Innovative legislation intended to change the way feral cats are handled though the animal control system will be proposed to the City Council by Mayor Sheila Dixon on Monday, August 13, 2007. This legislation is strongly backed by local and national humane organizations including the Maryland SPCA, Maryland Feline Society, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, and the national organization Alley Cat Allies. The mission of Alley Cat Allies is to protect the lives and promote the wellbeing of the nation's population of feral and stray cats and to end the killing of healthy cats in animal control pounds and shelters.
Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) August 12, 2007 -- Innovative legislation intended to change the way feral cats are handled though the animal control system will be proposed to the City Council by Mayor Sheila Dixon on Monday, August 13, 2007. This legislation is strongly backed by local and national humane organizations including the Maryland SPCA, Maryland Feline Society, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, and the national organization Alley Cat Allies.
Feral cats are outdoor cats that are otherwise perfectly healthy but are unsocialized to humans and therefore unadoptable. "This legislation is important because it will allow citizens to better care for the community's cats by humanely trapping, sterilizing, and vaccinating the cats. This will ensure their health and create a safety net for the cats and community," said Becky Robinson, President and co-founder of Alley Cat Allies. This management method is called Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and known to be the most effective management program and is reflective of a more caring society.
With Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), the breeding stops and populations of cats are gradually reduced. The nuisance behaviors of breeding cats, like yowling or spraying end. Adoptable cats and kittens are placed in loving homes, immediately reducing the number of cats in neighborhoods. Cats are cared for and monitored by volunteer caregivers.
Feral cats are not companion animals and do not belong in shelters. Trapping and killing them is cruel and costly. With the help of the proposed legislation, Baltimore will be in line with other major cities in the United States who are working to end the trapping and needless killing of feral cats.
The Maryland SPCA, Maryland Feline Society, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, and Alley Cat Allies are working together to develop a city-wide program for animal control to implement community outreach and humane education programs, and low-cost/no-cost spay/neuter clinics. Volunteers are needed to help with all efforts.
When: August 13, 2007, 5:00 PM
Where: Du Burns Council Chamber, 4th floor, City Hall
The Council meeting will be broadcast live on Cable TV 25.
About Alley Cat Allies
The mission of Alley Cat Allies is to protect the lives and promote the wellbeing of the nation's population of feral and stray cats and to end the killing of healthy cats in animal control pounds and shelters. Since 1990, Alley Cat Allies and its 150,000 supporters and volunteers have pursued this mission nationwide through educational, training and outreach programs, by providing veterinary care, sterilization and vaccinations, and by encouraging the policy of Trap-Neuter-Return to control reproduction of cats. Alley Cat Allies responds to more than 45,000 assistance requests a year and invites all members of the public to learn more about this critical societal need to "stop the killing." Please visit us at www.alleycat.org.
Media Contact: Patricia Jones (347) 306-2442
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