Why does Tesco Coonagh Cross need a pest elimination company to remove feral cats?

boomerang

And no proof that the cat is alive.

Insect Overlord

TheBeast17 wrote: »

But still no proof that the cat was killed.

boomerang wrote: »

And no proof that the cat is alive.

wotswattage

TheBeast17 wrote: »

But still no proof that the cat was killed.

boomerang wrote: »

And no proof that the cat is alive.

So a boycott of Tesco based on what exactly?
As I said back at the start, I'm going to wait until I'm confident I know whats happening before jumping on any bandwagon.

wotswattage

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

Perhaps you could talk to Limerick Feral Cats volunteers before you make totally unfounded statements about there plans for helping the Coonagh cats.

Perhaps they shouldn't be calling for boycotts of businesses based on unsubstantiated allegations about how Tesco are dealing/not dealing with a pest problem on their property.

To be honest I don't care what happens the 'Coonagh cats' as long as one of them isn't having a siesta in my engine bay after I do my shopping and start my engine...

Yes I'd like to see the problem dealt with with the least amount of suffering for the cats, but I don't think castrating or spaying an animal and leaving it to live is a particularly humane thing to do either.

Pumpkinseeds

wotswattage wrote: »

Perhaps they shouldn't be calling for boycotts of businesses based on unsubstantiated allegations about how Tesco are dealing/not dealing with a pest problem on their property.

To be honest I don't care what happens the 'Coonagh cats' as long as one of them isn't having a siesta in my engine bay after I do my shopping and start my engine...

Yes I'd like to see the problem dealt with with the least amount of suffering for the cats, but I don't think castrating or spaying an animal and leaving it to live is a particularly humane thing to do either.

They aren't just spayed/neutered and left to fend for themselves. They are fed and monitored daily and any sick animals are vet checked and treated for any illness. There is a lot more to trap neuter and return than what you think. In a situation where feral cats are at risk or not wanted back to their current location, they are relocated to a safe area. Preferably to farm or rural homes. Perhaps you could take a look at Feral Cats Limericks Facebook page and acquaint yourself with what it is that they do.

TheBeast17

boomerang wrote: »

And no proof that the cat is alive.

But its not Tesco going mad about it and its not Tesco asking for a boycott of anywhere. Its this Feral Cat crowd making allegations and calling for people to boycott based on absolutely nothing except the fact they weren't asked by the looks of things.

wotswattage

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

They aren't just spayed/neutered and left to fend for themselves. They are fed and monitored daily and any sick animals are vet checked and treated for any illness. There is a lot more to trap neuter and return than what you think. In a situation where feral cats are at risk or not wanted back to their current location, they are relocated to a safe area. Preferably to farm or rural homes. Perhaps you could take a look at Feral Cats Limericks Facebook page and acquaint yourself with what it is that they do.

What I meant was I don't think castration is a humane proceedure regardless of how the animal is treated afterwards. It's not a nice thing to do to a living animal just because we don't want any more of them.

And I did have a look through the Facebook page, that's where I got the quotes I used earlier in the thread.

boomerang

wotswattage wrote: »

I did have a look through the Facebook page, that's where I got the quotes I used earlier in the thread.

Perhaps you'd like to provide the direct quote, because at no point has it been suggested that the cats be neutered and returned there.

Using pest control to trap and kill feral cats goes far and beyond Tesco Coonagh. It is Tesco policy. That's why it has been made an issue of. And until public pressure was brought to bear, they would have continued to use this method for the remaining cats. They've basically been shamed into opening dialogue with Limerick Feral Cats, who were originally stonewalled.

They have now publically admitted there are more cats there than the two originally disclosed - a fact that was already known to LFC when they approached Tesco Coonagh to offer help.

Unfortunately because Tesco HQ want Rentokil to do the trapping, LFC will not be on-site to assess whether the cats trapped are tame, owned cats, or truly feral. That presents a major problem, if trapped cats turn out to be tame, and most likely owned. The only option then is to return those cats back to Tesco and hope they make their way home. If LFC were doing the trapping, this would not be an issue: all householders in neighbouring estates would be notified in advance of the trapping date and advised to keep their pets indoors that morning. Rentokil and other pest controllers do not take these precautions.

It is unclear what would have happened to the tame cat that was trapped, had he not been recognised as a local cat by a member of staff and returned to a neighbouring estate.

Believe me, surgical neutering under anaesthesia with pain control is far more humane than letting the cats breed uncontrollably. In exchange for regular food, shelter and having their health monitored, it's a damn good deal for the cats.

Mollywolly

I'm just going to jump in here and give another side to the feral cat, trap-neuter-release scenario.

I first came across LFC about two months ago after a mammy feral cat started wandering into our garden with her two off-spring, who I guess were about 10/12 weeks old. One of them, a male, was actually quite friendly and eventually he wormed his way into my heart (and home!), was tamed and now lives like a king

Mammy and the remaining kitten, another female, continued to come into the garden and I took pity and started feeding them. This was on the basis that they would keep the local mice and rat population down|

Fast-forward a month or so, and mammy came to see me with three new kittens :eek: At this point, I knew I needed help, so I contacted LFC who very kindly offered to come over and trap, neuter and release them. This way they remain in the area they're familiar with and we could sleep at night knowing that there wouldn't be any more additions to the family.

Trapping went really well, and we managed to get daddy cat too. In total four cats/kittens have been neutered. The three youngest are now being tamed by LFC with a view to being re-homed.

LFC provided me with a small wooden hut to provide shelter for the cats and food. Of course, I buy food for my own adopted-cat and they get some of that too.

Let me make it quite clear that I'm not a nutty cat-lady - I'm totally a dog person - but I believe that I've done the right thing for both the cats and my neighbours. I know I've played a part in making sure that the feral community in my area won't get any larger.

For anyone who's made it to the end of this post and "got" what I'm trying to say - thank you! I hope this gives you a better understanding of the work that LFC and all it's volunteers do.

Molly

Edit: I should add that without the help of Limerick Feral Cats, I just wouldn't have known where to start and I'm really grateful for their help and support.

Nanacat

I am a regular Tesco customer, they have wonderful staff but I feel, now, I cannot shop there after reading the article in The Limerick Post. The answer is not to trap and kill the cats, its not their fault. Limerick Feral Cats do wonderful work in neutering and relocating Feral Cats. A member of my family who live in the country have just given a home to 2 feral cats as they had a mouse problem. The Cats are beautiful and the whole family cant wait to meet them. They are known as Farm cats as they will live in the Garage or Shed. I was amazed at the equipment Limerick Feral cats supplied with the cats. The cats are in top condition. I also know of another lady who lives in the country who was 'adopted' by a Feral Cat who will not come into the house as is frightened of humans! but is happy to be fed and sit outside and come as far as the door and look into the kitchen. It is not the poor cats fault. I always get my cat food from Tesco and I enjoy the friendly staff.
Tesco could do themselves a favour and allow Limerick Feral Cat group to deal with the situation, they are lucky to get the offer and make a donation to the Group instead of paying a Pest Control Group.
Come on Tesco, I want to be able to go to your stores which I will if you let Limerick Feral Cat group handle this
situation.
And a Big Thank You to Limerick Feral Cats for the Great Work they do.