Even though animal protection associations try hard, the number of semi-captive animals has been rising in the Czech Republic recently. Cat colonies are to be blamed for that as the cats reproduce there uncontrollably.
The whole country has to deal with the issue of abandoned dogs and cats and the number of semi-captive animals. Some cities established a neutering program and took care of the financial resources which are needed for it in order to control the number of animals living on the streets. We can also come across neutering programs at some vets and associations who neuter animals for a symbolic fee.
The problem is that according to a new wording of an act, only a trained professional with a licence who works for a registered animal shelter may catch an animal living on the streets. Therefore, if an unsheltered cat roams on your garden and you would like to neuter it, even if it is used to you and not afraid to be caught, you have no right to take it to a vet. In the opposite scenario, you may face a penalty of up to 50 thousand crowns. The only possible option is when a professional catches it.
Another large complication is the fact that cats in colonies are “smarter” with each generation. They learn soon enough not to get into a trap and also how to take the food from it and not being captured. I was present at several trappings in the past and I saw how cats get the meat from a trap using their paws, how they get inside but avoid the trigger and how they keep kittens away from traps or teach them how to get inside and take the food and not get trapped.
Moreover, each generation is wilder and it is more difficult or sometimes even impossible to get them used to humans again. And it still holds true even if you manage to catch the kittens in their young age. I saw caught two-months-old kittens which didn’t adjust to being with people and couldn’t be touched even after several months of efforts for their domestication and living with domestic cats. They couldn’t even put up with the presence of a human.
With regard to these facts and the truth that shelters are full most of the time or rather burst at the seams, the only solution is the effort of associations of cities and municipalities to catch as much unsheltered cats as possible, neuter them and release them back and hope that their numbers will decrease after some time.
However, it is also necessary that the owners of outdoor cats or those which can go outside neuter their cats. It concerns both female and male cats. That’s why a necessary part of neutering programs is educating the public, spreading knowledge about and explaining the benefits of neutering.
Of course, the problem doesn’t concern only cats but also dogs as well. There are great numbers of both abandoned cats and dogs. The situation is the worst after Christmas and in summer. Therefore, the owners of dogs and cats should prevent (preferably by neutering) undesired mating. Although they might find homes for the undesired kittens or puppies and do not abandon them or, God forbid, do not kill them, many other homeless animals who are waiting for their new owners in a shelter won’t get their chance. This is also the reason why the numbers of animals without an owner do not decrease.
If your cat is going to pee or defecate outside its toilette, it is only seldom just an issue of training or hygiene. Cats are clever animals and they have no trouble to understand, where to go to toilette. Therefore, if they don’t abide the rules of...
We hear about the war in Syria almost every day. But have you ever thought about how does a war affect local animals and that the self-sacrifice must not always be made by an animal for humans, but it can also be the other way around? The person that...
Acupuncture wants to harmonise the body and the mind. Some of you may have tried it, it was a great help to me personally with issues with my back and breathing. Precisely owing to my positive personal experience, the possibility to indulge dogs and...
In the life of any dog, a situation might come up, when it is necessary to put on a muzzle. And if the dog is not used to wearing it, it might mean a stressful situation. I will advise you on how to avoid stress and how to get your dog used to wearing...
Same as in people, also our pets should go to regular check-ups to a doctor. We might neglect this quite often, but it is still something else in animals. A dog or a cat won’t come up to you to tell you, that they’re not feeling well. That’s why an...
You probably have someone among your friends, who has diabetes. However, do you know, that cats and dogs also suffer from this disease quite often?
The name distemper might be familiar to you, but do you know more precise characteristics of this treacherous viral disease? Let’s take it one by one from the historic roots up to the present day
Do you know, what dreams our pets have? Besides myself, also a number of scientists were interested in this question and they came up with various hypotheses. Would you guess what our four-legged friends dream about?
Maybe even you have a small four-legged stressed-out dog at home. In such case, read carefully, maybe you will find something here, what you haven’t tried yet, while trying to get your pet rid of stress.
You have probably encountered the opinion, that much more important than what you’re saying to your dog is how you’re saying it (the tone). But it shows, that dogs are able to understand the human language much better, than we generally credit them for.
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.3px 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} All of us surely likes to take pictures of our pets. However, the photographs don’t always turn out according to our...
It could seem that the smaller the animal, the less care it would require. However, don’t let yourself be fooled. Even if you have a small mouse at home, a rabbit or maybe a guinea pig, you should adapt the care for them to the season and to situations...
