BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 22, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Alley Cat Allies (ACA) is establishing a base camp near Bogalusa, Louisiana to assist in direct rescue activities and to restore services for free-roaming cats and their caregivers throughout the hurricane-devastated areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. These efforts are in response to hundreds of calls for help from beleaguered feral cat advocates.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1921
"Stray and feral cats are the unseen and often forgotten victims in every catastrophe," said Becky Robinson, ACA national director. "The individuals and small groups who cared for these cats have lost everything, but they are telling us that the cats are still there and desperately need help."
Most feral cat caregivers were forced to evacuate; many have not returned. Those who have come back have no resources or any means to care for the cats. Cats with eartips, the universal identification for a sterilized feral cat, are showing up in many emergency shelters but, because feral cats are not socialized and are not suitable for adoption, their only hope is to be returned to their territories or relocated elsewhere.
ACA's first challenge is to locate known feral cat colonies and provide them with food and water. ACA staff and volunteers will rescue feral cats still in shelters and relocate them to suitable outdoor homes, identify other colonies in need of help, and reconnect caregivers and advocates with each other and with the veterinary community to provide spay/neuter services and ongoing support for outdoor cats.
Spay/neuter services must be reestablished as soon as possible, according to Robinson, because sexually intact pet cats who were not rescued will join feral cat colonies and begin to breed. Their kittens will be born feral.
"Unless aggressive spay/neuter programs start up immediately," Robinson said, "in a few months, the stray and feral cat population will explode.
"The people here want to tackle this problem," Robinson continued. "They just need help to get moving. ACA's goal is to rebuild the feral cat network in the Gulf States, and we will stay as long as it takes to get the job done."
About Alley Cat Allies
Alley Cat Allies (www.alleycat.org), with more than 100,000 supporters, is the national nonprofit organization advocating for feral and stray cats. For 15 years, ACA has advocated Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), the only effective and humane method to reduce feral cat populations. ACA's efforts have generously been supported by donations to its Compassion Fund. Donations may be made online at www.alleycat.org or by calling 240-482-1983.
The Alley Cat Allies logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1922
