Q: I live in Surfside, and I've grown to love and appreciate the small, controlled feral cat community on the beach. We have a conscientious organization that has trapped and neutered the entire cat population. There aren't any endangered species around this beach area that might be threatened by the cats, are there? Thanks -- Barbara
A: You've likely heard about the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) new policy on feral cats, including trap/neuter/release (TNR) cat colonies such as the one near your home north of Miami Beach. Recognizing that feral cats harm Florida's native wildlife, the FWC is looking to "manage" such colonies with local governments.
Your question is about endangered species, but in reality, the concern is for all wildlife. As you know, cats are predators, and it's their instinct to hunt just about anything that moves, whether or not they are hungry. Groups everywhere have come to realize that bird populations are in danger of predation by cats, even those that are in their own backyards.
Near the beach, wildlife in danger could be a small lizard scurrying across the sand, a migratory bird stopping by the waves on its way south, a beach mouse living in the dunes or a sea turtle hatchling making its way from a nest to the ocean. Some species of beach mice in the Florida panhandle are endangered.
I don't know if you have any sea turtle nests on your beach, but all sea turtles in Florida are on the endangered species list. Relatively, you aren't far from Key Biscayne, where least terns have been spotted; these shorebirds (considered a threatened species in Florida) nest in the sand, where they would be an easy target for a cat.
The FWC is concerned about feral cat colonies also because cats that don't get yearly rabies shots can carry rabies and further spread this disease, which affects people, too.
Your admiration for your neighborhood cats is commendable. Hopefully, we will see the day when there are no more stray cats or dogs, and people take responsibility for their companion animals rather than leaving them to fend for themselves without proper care. That is the root of the problem.
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