopulation of cats. Similar to the “hotspots” where dogs are dumped such as Waterloo, the Caroni Swamp has emerged as a “hotspot” where cats are regularly abandoned and bird species are already being negatively impacted.
This kitten was dumped at the side of the road.
Animal Welfare Network Facebook
Some cat owners go a step further by attempting to foist the responsibility of caring for their pets by leaving boxes of unwanted kittens and cats on the doorsteps of animal shelters and veterinary clinics. While some shelters choose to operate as no-kill facilities, others do not have the resources to house and feed every single animal that is relinquished and must make an unfortunate choice between locking the animal in a cage indefinitely in the hope that it will someday be adopted (which may take years or never happen) or humanely euthanising to prevent further suffering. This policy is the prerogative of that institution and those who disagree would achieve more by focusing their attention, time and words on educating the public about animal population control measures such as neutering, instead of trying to shame and blame for problems that were not the creation of such organisations, and who are doing their best to provide viable solutions.
Similarly, veterinarians are more and more frequently becoming expected to shoulder the burden of boarding and finding homes for litters of kittens dumped outside their clinics. Veterinary clinics are businesses. They do not advertise as animal shelters, nor should they be expected to operate as such. They provide goods and services for which there is a cost. If there is no paying client then the clinic has to take on the expense, which is not only unfair but is also unreasonable as they are generally not the recipients of donations or government subventions as some animal shelters.
Life for a kitten abandoned on the streets is, to quote Annie: “A hard-knock life.” Most of these kittens starve to death, are killed by cats resident in that area, or die from injuries sustained from vehicular accidents or when fighting for food, mates or territory. The trauma and suffering are real.
While veterinary clinics may try to find homes for abandoned kittens, the success rate is extremely low because there is no reservoir of fosters or potential adopters the way an animal shelter may have. There is no 24-hour staff availability to bottle-feed nursing kittens or to nurture and train them to develop into well-socialised cats. There is no guarantee that these kittens will find a home. More often than not, these kittens end up either being confined to a cage in the clinic for days, weeks, months, or even years with little quality of life or eventually transported to an animal shelter where they may be euthanised. Many vets are faced with the tough decision of humanely euthanising to prevent further suffering, or subjecting them to further stress and trauma through indefinite kennelling and possible eventual euthanasia.
There are many animal activists and animal lovers in T&T, and it is time for them to put their money where their mouths are. You take the responsibility and expense on yourself and stop expecting others to do it for you. Social media is increasingly being utilised as an outlet for venting against animal shelters and veterinarians, for whom disgruntled people hold a grudge. Hiding behind fake profiles, posting toxic and potentially libel comments, and attempting to bully others and damage reputations achieve nothing except the possibility of a case of defamation in a court of law.
Many veterinarians in T&T use their clinics to offer low-cost spays and educate their clients about the benefits and necessity to manage the stray cat population. The human-animal bond is even being nurtured through the cat therapy service provided by a clinic in St Augustine.
To the veterinarians and animal shelters in T&T who have been maliciously accused of being cruel, of being inhumane, not caring, and who have been subjected to all the other associated negativity spouted by people not desirous of seeking the truth; you ought to know that some applaud and appreciate your tender hearts and encourage you to continue to do what is in the best interest and welfare of the animals you encounter through your journey on this earth.
Copyright © Kristel-Marie Ramnath, 2022