I’m a new listener to your Cat Chat Radio & am enjoying it very much. I’m able to listen to you from work on Thurs. morning so your Wed. night broadcast is already over when I hear it. I really look forward to it though. Thank you for all the information.

I have a 13 yr. old cat (she was a stray), and my question is that we have another stray kitty that has taken up residence on our patio. That kitty won’t let me get within 8-10 ft. but must be very appreciative of the food I leave every day as he always cleans up his plate. I’ve been putting dry food out for him because our weather is sooo cold here in Ohio that the wet food freezes before he comes to get it; hope you think that’s OK. Also, we cover our patio swing with plastic in the winter & he’s been laying under the plastic to get out of the elements. I put a blanket & 2 towels on that swing & sprinkled a little catnip on them but he won’t lay on them; lays on the vinyl seat instead. Isn’t that weird? Any ideas? I didn’t really want to start feeding him, but just couldn’t help myself as I’m just a crazy lady who loves cats. I don’t want to bring him inside but hate that he’s (certainly hope he’s a he & not a she) a stray.

From: Whilma, in Akron, Ohio

Deal Whilma,

I consulted with my colleague Lynette Ackman of Feline Outreach, Inc. (www.felineoutreach.org), and completely concur with what she has to say. Dry food is better than no food, as we both agree. Maybe once the weather warms, you'll offer the kitty some canned.

It would be wonderful if you could trap this kitty and have it spayed/neutered. Otherwise, you could find yourself with six stray kitties by summer... and sixteen by fall... you get the idea. Many shelters and animal control agencies will loan out traps for this purpose. Most require a deposit on the trap, and some charge a small rental fee.

Alley Cat Allies has a lot of information on trap/neuter/return: www.alleycat.org. And here's some information specific to Ohio, including local low-cost spay/neuter clinics in Akron: www.petsohio.com/spayneuter.html.

Lynette disagrees with some, in that she believes feral cats "can" be socialized. She is on the Board of, and volunteers in the clinic for, a wonderful organization called Tree House Animal Foundation (www.treehouseanimals.org). Among other endeavors, Tree House operates a cageless cat shelter that takes in stray cats (including ferals), socializes them, and finds them homes. She's adopted several cats from Tree House, and reports that they're wonderful companions.

Unfortunately, the cat overpopulation problem is so overwhelming, there's simply not enough space for all homeless cats to be sheltered. Studies have shown trap/neuter/return to be a more effective form of controlling pet overpopulation than the convention approach: euthanasia. The cats return and vie for the food supply, assisting in controlling population, while not contributing to it by reproducing.

Good for you, Whilma, for doing anything at all. I'd urge you to seek out information from some of the sources listed. Please, keep me posted.

Tracie Hotchner