Alley Cat Allies Tracks Developments in Los Angeles Decision on Trap-Neuter-Return

Calls for Restoration of Funding, Asks Residents to Voice Support

BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alley Cat Allies, the national advocate for stray and feral cats, said it is closely monitoring developments following a recent decision by a Los Angeles court which required the city to suspend spay/neuter funding for feral cats and to stop community education about Trap-Neuter-Return.

“We are actively working to ensure that city spay/neuter funding is restored as soon as possible. It is critical to act now.”

“Trap-Neuter-Return is the only humane and effective course of action for the city’s feral cats,” said Becky Robinson, president of Alley Cat Allies. “We are actively working to ensure that city spay/neuter funding is restored as soon as possible. It is critical to act now.”

Robinson noted that feral cats are a natural part of the landscape, and have co-existed with humans for thousands of years. They can be found all over the U.S. in every setting, including the most urban, like Los Angeles. Feral cats are not socialized to people, preferring to live in family groups called colonies. While they are the same species as domestic cats, they are not adoptable and are almost always killed in animal shelters.

“Before the judge’s decision, Los Angeles – like many progressive communities across the U.S. – had embraced Trap-Neuter-Return,” said Robinson. “For the past fifteen years, the city provided low-cost spay/neuter vouchers that helped to support Trap-Neuter-Return programs, which benefit the community by ending the breeding cycle, stabilizing the population and improving the cats’ health.”

Robinson said Alley Cat Allies has been working closely with local feral cat groups and individual caregivers in urging the city to reinstate support for this lifesaving program. Alley Cat Allies has also established an online action center (www.alleycat.org/LosAngeles), where Los Angeles residents can easily contact local city council representatives to tell them they support Trap-Neuter-Return and want spay/neuter funding restored for L.A.’s feral cats.

Robinson noted that the decision does not stop private groups or individual residents from practicing Trap-Neuter-Return, but will force programs that had relied on city vouchers to curtail their spay/neuter efforts until funding is restored. (A list of community resources for Trap-Neuter-Return is available at www.alleycat.org/LosAngeles.)

About Alley Cat Allies

Alley Cat Allies is the nation’s leading advocate for stray and feral cats. Their web site is www.alleycat.org.