I’ve been following the discussions about feeding wildlife and I’m alarmed that city councilors are considering including feral cats in a proposal to make feeding wildlife illegal.
I was Greenhill’s Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) Coordinator for 8 years. During that time we neutered thousands of cats and assisted people in Eugene neighborhoods caring for cats around their homes and businesses.
Decades of research show that TNR is the only way to lessen feral populations and their nuisance behaviors. The keystone of TNR rests on feeding cats in managed colonies, trapping them and getting them fixed.
Cats cannot be trapped without providing food as bait. Colonies cannot be managed for breeding, health and humane care without feeding them. Cats that are not fed continue to breed and are subject to disease and starvation.
From my experiences with Eugene residents managing feral colonies and caring deeply about cats’ well-being, I predict that if a law is enacted that prohibits feeding, there will be hundreds of law-breakers, and cats and their caretakers will suffer greatly.
This law will inadvertently cause feral populations to increase, and contradicts research and programs that are successfully decreasing feral cat populations in humane communities worldwide.
Diana Huntington
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519