A week has passed since our community was first shocked to discover the brutal decision by Fox Richmond to hire a pest control company to exterminate a colony of feral cats, followed by efforts to bulldoze the cats’ habitat. Yesterday, the operator of that company, Critter Control, was charged with three counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. You can read more about our ongoing efforts to ensure that the colony is humanely managed.

Compassionate members of our community have clearly voiced that the lives of feral cats are not disposable, and the news coverage has provided a platform to provide education about humane and non-lethal approaches to caring for feral cats. The Richmond SPCA supports Trap-Neuter-Return and provides the resources to enable caretakers to manage colonies. Trapping feral cats is rewarding and more simple than it sounds. We will provide the training and perform the sterilization surgery for free (along with rabies vaccination). A nominal trap rental fee is refunded once the trap is returned.

Still have questions about feral cats? Download our frequently asked questions.
Get involved! Sign up for trap-neuter-return training and other volunteer opportunities.

I find it interesting that the SPCA pretends to be so interested in helping these animals, when they don’t take care of the ones they have in their facility as it is.  They are willing to let anyone who walks in take an animal home that day without checking backgrounds or anything.  Maybe they should work on taking care of the animals they have and leave the TV station to take care of a problem that is more than just a few stray cats.

Bert, we appreciate your comment but must address several points.

1. Wade Kizer, Commonwealth’s Attorney for Henrico County, specifically cited in his statement about the charges that all cats are companion animals, and this includes those who are feral in their behavior as well as those who are social and kept as pets. The law does not provide for killing cats just because they are feral. Cats may only be euthanized by an injection given under the direction of a veterinarian.

2. Feral actually means that a domestic animal has reverted to wild behavior. Sharing our environment with these animals does not pose any danger, especially when they are properly managed through TNR. The studies that support Trap-Neuter-Return efforts contain evidence that feral cat colonies pose no danger to humans. They are naturally fearful of humans and will avoid contact. The sterilization process includes inoculation against rabies, and having a caretaker continue to provide food prevents foraging behavior that could result in confrontation.

3. The ASPCA is located in New York and has not been involved in the situation at Fox Richmond. The Richmond SPCA has been active in calling for a non-lethal, humane approach, which is proven to be Trap-Neuter-Return.

4. Yes, the cats’ habitat comprises property belonging to a number of private businesses who have co-existed with the colony for several decades. Volunteers have worked to trap and neuter the cats and employees of the businesses (including Fox Richmond until last week) had fed them. The property at 1925 Westmoreland Street is leased, rather than owned, by Fox Richmond.

Why would someone be prosecuted for trying to exterminate a colony of wild animals that had taken up residence on their property. Animals that become infected with rabies, bite and scratch anyone coming in contact with them and overall constitute a nuisance? These are not companion animals at all, they are wild - that is what feral means. If the ASPCA wanted them they had 30 years to clear out the colony. It seems that they are only interested in perpetuating it. It is not a “habitat” it is someone’s private property. If it were a colony of rats the owner would have been forced by the city to exterminate it not neuter and return. What is the difference here/
Why would this be a crime and Richmond Animal Control torturing a Raccoon caught in a fishing net overnight not be?

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