Editorial
It’s a shame that Polk Sheriff Grady Judd’s staff for using their position of leadership in the community to suggest the outrageous and illegal act of hunting and killing cats. Such threats of government-sanctioned cruelty toward any species are unacceptable and must be confronted.
Cats are sentient creatures who suffer and feel pain. Our culture understands this and therefore rejects institutionalized killing as an immoral concept. In a recent poll, 86 percent of Americans said they prefer that their community use tax dollars to adopt sterilization as its cat control policy instead of bringing cats found outdoors into shelters to be killed.
Grady Judd staff runs the Polk County animal shelter which is a KILL shelter…. PERIOD!!
Killing is also a complete waste of government resources. When cats are killed or otherwise removed from the landscape, more cats move in to replace them. This is a phenomenon known as the vacuum effect, and it has been proven in many species.
Our society demands a humane path, such as Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), in which cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, ear-tipped for identification, and returned to their outdoor homes. TNR is an evidence-based and sound policy. It is effective and humane for community cat population management, reduces shelter intake and killing, and saves taxpayer dollars.
TNR programs work in Lee and Collier counties have ordinances.
Community cats are residents of the communities we call home. Humane, lifesaving plans are the only option that will garner the broad community support needed to successfully care for these animals.
Polk Sheriff Grady Judd’s staff will not change the law and allow TNR colonies and caretakers in Polk County. But there are TNR program colonies in Lakeland but there is no law that protects the caretakers.
The sheriff’s office will not allow us to interview the Sheriff on this issue, WHY? What is he hiding is it because he’s been quoted to say “cats kill birds”. They also kill rats and mice as the TNR colony does at Disney World.
Cats have been a staple of the Disney theme park experience since 1955, shortly after Disneyland opened. And are part of the parks in Orlando.
Before we begin, it’s worth noting that the Walt Disney Company does not publicly tout the presence of feral cats in the theme parks for a variety of reasons, including not wanting to draw undue guest attention to these invisible employees. There’s also the clear conflict of interest posed by the Mouse House opening its gates to cats, the sworn enemy of Mickey and Co.
The mission statement of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office states we will serve with integrity, compassion, accountability, and professionalism.
Integrity – the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
Compassion – sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.
Accountability – the fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility.
Professionalism – the competence or skill expected of a professional.
Do these words really mean something to Grady Judd on this issue?
Now we are waiting on Sheriff Grady Judd to do the right thing!!!
As a veterinarian who has spent the last two decades researching, and advocating for, the humane treatment of feral and free-roaming cats, known more broadly as community cats, I was glad to see the opinion piece in the Lakeland Gazette on May 9th (1). I feel compelled to comment in order to keep the dialogue going, as well as add an evidence-based perspective.
There is substantial, and mounting, evidence that Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR—experts advocate for vaccination of these cats in order to create a barrier to rabies between wild animals and domestic animals and people to protect the public’s health; but that is a whole separate discussion) programs are indeed effective at reducing the population of community cats. For an evidence-based repository of information on the humane and effective management of community cats, I would suggest that Sheriff Judd (or readers, if they are so inclined) visit the website of the National Feline Research Council (2).
I have long been a supporter of Sheriff Judd, particularly with respect to his position on armed citizens being a deterrent to crime in Polk County. However, I am amazed that he refuses to embrace the latest evidence-based approaches to dealing with the problem of community cats. A recent article published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science, entitled, “Rethinking the Animal Shelter’s Role in Free-Roaming Cat Management” (3) concludes that “No realistically available intervention is sufficient to completely eliminate free-roaming cats from the landscape. Traditional ad hoc admission to shelters is not a panacea that eliminates the concerns generated by free-roaming cats. Placing it as such in contrast to TNR has needlessly pitted the interests of cats, cat lovers, and shelter staff against the interests of wildlife advocates and public health officials. Success in solving the complex issues associated with free-roaming cats will be best served by moving beyond this false dichotomy to an evidence-based assessment of all possible approaches to management of this prolific and adaptable species.” Doing nothing does nothing to solve the problem.
Sheriff Judd is an avid bird photographer who believes that returning cats to the environment after sterilization and vaccination puts birds at risk. What Sheriff Judd doesn’t realize is that TNVR programs lead to fewer cats to prey on birds. His solution is to trap and kill these cats. We’ve been trapping and killing cats for decades; how has that worked out? A recent article using sophisticated computer modeling to compare community cat management techniques concluded that “Culling is likely to be ineffective and inefficient in terms of cumulative preventable deaths and population size reduction.” (4)
When I first moved to Polk County and became involved in a TNVR program at a local non-profit, I tried to schedule a meeting with Sheriff Judd to discuss the incomprehensible management of community cats in our community. He refused, and sent a major and a captain, who argued that the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals did not support TNVR. What they didn’t realize was that PETA really isn’t a mainstream animal welfare organization, but all of the others do, indeed, support TNVR. As the evidence mounts for the humane, and economically efficient, management of community cats, perhaps Sheriff Judd will now sit down and discuss the evidence. Evidence that can improve the lives of the cats, birds, and the citizens, of Polk County. I would gladly lend my professional expertise to such a paradigm shift. Just call me, Grady…
G. Robert Weedon, DVM, MPH
Community Cat Surgeon
Retired Clinical Assistant Professor
University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
1 https://lakelandgazette.info/news/2022/05/09/the-immorality-of-killing-cats/
2 http://www.felineresearch.org
3 Hurley KF and Levy JK (2022) Rethinking the Animal Shelter’s Role in Free-Roaming Cat Management. Front. Vet. Sci. 9:847081. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.847081
4 Boone JD, Miller PS, Briggs JR, Benka VAW, Lawler DF, Slater M, Levy JK and Zawistowski S (2019) A Long-Term Lens: Cumulative Impacts of Free-Roaming Cat Management Strategy and Intensity on Preventable Cat Mortalities. Front. Vet. Sci. 6:238. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00238