Press Release

ASPCA, Animal Welfare Groups Celebrate Five-Year Anniversary of Landmark TNR Project

Homeless Cat Population on Rikers Island Reduced by Half

March 28, 2007

ASPCA Media Contact

NEW YORK, March 28, 2007— The ASPCA^® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®), in collaboration with other animal welfare groups, is celebrating the five-year anniversary of a landmark trap-neuter-return (TNR) project that reduced by more than half the number of stray, free-roaming feral cats on Rikers Island, the largest jail facility in the United States located just north of Queens in the Bronx.

In March 2002, in an effort to humanely manage an exploding population of stray and feral cats, animal welfare groups including the ASPCA, NYC’s Animal Care and Control, Humane Society of New York and Neighborhood Cats, Inc., joined forces with the NYC Department of Corrections to spay and neuter more than 300 feral cats and develop a long-term plan for their care.

In the first few months of the project, over 90 percent of the cats were trapped and either neutered and returned or made available for adoption.  Over the past five years, volunteers have trapped the remaining feral cats and any newcomers in a multi-phase project. Once trapped, the cats were sterilized and vaccinated before being returned to their outdoor homes, where caretakers provide ongoing care and maintenance. Friendly cats and kittens were removed from the colonies and placed up for adoption. If domestic strays join the colony in the future, as a result of being abandoned or lost, they will also be removed and placed into foster care and eventually, loving new homes.

"The cooperative, multi-agency approach is proof that collaboration is the best way to address the problem of pet overpopulation,” said Ed Sayres, President and CEO of the ASPCA. “By halving the population of feral cats on Rikers Island, we’ve not only prevented the exponential increase of more unwanted animals, but we have also established a sustainable model for TNR that provides humane care while gradually reducing the colony's numbers."

The feral cats on Rikers Island are the offspring of domestic housecats that were abandoned by their owners. When abandoned in the wild, cats will return to feral behaviors. Estimated to number in the tens of millions, unaltered feral cats roam free in the United States, congregating around food sources and breeding. TNR is the only recognized humane and effective way to manage these populations.

Spaying and neutering are essential to reducing the number of homeless animals. Cats are able to reproduce as young as five to six months of age, and may breed two or three times per year. Simply removing the cats does not solve the problem because the remaining food source will attract other cats, who will move in from nearby areas and breed, thereby beginning the cycle again. In addition, the number of free-roaming cats makes any removal effort impractical to attempt in light of limited animal control resources.

The Rikers Island TNR Project was funded by all the agencies involved and also received donations from Nutro Products, makers of MAX and Natural Choice premium pet foods, PETsMART Charities, Inc., a Phoenix, AZ based non-profit organization that awarded $8,000 to the project, The Meow Mix Company, a pet food manufacturer and The Artemis Project, a NYC-based non-profit organization.

Further support for long-term care of the cats on Rikers Island is desperately needed, as the food supply is rapidly dwindling and the cats consume 1,000 pounds of dry food each month. Those interested in supporting the long-term care of the cats on Rikers Island may donate to the Rikers Island Feral Cat Fund: Neighborhood Cats, Inc., 2576 Broadway, No. 555, New York, NY 10025.

###

Share

Print this Page

 

Send to a Friend

Donate Today