THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 6, 1997 TAG: 9701040033
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 25 lines
Before your Dec. 21 article, I'd never heard of Meower Power, but now I must agree with them completely about the waterfront cats. Spay or neuter, vaccinate and return them to the waterfront to help control the rodent population, in contrast to PETA's goal to make them indoor pets.
I have seven cats, one of which is a feral cat. All are indoors and well-loved and provided for, but my feral cat, Esmeralda, can be called a pet only because she lives with us. She came to our home as a kitten and we coaxed her in with food and shut the door behind her.
In the 2 1/2 years we've had her, I have been able to touch her four times - when she was curled up asleep with another cat and didn't realize it was a human touching her.
How do the people from PETA plan to tame these cats to adopt them out? Although I do not regret adopting Esmerelda, I would never attempt adoption again with another feral cat.
MEREDITH A. SMITH
Murfreesboro, N.C., Dec. 23, 1996