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If the Wilkes-Barre City Council truly wants to humanely and effectively address the homeless cat crisis, it should vote “no” on trapping, neutering and re-abandoning cats.

It is illegal in Pennsylvania to abandon cats, for good reason: It is cruel and irresponsible. The average lifespan of a homeless cat is under 3 years, compared to 12 to 15 years for a cat who lives indoors.

TNR proponents call homeless cats’ deaths “natural attrition.” We at PETA have seen natural attrition firsthand, and it isn’t pretty: cats with eyes and noses crusted shut from upper respiratory infections, spines crushed by car tires, legs blown off by buckshot, backs covered with chemical burns, tails “degloved” by predators and more.

Nor does TNR reduce homeless cat populations: It actually encourages more people to abandon their cats because they think the cats will be “cared for,” and the food set out for “managed” colonies attracts more cats — as well as foxes, raccoons, coyotes, and even rats, which a recent study showed cats have little effect on.

The best way to save cats from suffering and dying on the streets is to require that all cats be spayed and neutered, microchipped, licensed and kept indoors.

Teresa Chagrin

Animal Care & Control Issues Manager

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

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