Out of the Cage! (Summer 2008)

NYC Feral Cat Initiative Launches New Website and E-Newsletter

Now there's a convenient place to go when you need answers about how to tame or bottle-feed kittens, where to have feral cats spayed or neutered, how to sign up for the next TNR workshop, and many more topics that relate to feral cat care in New York City. The New York City Feral Cat Initiative website at NYCFeralCat.org provides a wealth of information and guidance to help you manage a feral cat colony, perform a Trap-Neuter-Return project, or handle a difficult situation involving an outdoor cat.

The new website is designed to make it as easy as possible for those who are currently working with feral cats to get the information they need to be more successful, and also to make it easier for newcomers to get involved in helping NYC's feral cats. (The first step is to take a TNR Workshop and become a Certified Feral Cat Caretaker. Click here for a list of upcoming workshop dates and locations.)

For those visitors to the site who are unfamiliar with the NYC Feral Cat Initiative, a program funded by the Mayor's Alliance and Neighborhood Cats, the site clearly delineates the services offered by the NYC Feral Cat Initiative, and provides resources for those people seeking assistance in areas where the Initiative does not offer services.

The Initiative currently offers services in these areas:

Trap-neuter-return (TNR) workshops

Access to free and low-cost cat spay/neuter

Access to traps, cages, and other TNR equipment for certified caretakers

On-site TNR assistance

Advice by e-mail or phone

Access to educational events, in addition to TNR workshops

While the NYC Feral Cat Initiative does not handle emergency rescues or cruelty cases, and it does not take in cats from the general public, the website provides contact information for organizations that can provide services in these areas.

Maybe you're not ready to get involved in caring for a colony of outdoor cats, but you still can help by donating to the Initiative. Your donation will help increase the Initiative's ability to do more for the cats by funding more TNR projects throughout the city. The new website lets you make a convenient online donation.

For anyone interested in keeping abreast of the activities and progress of the NYC Feral Cat Initiative, a new e-newsletter — NYC Eartips — provides quarterly updates on the people and programs that are working to improve the plight of NYC's feral cats. Seasonal topics, such as providing winter shelter for outdoor cats, are also featured in each issue. It takes only a moment to sign up to receive NYC Eartips and begin receiving this informative publication in your in-box each quarter.

To learn more about the NYC Feral Cat Initiative or to get involved in its efforts to help NYC's feral and outdoor cats, please visit NYCFeralCat.org.