Alley Cat Rescue Sterilizes Over 1,400 Cats in 2017

Alley Cat Rescue had a busy 2017! We hit the ground running and sterilized 1,433 cats last year alone. We were able to accomplish such a feat by continuing to offer our Cheap Fix clinic to the local community, while also training animal control officers in Roanoke, Virginia how to implement trap-neuter-return (TNR) and by performing TNR ourselves.
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The number of cats we sterilize per year has grown dramatically. From 895 cats in 2010, to over 1,400 cats this passed year … that’s a 60% increase! Moving forward our goal is to sterilize over 1,500 cats in 2018. ACR also works to promote sterilization through our May Spay Challenge, where participating veterinarians have already sterilized 35,000 cats across the globe.

Why is promoting sterilization and TNR so important? Because they’re the most effective and humane methods of reducing cat overpopulation. Providing spay/neuter and TNR services stop the reproduction cycle in its tracks. When cats are left to breed, this results in high rates of euthanasia of healthy animals at shelters across the country, simply because shelters cannot care for the high number of cats and kittens being born each year. Currently, the ASPCA estimates that 860,000 cats are euthanized every year. It’s true that the number of cats euthanized per year has been decreasing, however, we still have a lot of work to do. No healthy cat should be euthanized simply for lack of resources or homes.

Promoting sterilization and TNR is a large component of ACR’s mission of protecting all cats. You, too, can get involved in spay/neuter and help save cats’ lives! Watch ACR’s step by step guide on TNR and get out in the field yourself. Together we can assist cats and our communities. If there are no feral cats in your neighborhood, please consider donating to ACR so we can continue to help cats. 

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