Reasons Why Men Abandon Cats

My studies indicate that in the last five years more men have abandoned cats than women in my neighborhood.  Many times the cats are left behind because the husband is mad his wife or boyfriend angry at his girlfriend.

Abandoned cat hides behind tree

The sad truth is that the housecat is being used to hurt women.   I know this to be true because many distraught women show up with the men at the entrance of the woods calling for their beloved cats and then say that had a bad argument with their husband/boyfriend but everything was on the mend and they really wanted their cat back.

Other reasons for leaving the cat is most men think the housecat will adapt to the wild and will be able to survive in the woods they assume that this is better for the cat.  

Some men leave cats in a park close to a neighborhood because the park will provide food and shelter and eventually the cat will be found and adopted by a family in the neighborhood.  They honestly believe that the chances of survival are greater for a housecat than being turned over to the animal shelter where so many cats compete for adoption. 

Note:

1. Less than 5% of the abandoned cats that were abandoned to my woods were reunited with their families.
2. I believe that fewer cats would be abandoned if pet owners were better educated on the responsibilities of owning and caring for a cat as well as the proper ways to re-home a cat when they can no longer care for their pet. 

Reports of Missing Cats

The end of November I noticed that many of the feral and stray cats that we care were not showing up at the feeding station.  We assumed that they were hanging out at a kindly neighbor’s garage that was opened to them for a shelter throughout the cold winter months.  We also thought that the cats had gone to another feeding station.  

Orange tabby lying on the snow

This was a reasonable explanation for the missing cats however we continued to walk the neighborhood looking for the cats and calling for them.  Several of us went into the woods and found 3 cats at the thicket colonies but 6 feral and stray cats are still missing.

Tuxedo cat sitting by branches

Last week the cat caregivers volunteer meeting it was reported that 6 feral and stray cats were missing and that community residents were seeking their housecats as well.  This of course was reason for concern as it now seemed that foul play may be the reason why the feral stray and housecats are missing in our neighborhood.

We suspect the a resident that lives close by may be luring the cats into traps and then calling animal control to report cat nuisance on his property.  We are looking into the missing cats more seriously.