Madam, - I refer to your article of February 8th ("Suburb's problems began after cat-lover's death").
I wish to clarify the following: the lady referred to died last June and left a bequest in her will to a named animal group, provided they take the cats living at and around her home.
There are 11 cats involved and not 30 as stated in your report.
I informed her neighbours of this on November 28th by putting a note through each door, and informing them that I was striving to find out which animal group this was, so that the cats could be collected soon.
After many many telephone calls, internet searches, and my own extensive detective work, plus an unanswered letter to the solicitors in the matter (I was pointing out that the cats would reproduce if not taken soon), the Law Society complaints department informed me that the administrator/beneficiary in New Zealand did not wish to respond to me.
On January 29th, I telephoned the animal group concerned. They had just been informed they would receive a bequest if they took the cats.
I put a circular through each door, informing each neighbour that the animal group had confirmed they would take the cats. I wrote to the animal group, and gave a description of each of the 11 cats at the house.
Properly organised and funded neutering programmes are the essential solution and the key to keeping numbers in check.
They are all God's own creatures, they did not ask to be born, and if their numbers are kept in check, it gives them perhaps a better chance of something more than a miserable life. The average life span of a feral or unfed cat is three years.
The cats at the house of the deceased (I did not know her) will hopefully be collected soon, and be taken away for neutering and to pastures new.
Could your reporter not have bothered to go and count this group of cats gathering on a daily basis and becoming wilder and wilder, or to make an effort to speak with the "well intentioned but misguided" local?
I have put three different notices through the doors of the neighbours, all of which included my name and telephone number.
Please paws for thought in your research.
- Yours, etc,
ANN SMYTH, Terenure, Dublin 6w.