If you love cats, this blog post is for you. Cats are such a wonderful addition to our families, but not every cat has a warm and loving home to live in. There are wild populations of cats everywhere and this post spotlights the organization that has been their voice for 25 years: Alley Cat Allies.
About ACA
This organization came about in order to bring awareness of and protection to those felines living outdoors in communities all across the country. One of the most important programs this organization has promoted is their trap-neuter-return program.
Their Mission
Their purpose for being is to make sure that people understand and value their feral cat populations. These aren’t cats who want to cuddle up next to you and, in fact, they will more likely run away from you than get close.
Feral Cats
The truth about feral cats that Alley Cat Allies is trying to promote is that cats can live healthy lives outdoors and they do not spread disease. The reason for this is because cats can only spread disease to a human who touches them. Because feral cats are afraid and don’t get near humans, there is no fear of spreading any disease to you.
Another false notion about feral cats is that they spread rabies. In truth, the last documented cat to human rabies transmission was 40 years ago in 1975. Cats are vaccinated for rabies through the trap-neuter-return program.
Trap-Neuter-Return
While, in the past, communities were upset and concerned about feral cat populations, the trap-neuter-return return program has calmed those fears because the cat population is not growing and these cats are getting vaccinated.
In fact, after employing the trap-neuter-return program in many communities, people are finding that they are coexisting with their feral cats on a very harmonious basis.
If you discover a feral cat population in your community, contact Alley Cat Allies to see how they can help implement a trap-neuter-return program where you live.
Photo Credit: istockphoto.com
