Letter To Editor - CK TNR

An open response to the recent editorial titled:
"Take a breath and put yourselves in the neighbor`s shoes"

1. Get your facts straight. Eve Jensen`s executor could not find a vet who would euthanize 18 healthy animals. If Eve really wanted her cats euthanized she would have had it done before she passed. We truly believe that she didn`t want to burden anyone with her menagerie of cats and birds. We were contacted and agreed to help out our deceased friend`s pets, because that`s what friends do. These are healthy adoptable animals, yet there are few people looking for older cats. We are working with another group to foster some of these animals with senior citizens.

2. There are several reasons why some cats were not released. Quite a few came from locations on the island where the neighbors made a huge issue, lots of whining as I recall, about not wanting the cats back after surgery. You know who you are. Others were kittens trapped with their mothers and were too young for surgery. If they were released with their mother we would be looking for them again in a few months, after each of the females had their first litter in someone`s backyard. Another 20 came from an area that had dozens of animals that needed medical care for upper respiratory infections. The ones that survived could not be returned to that location as they would immediately relapse. All of these animals are tame, healthy, and in need of loving homes.

3. Your outdoor house lights are pretty annoying too. Ours are halfway across our property, a whole lot farther from the property line than yours. I like rope lights and they will be here whether the cats are or not, so get used to it. By the way, our lot is 150 feet wide and out of consideration to you, we don`t have a single enclosure near your home.

4. We have trapped and neutered over 700 cats on Cedar Key. There are at least a half dozen areas on the island that currently have colonies of 20 plus cats. Aside from our cats and a handful of indoor only cats, these animals roam their neighborhoods and defecate wherever they please, as they always have, just as the raccoons, squirrels, opossums, fox and birds do. Is our method more or less conscientious than theirs? Examples: There was an issue experienced by another of our neighbors. Cats were using their backyard, but these were not "our" cats. They were mostly free roaming ferals and a few strays dumped in the area, just like there have always been at the cemetery. To appease them, we trapped and took in another 6 unadoptable cats, thereby increasing our permanent load by almost 30%. We clean and sanitize our 3200 square feet of enclosures daily, do others clean up after "their" animals the same way? Yet another neighbor called to complain that one of "our" cats had a litter of kittens under his porch. That would make it "his" cat, not ours. If any of ours managed to get pregnant, I`m calling the Vatican to report a miracle birth.
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A promise: We will not employ the same shameful and underhanded tactics that our neighbors did during the last City Commission meeting. We will continue to be transparent, not deceitful, in our activities. You may not agree with us, but you will always get an honest answer to your questions. Those of you who know us would expect nothing less.

"I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen."
Martin Luther, 25 May 1521

Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

Doreen and Oliver Bauer