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Meet the NYC Feral Cat Initiative Team: Kathleen O’Malley

As a community cat caretaker, Kathleen O'Malley, who is also Director of TNR Education for the NYC Feral Cat Initiative, sets up winter shelters for her colony in New Jersey. (Photo by Kayt Hester)
As a community cat caretaker, Kathleen O’Malley, who is also Director of TNR Education for the NYC Feral Cat Initiative, sets up winter shelters for her colony in New Jersey. (Photo by Kayt Hester)
The NYC Feral Cat Initiative (NYCFCI), a program of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals committed to solving NYC’s feral cat overpopulation crisis through the humane, non-lethal method of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), welcomed its newest team member, Kathleen O’Malley, at the beginning of 2015.

Kathleen joins NYCFCI as Director of TNR Education, with responsibility for outreach to the TNR community and the public regarding community cats. In this newly created position, Kathleen plans to update NYCFCI’s training workshops for TNR caretakers; work with community boards, NYPD Precinct Councils, City Council members, and other elected officials to inform them about TNR and colony care; and work with other members of the NYCFCI team to coordinate services and resources for the TNR community.

“I look forward to seeing a noticeable citywide reduction in the community cat population through TNR,” says Kathleen. “I’m thrilled and honored that I can do something about it by helping more and more New Yorkers become certified. And, just as important, by helping certified TNR caretakers obtain the resources they need to complete TNR on their cat colonies.”

Kathleen manages a colony of her own and has a background in large-scale TNR projects as a member and President of the Hudson County Animal League, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization located in New Jersey.

In addition, Kathleen was most recently TNR Manager, Community Outreach for the ASPCA. She has also worked in scientific publishing and has owned a vintage clothing boutique. She and her husband share their home with four cats: Thor, Hela, and “foster failures” Jude and Luke, who were once part of the feral colony she manages.