I'm personally particularly upset by the easy conviction with which most people neuter their pets. I can rant for hours on the ethics of that, or the complete lack thereof, in my opinion. I'm shocked there is so little debate on that, even by philosophers and particularly of animal rights activists who really, really should know better than support such a cruel, egregious and obvious violation of an animal's individual existence.
At least in some countries neutering an animal for anything but medical reasons is illegal. Maybe I should move to Norway.
Bonus: great Black Metal scene.
The alternative we in America have settled on right now is shelters which perform euthanasia on unwanted animals. I would love to know how communities that have banned these procedures deal with the issue.
You use the word "feral" but I find that's a bit of a loaded term because it makes it sound like those animals are wild and violent. They're usually not, or at least not more than domestic animals. In the UK, where I live, there are no strays and still there are thousands of dog attacks, some causing injury or even death every year. Cats of course don't attack humans unless you really piss them off and even then it's not like they can seriously injure you.
You could also think about all the "feral" animals we do not try to neuter in large numbers like pigeons or seagulls. Much of what's wrong with their lives is that people treat them like dirt. That's not a problem you solve by castrating an animal, or at least a non-human animal. Why only neuter cats and dogs? Because we care more about them? That sounds like some kind of perverse inversion to me.
And let's not forget: the only difference between a "feral" or stray cat or dog and a pet is that someone's taken the pet in. I suppose in civilised countries you only get your pets from a certified breeder and you know their pedigree but where I come from if you want a cat or a dog you can just take one from the street. Or, often, they come to you on their own; cats mostly, but dogs, too some times. That was the case for most of the animals I've ever cared for: basically all the cats and a couple of the dogs too.
>> I would love to know how communities that have banned these procedures deal with the issue.
There's a famous documentary about the stray cats of Istanbul, called Kedi (meaning "cat" in Turkish). I haven't watched it yet but it sounds like the thing you'd want to watch if you haven't grown up with strays all over the place:
I often think about this, wondering how many of those animals would have chosen death if given the choice, and how often it is simply a way to spare the owner from seeing something that upsets them.