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Home > The Alliance in the News > 2007 Alliance News Items > Feral Cat Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Leaders Coming to the Sunshine State in November

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, June 25, 2007

Feral Cat Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Leaders Coming to the Sunshine State in November

The 4th annual National Feral Cat Summit is coming to Orlando, FL, on Sat., Nov. 10th, 2007. The program includes workshops on Disaster Preparation for Feral Cat Programs & Caretakers, Feral Cats & Wildlife: Moving from Confrontation to Collaboration, Advanced Colony Caretaker Training & Funding for Ferals. Workshops & Wet Lab for Veterinarians & Veterinary Technicians allow up to 6 CE Units to be earned. Speakers include Keynote Address by Jane Hoffman, the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals.

New York, NY – Monday, June 25, 2007 – Experts on working with feral cats and implementing Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs will gather on Saturday, November 10, 2007, at the Orange County Convention Center in Florida for the fourth annual National Feral Cat Summit. The professional conference brings together the country's top leaders on feral cat management and population control. "The Summit provides an excellent opportunity for feral cat groups and individual caretakers from around the country to network, share resources and knowledge, and promote the compassionate care of homeless cats," says Bryan Kortis, Executive Director of Neighborhood Cats, the organization that produces the annual educational conference.

This year's program focuses on community-wide programs and strengthening the skills of individual feral cat colony caretakers. The morning's general session will feature a keynote address by Jane Hoffman, Founder and President of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals; a report on non-surgical sterilization research by the Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs (ACC&D); an update on the TNR study being conducted in Alachua County and funded by Maddie's Fund, a demonstration of the Feral Cat Colony Online Database; a screening of The Humane Society of the United States' new film, "Trap-Neuter-Return: Fixing Feral Cat Overpopulation," and a Regional Roundtable discussion on "Building Working TNR Coalitions" sponsored by Best Friends Animal Society.

Afternoon Workshops include Disaster Preparation for Feral Cat Programs and Caretakers, Designing an Effective Community-wide TNR Program, Feral Cats and Wildlife: Moving from Confrontation to Collaboration, Advanced Colony Caretaker Training, Funding for Ferals, and Organizing and Running a Feral Cat Mass Spay/Neuter Clinic.

In addition, this year's conference is the first to feature a special Continuing Education program for Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians sponsored by the ASPCA and instructed by Dr. Julie Levy, a renowned expert on feral cats and Associate Professor at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine. Veterinarians and veterinary technicians can earn 3 CE Units by attending an afternoon workshop on Saturday, November 10, and an additional 3 CE Units by participating in a Mass Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Wet Lab at the University of Florida's Gainesville campus on Sunday, November 11th. Roundtrip transportation between Gainesville and Orlando is provided free of charge by the ASPCA.

Additional speakers at the Summit will include Bryan Kortis, Esther Mechler (SPAY USA), Nancy Peterson (The Humane Society of the US), Paul Jolly (PETCO Foundation), Kit Jenkins, (PetSmart Charities), Laura Bevan (The Humane Society of the US), Eric Stiles (NJ Audubon Society), Meredith Weiss (Neighborhood Cats), Holly Sizemore (No More Homeless Pets in Utah), Frank Hamilton (Animal Coalition of Tampa), Melissa Newton (Az CATS) and Suzan Shaw (CARE Feline Rescue; Orange County Animal Services).

Presenting Sponsors include American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), The Humane Society of the United States, Best Friends Animal Society, PetSmart Charities, PETCO Foundation and Petfinder.com. Supporting Sponsors include University of Florida - College of Veterinary Medicine, Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs (ACC&D), SPAY USA, Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, CARE Feline Rescue, and Animal Coalition of Tampa (ACT).

Tickets are $55.00 if purchased online and $56.75 if purchased by phone, and include a Vegan Lunch sponsored by PetSmart Charities and an Evening Networking Reception sponsored by PETCO Foundation.

For Tickets: www.ticketweb.com or (866) 468-7630

To view the complete program go to www.neighborhoodcats.org.

For more information contact: feralcatsummit@yahoo.com or (212) 662-5761.

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