Letter: Cat concerns miss the point

EDITOR,
In response to the March 15 article “Domestic cats pose serious threat to native wildlife” (Page 9), it seems that real life-threatening public health and safety problems don’t make it through some politically correct filters. Suddenly, a peaceful family’s pet cat becomes more of a threat than used hypodermic needles and fields full of human waste from an ever-increasing homeless drug apocalypse (re: “Felton going downhill fast,” Letters, March 15, Page 4).
Tabby, the family pet, is being cast as a dangerous threat to nature that must be stopped. Are simple pets more dangerous than belligerent panhandlers accosting and threatening women and small children at local shopping centers?
Truth be known, cats may be the real victims here. Housecats are facing more of a threat from current slash-and-burn spay and neuter programs than they pose to native bird populations. It won’t be long before the common house cat is either extinct or on the endangered species list ― they may be a passing thing. I’m not against controlling feral cat populations, but the Santa Cruz feline control plan has nothing in place to maintain at least a workable domestic population of cats.
We are living in a critical time in the San Lorenzo Valley, and especially in Santa Cruz County. It is very important to keep our priorities straight and our focus on the real problems facing this community ― like pollution of the San Lorenzo River and adjoining properties by human feces, trash and hypodermic needles from homeless drug users.
I’ve lived in Ben Lomond for over 30 years, and I love the native wildlife as much as any other person in this community; however, I think that demonizing family pets is a strident, petty distraction and not useful.
Sincerely,
Mike Degregorio, Ben Lomond