[StBernard] OCTOBER 16TH IS NATIONAL FERAL CAT DAY

[Westley Annis]

OCTOBER 16TH IS NATIONAL FERAL CAT DAY

ST. BERNARD PARISH GOVERNMENT JOINS CALL FOR HUMANE TREATMENT OF FERAL CATS

 

St. Bernard Parish Government will honor National Feral Cat Day (NFCD) on
October 16th to remind people that Trap-Neuter-Return and other humane
programs for feral cats are in the best interest of the casts and the
community.

 

"Feral cats are members of the domestic cat species, but they cannot be
adopted into homes.  They live outdoors in family groups called colonies,"
said Beth Brewster, Animal Control Manager.  "Trap-Neuter-Return is the best
course of action for feral cats, because it ends the breeding cycle and
stops behaviors associated with mating."

 

National Feral Cat Day was launched in 2001 by Alley Cat Allies, the
national advocate for feral and stray cats and a recognized authority on
Trap-Neuter-Return - a program in which cats who live outdoors are humanely
trapped and brought to a veterinarian to be evaluated, spayed or neutered
and vaccinated.  Cats that have undergone the procedure are eartipped -
while under anesthesia, a small portion of the left ear is painless removed
for identification.  Friendly cats and kittens are put up for adoption.


 

"We applaud St. Bernard Parish Animal Services for its work to educate their
neighbors about the benefits of programs that rely on Trap-Neuter-Return and
the use of humane deterrents to ensure that people and outdoor cats get
along peacefully," said Becky Robinson, President of Alley Cat Allies.

 

Robinson noted that scientific evidence as well as decades of hands-on
experience show that Trap-Neuter-Return is more humane than programs that
rely on catch and kill.  It is also more effective, because it stops intact
cats who evade capture from breeding and starting the cycle all over again,
a phenomenon known as the vacuum effect.

 

"The cost of catch and kill is too high, and not only in terms of dollars,"
said Robinson.  "Being killed in an animal pound or shelter is the leading
documented cause of death for cats in the United States."

 

For more information about National Feral Cat Day, see
www.alleycat.org/NFCD.