Emergency
Numbers 
Raccoon
& Possums (Repellent)|
Emergency
Numbers |
Raccoon
& Possums (Repellent) |
If you find a injured cat in Bermuda Beach, call: 409-737-5459 If no answer, review the other phone numbers on the Animal Emergency link.
During the past year several property owners have inquired
bout the wild cats on the beach and living under and around some
of our homes. We started to investigate what if anything could
be done, short of destroying them, which was not an option Bermuda
Beach would consider.
Surprisingly, the solution was already under way within our own
neighborhood. Bermuda Beach resident, Tonya Klopp, started a spay
and neutering program for our subdivision and is now helping island
wide. She and dedicated volunteers spend at least one weekend
each month trapping cats whenever a colony has been reported and
transporting them to one of four veterinarians that have donated
their time for the sterilization procedure. This is quite an exhausting
labor of love as the process goes through the night, checking
the traps every hour. If this is not done, the cats may be attacked
by fire ants after the same "sardine' bait that lures the
cats into the traps. Throughout the night and all of the following
day the volunteers help while the veterinarians spay and neuter
the caged animals. Pregnancies are aborted and any animals that
have minor injuries are held and treated before being released.
To make sure they don't capture the same cat twice, the ear is
notched.
Dr. Dobbs in Santa Fe, Texas is one of the veterinarians that
participates in this massive effort. He explained that Galveston
Island is a contained environment. Once all of the cats are sterilized
the individuals living in those wild colonies will actually run
off any outsiders.
Many cities have problems with feral cats and try to remedy this
by having animal control capture and destroy them. In a few short
months the rodent populations explode. Rats are extremely prolific
(more so than cats) and carry many diseases that affects man.
Without the cats keeping the rat population in check the food
source is no longer sufficient to sustain their increased numbers.
Like watching a horror story unfold, the rats become the aggressors.
Normally rodents are shy and sly, but hunger will them out during
the day to ravage parks, beaches, or anywhere they may find scraps.
They soon lose their fear of man. In ALL cities that tried to
eliminate cats, residents and particularity in resort areas, tourists,
begin by calling the health department and soon resort to the
media. Needless to say, in every instance where feral cats have
been destroyed, a colony of neutered cats was returned and with
them a natural balance.
Dr. Dobbs also addressed the question as to whether the sterilized
cats could be released to areas other than where they were caught.
He replied that this would be extremely stressful and inhumane
to the animals. When they wake from the anesthetic and are released;
they bolt out of the cage and need to know where they can run
for safety and more importantly where then can return to fresh
water. These animals are wild. It isn't that we can just open
the cage and let them wander over to the water bowl. They need
to find shelter first to recover from the surgery and then be
able to return to a familiar fresh water source. They are obviously
in some pain and tremendous stress when released. The need for
protection and to get away from their captor is their primary
goal.
When spayed and neutered the population will be healthy and the
colonies will eventually begin to dwindle. The longevity of feral
cats is of course much less than their domestic counterparts.
They fight cards, dogs, people and the elements.
These animals are vital to keeping the rodent population and snakes
in check. True, you can have too many cats and not a sufficient
amount of food. On the beach however, this is rarely a problem
and we don't want it to become one.Fresh water is the most important
commodity to their well being. For the most part the cats scavenge
the beach of dead fish, crabs, and other miscellaneous dead animals.
It is important to keep the beach clean of unwanted dead animals
that have not been reclaimed by the sea. Cats are the most efficient
way to do this.
In just the past year, Tonya has caught 15 females and 11 males
in Bermuda Beach and 43 females and 15 males in Pirates Beach.
Each female has 5 to 8 kittens each litter. Not all live. To error
on the conservative side, we will use an average of 5 kittens
per litter.
Thank you for caring.