HOW TO HANDLE "THREATS" REGARDING YOUR COLONY CARETAKING

If  you are approached by someone who asks you to stop feeding cats in your colony, there are some basic things you should do:

1.   Demonstrate that you are a responsible caretaker by ensuring all animals are spayed or neutered and vaccinated for rabies.  A sterilized colony exhibits far less objectionable behavior (spraying/urine marking, fighting, caterwauling, mating, etc.) and will ultimately decline in numbers if the rate of abandonment doesn't exceed the rate of natural attrition.

2.   Be discreet in your caretaking, and make sure you are feeding in as unobtrusive a manner as possible.  Place food under bushes or behind other barriers.  Do not leave plates, etc. with food, instead feed on broad leaves that are biodegradable.  Use clear or black bowls for water, which tend to blend into the landscape more easily than brightly colored or steel bowls.   Try to feed during a period that has relatively low human activity to avoid attracting attention and potentially increasing the likelihood that people will abandon animals at the location.

3.  Always try to understand the objections the person has, and resolve them to the best of your ability.  Common complaints include litter (see above); excess food that rots and attracts flies, ants, etc. (feed only what can be consumed in a reasonable period of time (one hour) or pick up uneaten food; cats causing damage to gardens, etc. (offer to provide/apply deterrents to keep cats out of particularly sensitive areas - see list of deterrents).

4.   Determine if it is the property owner who is complaining.  If you are on private property and do not have permission to feed the animals, they probably have the legal right to charge you with trespassing.  Unless you are able to persuade the property owner that it is in his/her best interest to allow you to humanely care for the colony, the colony will be at risk so you should immediately begin looking for an alternate feeding spot.

5.   If you are on public land, determine the actual laws or policies that apply to the location.  In Florida, THERE IS NO STATEWIDE LAW THAT PROHIBITS FEEDING OR COLONY CARETAKING.  Most local ordinances and state statutes can be found free at www.municode.com.  From the (current) home page, click on "Browse the Library", then select "Florida" either from the drop-down or by clicking on the state on the U.S. map. You'll be taken to an alphabetical list of all city and county codes available through their site.  Once you click on your selection you'll go to a page that has a "search" box near the top with the full code below - use the "search" function to first search "cat", and  then "feral cat".

If your local code is not available through Municode, contact the applicable city or county government office and request the wording of any ordinance that  prohibits feeding outdoor cats.  In most cases, there won't be one. However if there is, that does not mean that all is lost. One of the best advocacy resources is the No More Homeless Pets forum on Best Friend's site - you can access all  archived discussions including a section devoted just to feral cats discussions at : 

http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/weeklyforum/forumarchives.cfm

6.   Get the name and description of anyone who asks/orders you to stop feeding.  Ask to see identification if he/she claims to be with a governmental agency, and write down a badge or identification number if there is one.  Get a description of his/her vehicle, including license plate.  Ask for detailed information on the specific law, policy etc. that you are violating. If you are told to leave the premises by a police officer, obtain a badge number and leave the premises.  Once you have verified the local ordinances regarding feeding, contact the supervisor of the person that confronted you, as well as local elected officials and the city or county manager. Be polite, and use the encounter as an opportunity to begin educating local officials about how effective, affordable, and humane TNR is.  

7.   If you continue to be harassed, bring a camera, camcorder, tape recorder, and/or witnesses the next time to go to the location and document what transpires.

8.  Build a support network. Caring for community cats can be emotionally overwhelming. Reach out to others that understand what you're going through.