Too many cats!

[Captain Squiffy]

I like animals just as much as the average person does but I do have a problem with all the cats which seem to think that my garden is their toilet and fighting ground. I do think that AA do a great job, particularly with the street dogs but they are a little bit like the Dutch boy with his finger in the dike trying to hold back the flood waters when it comes to cats.
A few facts: an average cat has 1-8 kittens per litter and 2-3 litters per year. During her productive life, a female cat could produce more than 100 kittens. A single pair of cats and their kittens can produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just 7 years.
You would not have to miss many on the neutering programme to see that there will be a serious problem. no matter how many water pistols you deploy.

[tinkerman]

A lot of what Pete says is true, it's an impossible task trying to prevent so many cats as we are setup at the moment which was being done by two people for the whole of Fethiye, this has now been reduced to one!(and she's on holiday)
How about volunteering some of your time to go cat catching in your area a few mornings a week?
If everyone looked after their own backyard we could get over this problem quite quickly, we have traps cages free neutering service at the shelter.
Any volunteers?

[scorcher]

Just a little bit concerned about that Dutch boy.............  

[suehugh]

It's just wrong to euthanise any living thing.
The quality of life of a starving cat is much better than a dead one.

Sorry, but not sure I understand what you are saying here. Is it a joke - has it gone over my head?

Sorry bluwise, but your reply has gone over my head also.

[Karennina]

The problem would be a whole lot worse with out AA that is for sure...
I don't agree that the quality of life of a starving animal is better then a dead one and I really not trying to evoke an argument here, I am a cat lover thru and thru and not ashamed to admit it, one of my cats in the uk is a substitute child that is for sure, a few years back I saw a young cat or old kitty by a bin in Fethiye and it was starving filthy had a great big gash on its back and was so pitiful that I do admit I said to my husband it would actually be better off dead then live the life it looked like it had,,, there is a big difference in an animal being a street animal and getting food and being healthy to a pitiful existence for some of the worse off ones

[Jacqui Harvey]

I was speaking to a local English lady who lives in Fethiye.  She told me she is glad there are stray cats around as they do a good job around the bins in eating food that has been left and also killing rats, mice and cockroaches.   She told me that without these cats the place would be a mess.
Now, these are her words not mine and I have never thought of the situation in this way as we don't have the problem where we live in Scotland.  We have only had one stray here I fed it over a couple of weeks and rang the local Cat's Protection. They gave me a cage to catch it and then they came and picked it up.  They spayed it for re-homing and called it Harvey.
 I too am a cat lover and I know in the area where we are in Calis, the A.A. do a very good job.  As does our Dutch neighbour who feeds the stray cats, which have been spayed and they all look very good and very health. We are lucky we don't have a problem with them soiling our garden, probably because we have fields next to us.   

[Bluwise]

It's just wrong to euthanise any living thing.
The quality of life of a starving cat is much better than a dead one.

Sorry, but not sure I understand what you are saying here. Is it a joke - has it gone over my head?

Sorry bluwise, but your reply has gone over my head also.

I was asking as I wasn't sure I understood what you were saying - as in  any life is better than none if I have understood you correctly?
If so, I totally disagree and Karennina's post is one example of why.  I also disagree when you say, it's wrong to euthanise any living thing. 
Why would you want a creature to suffer?   

[scorcher]

Did Harvey have a sex change as well?

[teetee]

Come on Scunner that must a least deserve a visit from the "Quote Police"    

[suehugh]

Didn't mean to upset anybody, but sorry, it's my point of view.
Your are right to say " where there's life, there is hope". A starving cat still has a chance of feeding, a dead one doesn't..
It's too easy a solution to employ euthenasia
There are many alternatives and answers, but as always , it does cost money, resources and time as many people have already mentioned.
Jacqui, your point re cats keeping rodents down and also reducing food waste rings true . As a child , I used to visit my Grannies farm where they had four or five cats.none were spayed and were probably related. They were fed minimally in order that they did there jobs. Hunt and eat mice and rats that threatened hay, straw and animal feed.
Hugh.