CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND, Va. Oct. 31, 2018 Alley Cat Allies, the global engine of change for cats, is supporting a second volunteer spay/neuter clinic for community cats on Chincoteague Island on the weekend of Nov. 2-4, following a previous clinic in June that was highly successful. This weekend’s clinic is funded by Alley Cat Allies and will be coordinated by Chincoteague Island (CI) Community Cats and Virginia’s Caring Hands Animal Support & Education (CHASE).
Support from Alley Cat Allies has already made it possible for local volunteers to conduct Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) for 70 cats on the island. The goal for this weekend is to reach another 30 cats, which would give organizers an impressive total of 100 cats through the program in less than six months.
“The well-coordinated program on Chincoteague Island is a perfect example of how TNR can help cats and benefit the surrounding community anywhere it’s practiced,” said Becky Robinson, president and founder of Alley Cat Allies. “We commend CI Community Cats and CHASE for their incredible achievements and hope their work can inspire even more of these clinics and programs in the area.”
The weekend clinic will involve the coordination of different groups in various locations. Volunteers will gather Friday evening to begin trapping cats in a central area on Chincoteague Island. The trapped cats will then be transferred to a secure location on the island until Saturday morning, when volunteers will take them to Pocomoke Animal Hospital in Maryland. They will be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and eartipped (the tips of their left ears will be painlessly removed while under anesthesia to indicate they have been part of a TNR program). The cats will be transported back from the hospital to Chincoteague Island on Saturday afternoon and held overnight for recovery. They will be returned to their outdoor homes on Sunday morning.
TNR is the mainstream approach for humanely addressing the community cat population, with hundreds of cats on Chincoteague Island having been a part of similar TNR efforts in years past. TNR is sound public policy because it reduces shelter intake, unnecessary “euthanasia,” and calls to animal services, which saves taxpayer dollars.
Scientific studies show that TNR ends the cycle of new kitten litters and stabilizes the population of community cats, improves their lives and improves their relationships with people who live near them. Thousands of towns and cities in a wide variety of landscapes conduct TNR programs, and Alley Cat Allies has tracked more than 650 that have adopted official TNR policies and ordinances.
(Note to editors: Photographs of the weekend’s activities will be available upon request.)
About Alley Cat Allies
Alley Cat Allies, headquartered in Bethesda, Md., is the global engine of change for cats. We protect and improve cats’ lives through our innovative, cutting-edge programs. We are seen around the world as a champion for the humane treatment of all cats. Founded in 1990, today Alley Cat Allies has more than a half-million supporters and helps tens of thousands of individuals, communities and organizations save and improve the lives of millions of cats and kittens worldwide. Its website is www.alleycat.org, and Alley Cat Allies is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.