To the feral cats writer: The two 14-year-old cats residing near the Recycle Center are what keeps the rats away. These “seniors” are the only two left from a litter of five born at the Recycle Center. They have always had permission to be there and have peacefully resided at the center their entire lives. Bruce, who ran the center for decades, used to help feed them. Most of the Recycle Center visitors are pleased to see that the cats are being cared for. They receive flea treatment in summer and worm medication twice a year. They are fed regularly and have never brought their caretakers — of which I am one — a bird, so are certainly not “decimating entire bird populations.” The only complaints I ever heard are from ‘off-leashers’ who allow their dogs to charge us and feast on the cat’s food. Frankly, you only have to turn the [Records page] of [last weeks’s newspaper] to see an incident of a dog attack on a jogger by a dog that was obviously not leashed. This is a far larger problem.

The Island is full of raccoons, deer and wildlife which roam uncontrolled. Off-leash dogs can and should be controlled, and this is the responsibility of their owners. Most residents are agreeable to let these senior cats live in peace. They are spayed, so when they pass on, they will leave no offspring.

Helga Bajars