The Great Sicilian Cat Rescue (24 page)

I
t is now twelve years since the day Andrew and I found that badly injured black and white cat. Although, like many other tourists, I had fed stray cats for a long time before that, this was my first experience of dealing with such an emergency. I learned the hard way and have continued to learn ever since.

I’ve learned, for example, to distinguish between the cat with a cosy home and loving owner and the feline that has never known anything other than life on the streets. As Guy, my wonderful UK vet, has said, the welfare of these feral animals is paramount and above human feelings, a question of doing what is best for them rather than being sentimental. This might sound harsh and it is sometimes difficult to carry out. Unlike their domesticated cousins, these
randagi
don’t have anyone who will nurse them through a lengthy and
possibly complicated period of treatment or disabilities that make leading a normal life possible. Even if they are lucky and receive some first aid, their ultimate fate will be to survive on their own. You have to decide whether this might cause them distress and danger at not being able to defend themselves.

The eye disease I’ve mentioned earlier is rife among kittens in Sicily. If it’s not treated in time, this ultimately leads to blindness. The question has to be asked: is it right to allow these small creatures to struggle for an existence in their feral world if there is not an assured source of regular food? They may not be able to scavenge and will therefore die a miserable death.

Unlike pet cats, which often don’t get on with other felines, feral colonies frequently develop naturally. These are usually made up of groups of related females and the size of colony is directly related to the availability of food, water and shelter. Cats are extremely resourceful creatures and can adapt to many different habitats.

Those within the colony recognise each other by sharing their scent through rubbing against each other. Although they appear close, they are not completely reliant upon the others and will hunt and eat alone. If an unfamiliar cat intrudes on their territory, they will soon see it off. After neutering, a feral cat should be released back into its territory as quickly as possible – this is so the cat will not lose the communal scent and end up being rejected by other cats in the colony.

As I came to understand this, I learned another valuable lesson: only in rare circumstances should you remove a cat from its colony or indeed relocate the entire colony.
Relocation of feral cats is extremely stressful for them, as they become very dependent on the familiarity of their own environment. Neither should they be released just anywhere. An appropriate habitat needs to be found and the cats require a period of adjustment while they learn where they can find food and shelter. Most often, there is no reason to remove them from their habitats. Ferals become well adapted to their territory and can live safely and contentedly in alleyways, parking lots, vacant lots, backyards and a host of other locations – urban, suburban and rural. Yet another consideration: if all or most of the cats are neutered, taking them somewhere else can create a vacuum. Other unneutered cats may move into the area and start the cycle all over again.

I made a bad mistake before I understood this. It happened during a neutering trip in Letojanni as I did the rounds with my trap, traipsing up and down streets and out into the countryside in an amazing November heat. I found a mother and her kittens in the derelict remains of an empty house close to a busy exit roundabout and was terrified the young ones might run under a passing car. A friend agreed to take them in her car to what we believed to be a safe place in the country. In doing so, we removed them from their known source of food and water, and reports came back that they had died. It was totally the wrong thing to do and I regret it to this day. Just another example of confusing feral with domesticated cats.

Remember my experience with Lizzie and my first encounter with a feral cat? She was anxious and fearful, her one desire to escape. Of course, she didn’t understand I was trying to help her. It is really not advisable to try to socialise
a grown feral cat. If you are prepared to devote time and attention, however, you can work with young feral kittens and persuade them to become affectionate and loving companions. It’s not something that will happen overnight but can be a rewarding experience. Yes, it’s possible to transform a spitting, hissing ball of fluff, but the time it takes depends on their age. Just about anyone can socialise a kitten that is eight weeks or younger. Those between two and four months of age often demand more time and skill.

There are really no set rules as each kitten will learn at a different rate and thus become accustomed to you. Be patient.

