Carroll Gardener Defends Threatened Cat Poisoning, Says They Don't Hate Cats
Every now and then someone leaves a comment on GL that deserves its own post. So it is with this message from someone who appears to be very close to the threat in Carroll Gardens to poison feral cats. Yesterday, Jotham Sederstrom wrote a story in the Daily News about an ugly sign that threatens to lace food left for feral cats at Sackett and Hicks Street with ammonia. Since a lot of people are upset by cruelty to animals, Fox 5 also ran an item about the threat. Here is the comment we received (four times), which is also making the rounds in the form of an email:In reference to the Parking lot/ cat story in the Daily news and on Fox 5 which was featured on 01/14/08, let it be known that the owner of that lot did not post the signs; it was one of the tenants that rent a spot in the lot. That’s not to say that some of us are saying that this person is wrong for posting the sign. In fact by threatening to soak the food with ammonia seems to be the only way to get anyone’s attention.One can understand how threatening to poison cats could be misinterpreted as a desire to do them harm or for an intense dislike of them. One gets the feeling we haven't heard the last of this weird and unpleasant little story.
Back in September someone started to feed the stray cats in the area by putting plates of food out. It first started with a plate which was placed in front of the entrance to the lot on Sackett and Hicks Street. They then decided that they were going to squeeze the plate through the fence to place the food on the other side of the fence. As if this wasn’t enough, the plates then became pans and the pans became a half of Turkey during the holidays.
Signs were put up a number of times asking this person to stop putting food out on the property, which may I add, is private property. Instead of stopping they choose to rip the signs down.
This is an active parking lot and is no place for cats. Putting food out for the cats is also attracting rats. The last thing anyone wants to deal with is rats, and that’s what the food is attracting. The other problem is that the cats are climbing and sitting on the hoods of the cars, scratching the cars as they slide off. The other side of all this is the safety of these animals. Putting food out in the parking lot is just putting them in danger of getting hit by a car. The last thing any of the tenants in the lot wants to do is hurt an animal
After posting signs up a number of different times asking this person to stop, one of the another tenants decided to post a sign threating to soak the food with ammonia. This seem to be the only way to get this person's attention, which seemed to work.
What I want to know is this. What gives this person the right to go on someone else's property and do what they want? If the owner wanted to feed the cats they would have done so themselves. This person is not only littering but they are trespassing.
Now I’m going to say this in PLAIN ENGLISH. We would like this person to stop putting the food out on the lot. That is all we are requesting. It’s really a very simple request. We're NOT looking to hurt any animals in any way. We just want this person to stop.
I Really wish ANDREA BENSON [a neighbor who called the ASPCA] would of taken the time out to find out what was going on in the parking lot. In stead she put this story out there and now we the tenants look like cat haters. Which we are not.
Labels: Carroll Gardens
posted by rsguskind at 8:10 AM
11 Comments:
Cat claws scratching deep horrrible scratches into factory applied car paint? Hmm. I don't think so. Also, no animal is going to eat a pile of ammonia laced food anyway because of the smell. You all are rediculous. Leave it alone already. Move back to Chelsea where there are actual parking garages and shut up!
want to feed feral animals - then go move back to the woods.
All that you would be doing by dumping ammonia on the food is scaring cats (and rats) away. Cats are too smart to eat ammonia tainted food--they'll smell it. We used to dump ammonia in our trash bags to keep stray cats away from them.
Whoever is leaving the food is being disgusting and unreasonable, and should obey the property owner's request and stop. If they aren't then I think that dumping ammonia on it is a reasonable step.
Buy some little red jackets and have the cats park cars.
Problem solved.
bitchinpanda, you are a genius! And thank you for making me snort my morning soda up through my nose from laughter
Oh please. So every time someone does something you don't like you threaten them with retaliation that is cruel (not to mention a felony)? Sounds like the Bush administration.
Local animal welfare organizations, such as Slope Street Cats or Neighborhood Cats, are happy to provide information on how to deter unwanted cats (and their feeders).
felony? I think you mean feline-y
food aside, the owner and legal tenants are well within their rights to spray the place down with something to keep the strays away. and I'd have thought the ASPCA would be more interested in capturing, neutering and finding homes for these creatures than pretending they are receiving all the love and care they need in the form of food pushed under a fence.
might be cheaper for them to just get a dog.
The person doing the feeding may think they are helping the strays, but the only thing that truly helps is to trap & spay/neuter the cats to prevent the population from spreading. By feeding them you are only allowing them to survive to breed more & more strays. If they are truly feral & cannot be adopted as house cats, they can be returned, or released to another location, & at least won't breed anymore. That's the humane solution. I volunteered with a stray cat rescue group for a number of years, and these programs work.
The feeder or someone who lives in this area should contact the groups mentioned above to get help. You mean well, but are actually just contributing to the problem. DO NOT FEED unless you are willing to do the rest of the work.
The theory that putting out cat food will attract rodents is fairly dumb. Obviously, the cats will scare off rodents even if they don't catch and kill them. But it is true that rats and mice are smaller than cats, and their little claws won't scratch up your precious shiny car paint as a big, bad cat. And I'm sure that's what counts.
This has now gotten out of hand and the public now thinks the problem is the feeding of the (3-4 )cats.
In fact the most important issue here is the fact that putting food out on the street only attracts RATS. If Andrea Benson(person who called the daily news and fox 5) would have made it a point of contacting someone from the lot she would have been informed that there is a serious rat problem in the area. The last thing anyone wants to do is pull up to the parking lot and wait for the RATS to finish their dinner before getting out of THEIR car.
One of the tenants from the lot has posted a letter from the Department of Health addressed to Council Member, Bill De Blasio in reference to the RAT problem. I suggest that the neighborhood residents review the letter before labeling anyone a CAT HATER.
Cats are smart animals and I'm sure it they smell the ammonia they're not going to eat the food. WOULD YOU????
I have a question for those of you who think that cats are bigger that rats or mice. Where were you raised?? Have you every seen a water or sewer rat? Trust me they're pretty big.
This is an issue that should have been handled in the neighborhood and not in the paper. Let's contact the media for more important issues like education for our children, feeding the homeless, or the lack health care.
You guessed it. I always park in that lot!!!
hahahahaha dogs hates cat and cats hates mouse
isn't it funny dat dogs sumtimes eat cats hahaha
nah jokes
u betta watch out for your cat you ,munky
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