ORA | Urgent Cross-Post | Call to Action: Stop Welland's "Operation Kill Kat"

Date: Sun, 2 Oct 2011
Subject: Fw: Stop Welland's "Operation Kill Kat"

"Have you heard about the City of Wellands's secret?

There was a secret meeting on Thursday evening September 29, 2011, at the Welland Community Wellness Centre of all places. Tony Porcaro, of the Welland Feral Cat Support Group, attended the meeting. Mass trappings, complete with a "Trapping Committee" paid with tax payers money, are going to trap the neighbourhood and feral cats - and kill them. Included are a colony of Tony's feral cats that have all been fixed, vaccinated and vet checked through his TNR program which is similar to Hamilton/Burlington SPCA's TNR (Trap Neuter Release) program. More Trapping cages are being ordered by the City. I think there needs to be a story done on this.

The City has stated they will use police enforcement if Tony or anyone else continues to support/care for a feral cat. Tony is 70 years old. Tony has continued anyways.

You just can't make this stuff up! This needs to be exposed before it’s too late.

You can contact me or Tony via his website Welland Feral Cat Support Group (http://www.feralcatsofwelland.com/) for more information or comments.

Attached are the mass trapping instructions handed out to citizens at Thursday's meeting.



Please email the following links stating that you have viewed the mass trapping instructions that have been handed out and that you want the mass trapping decision to be reversed immediately.

City Mayor and Councilors to contact are as follows.....

Mayor of Welland (Barry Sharpe) mayor@welland.ca
City Councilor Mark Carl mark.carl@welland.ca
City Councilor Maryann Grimaldi maryann.grimaldi@welland.ca

Media to contact are as follows.....

CHCH News (905 645-2011) tips@chch.com
Welland Tribune vgray@wellandtribune.ca
Hamilton/Burlington Spectator Editor-in-Chief pberton@thespec.com

Thanks.
Brian Phelan"



"What you are hearing/reading is absolutely true and is one of the most backward and regressive moves by a municipality and OSPCA affiliate that one can possibly imagine. In spite of my success with TNR in my own neighbourhood and in all parts of the city, the city and humane society are claiming that TNR does not work and that they will not support groups and feral cat caregivers; they have actually argued, quite erroneously, that we are the problem in that we feed and shelter feral colonies rather than support them in their ongoing failure of catch and kill policies; in their 10-page booklet (which is full of misinformation) they outline their approach in terms such as "feral eradication" and "mass trapping and euthanasia," the euthanasia term used deliberately incorrectly because they are clearly promoting KILLING and killing in the broadest possible definition because ALL CATS FOUND AT LARGE WILL BE TARGETED and vulnerable to the trapping... Traps will be given to any and all residents who request them and there will be a trapping committee formed to ensure the trapping will continue street by street until the entire ward is covered; what they are doing will not have any benefit at all and is both inhumane and illegal; the impetus for this action came from a small number of very vocal and inflential residents in the ward who are clearly cat haters and who have convinced the two ward councillors to pressure the city and humane society into taking this ill conceived action against innocent animals.

I believe this issue has implications for the welfare of all cats and animals everywhere and therefore should be known by as many people as possible, especially when those agencies which are mandated to protect our animals are operating in a diametrically opposite manner. Don't forget OSPCATruth. All the best...Tony"

Contact Tony Porcaro: tony@feralcatsofwelland.com | Contact Brian Phelan: jbphelan@cogeco.ca | Article in Welland Tribune: http://wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3320963