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Press Release
For Immediate Release: DECEMBER 5, 2008
Contact: ELIZABETH PAROWSKI, eparowski@alleycat.org or 240-482-1984; FRANCIE ISRAELI, fisraeli@johnadams.com or 202-207-1134
ALLEY CAT ALLIES CALLS ON LOS ANGELES COUNTY TO
ADOPT HUMANE PLAN FOR FERAL CATS
Calls for end to feeding ban; urges officials to maintain Trap-Neuter-Return program
BETHESDA — Alley Cat Allies, the national advocate for stray and feral cats, today urged Los
Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe to lift a cruel feeding ban on a colony of feral cats at the
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, CA, and to allow the colony’s
caregivers to continue their humane neuter, vaccinate, and return program for the cats.
“Volunteers at Rancho Los Amigos have cared for the cats on the property for years, providing
food and veterinary care out of their own pockets and working hard to ensure reproduction is
stopped through Trap-Neuter-Return,” said Becky Robinson, president of Alley Cat Allies. “This
successful program should be allowed to continue.”
Robinson said Alley Cat Allies has launched an online action center
[http://capwiz.com/alleycat/home/] to encourage supporters nationwide to voice their support for
the longtime Rancho Los Amigos Trap-Neuter-Return program.
“Knabe’s plan to send the cats to a shelter – where the only positive outcome for an animal is
adoption – makes no sense,” she continued. “Feral cats are members of the domestic cat species,
but they are not socialized to humans and are not candidates for adoption. Feral cats are almost
always killed immediately in animal shelters.”
Robinson noted that caregivers have been threatened with fines and other action if they continue to
feed the cats on the property.
“Feeding bans are inherently cruel to animals, and are counterproductive,” she said. “They only
serve to encourage roaming – the cats will become more visible as they search for a new food
source.”
“Knabe is greatly misguided on feral cats,” said Robinson. “The ‘catch and kill’ approach is not
only cruel, it’s ineffective, because intact cats will move in and begin the breeding cycle all over
again. There are simple and humane ways to ensure cats and people coexist peacefully. We urge
Los Angeles County to work with the local caregivers and feral cat groups and enact policies that
are beneficial for the cats and people in the community.”
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About Alley Cat Allies
Alley Cat Allies is the nation’s leading advocate for stray and feral cats. Their website is www.alleycat.org.
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