 |
| Healthy adult feral cats were spayed or neutered and returned to their outdoor homes in neighborhoods adjacent to Atlantic City’s Boardwalk. |
Alley Cat Allies, which was founded in 1990 and based in Bethesda, Md., recently held a three-day spay/neuter clinic in June in Atlantic City, N.J. Alley Cat Allies staff and 30 volunteers humanely trapped, sterilized and vaccinated 68 feral cats during its Feline Frenzy.
The clinic was an extension of Alley Cat Allies’ seven-year program caring for the Atlantic City Boardwalk cats. Because the population of Boardwalk cats has been stable for years, this project focused on helping feral cats in neighborhoods adjacent to the Boardwalk.
“Atlantic City desperately needs affordable, no-cost sterilization and vaccination for both pets and outdoor cats,” said Becky Robinson, president and co-founder of Alley Cat Allies. “We conducted this clinic to help many residents who saw our success on the Boardwalk and asked us for help with feral cats in their neighborhood.
Alley Cat Allies uses the method called trap-neuter-return, or TNR. With TNR, cats living outdoors are humanely trapped, then evaluated, vaccinated, spayed/neutered and ear-tipped for identification. Stray cats and kittens are put up for adoption. Healthy adult feral cats are returned to their outdoor homes.
Suzanna Brown, DVM, of Best Friends Veterinary Hospital in Mays Landing, led the team of three veterinarians and three veterinary technicians. Nineteen stray cats that were friendly to humans, including two litters of kittens, were placed in foster care and will be put up for adoption. Forty-nine healthy adult feral cats were returned to their outdoor homes where local caregivers will feed and monitor the cats.
For more information, click here.