Cat owners who refuse to alter animals the problem
To the editor,
Once again I am compelled to write a letter in response to one from Gee Weaver regarding stray cats. I deal with feral and street cats on a daily basis as president of the Flathead Spay & Neuter Task Force. We dedicate a great deal of time educating and helping people deal with stray cats in their areas. Most people that we deal with want to keep the cats, but want them to stop reproducing, which is where we come in.
Following guidelines of two national feral cat groups, Alley Cat Allies and the Feral Cat Coalition, we assist people in trapping, altering and vaccinating the cats. It has been well documented that the only way to curb the pet overpopulation problem is through spaying and neutering. Nature does not exist in a vacuum and when cats are removed from an area, more cats will move in to take their place. However, when cats are altered and returned, the numbers will stay the same and will eventually decrease naturally. In many cases, neutered male cats will return to their homes and no new unaltered males will be coming by looking for females in heat.
Cat caregivers are not the problem, cat owners who refuse to alter their animals are the problem. Coupled with people abandoning cats that are left to fend for themselves, those are the problems. Gee Weaver evidently has not taken the time to research the two aforementioned feral groups or she would know that her information is incorrect. The absolute only way to reduce the number of cats or dogs is to have them altered, preferably before they ever come of age to reproduce. We have become such a "throw away" society, that we view animals as property to be disposed of as we see fit.
Through the Task Force, we have Marvin's Fund, which pays reward money through Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons committing abandonment or cruelty to animals. It is up to everyone to put an end to pet overpopulation and cruelty, for both dogs and cats.
As to Gee Weaver's comment regarding a quote of mine, that we have kept literally thousands of cats from going to the shelter and "where do you think these cats are going?", fortunately, those with caring caregivers take them back and because of our feral cat program, thousands have never been born to have to go to the shelter (those are the thousands that I was referring to). A little research and knowledge goes a long way in understanding and correcting problems.
Mimi Beadles, president
Flathead Spay and Neuter Task Force
Belton Stage Road now more of a 'drag strip'
To the editor,
Historic Belton Stage Road (at West Glacier), once the gateway between the east and the west has been altered. Welcome to the newest quarter-mile drag strip in the Flathead.
To satisfy the complaints of dust abatement by neighbors living on Belton Stage, your tax dollars were used to build a wider blacktop road with a gravel bicycle path. I've yet to see a bicycle on the gravel path! Now that the road is done, the dump trucks and belly dumps are having a hard time staying in their own lane. They can no longer cut off the corners of the road as they did when it was a gravel road. Now they just drive in the opposing lane around the bends, so if you come up to see the new one mile improvement, beware of oncoming traffic. Trucks have increased speed as well as other traffic.
Those of us living on this road are in agreement that somebody is going to die on this road before any action is taken to correct it. Dust abatement is still not used in the gravel pit as well as not being used on private property leading to the pit. Now that you folks have a new bill to pay for the profitable gain of one developer, why are a lot of the trucks going west on Belton Stage instead of east to the highway? Spoklie has the right to send his trucks west on Belton Stage if he is servicing the Lake Five area and the Blankenship/North Fork areas where he has other developing interests. If they continue to go west, shouldn't the rest of Belton Stage be paved and the Blankenship Road?
What's wrong with our local government? Nothing! It's comes from higher up, as a reminder, the county commissioners voted the gravel pit out. Why is this business still in our residential neighborhood? Think about it and ask about it instead of letting it just happen. Get off of you bums and take a ride to Glacier National Park and on your way take a look at Belton Stage Road, across the highway from the Vista Motel. If you like, take the blacktop right to my home and see what is really happening in the shadows of the Apgars. Be careful of truck traffic, we don't want to see you or your loved ones get hurt. The coffee is usually on.
Patrick Ford
West GlacierLend a helping hand to veteransSometimes things happen in life that just stick with you. Several months ago I was helping a friend clean a house. She did something that has stuck with me. After vacuuming a good sized rug with fringe on each end she got down on her hands and knees and straightened the fringe. That's right, she straightened the fringe. I asked myself why it made such an impression on me. Because my friends, it is the little things in life that speak volumes. I call it going the extra mile. All it takes is one person to make a difference. Remember the movie "Pay It Forward?" It's the same principle.
Why am I writing? As the Montana Adopt a Soldier program director, many of you have gone the extra mile and I want to thank you! You have written letters and sent care packages to our brave men and women in Iraq. Some of you still have not heard from your soldier. Yet you are faithful because you know what you are doing is an encouragement to them. You understand that they are at war and understand that it might even be hard for them to communicate with their own families. You understand that unless the mail is returned he/she is receiving your words of support and encouragement. You understand that because of your letter you have made their day better and moral is high in the camp. Soldiers love to share. And some of you have spent hours volunteering your time sewing crazy fun pillowcases for our soldiers so each time they rest their weary head they will know they are always on our hearts and in our prayers.
Perhaps you didn't sew but you donated supplies, and/or space. Like the Quilt Gallery or Hooper's Garden Center or Glacier Quilts and/or funds so projects could be accomplished and then shipped over to Iraq. Perhaps you baked your favorite cookies for "Operation Cookie Drop." I wish you could have seen the smiles on their faces. You blessed them so.
Are you one that is supporting "Adopt a Box" with magazines or monetary postage donations made out to the U.S.P.S.? Sending your donations to Soldiers, P.O. Box 909, Lakeside, MT 59922 will make it possible to continue blessing our soldiers in Iraq. You are appreciated! And more recently, perhaps you blessed one of 377 soldiers in Iraq by sharing your time at the recent neck cooler sew-a-thon. Our soldiers are blessed by your generosity.
Dear people of the Flathead Valley and around the United States of America, the Bigfork Rotary group, our sweet Brownies selling and sending cookies to our soldiers, our Boy Scouts sending their yummy popcorn products, our Girl Scouts for helping with packaging the neck coolers: Every little bit speaks volumes to our men and women overseas. Each time you do something for them, even sending the Sunday comics over is a hug from home. Thank you ever so much for your faithfulness and generosity. They need us.
Lastly, on my heart is an event that was held Saturday, May 17 for the Kalispell Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry. A guest speaker caught my attention when he said this week we received six new homeless vets! Homeless vets!
What's wrong with this picture? Citizens of the Flathead Valley — our veterans need our help. Please stop by the pantry on Montana Highway 35. Ask yourself if they don't deserve better accommodations. They gave their all to serve our country. The very least we can do as a county, is provide for them a facility that says, "thank you for serving our nation."
In honor of our vets I would like to challenge every business, large and small, every church, large and small and every individual of the Flathead Valley to make a commitment to send a monthly donation to the Northwest Montana Veteran's Food Pantry. Decide what your business, church or person can share with these men and women, then mail it to the Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry, 1527 East Highway 35, Kalispell, MT 5990l. We have adopted soldiers, boxes of magazines and now we, as a county, need to "Adopt a Vet."
Remember the saying, "many hands make light work." Our vets are counting on you. On behalf of those that have served, are serving and will serve in the future — thank you!
Kim Jones is a resident of Bigfork.