Socially Construction of Stray Dogs and Feral Cats

Social interactions create a sense of belonging. All interactions have both the negative and positive aspect. Social interactions foster dependence. This might create a sense of parasitism where dependence is the order of the day. Human animal interactions dates from many years ago. Domesticated cats are termed feral when they live in the wild and do not depend on humans for either food or shelter. On the other hand, they are referred as stray when they depend on humans for shelter and food but still roam in the streets. Feral cats are linked to extinction of reptiles, mammals and birds. They affect these pieces by predations, spread of diseases and hybridization. The impact of feral cats is a global concern and there is a worldwide effort focused at reducing their population which results in reduction of their impact.

Despite efforts to put these animals for adoption, there was no sizeable decrease in dogs population in these shelters. This raises the concern. Do individuals have a disillusioned perception about stray dogs? Stress in human animal interactions is defined as the interruption of an animal’s homeostatic balance making it to respond negatively. There are several factors that evoke responses of stress in animals. These might include and is not limited to water and food restriction, uncomfortable handling, or social disruption (Amaku, Dias, & Ferreira, 2010). This is often caused due to lack of social interaction between the owner and the pet as well lack of training • Constraints in time- most individuals underestimate the time required to look after pets. They have the notion that pets will look after themselves if provided with the key requirements • Health issue- the pets become ill either due to old age or poor breeding.

• Expenses incurred due to pet ownership- the owner is unable to meet the costs required to sustain a pet such as veterinary care, food, etc. • Changes in lifestyle- The owners incur changes in their lifestyle that causes them to abandon their pets. This might be either due to losing their jobs or giving birth to a baby who is allergic to pets. These are hunting and offering protection both to humans and property (Hosey, & Melfi, 2014). After their use has been exhausted and then later abandoned, dogs start free roaming. In some instances, it has been noted that dogs are the most abundant species that disrupt the ecosystem due to free roaming. Stray dogs are carriers of infectious diseases and compete with endemic species.

These are carrier agents for diseases such as canine distemper virus, rabies and parvo-virus. These conflicts might continue soaring high especially when human settlement continue expanding. Owned cats are care by their owners and they receive shelter, food and medical care. They are restricted to their owner’s compounds and neighborhood. The word ‘stray cats’ is sometimes used interchangeably with feral cats since there are not restricted to confined areas. They have an aggressive behavior towards people and their faces are normally scathed and their ears torn due to fighting (Schmidt, Lopez, & Collier, 2007). Agencies that are charged with implementing such policies are normally either underfunded or understaffed. Additionally, most individuals use dogs for hunting purposes. It is in order to state that there are rare cases of dog owners being prosecuted for unwarranted behavior caused by their dogs.

Additionally, such policies be implemented on feral and stray dogs since they do not have registered owners. Outlined below are some of the recommendations that can be implemented to reduce impact of stray animal to the ecosystem. This is whereby these animals are left at the mercies of nature where they will strive to survive and the weak ones die. This approach was most used in the ancient times. However, it is not beneficial since it leads to increase in numbers of these free roaming animals hence causing a menace population that cannot be contained. Additionally, predation and spreading of diseases increases when such populations are not controlled (Doherty et al. Kill-on-site- This approach has been termed as inhumane and only viable for very large populations.

This is whereby the free roaming animals especially in the streets are captured, neutered via surgical producers and the tip of their ears cut. These animals are also vaccinated against rabies and returned to their initial territory. This also include euthanasia for ailing cats/dogs that cannot recover. This ensures that feral cat population and that of stray dogs is controlled (Kuan, Rand, & Morton, 2017). Public perception of treatment of feral cats It is quite evident that humans desire to maintain the population of native species that are mostly threatened by feral cats and stray dogs. Strategies should however be implemented to make sure that abandonment of pets is reduced significantly. References Amaku, M. , Dias, R. A. , & Ferreira, F. , & Ferreira, F. Abandonment of Dogs and Cats: Public Opinions as Population Management Indicators.