In a recent Ledger story, “Rabies-infected cat attacks five people and puppy in North Lakeland,” is a direct consequence of the failure of county leadership, and should prompt an important question: Why does Polk County Animal Control neither endorse nor support Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR)? TNVR not only helps control and reduce the population of community cats, but also creates a barrier against rabies between wildlife, domestic pets, and people by ensuring these cats are vaccinated. TNVR is a common practice in the US. This is not a new or radical proposal. Communities from Hawaii to Florida practice TNVR, including many communities close to Polk County, and this story is a direct consequence of Polk County’s continued opposition to the practice.
I have more than 40 years of experience in veterinary medicine, including over 25 years dedicated to the humane and effective management of community cats. I also hold a Master of Public Health degree and wrote the chapter on rabies in the textbook Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters. As a Polk County resident, I have offered to help the Board of County Commissioners revise the Polk County Animal Control Ordinance to reflect evidence-based policies for managing community cats humanely and effectively. Had the county embraced those policies, we might not be facing the current rabies situation. The offer to help still stands, but so far, no one has accepted it.
When asked why he does not support TNVR, Sheriff Judd repeatedly says, “It doesn’t work.” Yet he offers no viable alternative beyond the outdated “trap and kill” model. Simply dismissing TNVR does nothing to solve the problem. We have been killing cats for decades, and that approach has clearly failed to do so. It is time for a new strategy. Sheriff Grady’s trepidation regarding TNVR is understandable, as he is a bird photographer, but the data shows that TNVR colonies are less of a danger to birds than flying into windows. There is a great deal of misinformation about the impact of feral cats on birds. Unfortunately, community members who support a responsible program have not been provided with an opportunity to present the data, and this rabies case is a direct consequence of that.
G. Robert Weedon, DVM, MPH
Retired Clinical Assistant Professor
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Illinois
So eloquently noted Dr Weedon. We have asked and pleaded and presented evidence based information and still no programs. Along with TNVR is a two pronged approach of low cost vouchers for people to fix and vaccinate their owned cats as well. Then you are vaccinating animals from both the owned and unowned sides of the equation. Yet the Sheriff and the BOCC dismiss the processes as valid. Common sense and human nature tell you if the cats are fixed, less cats are born. It’s the birds and the bees. Will we ever be able to catch and fix/vaccinate every cat? No, but any cat fixed and vaccinated is one less breeding and one more creating a rabies barrier between humans and wildlife.