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Putnam the Cat Frisky After Surgery
by Edward Paul Greiff
The care and treatment of "Putnam" the cat is an example of Doctor Albert Schweitzer's belief that we should have a "reverence for all of life."
Jean Siegel, a Putnam Valley resident and President of Putnam Felines Inc. has provided us with an update on the results of Putnam the Cat's surgery. As you may recall on the evening of Wednesday, November 7, 2007 Putnam the Cat was struck by an automobile on Oscawana Lake Road by town hall and suffered a broken pelvis and a broken knee. Discovered after a Town Board meeting, Putnam was brought to the Bedford Animal Hospital. Putnam the Cat was operated on and stayed at the hospital and was released the following Monday. He then stayed with a veterinarian living in the Roaring Brook Lake neighborhood who is providing a temporary home for "Putnam" until he fully recovers, and is permanently adopted by a family.
Jean Siegel is happy to report that Putnam the Cat has made a full recovery and is as frisky as ever in his foster home playing with the children and being at ease with the family dog. "It's a beautiful thing," she says and he is ready for adoption.
But what if "Putnam" was not rescued asks Jean Siegel? She says, "I reflect on what his future may have been if he had not been hit by a car in a place where kind people could rescue him. What would his future have been outside, alone, as an unaltered male stray? It would have been bleak. Everything that makes him the perfect pet inside would have made him a victim in the outside environment. His sweet trusting temperament would have put him at risk for mistreatment and made him a target for predator animals and other male cats."
Siegel continues, "As an intact male he would have been driven to fight other males and wander a large territory looking for unaltered willing female cats. If he had managed to avoid traffic and predators, find a food source and a place to keep warm and dry he may have lived until spring and possibly for another year until he learned to distrust people and fight for food and shelter. During that time he would most likely have fathered as many litters as he could by mating with roaming unaltered females. Finally, he may have been lucky enough to join a colony being managed by a group doing TNR (Trap, Neuter, and Return). There he would have been neutered, immunized, fed and cared for by trained volunteers for the rest of his life."
The ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United States have both said this is the most effective and humane way of controlling feral cat population and protecting wildlife.
Mrs. Siegel reiterated her message that shelters and sanctuaries are necessary for our expanding cat population. She says, "Killing a friendly cat by refusing it entry into a shelter is no more humane than killing it in a gas chamber in a shelter. Their decision to become a 'no kill' shelter is a wonderful thing but they need a plan for when the shelter is full. The answer is a sanctuary."
She points out that Lake Peekskill, as well as other populated areas, are a source of food and shelter for stray cats, and that the feral cat population has grown considerably in these areas. Responsibility starts with the cat owner she says and the very best way to stop the suffering is to spay or neuter your cat; even if you keep it inside.
Their aim is to reduce the number of stray cats through attrition.
Siegel says there are a number of low cost spay/neuter options and if you contact them through their web site they will provide you with additional information. All tax-deductible contributions go directly to care for the cats. As for Putnam's medical costs, so far they have raised some of the money, but they are still short of their goal. Should you want to make a contribution to Putnam Felines you can do so through their Web site www.putnamfelines.org or mail it to P.O. Box 609, Putnam Valley, NY, 10579.
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