12/17/2025
**Why Dumping a Cat Is Harmful**
1. It’s Abandonment and Often Illegal
In Maui and across Hawai‘i, leaving a pet to fend for itself is *considered abandonment* and is unlawful. Under local animal cruelty and abandonment statutes, deserting an animal — leaving it without intent to return — can be treated as a petty misdemeanor or worse. ([Maui Humane Society][1])
2. Outdoor Survival Is Extremely Hard — Especially for Former Pets
A cat that’s always lived indoors is **not equipped to survive outside** on its own. A pet cat:
* Has never learned to hunt or find reliable food/water.
* Doesn’t know how to avoid predators (dogs, mongoose, cars, wild animals).
* Is highly vulnerable to illness, injury, starvation, and parasites.
* Can easily get lost, suffer, or die when forced to adapt to an unfamiliar outdoor world. ([Alley Cat Allies][2])
Dumping a pet cat isn’t “giving it a chance” — it’s often a sentence to suffering and early death.
3. Stress and Unsafe Social Dynamics
Outdoor colonies — also called *community cat colonies* — are complex social structures. A domestic cat dumped into one will likely:
* Be rejected by territorial cats.
* Face fighting, bullying, and stress.
* Contract diseases from unvaccinated cats.
* Struggle to find stable food and shelter.
This is particularly true for a house cat that’s used to human companionship; it doesn’t have the instincts or skills to integrate. ([Maui Humane Society][3])
4. It Worsens Overpopulation and Burdens Community Resources
When people abandon pets into colonies, those cats add to the overall population, creating more mouths to feed and more mouths breeding *if unsterilized*. This increases the burden on caretakers, local rescues, and humane societies trying to manage the situation. ([Maui Humane Society][3])
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What About Cat Colonies and TNR?
Many community cat programs use **Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)** — also called TNVR or TNRM — where cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, ear-tipped (to show they’ve been fixed), and returned to their original outdoor homes. ([Save Maui Cats!][4])
**Important:**
TNR is intended for *community/feral cats*, not as a dumping ground for surrendered pets. Domesticated, friendly, social cats should *not* be released into colonies just because people think TNR will help them survive. ([Alley Cat Allies][2])
Managed colonies can slowly stabilize and decrease the number of kittens born in the wild over time, because sterilized cats don’t reproduce. ([National Kitten Coalition][5])
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🌺 **Better Options Than Dumping**
✅ **Surrender to a Local Shelter or Rescue**
If you can no longer care for your cat:
📍 *Maui Humane Society* — Maui’s open intake shelter can accept pets and help with rehoming or finding foster/adoptive homes. ([Maui Humane Society][1])
📍 *Save Maui Cats* — Works with local volunteers to care for, TNR, and adopt out friendly cats. ([Save Maui Cats!][4])
📍 *Good Cat Network / Have A Nice Spay* — Offers no-cost spay/neuter services and connections to transfer/adoption networks. ([Good Cat Network][6])
📍 *Feline Foundation of Maui* — Another group working with TNR and population stabilization. ([Hugs Society][7])
Shelters and rescues give your cat a *real chance* at a safe, loving home.
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✅ **Find a New Home Yourself**
* Ask friends and family if they can adopt.
* Use local pet rehoming groups and community bulletin boards.
* Screen adopters carefully for a safe indoor home.
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✅ **Spay / Neuter Your Cat**
If you’re struggling with unwanted litters:
*Maui Humane Society* offers low-cost or free spay/neuter and trap-loan programs for community cats. ([Maui Humane Society][1])
*Good Cat Network’s Have A Nice Spay* is a no-cost spay/neuter program funded for Maui cats. ([Good Cat Network][6])
Spaying or neutering your pet prevents unwanted kittens and reduces roaming, fighting, and spray marking.
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🧠 **What You Can Do Instead**
✔ Contact local groups before you make a decision.
✔ Use humane traps and work with rescue groups if you find a stray.
✔ Educate neighbors about responsible pet ownership.
✔ Share information about surrender options and low-cost spay/neuter resources.
✔ Never dump animals — it’s dangerous and avoidable.
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🐾 **In Summary**
**Dumping a cat is cruel, harmful, and often illegal.** A domestic pet deserves care, shelter, and a loving home. If you’re struggling to care for your cat, **there are compassionate alternatives** — shelters, rehoming, spay/neuter programs, and community support — that *save lives* instead of putting them at risk.
Let’s treat every animal with the dignity and care they deserve. 🧡
[1]: https://www.mauihumanesociety.org/services/managing-community-cats/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Managing Community Cats - Maui Humane Society"
[2]: https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/addressing-abandonment/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Addressing Abandonment | Alley Cat Allies"
[3]: https://www.mauihumanesociety.org/resources/community-cats/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Community Cats - Maui Humane Society"
[4]: https://savemauicats.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Maui Cats"
[5]: https://kittencoalition.org/effectively-managing-community-cats-trap-neuter-return-tnr/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Effectively Managing Community Cats: Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) - National Kitten Coalition"
[6]: https://goodcatnetwork.org/have-a-nice-spay-good-cat-network/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE / Have A Nice Spay / NO COST Spay and Neuter with 100K Grant - Good Cat Network"
[7]: https://hugssociety.org/directories/animal-shelters/united-states/hawaii/808/feline-foundation-of-maui?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Feline Foundation of Maui"
