Alley Cat Allies asks: Could you save this cat?

My mother once adopted the feral kitten of a Golden Gate Park feral cat. Her name was Misty and she lived to be 22 years old, and loved my mom and pretty much no one but my mom until the day she died -- held at the very end in my mother's arms.



Probably at least in part because of Misty, I've admired the work done by Alley Cat Allies for a long time. If you're not familiar with them, they are a national group seeking non-lethal means of reducing feral cat population numbers. You can read more about them and the good work they do here.



In the last year the group has raised their profile quite a bit, and have been coming out with some very hard-hitting informational pieces.



One of the projects they've recently come up with is a video that says it so much better than I ever could:

Comments

[shadepuppy]

Christie - thanks for posting their video! I know they want as much exposure as possible for this message, and this is a great place for that.



Cj

[rose]

Please feel encouraged to check them out and pass along their info. My admiration for their work is beyond any words I can think of. I've been at some of their TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) education talks, and, I recommend this organization to anyone who likes critters.

[straybaby]

well, as one who lives with a couple of ferals, yes, we can save them.



the ones in my backyard (LL's wife takes care of them) have all been neutered and there has def been a reduction in numbers. we have that invisible sign that only strays and ferals can see that says "Welcome". if pregnant ones show up, we take care of them also, but it's been about 5-7yrs since we've had one show up. all earlier litters have homes with all s/n including the moms. i think they are down to just a few of s/n adults now.



i have to give a shout out to the ASPCA S/N van for fixing all the ferals and their litters in my building's yard along with the 'hood shelter. they also help out others here that are doing TNR.



TNR does work, ime.



another one of my backyard ferals that i scooped up in a TNR moment lives below me. my LL got a kick out of the fact that as i was helping reduce the population in the yard, it was increasing in the building :) obviously, he's pet friendly!

[Serijna]

Tks so much Christie for putting the spotlight on Alley Cat Allies. They are one great group. On top of my list next to BF and very worthy of a monthly donation. They also have great hand outs and posters(in English or Spanish). And a great source of information on ferals.

I have still about 20 N/S ferals/semi ferals in the back that I take care off for the past 10 years. It used to be more. TNR does work. Some have become relatively tame, males faster than females, but it can take two years or longer. Plus they will still bolt from strangers so not really adoptable but tmae enough for me to give them Revolution.

They do resent any newcomers unless a real young one. So I still have to trap from time to time. Only had one litter this year and I caught the mom. Years ago I had multiple litters.

For anybody thinking of trapping producing ferals, get the traps with the sliding door opposite the trap door. Much easier to feed/water while waiting for an S/N appointment plus less chance of accidental escaping. Plus if the S/N wait is a few days, you can put two traps together by removing the sliding door so the cat has much more room.

[Nancy Peterson]

All cats need responsible care—whether they are feral and too wild to be handled or are tame and have recently lost their homes through roaming, escape or abandonment. To learn more about helping homeless cats, check out our website at www.humanesociety.org/feralcats and read frequently asked questions about feral cats and learn how you can help stray and feral cats in your community.

[The OTHER Pat]

Nancy, you're HSUS aren't you?