The Hawaiian Humane Society advocates responsible cat colony management and offers support to caregivers as part of a multipronged strategy to humanely reduce the population of free-roaming cats on Oahu.

The harassment of colony caregivers reflects a misperception that people who care for cats on the landscape are responsible for their presence (“Don’t harass those who aid cat colonies,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Dec. 10). In reality, volunteers who practice trap-neuter-return-manage (TNRM) invest their own resources to solve a community issue by sterilizing unsocialized cats so they cannot continue to breed. They also remove and rehome friendly cats and kittens.

As long as people continue to abandon their pet cats and allow unsterilized cats to roam, there will be cats living outdoors through no fault of their own. If you see a cat colony caregiver, consider thanking them for doing a thankless job and for helping to curb the population of these vulnerable animals.

Stephanie Kendrick

Public policy advocate

Hawaiian Humane Society

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