Group Says Harbor Cats Needed to Control Rodents
New ESSO recycle trailer across from Cape Charles Coffee House will turn aluminum cans into cat food for needy animals (with a little help from their friends).
By SANDY MAYER
Eastern Shore Spay Organization
May 18, 2015
ESSO would like to thank all of our supporters and contributors who helped make our Cinco de Mayo Fiesta fundraiser a success. Don Valerio’s did an excellent Mexican buffet that was enjoyed by everyone. We offered Sangria and beer as well as appetizers and Mexican brownies for dessert. Sombreros and mustaches were complementary as well as a bottle of margarita mix for each guest, generously contributed by Blue Crab Bay Company.
We expect to net approximately $2,000 from our attendance and silent auction proceeds and we hope to make this an annual fund raising event. ESSO has also been awarded a $500 grant from the Walmart Community Grants Team. We thank Walmart for recognizing our community efforts to help the cats and dogs in our area and to educate everyone about the value of our spay/neuter service. The grant will be put to good use and is very much appreciated.
As many know, cats are necessary in a harbor town to keep the rodent population under control. If this is not realized the rodents can become a serious problem carrying disease and illness. ESSO is working hard to attain low population growth by spay/neutering as many animals as possible.
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It is not simply enough to trap, neuter, and release cats without some maintenance such as feeding of a small colony of cats. If you see a feral cat doing his job, please be kind and understand that he is working to protect our community and harbor way of life. He does not want to be your friend or sit on your lap, but a scrap of food or shelter from the elements would be greatly appreciated.
Sharyl Cline, our VP and clinic coordinator, works tirelessly to fill our spay/neuter appointments, accepting reservations and refilling cancellations. We are very grateful to our anonymous donor who paid for two free clinics with the Virginia Beach SPCA in March and April.
Our current monthly arrangement is with the PETA Snip Van which comes monthly to Cape Charles for spay/neuter surgery.
Last year we purchased our very own neuter/scooter van and have finally found a veterinarian to work with us as Vet in Charge. We are planning a test clinic sometime this summer when all our legal obligations and permits are finalized.
ESSO is responsible for six spay/neuter clinics totaling 131 cats and 30 dogs in 2015. 25 of these surgeries were subsidized or paid for by ESSO. These surgeries saved 120 unwanted puppies and 1,013 unwanted kittens from being born. More information is available on our Facebook page.
An ongoing project is our Recycle Cart. The cart was donated, painted, and is now located opposite the Cape Charles Coffee House in the parking lot. We are collecting aluminum cans to help buy cat food for animals in need. Please consider recycling your aluminum cans and tins in our recycle cart.
I support all the wonderful things that are being done to help CC’s feral cat population. I can’t understand, however, the claim that by feeding them, they will become better ratters. A hungry cat hunts, a full one sleeps. I have also seen them hunting baby rabbits in Central Park. Last year I saved a rabbit from two cats that were about to kill it in the park.
The purpose of this article was a BIG THANK YOU to everyone for their support and to promote the recycle cart. I am sorry [the headline] addressed rodents, etc. That was never my intention.
A headline should highlight the most interesting aspect of the story — which in this case was that the town’s feral cat population helps to control rats. The recycle cart was also prominently featured. –EDITOR
Cats need to be indoors or contained — how will they affect other wildlife populations, the environment, and public health? What about the welfare of the cats? All aspects of allowing domestic animals to congregate and roam freely need to be taken into consideration.
Cape Charles cats are cool cats. I am happy to see them working in the neighborhood, hunting for moles or voles, or chasing some roaming rodent. Thank you, Wave, for publishing this article – I am grateful to those of you who are making sure that our cats are healthy and able to do their jobs. I am happy to support ESSO.
What am I missing here? The backyard chickens which would have helped to control the insect and mosquito populations as well as produce healthy eggs are bad but feral cats are good? Sounds like DISCRIMINATION!