Help With The Feral Cat Problem

I know this is a Dog Blog but hey, we love our Catsters too! Thanks to Icebox for meowing in about Feral Cat Day!
Icebox wrote:

Hey Joy,
Here is something that Dogsters with Catster furblings may be interested in. October 16th is National Feral Cat Day! Alley Cat Allies is kicking off a campaign to raise awareness,
education, and action to improve the lives of feral and stray cats.

What is a feral cat? Plainly put, a feral cat is the wild offspring of domestic cats and are largely the consequence of people failing to spay or neuter their cat or abandonment of their cats. These cats endure as best they can – near restaurants, shopping centers, parks, dumps, or in rural areas. Feral cats frequently reside in colonies, and generally go out of their way to steer clear of human contact.

A cat pair of breeding age can produce several litters per year, and their descendents can tentatively produce about 250,000 kittens over a period of five years. The exact feral cat population of the United States is unknown, but it is
apparent that there are millions of such animals.

Without human involvement, many of these cats have short, painful lives and often die from disease, malnutrition, exposure, by car accidents, or by predators. A feral cat is nearly impossible to socialize if not captured as a small kitten. For your safety and that of the cat, a feral cat should not be handled without receiving instructions from a feral cat rescue group or
shelter.

The most acknowledged method of assisting feral cats and controlling their colonies involves humane capture, treatment, spay/neuter, and release or TNR(Trap Neuter Release).

The National Feral Cat Day website is a great source of information about feral cats. Read the facts where you discover the truth about feral cats. Learn why Trap and Remove does not work and why Trap, Neuter, and Return does work.

To help us with this important cause, a free Advocacy Kit is available for download from the website, or you may request a free kit by mail. Materials are designed to aid you in informing others and heighten awareness about feral cats. You can download a 2006 TNR Poster, 2006 National Feral Cat Day Brochure, 2006 National Feral Cat Day Truth Page, a Web Page, and E-mail Template. Information also includes how to Contact the Media in your community and other Educational Materials.

There is also an Activities page and a Success Tips page to help with ideas to spread the word.

Purrs
Icebox