Unintended Consequences of Feeding Feral Cats

First, I want to get this out there. I'm the biggest cat lover you might ever meet. I absolutely love cats, but I also recognize we must be responsible in how we care for feral cats. For example, there are some very sweet cats that are being fed next to the Duck Pond and it needs to stop and the cats need to be relocated. First, it's not good for the other wildlife and birds in the nature preserve to have a bunch of grown cats around as they will eat baby ducks, geese and other birds in the area. Second, much of the food being put out for the cats is being consumed by skunks that are living in the area. Several nights in a row I've documented as many as four skunks crowded around the cat food buffet that has been put out for them. Also, the other day I noticed someone dumped a litter of kittens at Stewart Park along the river between the half shell and the Fir Grove bridge. If anyone is able to trap and relocate those kittens it would be awesome. Anyway, I love the heart and compassion to take care of these cats but we need to do it in the right locations. 🤙