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For many years, the City of Long Beach has been home to a large number of feral and stray cats. "Ferals" originate from lost or abandoned house cats. After living outside on their own, they've grown wild and wary of most people. They live in backyards and alleys, near dumpsters and other food sources. Left unmanaged, their numbers grow and so does their problem behavior, such as yowling and spraying. The presence of the cats throughout the city poses a serious quality of life issue.
Until recently, the problem has been ignored except for the admirable efforts of local animal rescuers who took it upon themselves to place for adoption some of the cats who could still be tamed, or have some fixed so their reproduction would stop. All at their own expense. But the number of street cats in the City numbers in the hundreds and the problem far outstrips rescuers' resources. But now a solution is at hand. City Councilwoman Mona Goodman has been instrumental in bringing together concerned local animal welfare organizations, activists and veterinarians to form "Long Beach Cats," a group dedicated to reducing the City's feral cat population through the use of the method known as "Trap-Neuter-Return." TNR, as it's commonly known, involves trapping the street cats, getting them neutered and vaccinated for rabies, then returning them to their outdoor homes where caretakers provide regular food and shelter and watch for any newcomers. Kittens, noise and odor are dramatically reduced and over time, the number of cats declines. 
Not only is TNR humane, it is the only method known to permanently reduce the cats' numbers. Many people at first mistakenly believe the numbers can be lowered by trapping the cats and not returning them. While this has the appeal of simplicity, experience has shown time and time again that trying to just remove the cats does not work to lower their population. "Trap and remove" fails for many reasons, including the prolific reproductive capacity of the cats, the lack of sufficient animal control resources for purposes of catching the cats, the resistance of feeders and caretakers, and the absence of an ongoing monitoring system to prevent new cats from starting the cycle anew. The felines' faces may change, but not their numbers. To be successful, TNR must be a community solution, which is why it is fitting the impetus for the Long Beach Cats program came from the City Council. If you're interested in getting a particular colony of cats fixed, please read the details of Our TNR Program, then print out and mail in a Request for Assistance form. Volunteers and donations are also welcome and needed - go to the Donate page to learn more. Together, we'll make life better for the cats and the City! Long Beach Cats is a project of Neighborhood Cats Inc.a 501C(3) non profit orgnization dedicated to feral cats and based in New York City Mrs Tony Accomando serves as Program Coordinator for Long Beach Cats address:246 West Park Ave.suite 255 |
Long Beach Library 111 West Park Ave. June 17th, 2006 2:00 PM Help reduce the feral cat population in Long Beach 
If you can not attend and are interested call 256-4567.
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