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We, the Undersigned, endorse the following petition:

Help Irish Cats

Target: Minister for Environment, Dept of the Environment
Sponsor: Maureen Gibbons
  • Signatures: 1,054
  • Goal: 10,000
  • Deadline: 6-7-2005
This petition calls on the Department of the Environment to take responsibility for the plight of stray and ferals cats in Ireland of which there is a huge number.

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Number Date Name Country
1,055 9:58 am PDT, Aug 15 Anonymous Ireland
1,054 12:27 pm PDT, Aug 11 greta malkotzoglou Greece
1,053 11:19 am PDT, Jul 31 elena durey Ireland
1,051 3:37 am PDT, Jul 19 Danielle Piper United Kingdom
1,050 12:29 pm PDT, Jul 7 niarica lubatti Italy
1,049 4:58 pm PDT, Jul 6 Anonymous United States
1,048 10:56 am PDT, Jun 27 Mary Sebby United States
1,047 11:23 pm PDT, Jun 25 Meow mie Singapore
1,046 3:49 pm PDT, Jun 22 Lori Whisman United States
1,045 2:36 pm PDT, Jun 19 Emily Foran Ireland
1,044 8:31 pm PDT, May 4 Jeffrey Allen Canada
1,043 3:22 am PDT, Apr 22 elena durey United Kingdom
1,042 4:12 am PDT, Apr 18 Pete Wedderburn Ireland
1,041 9:55 pm PDT, Mar 28 Hampton Bolen United States
1,040 4:09 pm PDT, Mar 28 Allison Minto United States
1,039 7:30 am PDT, Mar 26 Ginger Geronimo United States
1,038 3:23 pm PDT, Mar 25 nicola monaghan Ireland
1,037 6:13 pm PDT, Mar 23 Jenny Vegan United States Minor Outlying Islands
1,036 3:52 pm PDT, Mar 17 Stacy Barleva United States
1,035 3:51 pm PDT, Mar 17 Thomas Pellegrin United States
1,034 6:41 am PDT, Mar 17 Emmy Undem Austria
1,033 11:50 pm PDT, Mar 11 Claire Watson United States
1,032 3:10 pm PST, Feb 15 Tatiana Costa Brazil
1,030 9:58 pm PST, Jan 22 Glen Venezio United States
1,029 10:21 pm PST, Dec 8 Patricia Boyd United States
1,028 3:50 pm PST, Nov 7 Anonymous United States
1,027 11:19 am PDT, Oct 23 Nicola Reynolds Ireland
1,026 11:19 am PDT, Oct 23 John Bailey United Kingdom
1,025 10:56 am PDT, Oct 23 Silvia Wilson Korea, Republic Of
1,024 10:17 am PDT, Oct 23 Karen DiCicco United States
1,023 6:52 am PDT, Oct 23 Louise Mc Grath Ireland
1,022 9:03 am PDT, Oct 20 Melanie Leighton United Kingdom
1,021 9:34 pm PDT, Oct 1 Tiffany Barczi United States
1,020 4:38 pm PDT, Sep 26 Candi Ausman United States
1,019 11:55 pm PDT, Sep 24 Riina Georg Estonia
1,018 2:04 pm PDT, Sep 23 roxie schliesmann United States
1,017 11:22 pm PDT, Sep 20 Tiina Georg Estonia
1,016 1:46 am PDT, Sep 17 Fiona Beers Ireland
1,015 5:35 am PDT, Aug 24 Aideen Walsh Ireland
1,014 8:55 am PDT, Aug 11 John Johnson United States
1,013 11:58 am PDT, Aug 10 Mary Owens United States
1,012 10:35 am PDT, Aug 9 Esther Seyfried United States
1,011 5:46 pm PDT, Aug 2 Anonymous United States
1,010 10:48 am PDT, Aug 2 Sammantha Lyle United States
1,009 2:58 am PDT, Aug 2 Dorothy Tanaka Canada
1,008 9:57 pm PDT, Aug 1 Monika V France
1,007 9:47 pm PDT, Aug 1 Thunderr Wolf United States
1,006 9:32 pm PDT, Aug 1 Brenda Hodges United States
1,005 3:06 pm PDT, Aug 1 Miwa Kunz-Kuwahara Germany
1,004 2:53 pm PDT, Aug 1 Lucy Denillo United States
1,003 12:34 pm PDT, Aug 1 Melanie Terry United States
1,002 4:11 pm PDT, Jul 31 Bradley A. Harris United States
1,001 3:45 pm PDT, Jul 31 Richard Michael Brugger Jr. United States

Help Irish Cats

Dear Department of the Environment

We are enclosing a petition of ______ signatures calling on the Department of the Environment to take responsibility for the plight of stray and ferals cats in Ireland of which there is a huge number. At present no government department takes responsibility for stray or feral cats and this needs to be rectified immediately in order to deal humanely and effectively with the plight of these once domestic cats.

This petition has been signed by people who care about the plight of stray and feral cats in Ireland. Colonies of feral cats can be found right throughout Ireland in cities, towns and countryside, at factories, industrial estates, hospitals, hotels, universities, housing estates and farms.

It is estimated there are one million feral cats in Dublin City alone and approximately another million nationwide, the vast majority of whom are unspayed and unneutered and consequently breeding uncontrollably. The issue of feral cats in this country has reached crisis point.

Uncontrolled breeding is the major issue with feral cats. Most businesses and farms are happy to have feral cats around to keep the rodent population under control, however it is when the number of cats spiral out of control that problems arise. Various (usually cruel) methods are then employed to "get rid of the problem". Methods include starvation, poisoning, shooting, drowning and euthanasia.

Interbreeding causes further problems such as deformities in kittens, low immunity to disease, prolonged suffering and premature deaths.

We believe that killing the problem, not the cats, is the answer. In other countries such as the UK, USA, Italy, Greece and Germany, a programme of Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) has been effectively implemented to control and contain colonies of feral cats humanely. This involves trapping the cats, taking them to the Vet to be spayed or neutered and given an overall health check, then returned back to their original area after locating volunteers to provide food and shelter. Some rescue centres and private individuals in Ireland have already begun TNR programmes in their own areas but the number of cats needing help far exceeds what rescue centres and individuals can do.

Consequently we are asking for your assistance with this as we feel the Department of the Environment should take some responsibility for the implementation of such a huge task, as the Department already assumes responsibility for stray/lost dogs and dog pounds etc. Feral cats are former domestic pets who become homeless from being lost or abandoned or left behind when owners move away or die. Because of neglect, such cats have to adopt a feral lifestyle. As previously stated, there are already small groups of people throughout Ireland doing what they can in their own areas, but it is a drop in the ocean as kittens are being born daily and the uncontrolled breeding continues. We look forward with interest to hearing from you in the near future with regard to the above important issue.

Yours Sincerely,

National Stray & Feral Cat Friends

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