When tourists contact me for help with a small and apparently lost kitten, my first question is always: ‘Are you certain the mother isn’t around?’ The kitten may have simply strayed or the mother is keeping herself from view. It is also a good idea to check whether the cats are being fed by a
gattara
, a cat lady, in case she feels some sense of ownership. That was Dawn’s dilemma when she spotted Lionel. As she told me: ‘We were having a much-needed holiday but it was somewhat spoilt by seeing this poor little ginger and white cat sitting outside someone’s gate. He had scratched himself bald in places and seemed to have a coloured liquid drooling from his mouth. We passed him every time we went into town and, as cat lovers with a thoroughly spoilt feline at home, we felt we must do something. However, we couldn’t be sure that the person we saw feeding other cats might object if we took him away. We got as far as contacting the vet but then, because we don’t speak Italian, were nervous of creating a confrontation. Reluctantly, we had to abandon the idea.’

Although no one actually possesses a feral cat, it is courtesy to first check with the
gattara
and tell her what you intend to do rather than taking command. Often she will be pleased that someone else is prepared to pay for treatment.

From time to time, the local authorities in tourist towns such as Taormina try to make it an offence to feed feral cats. In my experience, I have never found an enforcement of fines. Just make sure you clean up any leftover scraps and wash plates or bowls – important in a hot climate. Cats are clean creatures; it is we humans who, by leaving the site messy, give them the reputation of being ‘dirty’.

Never, under any circumstances, give a cat milk to drink. Felines are lactose intolerant and it will give them diarrhoea. Water is their natural and best drink.

It is very difficult to catch a feral cat without a trap; they will scratch and bite to evade capture and a bite from a cat can be very nasty indeed. If you are visiting Sicily, you may be lucky in finding someone who has one of these humane traps. They are simple to set, with food placed at the far end; as the cat enters and moves forward, a spring mechanism is released and shuts the door. If you are living in Sicily, you might want to invest in one or more. Metalcote is an excellent UK company that supplies these at a reasonable price and will deliver overland. I’ve been a customer for years, and also for cages including the crush cage. Sounds alarming, but it isn’t in reality. A lever mechanism reduces the size of the cage, bringing the feline closer to the bars, and makes it easy to give medication or anaesthetic.

Naturally, these feral cats resent being captured and put up a lot of fuss. Always cover the trap or cage with an old towel
or small blanket to shut out light and quieten the captive – and get them to the vet as speedily as possible.

There is a great deal of indifference towards animals in the south of Italy as well as Sicily. There is an argument that these regions have more financial problems than those of the north. In my opinion, it has a lot more to do with education or the absence of it, and lack of understanding of animals as sentient beings capable of feeling the same fear, pain and hunger as we do. They also need affection and give so much in return. Instead, I’ve seen parents warning their children to keep away from a cat or dog so that the youngsters grow up with the same attitude and so the chain continues.

Survival is the key word when speaking of colonies of feral cats. Not for them the toys and treats of many domestic cats, including my beloved Sheba. Essentially, it is based on scavenging for food and, in the case of unneutered cats, reproducing. Because of this there is a risk of their suffering from FIV, feline immunodeficiency virus. FIV and HIV are both lentiviruses but humans cannot be infected by FIV, nor can HIV infect cats. This feline disease is transmitted primarily through saliva bites such as those incurred during territorial fights between males. Since many feral cats are unneutered and have to compete for food, there is a higher incidence of FIV in such felines. Transmission between cats in a group who do not fight is unlikely as the virus can only survive a very brief time outside a cat’s body, and it cannot be transmitted indirectly, such as on food, feeding equipment, clothes, shoes, hands, etc. (unlike the situation with feline leukaemia). FIV infects many cell types in a cat. Although it can often be tolerated well, it may eventually
lead to weakening the immune system. Domestic cats are much less likely to be infected unless they come into contact with infected cats. In retrospect, I think that was the cause of my beloved Fluffy’s illness and eventual death. At that time I wasn’t aware of the possibility of FIV but I’ve since seen its signs in the many feral cats I have encountered. They may suffer from diarrhoea or conjunctivitis. Other common signs are gingivitis (gum inflammation), sneezing, snuffling, a discharge from the nose or eyes, or kidney failure. Unfortunately, love and care are not usually the lot of these cats as with the domestic puss. But a neuter programme can have a threefold benefit: controlling the population, enabling a more plentiful supply of food among fewer cats and reducing the tendency to fight.

