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New York City's feral cat caretakers received more than twelve tons of Red Flannel cat food to keep their colonies well-fed this fall and winter. Photo by Bryan Kortis NYCFCI Donates 25,280 Pounds of Cat Food to Feral Cat Caretakers On Saturday, August 14, the NYC Feral Cat Initiative (NYCFCI) and the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals distributed 25,280 pounds of Red Flannel dry cat food to New York City feral cat caretakers. Approximately 100 caretakers each received 140 pounds of food, and the remainder was donated to feed Riker's Island's large cat colony. The giveaway took place in Queens and was facilitated by the NYCFCI and volunteers from New York Cares. Riverdale caretaker Lisa Gaglia expressed how much free cat food means to her and her fellow caretakers: "We caretakers work very hard to feed our colonies of cats. Receiving a supplement of food helps tremendously to offset huge food costs, particularly in this tough economy where more cats are showing up in our colonies. Thank you for this food, it was much appreciated!" The free food giveaway was made possible by a donation of food by the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM), which maintains inventories of pet food for use in the event of an emergency in New York City. As the food's expiration date approaches, OEM routinely cycles out its inventory to be replaced by a new supply. Because of the Mayor's Alliance's participation on OEM's Animal Planning Task Force and its unique relationships within the NYC rescue community, OEM looks to the Mayor's Alliance as the logical recipient of the donated food. In addition to distributing the cat food, the Mayor's Alliance distributed a similarly large supply of dog food among rescue groups and human food pantries that stock pet food for four-footed family members.
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