Two local animal welfare groups combine efforts to TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) feral cats within the City of Chattanooga and all of Hamilton County. Wally's Friends, at 155 Unaka Street, Redbank, and McKamey Animal Center, at 4500 North Access Road, Chattanooga, will be offering greatly reduced fees for spay/neuter services to cat caretakers who trap and care for feral cats. On
Oct. 25, 26, and 27, both agencies will accept feral cats at their locations for surgery at a cost of only $10 for males and $15 females. All cats must be in a safe-trap and not cat carriers to reduce the risk of bites and scratches. The program is restricted to feral cats only and is limited to the three days.
The project is in conjunction with Alley Cat Allies promotional efforts to bring attention to National Feral Cat Day on
October 16th.
According to McKamey Animal Center's Executive Director Jamie McAloon, "We would love to see as many as 100 cats get fixed during these three days. This is a proactive approach to an age old problem and we know it works to permanently reduce the number of cats." McKamey Animal Center receives approximately 3000 unwanted cats annually.
Feral cats are domestic cats that live entirely outdoors. Unlike stray cats-who were formerly someone's pet but were abandoned by their owners, feral cats are not socialized to people. Feral cats thrive in all landscapes, from the most rural to the inner city. Studies show them to be as healthy as cats who live indoors. However, due to breeding, they tend to pose nuisance problems. If feral cats are spayed/neutered, those problems abate almost entirely, and the cats go on to live a healthy life in the wild.
Trap-Neuter-Return improves cats' lives. With Trap-Neuter-Return, cats are humanely trapped and taken to a veterinarian to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and ear tipped (the universal symbol of a neutered and vaccinated cat). Healthy feral cats are then returned to their outdoor home. Trap-Neuter-Return is effective because it stabilizes the population, improves the cats' health, and ends behaviors associated with mating, like yowling, roaming, and fighting. Trap-Neuter-Return is practiced in communities all across the U.S. and endorsed by national animal protection organizations.
This program is being funded by Wally's Friends, McKamey Animal Center, and a Go Fund account set up at
gofundme.com/2stutxjs. For more information, call McKamey Animal Center at
423-305-6502 or Wally's Friends at
423-877-9966.