Kringle inspects my library copy of the book What a pleasure to read insights on cat behaviour from Canada’s leading cat behaviourist, Daniel Filion of Montreal, Quebec! It also showed me that there is a great need for information about TNR programs in the French language. Filion founded his cat behaviour team, Éduchateur (Cat Educator), in 2007. His team conducts over 250 consultations each year, answers thousands of questions on social media, and provides regular cat behaviour workshops -- all in the French language.
There is a great need for this work in Canada, where we have very few cat behaviourists. Filion was initially inspired to help reduce abandonment and euthanasia of cats, numbers which are very high in Quebec, among other locations. Understanding how to meet the needs of cats and their guardians prevents much suffering and helps keep cats in their homes. Given these needs, I was saddened that Filion’s discussion about trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs was misinformed. (Note: please see the author's response below.) He claims that in order to be effective, 50% of the cats need to be trapped and neutered each year, a costly venture which few cities are prepared to undertake. He also says that in more effective programs, male cats are neutered by vasectomies rather than castrated. However, that result was found in a computer simulation, not in real life. Further, the public would not be happy, as these males would continue the nuisance behaviours arising from their active hormones: yowling, roaming, constant mating, and fighting. The reality is that TNR, in any measure, helps cats and prevents the unfortunate birth of kittens in the wild. Tame cats and kittens are brought into care for socializing and adoption. Neutered cats stop reproducing: it’s that simple. TNR actually costs less than euthanizing healthy cats and kittens, a practice that can also carry a heavy emotional toll for those involved. The public loves the compassionate approach and increases donations and volunteer time. Veterinarians often provide reduced rates and even volunteer for free neutering clinics. PetSmart Charities of Canada has provided thousands of dollars of grants for these programs, while also helping low income people spay and neuter their cats. Helping low income people often goes hand in hand with TNR programs, reducing the numbers of cats that end up on the streets. To me, it simply makes sense that neutered cats stop reproducing, but for those who need more proof, more and more scientific studies are showing the effectiveness of TNR. Two excellent studies are available online. Levy and Crawford's “Humane Strategies for Controlling Feral Cat Populations,” shows how TNR has controlled feral cats better and more humanely than other methods, overcoming many concerns and appreciated by the public. Another study shows how a TNR program beginning with 300 cats living at the waterfront of Newburyport, Massachusetts, ended up with no cats after 17 years (Spehar and Wolf, 2017, see below). Alley Cat Allies has achieved similar results in many locations in the U.S., when the last feral cat of a colony died of old age. Locally, the Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association (VOKRA) has reported no new feral cats in the city, where they have worked hard since 2000. Unfortunately that doesn’t include suburbs like Surrey, where the need is still great. Some TNR work is being done in Quebec by many groups, noted in our list of cat rescues in Quebec. However, there seems to be little information available in the French language, which is perhaps why the author was misinformed. When I contacted one rescue who explains TNR in the French language on their website (SOS Félins), the founder said that she could find nothing in French on the subject and translated everything herself. I hope that efforts like this blog post (French version to follow) help to raise awareness about the importance of TNR programs. In any event, Filion’s behaviour advice was sound, and I learned a number of fascinating cat facts. Here are some favourites:
I felt that Filion was perhaps more conservative in attributing certain qualities to cats than I am. He provides alternate explanations for heroic deeds (e.g. cats saving themselves by waking their guardians when the house is on fire), and doesn't believe that cats can feel complex emotions like grief. While I haven't observed (or perhaps noticed) grief in too many cats, I believe there are cases where they do feel it, just as they feel love. And isn't love pretty complex? Favourite quotation: “Don’t try to dominate a cat. If you try to do that, you’ll be seen as a predator or someone whose company is disagreeable.” The illustrations are adorable, often showing a naughty cat, who is almost always smiling. The cover art was created by a different artist than those within the book (cover art by Boris Zaytsev; others by François Thisdale), but all seamlessly follow the same whimsical theme. I hope you have enjoyed this little journey into the French-speaking feline world! - Irene Plett PS: The author provided a detailed response that gave me hope there has been improvement in the world of TNR in Quebec. He also adds some fascinating new insights. This is the translation of his reply posted to the French version of this blog post: I am the author of the book and I want to thank you for the kind words, and am glad to see that you learned. I would like, however, to provide a small update, if you are interested. This book is already 3 years old and was even written 4 years ago (the time it was corrected and published), so many things in the book are dated, and we changed a lot of things, either because science has progressed or just because we took more training and learned a lot. We never stop learning. It would thus be a great pleasure to update you on some things, including the comment on TNR programs that actually changed a bit. Studies have actually demonstrated the effectiveness of TNR programs, but some conditions must be present for this. So you're right, there is a lot of information missing for people to achieve effective programs because currently, many TNR programs are poorly implemented and could be much more effective. Other notions that have changed: - The cat is marking to put up a private property sign! This concept has completely changed because we know today, thanks to the advent of GPS, that science has shown that the cat is not a territorial animal and therefore marking does not have this function (and yes, this is a very fundamental change that challenges many things in our understanding of this animal). - Another change: "If we punish him or try to dominate him, the cat perceives us as a predator or an unpleasant individual". Here it is necessary to remove the fact that it perceives us as a predator in this sentence, and to retain only the fact that we become unpleasant. This is a detail but may be important when explaining certain behaviour. The cat does not perceive us as a predator, because we have never been one in its history. In short do not hesitate to write to me and I will be able to update you on questions that you have and perhaps update your article. - Daniel Filion I was heartened in my further research of TNR in Quebec, to find that SOS Félins, who initially translated everything about TNR on their website, has recently claimed so much success in six years of work, that they are now on pause. They are referring all requests to the city, who has taken on the work. With respect to a cat not being territorial, that is quite a game-changer! I look forward to what more we can learn about cat behaviour. References:
Topics: Cat behaviour, cat rescue, TNR, Quebec, VOKRA, SOS Félins, Alley Cat Allies, Feral Cats, Cat behaviourists, Daniel Filion, Éduchateur
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