St. Thomas no ‘paradise’ for resident cats

A few closing words on feral cats and spay/neuter on St. Thomas (a.k.a. “America’s paradise”). In a recent note, Dellia indicated the island vets want to raise their prices for this procedure. This pricing situation keeps getting worse.

Even with a spay/neuter van on the island, the process still requires veterinarians’ cooperation. Last fall, a vet from Texas visited, and in two days, more than 100 cats were spayed or neutered in that van. It can be done!

In fact, Dellia points to cat colonies at both the Marriott resort and Magen’s Bay that are 100% “done.” However, that figure holds up only till more people dump their cats at those sites knowing they’ll be fed at the cat cafes. Unless such newcomers have been neutered, the result will be more and more kittens.

Overriding every other problem is that of food. What Dellia says is most needed is a source of wholesale cat food. Right now, she buys it and/or uses whatever is donated – a system that probably can’t go on indefinitely.

All in all, while at first I was delighted to hear about the cat cafes and TNR on St. Thomas, I’ve learned that the picture is not as rosy as I first thought, or wanted to believe. Numerous obstacles exist, including the very people who would be expected to want to save cats’ lives, instead of putting them down.

“America’s paradise” – that may be true for people, but definitely not for cats.
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Spay/neuter = population control answer

When her job required that she visit islands all over the Caribbean, Dellia Holodenschi found the one constant everywhere to be stray cats.

Even though many St. Thomas cats (including Radu) have been spayed or neutered, there are countless more cats to go. The island’s resorts, with abundant and surplus food (and rats), attract feral cats, and then the cats reproduce. And reproduce. . . In addition, domestic cats are lost or abandoned, and they do the same.

Dellia says that unlike here in New Jersey where there’s a “kitten season,” cats can have six litters a year in the Caribbean because of the always-warm weather.

“For years I’ve been feeding strays,” she said in a recent phone-talk. “Everyone does it who cares.” But she found that “bringing cats home from dumpsters didn’t make a difference (in the population).” So she looked on line for ideas that would substitute for euthanasia – which is all too common -- as a way of controlling St. Thomas’s feral cat population.

In Costa Rica, she found, there are no shelters. If animals are spayed/neutered, there’s no need for such things. This was the answer Dellia needed, and spay-neuter became the first step in her plan. “The most important thing is that they don’t multiply,” she says.

But that can be easier said than done. Too many people, including at least one island vet, believe feral cats should all be euthanized. When cats are trapped and taken to the Humane Society, there are two options: euthanize or spay/neuter. The second procedure costs much more than the first.

In fact, island vets charge prices for spay/neuter that would amaze people around here; it’s as if they’re trying to make spay/neuter impossible to afford.
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Previews of coming (C)ATtractions

These are 2 of the many "cat cafes" on St. Thomas. More info, possibly much more info, to follow. Meanwhile, think TNR!
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