Stray Kitten’s Plight

LAST month I was at my gym in Osborne Park one evening when I saw a number of kittens playing in a nearby driveway.

I went over to see if they were OK, but they ran away under a nearby piece of machinery.

Because I was concerned for their welfare, I researched the process for reporting these stray kittens and was told local councils were responsible for stray cats.

Consequently, I phoned City of Stirling, and was very disappointed with its response. I was advised that because the kittens were strays on private property, albeit an industrial site, they were not its responsibility.

I was also told it did not have a service to trap the cats and kittens or a holding area in which to house them if they were rescued.

I was advised that I should contact the Cat Haven, which I did.

The Haven was overflowing at the seams and could only take the cat and kittens if they could be caught and brought to the shelter. To do so, I would need to trespass on the industrial site and hire cages at around $30 a day.

I was distressed to realise that essentially these kittens would fall through the cracks of the system that is supposedly there to rescue and deal with them humanely.

Why are stray cats the responsibility of local councils if they, like Stirling, are not equipped to deal with inquiries concerning them?

Why do they not have better resources to deal with situations like this if it is their responsibility?

I fear that the cats and kittens on the site will go on to reproduce, continuing the cycle of overpopulation.

On top of that, there is a high risk of them being injured due to the situation in which they are living, where there are trucks and large pieces of equipment moving continuously.

RUTH SIMPSON, Marmion.