Alley Cat Rescue 2022 Global Feral Fix Challenge Results in Spay/Neuter of Over 50,000 Community Cats


group of feral kittens

Kittens born to a feral cat

The participation of veterinarians around the globe is very important to achieving our ultimate goal, which is the sterilization of all community cats.

Alley Cat Rescue’s 12th annual Feral Fix Challenge drew to a close on December 31, 2022. The Challenge is a global event that invites veterinarians to get involved with trap-neuter-return (TNR) by providing low-cost or free spay/neuter surgeries and rabies vaccinations for free-roaming cats. The goal of the Challenge is to save feral cats from shelter euthanasia, starvation, and disease by humane population management.

The 2022 Challenge saw participation from veterinarians and clinics across 25 U.S. states as well as Greece, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, who together sterilized around 51,000 community cats. In past years, vets from a total of all 50 U.S. states, Antigua, Canada, Croatia, Israel, India, Japan, Nicaragua, and England have also taken part in the Challenge. The grand total of cats spayed or neutered as a result of the yearly Challenge is over 230,000.

Alley Cat Rescue founder and president, Louise Holton, explains the significance of this campaign: “The participation of veterinarians around the globe is very important to achieving our ultimate goal, which is the sterilization of all community cats. This process is the only way to reduce the population of outdoor cats; killing them, bedsides being inhumane, simply does not work as studies show new cats will enter vacated areas and breed until the number of cats there is back to the same level as before or even higher.”

The 2023 round of the Feral Fix Challenge is already underway. Veterinarians everywhere are encouraged to join by pledging to provide free or low-cost spay/neuter services to as many free-roaming cats as is feasible for their individual practices via the link http://www.saveacat.org/the-feral-fix.html. Non-veterinary Individuals can get involved by Emailing debbie@saveacat.org to request an invitation be sent to their vet, or for a sample invitation if they prefer to invite their vet personally.

Alley Cat Rescue is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the welfare of all cats: domestic, stray, abandoned, and feral. ACR advocates for humane nonlethal control of feral cats. For more information, visit their website http://www.saveacat.org.

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