It's a shame that The Sun publishes letters from people who write about what they don't know, as is the case with the recent letter condemning the use of Trap-Neuter-Release for feral cats ("The hazards of cat overpopulation," Feb. 27). Through no fault of my own I have become a caregiver of a TNR colony in Baltimore. Why? A filthy alley with cats was brought to my attention. None of the 15 cats had been neutered and there were kittens that needed medical attention. Thanks to five people, we started the cleanup. Forty bags later, we still needed help from Midtown and the city. That summer, Baltimore received a million-dollar grant from Best Friends/Petsmart to spay and neuter homeless cats for three years. This grant had been given to Albuquerque and San Antonio, reducing the amount of cats that had to be euthanized in shelters. I signed up with Best Friends and Community Cats of Maryland and had to wait a couple of months, but the cats were all fixed.
The alley had never been this clean. There is clean straw spread in an area for them and there are seven shelters including two with heat. The cats are fed good food at my and my husband's expense every day regardless of the weather. We are both in our 70s. If a cat is sick it goes to the vet, made possible by donations from several good people. Others have donated food. The colony that numbered over 15 is now down to six. There have been no more kittens. We do cleanup of the alley every Saturday.
There are at least 1,000 caregivers in this city who are doing this. They are to be commended, not maligned, for their commitment, compassion and hard work. It was Kevin Usilton who was director of Baltimore City Animal Control a few years ago who said, "The city has no idea of the service these people provide."
Luz Damron, Baltimore