Niles should know, there's an alternative to killing cats

Niles should know, there's an alternative to killing cats
EDITOR:
As someone who has implemented a successful TNR program in my community here in Northeast Ohio, I am concerned about Niles City Council's policy of Trap and Kill and their proposed cat licensing and limit laws. I appreciate the opportunity to share some thoughts with you regarding my experience with TNR: Trap-Neuter-Return.
I have personally TNRed over 20 cats. What I do, I do primarily for the safety, health and well-being of the cats. But the city and community at large enjoy the benefits of a successfully managed feral colony as well.
The outdated eradication methods still used by some cities, municipalities and animal control agencies cost taxpayers untold thousands of dollars over the years. And not only are they expensive, they simply do not work. A colony of feral cats is exterminated only to be replaced by another breeding population shortly thereafter. This vacuum effect is well documented.
The only effective way to manage feral cat populations is TNR: Trap, Neuter, Return. The cats are humanely trapped, evaluated by professional veterinarians, vaccinated against diseases and neutered or spayed. Tame cats are fostered and adopted. Only cats that are truly feral and therefore unadoptable are returned to live out there lives under the watch of a volunteer caregiver.
TNR allows the population to decrease naturally and gradually. Undesirable behaviors like fighting, scent marking and yowling are diminished greatly or disappear altogether. Returned cats that are fed regularly by volunteers are much less likely to hunt birds or forage in dumpsters. And in my experience they do however continue to keep the rodent population in check. There is no doubt that cats are the best form of rodent control on the planet. And the least expensive (i.e. free)
There are numerous rescue groups and individual volunteers who have the experience, the dedication and the know-how to make TNR work in your community.
The choice is yours:
1) Will you continue the endless cycle of breeding and extermination at taxpayers expense while creating an insensitive & amp; uncaring community image?
or
2) Will you allow volunteers to implement TNR, a tested and proven method to control feral cat populations that costs the city nothing and is reflective of a caring, compassionate community?
Additional information is available at the Alley Cat Allies Website, http://-www.alleycat.org
TOBY FRANKS
Louisville, Ohio
WRTA bus service shouldn't be cut; people count on it
EDITOR:
WRTA isn't running on Columbus Day or Veterans Day. We who don't have a car or drive need to work on Columbus Day. There are a lot of people who depend on the buses. Also, there are a lot of people like me who work five days a week that have things to do on Saturdays. They also should run the bus on Veterans Day.
Also, this year they did not have any buses to the Canfield Fair. Some of us who work all week look forward to going to the fair. There are a lot of people who go out to the fair also. The levy passed, and all they do is cut out a lot of routes and the Columbus Day and Veterans Day service. We pay taxes every year for the buses, plus the levy passed, plus they get money off the passengers. They say that they have to do all these cuts, but where's all the money going that they get?
There are a lot of people who depend on the buses to get to work and other places and they should not cut out the buses on Columbus Day, Veterans Day and the fair.
JEANIE Z. GERLACH
Youngstown