A recent letter seems to blame feeding for the growth of Magic Island’s cat population (“Stop feeding feral cats, return parks to people,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 31). But feeding is not where those cats came from. The source is the domestic pet population.
Cats are dumped, lost and not recovered, or allowed to reproduce. Those cats and their kittens become the community cats later seen in our parks. Once cats are there, the first priority is to stop more births. That means feeding, monitoring, trapping and getting them spayed or neutered.
Feeding is required to manage the cats. A feeding ban does not sterilize one cat, prevent one abandonment, recover one lost pet or stop the next litter.
So whose kuleana is this? The responsibility starts with pet owners.
Caretakers are trying to clean up the mess. Manage the cats already here and stop dumping more. You cannot reduce a population people keep replenishing.
Greg Baker
Pahoa, Hawaii island
EXPRESS YOURSELF
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser welcomes all opinions. Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor.
>> Write us: We welcome letters up to 150 words, and guest columns of 500-600 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Include your name, address and daytime phone number.
>> Mail: Letters to the Editor, Honolulu Star-Advertiser 7 Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana, Suite #7-500 Honolulu, HI 96813
>> Contact: 529-4831 (phone), letters@staradvertiser.com, staradvertiser.com/editorial/submit-letter