Although you cannot contract FIV through contact with feral cats, you should obviously take care in handling them. As I’ve written earlier, many of these felines are shy, even fearful of human beings and view any approach as a threat. Unless you are reasonably sure they welcome your overtures – as in the case of Sadie and Katarina – it is wise not to try to grab them with your bare hands. Their natural response will be to scratch or even bite. It is the reason we’ve always used the humane trap during the Catsnip trips. If you are thinking of making cat rescue an ongoing venture, then invest in the tough gauntlets sold by companies like MDC Exports Ltd.

It never ceases to anger me when I hear a parent tell a child: ‘Don’t touch that animal, you will catch a disease.’ Most diseases that infect cats can only be spread from cat to cat, not from cat to human. You are much more likely to catch an infectious disease from the person standing next
to you at a bus stop than from a feline. And yet the catch and kill advocates of ‘controlling’ feral cat populations defend themselves with these untruths. The only possible carrier of a disease could be in the cat’s faeces and normal hygiene dictates you wouldn’t be likely to touch that. The belief that feral cats spread rabies is another vacuous argument; the risk of catching this dreaded disease from these felines is almost non-existent. Trap/neuter/return is also a safeguard against rabies because they will also be vaccinated, ensuring that cats in managed colonies cannot catch or spread this disease. As for the notion that cats will unexpectedly leap out of alleyways and bite children, it is just as nonsensical as it sounds. Sicily, like Britain, is now officially rabies-free, although, according to wildlife writer and preservationist Vincenzo Mormino, the rare red fox may sometimes be infected. A timid and human-fearing animal, it is rarely, if ever seen. Nevertheless, anyone who wishes to transport a cat into the UK must be sure it has had the appropriate anti-rabies immunisation.

Over more recent years, I’ve been encouraged by the discovery of several Italian animal welfare organisations, such as OIPA and ENPA. I’ve also come across some wonderful dedicated individuals. Valeria and her valiant band of volunteers have a daily struggle with the influx of animals dumped outside the doors of their refuge. Their battle is a formidable one and they need all the support we can give them. Some town hall departments recognise the problem of feral over-population and have agreements with a local vet. That’s what Helen discovered with her tiny kitten, Gavroche, once she had persuaded the police to help her. Others choose to do nothing about it. As a tourist, it will depend
on where you are staying, whether you can expect any help. There remains a great deal to be done to raise awareness and create an on-going programme of trap, neuter and return. My dream of a mobile unit and the funds to run an on-going trap/neuter/return programme remains a long way from being fulfilled.

During my Catsnip years, I have been accused of ‘going against nature’, even being ‘a cat murderer’. In a Roman Catholic country like Sicily, there are inevitably those who see spaying and neutering as a violation of God’s law. But those same people turn a blind eye to the female cats, which have kittens continually until they are worn out, and the sickly kittens that fall prey to terrible eye disease. They choose not to know about their fellow humans’ cruelty and indifference. Yes, I’ve had my moments of doubt when I’ve wondered if I was doing the right thing but then you consider that a feral cat can produce three litters of kittens a year, with an average of four to eight kittens. In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats!

Not all of them will survive, of course, but what of the number who do? The humane solution is trap, neuter and return. If only the authorities could see it that way! The Sicilian bureaucracy is a curious thing with many regulations but these are not adhered to, according to a local animal lover I spoke to recently. I had asked him if he could check on Dawn’s cat Lionel.

It’s certain that I can expect nothing helpful from the vets of ASL (state vets), whom I have already contacted many times. Their reply is always the same: that the town hall must decide to make a payment of 300 euros, otherwise they won’t
neuter. This is something with which I am battling because the Sicilian Regional law no. 281/91 for the prevention of stray animals states clearly that they must neuter and microchip at zero cost, but they don’t do it. In the case of accidents or the cat should be admitted for treatment, there is no structure in place.