Recent years, the problem of stray animals has been emphasized among animal lovers groups and local citizens. Is this problem really as serious as those people think?

There are many people arguing about the cause of stray animals. Also, stray animals are always the best topic for some newspaper and magazines. However, few of them can pinpoint out the real causes of problem. They usually leave the responsibility to the wrong persons or wrong organizations, and only know boasting the fearful figures. It is useless to solving the problem.

Over 3 animal shelters and welfare organizations in a small city!
BUT NO ALTER TO THE FACTS!!!

The very strange phenomenon is that the problem has not been solved yet though there are over 3 animals welfare organizations in Hong Kong. They have put much effort on saving lives of the stray cats and dogs. However, the problem of stray animals seemed not to be easily solved. The other strange thing is that not all these organizations or group do not have the same objective, one may have contraries with each other. It always makes people asking why they don't have the same practice even though their aim or objective of saving animals is coincided.

It is also understandable that they are all struggling for fund. Is it the cause for the inefficiency to solving the stray animal problem?

When you probe into the problem, you can understand that it is not easy to solve it. No matter how many organizations is there, how much fund they can raise and how many volunteers are involved.

It is because people seldom ask why we need to do, what we need to do and how we can do.

Stray animals not equal to abandoned animals

Stray animals are almost dogs and cats. Are they all abandoned? Absolutely not!

Strictly to say, people here are greatly influenced by the culture of Chinese. In the past, adopting a cat or a dog is not a hobby, most cats and dogs are said to be working slaves. They need to beg for food from human beings. So, few cats or dogs can live completely close to man. They live in a mode of semi-stray, which means they can roam freely outside and eat at the dedicated sites. There is a large number group of semi-stray animals. So, we must admit that there are innate stray cats and dogs and understand most of the cats and dogs roaming on the streets are living in this mode or fundamental stray. What we need to notice from the above paragraph is that the deeply rooted culture of Chinese is always induction of stray animal problem. Some old styled people do not think dogs and cats should be a companion pets which can live very close to human beings. They may also think dogs and cats should not be kept inside the house. Therefore it caused the huge amount of stray animals every time when people moved homes.

The stupid policy is the induction of abandon animals

Also, the rapid growth of Hong Kong population also brought us a hard job in housing affairs. Please pay attention that it was the case from 70s. The most pity thing that Hong Kong government carried out legislation action to limit the rights of keeping animals in public housing in 1995. It is the very important key to the fearful increase of abandon animals in the recent years!! It also encouraged more property management agencies to prohibit the keeping of dogs and cats by the residents.

Accompanied with the high land value policy of Hong Kong, it is no how easy for an animal lover to find a dream house for them and their lovely pets. The only way to prevent themselves from homeless is abandoning the pets. Some may seek the help from friends; some may choose the animal shelters like SPCA. The scaring number accumulated you always hear from is mainly including these animals.

The irresponsible breeding of pets

Some people love to breed animals without any consideration of the animals. They breed only for fun or even they do not know the entire animals can reproduce the next generations. Therefore there are many unwanted animals coming out. It also hastens the number of abandoned animals stated above.

To be a breeder, I would like to claim that breeding pedigree cats is very different from the so called 'home raised breeding'; we have to monitor the program very carefully. Less and even no unwanted pets will be given out and no breeding is carried out unduly. But, the irresponsible breeding of pets is still very common. It is the failure of education of Hong Kong!

We really hope to make the problem much clearer and allow people able to see this problem, the stray cat problem, with scientific scope. Of course, with the understanding of the real reasons causing the problems, we can solve it more efficiently and confidentially.

Two individual affairs

For my own point of view, the stray cats and abandon cats are the two individual problems or affairs.

The population of stray cats is mainly induced by the rooted culture of Chinese and it is intrinsic to the Hong Kong's biota. To control the population of stray cats, we have to use some scientific methods and adopt a long term plan to deal with. We must accept the present of stray cats, just like there should have mice around. However, we have to prevent the stray cats become the harm to our environment. So we have to control their population. As we no longer live with the 'old village living style', why not we stop the feeding method we used to. If someone really loves to keep a cat, why not take the poor cats home and desex it? Stop feeding stray cats can slow down their reproductive rate. Adopt and desex the stray cats can also help to reduce the population of stray cats very efficiently. I really do not know why there are still many people feeding the stray cats.

It is understandable that some stray cats are too feral to be adopted. So, the 'trap and release' program would be the best solution. The disadvantage is the cost and the demand of man power. So, to educate people not to feed stray cats anymore and encourage people to report the male stray cats would be more important. Of course, adopting homeless kittens is one of the solutions, but it may be a cause to abandon animals too. It is because some stray cats are inherent feral and intended to attack man. So, it is important to educate people that not every kitten or cat can possess gentle temperament, but they still can be a good pet in the house, in order to prevent people giving up the animals easily or let the people consider seriously before adoption.

For the case of abandon animals, it is mainly induced by the residentiary limit. People have the rights to keep pets! It is so rude of our government to limit the rights of the citizens. We understand some people did very badly in keeping their animals without consideration of their neighbors. However we still believe there are many responsible people who can adopt pets and concern the environment very well. Encourage a person to keep their pet properly is much better than limiting one from keeping a pet!

So far we have not seen a good pedigree cat is being abandoned deliberately. A good typed and tempered cat is so adorable and no one would like to abandon it! It is no doubt that the avocation of pedigree cat culture can positively affect the people mind in keeping animals. You can see the result from the cat shows.

We wish the man world can be well connected to the kingdom of animals. This harmony will not only benefit to the animals, but also elevate the living of human being. Though there are still wrong concepts commonly spreading among the group of people who support 'Protect Animals', we expect working earnest is better than always boasting the figures which are not reliable.

Hey friends! Please do the right things!

If anyone would like to discuss about the stray cat problem or express your own idea in animal abandon. Please feel free to post at the newsgroup news://kiwidom.net/pet.cat or just simply e-mail to me.