Green Cats
by Lee Martin |
GREEN Cats is an organized advocacy campaign for our urban feral cats and the health of our cities!
The primary goal of GREEN Cats' advocacy campaign is to elevate the status of the neighborhood feral cat and TNR Colonies from unwanted nuisance to that of a valued and respected ally as the neighborhood Green-Exterminator.
 The plan is to edify City Hall, local businesses, and most importantly the general Public and PRESS to the undisputed facts:
Feral cats totally eliminate rodent infestations without poisonous chemicals or toxic sprays.
Feral cats have a scent that is repellent to rats and mice who will disappear at first hint of it. The feral cat provides a humane and environmentally friendly method of rodent control. |
Our Objectives:
- Educate the public to the invaluable service the feral cat performs for the health of our cities by controlling rodent infestations.
- Persuade City Hall and local businesses to adopt the GREEN Cats program as their GREEN policy on pest control.
- Support TNR Colonies - utilize TNR programs as an effectual means of feline population control.
- Recognize the feral cat as a benefit to the community. Many ferals are not wild, but are once-domesticated cats, now abandoned and living a wild life as a consequence of human negligence.
- Respect the volunteer men and women who act as caretakers to these discreet and beautiful creatures.
 TNR helps the community by stabilizing the population of the feral colony and reducing overall cat population. Consequently, other behaviors such as spraying and fighting are eliminated by TNR. With support of TNR, no kittens are born in the feral cat colony, reducing the number of kittens that would end up in Animal Shelters. TNR produces a well-managed feral colony, which in turn benefits the community with natural rodent control. |
Premise
Now that the Green movement is here and carries the cachet of being politically esteemed, this is the perfect time to draw attention to the extraordinary role our feral cats play in keeping the rodent population from exploding in our cities.
Not only are feral cats the Green solution for rodent control, but they are also cost-friendly. By utilizing feral cats as the exceptional green exterminators, the city can significantly cut its pest control expenditures. With fewer animals being trapped and euthanized the City Animal Shelters’ costs would be substantially reduced as well. |
Feral cats provide an unmatched service: the Green solution to keeping the city’s vermin in check.
The current chemicals and poisons that the city uses for pest control have proved not to work and are far from beneficial to the planet.
The collateral damage caused by the continued use of these substances is unprecedented, bringing unintentional health hazards to animals and humans alike.
It is well documented that chemical pest control has an adverse impact on the environment. It puts our economically vital insects, such
as bees (e.g. bee colony collapse), birds, and other indigenous wildlife
at risk. Also, the polluted water run-off from the use of these toxic
chemicals goes straight into our fragile oceans.
These chemicals have been directly responsible for the accidental
poisoning of beloved family pets. Even children are at risk when
playing outside in parks and other public areas where the widespread,
expensive, and un-challenged pest control poisons are being used
throughout the city.
In short, the use of
chemicals/poison is
not only deadly for
pests, but has
proven deadly for
other needed and
treasured creatures.
 Farmers and those
in pest-control know
that the best ecofriendly
rodent
control in existence
is the feral cat.
If City Hall will take advantage of nature’s gift and adopt GREEN Cats
as a part of their new, Green approach to pest control, the feral cat
and TNR colonies will be sanctioned as the City’s eco-friendly rodent
control measure. |
The era of “Save Our Planet” and Going Green has given us a unique
opportunity to focus on such successful programs as Working Cats and
the enormously positive public relations it generates for feral cats.
(Working Cats is VFTA’s successful program that saves feral cats by
employing them in local businesses to get rid of rats and mice.
Currently the Los Angeles Flower Market, the Orchid Market, Crossroad
School, the Self Realization Ashram, and four divisions of the LAPD all
have working feral cats. Disneyland also proudly lays claim to
employing 200 feral cats.) |
| Going Green is politically popular,
and this has encouraged City Hall
to pursue new ideas and introduce
Green policies in many more
areas.. GREEN Cats is a noble concept, and a way to get our feral paw in the door! |
|
If animal rescue communities and
animal-loving citizens team up and
work together, we can galvanize
the general public and the media,
thus bringing City Hall’s politically
fashionable Go Green mind-set insync
with GREEN Cats. This could
potentially become the sustainable
solution regarding our city ferals,
and be a winning model for other
cities! |
|
The Tail-Wrap Feline Mind Meld |
Once City Hall and other Landmark Businesses recognize the benefit and positive impact the feral cat provides for the health of the city, they undoubtedly will embrace and adopt GREEN Cats as their very own way of going Green.
We may not worship the cat in temples like the ancient Egyptians once did, but we should always respect and acknowledge the important role the feral cat plays as chief rat catcher of the World! |
In ancient times, the cat was highly valued for the activity of defending mankind against rodent over-population and rodent-borne diseases like the plague.
In Classical Cats: The Rise and Fall of the Sacred Cat, Donald W. Engels argues that if the millions of cats had not been slaughtered alongside the heretics they were associated with during the inquisition, these same cats may well have stopped the spread of the plague. |
There are many positive examples of cities exhibiting high regard for their feral cat colonies. Like "The Parliamentary Cats" from Ottawa, Canada (pictures below).
Local artists made shelters for the cats as miniature replicas of the
Parliament buildings next to them -- “The Parliamentary Cats” colony is a
favorite tourist stop.
|
Rome, Italy has over 2000 well-managed TNR feral colonies.
Rome's city council has recently granted their endorsement of
the feral cat's existence in the city by officially citing the cats
as a part of their ancient
heritage.
"There is a deep-rooted affection for these cats that have an ancient bond with the city."
In 2001, the city council
chose to protect the cats by
naming them a part of the
city's bio-heritage and
celebrated them as their
preventative rodent patrol. |
|
The Romans treasure the feral cats as their “supremo ratto sterminatore!” |
|
GREEN Cats' aim is to rally the Public to endorse natural rodent control, necessitating City Hall to embrace TNR colonies in order to facilitate the feral cat as the community’s green exterminator.
And (at last!) venerate our feral cat residents! |
Appreciated by the Public!
Endorsed by the City!
Maintained as TNR colonies!
Employed by City Hall and
the business community!
Valued for services rendered!
|
We look forward to having a conversation with you about our City’s
GREEN Cats! |
 Lee Martin is a partner and development executive at the Los Angeles based film production company Speedwell Productions, LLC. Lee is bi-coastal and also works as creative script consultant to film producers and executives. Previously, she was an associate producer for the TNT film “Avenging Angel”, and co-founder of First Corps Productions with partner Tom Berenger. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, Lee owned and was director of operations of the acclaimed Lee Martin Studio of Dance & Fitness in NYC,NY. Lee has been both an actress and choreographer in off-Broadway Plays, music videos and Films. Presently, Lee is writing a book entitled “Confessions of a Wanna be Vegetarian.” Lee adheres to Albert Schweitzer’s renowned credo, “ Reverence for Life.” |
|
