Originally posted by K & L
TNR'ing is the BEST thing you could do. This prevents reproducing and others having to live like these ferals. It is hard on the heart, but you have realize you're helping and go on. I have a lot of literature I could send you if you would like to give to your mom. Just let me know!
I totally agree. I also think my Mom knows and realizes this but her qualms lie in whether she wants the responsibility. I will keep urging her gently but I realize it is ultimately her decision what she wants to do with her time. But thank you very much for the offer!

The more I get involved in issues of animal abuse, overpopulation, neglect, abandonment, etc. the more I am beginning to realize how very far behind the other states Hawaii is in terms of addressing these problems. For example:

  • We have ONE Humane Society for a human population of 900,000 (about) on the island of Oahu. And this ONE Humane Society is an independent Hawaii organization and receives no funding from national organizations. One estimate reports that 87% of all cats turned in to this Humane Society are euthanized. After volunteering there I would not doubt this statistic.
    (www.hawaiianhumane.org)
  • We have ONE USDA licensed animal sanctuary in the state.
    (www.threeringranch.org)
  • In my experience, we have only 4 other independent rescue organizations on Oahu. There are probably some dog breed rescues I don't know about and maybe some other cat rescues too.
    1. Hawaii Cat Friends (www.hicatfriends.org)
    2. Hawaii Cat Foundation (www.hicat.org)
    3. S.A.F.E. House Cat Rescue (groups.msn.com/safehousecatrescueprogram)
    4. Hawaii Animal Sanctuary (www.fluffynet.com/hawaii.htm)


This makes for an place with less support than most places (in my estimation based on observation) and yet a much worse feral cat problem than most places.
1. There is no winter weather.
2. Cats breed throughout the year.
3. There are no natural predators.
4. Many people abandon cats despite laws against it. Hawaii also has quite large transient populations like military personnel and students who are statistically more likely to leave pets behind.

And this realization is making me more interested in returning to Hawaii after my education. This is a first for me as I always assumed I would want to live somewhere else in my adult life.