Lawmakers vote in favor of Trap-Neuter-Return, overturning ordinances that kill cats

BETHESDA, Md., June 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Alley Cat Allies, the only national advocacy organization dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats, today applauded County Commissioners in Wake County, N.C. for their vote in support of an ordinance that protects the lives of cats and reverses policies that send cats to their deaths in pounds and shelters. 

"We thank the commissioners for their vote today in support of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), the only effective and humane approach to feral cats in a community," said Becky Robinson, president and co-founder of Alley Cat Allies. "This is a major advancement for cats and the people who care for them, and we look forward to working with Wake County as it implements this lifesaving program.

"We also thank our supporters and the hundreds of concerned local citizens whose outpouring of letters and phone calls were instrumental in persuading policymakers that supporting TNR is the right direction for the community," Robinson said.

Under the ordinance voted in by the Board of Commissioners, feral cats with an "eartip" (a portion of the cat's left ear has been surgically removed) will be recognized as part of a TNR program and will no longer be impounded simply for being outdoors. Animal Control will work with local groups to address calls about eartipped cats, and will provide information about TNR to all residents who call about stray or at-large cats. Feral cat caregivers will no longer be fined or cited and will be allowed to retrieve cats from the county pound.

The vote represents the culmination of a cooperative effort to change Wake County's treatment of cats by Alley Cat Allies and Wake Voice for Animals Cat Committee, comprised of local animal organizations, including Operation Catnip, the SPCA of Wake County, SAFE Haven for Cats, Cat Angels Pet Adoptions, and Alley Cats and Angels.

TNR is a lifesaving and effective program in which feral cats – who are not socialized to people and cannot be adopted – are humanely trapped, neutered and vaccinated before being returned to their outdoor home. TNR ends the breeding cycle, stabilizing and ultimately reducing the population. It also makes the cats better and healthier neighbors by stopping behaviors associated with mating, like yowling, roaming and fighting.

"Wake County now joins the dozens of communities across the country who have embraced TNR after decades of the failure of 'catch and kill,'" Robinson said. 

About Alley Cat Allies

Alley Cat Allies is the only national advocacy organization dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats. Founded in 1990, today Alley Cat Allies has more than 260,000 supporters and helps tens of thousands of individuals, communities, and organizations save and improve the lives of cats and kittens nationwide. Their web site is www.alleycat.org.

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Becky Robinson - http://www.profnetconnect.com/becky_robinson

SOURCE Alley Cat Allies