Alley Cat Rescue supports trap-neuter-return (TNR) of the cats, which would include sterilizing all the cats and vaccinating them against rabies, and removal of kittens young enough to be socialized from the park and into adoption programs. The NPS has said that the population of cats has actually increased over the years, despite local nonprofits and volunteers doing TNR. However, sources doing the TNR have explained to ACR that the cause for the increase is rampant pet abandonment that the NPS and local government have not taken steps to correct.
President and founder of ACR, Louise Holton, has been practicing and researching community cat management for 30 years. She explains that the NPS’ plan to rid the area of cats would be only a temporary solution: “Catch-and-kill simply does not work. New cats will arrive (or be dumped) and the cycle of breeding will continue—it’s been proven that TNR is the only way to control outdoor community cats.” As Holton further explains, cats who have been sterilized and then returned to their outdoor homes guard the territory, thereby keeping new, unsterilized cats from moving in and multiplying. Of course, as Holton pointed out, it defeats population control efforts when cats are continuously abandoned in an area.
ACR is asking the public to help persuade the NPS to cancel their removal plan and instead apply their resources to aiding in TNR and preventing callous cat abandonment at the historic site by signing their petition, available at https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/361/081/110/.
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 https://www.saveacat.org.
Media Contact
Debbie Holzer, Alley Cat Rescue Inc, 8189274130, [email protected], https://www.saveacat.org
SOURCE Alley Cat Rescue
