Although these kittens were fortunate to find us, there are many more that do not get a chance. The Austin Humane Society is hard at work preventing thousands of kittens from being born into homelessness through our free Feral Cat Spay and Neuter Program.

 

Since March 2007, the AHS clinic has sterilized over 11,000 cats and has had tremendous impact on the numbers of kittens entering shelters as well as the euthanasia rate. Town Lake Animal Center (TLAC) reports a 28% reduction in intake and a greater than 50% reduction in cat and kitten euthanasia from 2007 to 2009.

National Feral Cat Awareness Day is October 16th. To celebrate, AHS has set a goal to perform a record number of surgeries. On Wednesday, October 14 and Thursday, October 15 the AHS Feral Cat Spay and Neuter Clinic will carry out 200 surgeries in two days; that’s double the number in a typical week! “Our goals in 2009 is to spay and neuter over 5,000 cats and continue to reduce the number of strays and kittens that fill our shelters every year,” says Frances Jonon AHS executive director.

“Feral cats are the same as companion cats, except they live outdoors in colonies and have never been socialized to people. The only humane solution to end overpopulation of cats in our community is to trap/neuter/return (TNR). TNR has the added benefit of ended the negative behaviors associated with breeding and makes the cats better neighbors,” added Jonon. “With the trap/neuter/return method, outdoor cats are humanely trapped and brought to our clinic to be spayed or neutered, treated for fleas and vaccinated. Cats that have undergone the procedure are ear-tipped, it’s the universal sign that a free roaming cat has been spayed or neutered.”