Mayor Deb Flatness should be applauded for standing up to lobbyists for trapping, neutering and re-abandoning cats, who are kidding themselves if they think it is anything but inhumane to turn cats outside in Hartland, where an average of 43 inches of snow falls every year (“Should Hartland use TNR program to reduce feral cat problem?” June 12).

Homeless cats are not super-felines who can withstand freezing temperatures and other dangers, including contagious diseases, parasites, speeding cars and attacks by other animals or cruel people. Recent horror stories include a homeless cat who was found frozen to the ground in Cottage Grove last winter, and three cats in Cohasset whom a neighbor admitted shooting because food left out for the cats attracted wildlife and because “feral cats have created odors and caused damage to his home.”

Why would people who consider themselves to be cat lovers consign cats to miserable fates on the streets? Because they are in denial. They are turning cats loose because it makes them feel better, not because it is a humane option for cats.

Trap-neuter-release is just a fancy term for abandonment, and abandoning cats is illegal — for good reason. Those who truly care about cats should support truly humane solutions, including spaying, neutering, licensing and microchipping cats and keeping them indoors, not sentencing them to a short, painful life on the streets.

Teresa Chagrin

Animal care and control issues manager

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals