The issue of stray cats and dogs has been a long-standing problem that society has been facing at multi-dimensional issues – ethical, public utilitarian, emotional and mental levels.
These animals can be categorised as free-roaming with owners who let them off throughout the day, free-roaming strays abandoned by their owners, community strays that are cared for by a community, and feral cats and dogs that survive on their own (offspring of abandoned pets would fall under this group). It is estimated that there are up to 480 million stray cats and300 million stray dogs worldwide, according to the National Geographic in 2020 and A-Z Animals in 2023.
Dogs and cats alike have evolved to live with humans and are born ready to live with humans. This is according to a veterinary behaviourist Gokha Durukan with reference to dogs. “In the presence of limited food, water, resting places and habitat, they first struggle to survive within the species and this causes them stress”.
“Afterwards, they may experience a hard time from people due to ill-treatment, physical and psychological violence, and viral diseases. Otherwise, every dog is born ready to live with humans. If its behaviour deteriorates, it’s mostly due to environmental reasons,” he said. Similarly I would deduce the same statement applies to our stray cats.
An ideal solution is needed to solve the stray issue here in our community. I have always firmly believed the sole root cause of the issue is irresponsible pet ownership, more seriously, pet abandonment. Volunteer groups have gone way beyond their maximum capacity to save the strays and redress this societal issue in our community due to limited resources and the increasing rate of pet abandonment.
I can personally attest and empathise to the incredibly overwhelming daily challenge these volunteer groups face on a daily basis, albeit to a little extent. In an event, I was at my wits end to help a litter of vulnerable nursing puppies at a popular commercial area and took them home beyond my every resource.
Then it was reported their mother dog behaved abnormally in distress towards passers-by believed to be in search of her offspring and consumed by her motherly instincts.
Otherwise, she was normally friendly and cordial to the residents and visitors of the area.
Ultimately in an emotionally-charged dilemma I decided to return the puppies to the hazardous area to allay the mother’s unwanted social behaviour to avoid any public backlash against the entire stray in our community.
The Netherlands has been recognised as the first and only country with zero strays. How did the country manage to eradicate the stray issue? Not through euthanasia or the like. The Dutch achieved this feat through the nationwide CNVR (Collect, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return) government-funded programme.
Sterilisation and castration are mandatory for all pet owners and made easily accessible and free. In our community, our volunteer groups have been carrying out similar CNVR method, but progress is trumped by more and more acts of pet abandonment and limited resources.
One of the actions that can be considered to be implemented here is offering land to volunteer groups in building shelter homes for strays.
Neutering all strays is not possible with the current state of available funds. Funding and cash flow can be managed with strays taken to available shelters separated by gender to avoid unwanted births and litters and progressively neutered.
This is only a part of a long term solution and programme. The key is to nip the root of stray in the bud, that is to stop irresponsible pet ownership and ensure that every pet and stray is neutered.
Zara
