October 16th Is National Feral Cat Day

Happy Feral Cat Day! I am volunteering with a new group called PCAT (Plaquemines Cat Action Team) to promote humane solutions to the outdoor cat overpopulation problem. Nationally, Alley Cat Allies is a group dedicated to spreading the word about TNR, or Trap, Neuter, Return. The theory behind this is that there will always be feral cats on the streets-- in an ideal world where pet owners were responsible and spayed/neutered their pets, this wouldn't happen, but we don't live in an ideal world. Feral cats tend to live in colonies. Think of them as a really pretty piece of wildlife. Statistics have shown that the best way to reduce cat population is not to trap and euthanize, but to use TNR. If you euthanize the cats, more will move in to take their places, whereas if you manage the colony, they live out their lives in one spot in steady numbers (no kittens), keeping other cats out. Each cat's left ear is tipped to indicate that they've already been done.

Did you know that spay/neutering feral cats cuts down on many "problem" behaviors, such as yowling, roaming, fighting, spraying, and other mating-related behavior? Did you know that, realistically, there isn't any place for trapped cats to stay right now due to Katrina, so if you call animal control, they will euthanize? Our group is committed to spreading the word about free or low-cost spay/neuter services to stop overpopulation before it starts. The reality is that there are too many pets on the streets right now and too few resources. A lot of people don't want to hear that we are putting the cats back. This is the "return" part of Trap, Neuter, Return. Sometimes if the cats are social, or if they're still kittens, they can be adopted locally or shipped out of town. But this isn't going to be feasible in most cases. However, TNR really does help to stop the reproduction and reduce nuisance behavior. If you have stray or feral cats in your neighborhood, most cities have programs and events that you can take advantage of, ie: They'll fix them for free!

To find out more about feral cats, go here: http://www.nationalferalcatday.org/. Or, if you're in the New Orleans area, there are several community activities in honor of Feral Cat Day:

FREE Spay/Neuter services for outdoor cats
October 16-17-18 – Ark Animal Hospital (males) 504-834-0906
October 16-21 – Southern Animal Foundation 504-671-8235
(Please note that you need to call for an appointment.)

October 16 – 7:00 pm
Learn about new ways to help outdoor cats of Greater New Orleans!
Jewish Community Center – 5342 Saint Charles Ave (Uptown)

October 17 - 6:30 pm
Get involved in Plaquemines Parish (I'll be at this one!)
Belle Chasse Auditorium

Jolee Bindo (showing off his v. fashionable S.A.F. ear tip)
says, "I'm not feral. I just don't like you."

Tags: pets, cats, new orleans, hurricane katrina, katrina cats, national feral cat day, feral cats, TNR