Feline Force Protects a NATO Headquarters

February 6, 2017 3:37 PM

The Feline Force Protection Program at NATO's Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan vaccinates, spays, and neuters cats that are used to keep other unvaccinated cats from the base. Unfortunately, "[t]he increasing domesticity of the cats, and a number of recent cat bites has resulted in calls for the program to be scrapped."
posted by Rob Rockets (9 comments total)

Sounds like most of the problems are coming from the human end of things.

“I think it gives people the thought process that they can pet the cats and that they can associate with them and take care of them,” said Air Force Maj. James Hougas, who served as the main physician at the Kabul base for a couple months last year. “People think that these cats are safe, when in reality they’re not.”

Hougas said that after assuming his position, he treated three people “attacked” by cats in less than two months. Many residents can’t identify the cats and forget to check if their ears are clipped.

So, these people are approaching a non-domesticated animal they don't know and trying to touch it and then they're surprised when the animal doesn't like it and they get bitten? Doesn't sound like the cat's fault to me.

“From a deployed environment perspective, and keeping people safe, could it make more sense to try to keep cats off the base in other ways?” Hougas asked. “I’m not necessarily advocating euthanizing them, but if they were all feral people might just leave them alone and not try to pet them.”

Maj. Hougas clearly doesn't know cats ("maybe there's another way to keep them out but I don't mean kill them" ah ha ha ha ha oh my sides) or understand how trap-neuter-release programs work (it's because the neutered ones stick around that the population stays relatively steady; if you remove the existing feral cats that creates a vacuum and other ferals will move in to fill it).
posted by Lexica at 4:50 PM on February 6, 2017 [4 favorites]

Makes me think of the feral colony that lived in the woods behind my house for years. There was a tabby branch, and I called them all Sarge because they had stripes on their arms.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:08 PM on February 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

Feline Force is the cuddliest force ever.
posted by leotrotsky at 5:10 PM on February 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

“We really don’t want to have any animals on base, but we can’t keep the cats out because they’ll climb the wall, they’ll slide through, they’ll find a way in”

No shit.

General Order No. 1, which outlines prohibited activities and standards of conduct for U.S. troops and civilians working for the military in Afghanistan, is meant to help protect Americans in the country from such incidents.

These order-issuing people need some motherfucking perspective.

As of August 2016, more than 31,000 civilians are estimated to have died violent deaths as a result of the war.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:36 PM on February 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

To be fair, rabies is a real issue there. However, I can't help but wonder if we could be doing some kind of vaccination outreach -- probably not easily, but it's a thought. All those dogs.
posted by amtho at 6:09 PM on February 6, 2017 [2 favorites]

just send all the kitties and puppies to me

problem solved
posted by Hermione Granger at 6:44 PM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

just send all the kitties and puppies to me

problem solved

I imagine that that would be quite a few. Wouldn't it be... raining cats and dogs?

show m'self out
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:16 PM on February 6, 2017 [5 favorites]

just send all the kitties and puppies to me


Do your really need a fur coat that bad Cruella?
posted by Megafly at 9:36 PM on February 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

Do your really need a fur coat that bad Cruella?

Surely not a coat, but a knitted afghan?
posted by Quindar Beep at 7:42 AM on February 7, 2017 [4 favorites]