Feral

A mist rises over a crisp, autumn hayfield. The boy, out on his first hunt, trembles ever so slightly as he levels his .410 at his prey. "Careful son," the proud dad advises. "Make sure you get him with the first shot - there's nothing more dangerous than a wounded kitty. " Sadly, this wholesome scenario never will play out in Wisconsin, where officials have rejected recommendations by the state's Conservation Congress to allow cat hunting. Apparently stray cats are causing a problem in the land of snowballs and cheese, and this Conservation Congress had an elegantly simple solution: Shoot them.

Waynesboro council cracks down on feral cat feeders By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer, Waynesboro Tender-hearted Waynesboro residents who feed stray cats that end up on their doorsteps can now be arrested, fined up to $300 or even spend 30 days in jail, according to an ordinance passed Wednesday night by the Borough Council. The council, bowing to pressure from a handful of residents on Ridge and Fairview avenues who complained that stray cats were messing on their properties, passed the law unanimously.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. The Humane Society of Morgan County received a $5,000 funding commitment from the Morgan County Commission to help finance a program to reduce the population of feral and free-roaming cats. The commission unanimously agreed to fund the Trap, Neuter and Release (TNR) program at Thursday's meeting, "contingent on what the 2008-09 budget will allow," said Commissioner Thomas R. Swaim. Humane Society President Ed Duncan said the overpopulation of feral and free-roaming cats in the county can be addressed with support and adequate funding for the TNR program.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com An animal shelter already "overwhelmed" with cats and kittens has been forced to ban cat adoptions for two weeks because of an outbreak of feline distemper. The Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter at 2325 Country Road in Chambersburg also has stopped accepting cats and kittens until the crisis is over, Jim Hardy, executive director, said Thursday. Symptoms of feline distemper, a highly contagious viral disease among cats, include lethargic behavior, vomiting and dehydration, Hardy said.

Cat colonies can be managed To the editor: Feral cats are the result of abandoned, lost, and outdoor family pets that owners have failed to have spayed and neutered. Removing and killing feral cats does not reduce feral cat populations. It only provides space for more cats to move in and start the breeding process again. This is well documented worldwide as the "vacuum effect. " Feral cats establish territories based on availability of food sources and shelter.

Elsewhere on this page, Brenda Shane of Williamsport takes us to task for opposing her support of a feral (undomesticated) cat colony in Hagerstown's City Park. Her letter said that the editor should do research before commenting. As it happens, we have looked at some of the research. And, much of it does indicate that a cat colony whose members have been spayed, neutered and vaccinated poses little health risk to humans. But that is only true if membership remains constant, according to state park officials in California, where it is illegal to dump a domestic animal on park land.

HANCOCK - A feral cat that later tested positive for rabies attacked two Terrace Heights Drive residents Sunday in Hancock. The Washington County Health Department issued a public health alert to Hancock residents, telling them to avoid handling wild or stray animals in the Terrace Heights Drive area, a Humane Society spokeswoman said Friday in a news release. Health department officials printed fliers and went to homes in the affected area, Washington County Health Department spokesman Rod MacRae said.

A Berkeley County Circuit Court judge Thursday ordered a man charged with killing a caged feral kitten by shooting it multiple times with a pellet gun to serve a week in jail, pay $500 in fines and complete 250 hours of community service. Justin Michael Beall, 24, of Pasadena, Md., who pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty, is expected to report to Eastern Regional Jail next Friday, according to sentencing terms from 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge John C. Yoder.

HANCOCK -- A feral cat that later tested positive for rabies attacked two Terrace Heights Drive residents Sunday in Hancock. The Washington County Health Department issued a public health alert to Hancock residents, telling them to avoid handling any wild or stray animals in the Terrace Heights Drive area, a Humane Society spokeswoman said Friday in a news release. Health department officials printed fliers and went to homes in the affected area, Washington County Health Department spokesman Rod MacRae said.

A Berkeley County Circuit Court judge Thursday ordered a man charged with killing a caged feral kitten by shooting it multiple times with a pellet gun to serve a week in jail, pay $500 in fines and complete 250 hours of community service. Justin Michael Beall, 24, of Pasadena, Md., who pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty, is expected to report to Eastern Regional Jail next Friday, according to sentencing terms from 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge John C. Yoder.

“This is for the caller who got 24 robocalls in the space of three days. I'm right there with you. I get them like that all the time, and I'm afraid there's only one way that's guaranteed for it to stop, and that's to turn your phone off.” - Hagerstown “Well, well, well, I see the Obama zombies are starting to awaken. I read the article in the April 4 issue of Mail Call, and I couldn't believe what I read in the article from a person from Hagerstown on Obamacare.

HANCOCK - A feral cat that later tested positive for rabies attacked two Terrace Heights Drive residents Sunday in Hancock. The Washington County Health Department issued a public health alert to Hancock residents, telling them to avoid handling wild or stray animals in the Terrace Heights Drive area, a Humane Society spokeswoman said Friday in a news release. Health department officials printed fliers and went to homes in the affected area, Washington County Health Department spokesman Rod MacRae said.

HANCOCK -- A feral cat that later tested positive for rabies attacked two Terrace Heights Drive residents Sunday in Hancock. The Washington County Health Department issued a public health alert to Hancock residents, telling them to avoid handling any wild or stray animals in the Terrace Heights Drive area, a Humane Society spokeswoman said Friday in a news release. Health department officials printed fliers and went to homes in the affected area, Washington County Health Department spokesman Rod MacRae said.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. The Humane Society of Morgan County received a $5,000 funding commitment from the Morgan County Commission to help finance a program to reduce the population of feral and free-roaming cats. The commission unanimously agreed to fund the Trap, Neuter and Release (TNR) program at Thursday's meeting, "contingent on what the 2008-09 budget will allow," said Commissioner Thomas R. Swaim. Humane Society President Ed Duncan said the overpopulation of feral and free-roaming cats in the county can be addressed with support and adequate funding for the TNR program.

"Recipe for certain political strife: Tyranny of the majority. If 51 percent of Berkeley County votes for zoning, the other 49 percent will be out for blood. No one can deliberately destroy another's property values without consequence. " ? Martinsburg, W.Va. "I don't know where you people who are living in Williamsport are, that are complaining about Williamsport being so 'trashy'. I live in Williamsport, and from what I see it's not trashy at all. We have a beautiful park, the streets are clean, the people are friendly.

Cat colonies can be managed To the editor: Feral cats are the result of abandoned, lost, and outdoor family pets that owners have failed to have spayed and neutered. Removing and killing feral cats does not reduce feral cat populations. It only provides space for more cats to move in and start the breeding process again. This is well documented worldwide as the "vacuum effect. " Feral cats establish territories based on availability of food sources and shelter.

Elsewhere on this page, Brenda Shane of Williamsport takes us to task for opposing her support of a feral (undomesticated) cat colony in Hagerstown's City Park. Her letter said that the editor should do research before commenting. As it happens, we have looked at some of the research. And, much of it does indicate that a cat colony whose members have been spayed, neutered and vaccinated poses little health risk to humans. But that is only true if membership remains constant, according to state park officials in California, where it is illegal to dump a domestic animal on park land.

HAGERSTOWN - Brenda Shane has played mother hen to a feral cat colony at Hagerstown City Park for 10 years, feeding them every day she can get there. So, she was upset when she heard the city would battle fleas at the park's Mansion House by getting rid of the cats. Initially, Junior Mason, the city's parks superintendent, said last week that the Humane Society of Washington County probably would remove the cats and look for homes for them at shelters. In a follow-up interview, he said the city instead might simply catch some or all of the cats, treat their flea problems and return them to the park.