In recognition of National Feral Cat Day on Oct. 16, Animal Welfare Association encourages feral cat caregivers to take advantage of its Trap Neuter Return (TNR) workshops and Feral Spay/Neuter programs to help reduce the number of kittens born into feral cat colonies.
“Feral cats removed from the streets and taken to shelters are almost always deemed unadoptable and sadly euthanized,” says Maya Richmond, executive director at Animal Welfare Association. “Our programs work towards our goal of eliminating euthanasia as a solution to overpopulation by decreasing feral cat birth rates.”
Virtually 100 of percent feral cats who enter animal shelters are killed because they are not socialized to people and cannot be adopted. The average life-span of a feral cat brought to a shelter is three days. Feral cat programs decrease the number of cats entering shelters, limit euthanasia of healthy cats and humanely manage outdoor cat populations.
Animal Welfare Association hosts free TNR workshops on the third Thursday of every month, with the next workshop on Oct. 21 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The workshop teaches care of feral cats that includes identification, trapping, releasing and managing a colony.
AWA’s first M.A.S.H. Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Clinic held in August used a series of several stations to allow for more cats to receive TNR treatment. Volunteers trained to run tasks like check-in, vaccinations, pre-surgery preparation, recovery and discharge that increased the clinic’s efficiency. Additional M.A.S.H. style clinics will become available now that a group of volunteers is experienced with TNR and the feral cat community.
To sign up for a free TNR workshop or ask questions about Animal Welfare Association’s feral cat programs, email clinic@awanj.org or call 856-424-2288, ext. 116.
