AZ Cats Sets Goal to Sterilize 1,000 Feral Cats in October

AzCATs’ Trap, Neuter, Return continues to lead the way.

Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) September 27, 2006 -- The Maricopa County based Arizona Cat Assistance Team (AzCATs) again achieved national recognition from the American Humane Association, this time as a “best practice” for Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR). To commemorate this achievement and to honor National Feral Cat Day on October 16th, the organization plans to humanely trap and end the breeding cycle for 1,000 free-roaming cats during the month of October. This will be the organization’s largest TNR effort ever.

“We are excited about our goal to sterilize 1,000 cats in October,” says President & CEO, Melissa Newton. “This is the first time the organization has had the ability to accomplish such a task. We are fortunate to have great volunteers, and key collaborations that will help us achieve this feat.”

According to Jan Raven, Chair of the AzCATs Board of Directors, “October was selected as the month to sterilize 1,000 cats for many reasons. First, the organization always does something to recognize National Feral Cat Day. With over 350,000 free-roaming cats in Maricopa County, we are always trying to increase the number of cats we are able to sterilize. The most important factor in our decision was the recent publication of a study done by the University of Florida veterinary school in which AzCATs and 6 other TNR organizations across the nation participated. Every organization reported cyclical pregnancy rates with the lowest found between October and December. Given the holidays October is the obvious choice to challenge ourselves to get ahead of the curve in 2007.”

AzCATs needs your help. If you are interested in participating in this monumental effort, please contact Melissa Newton at 480-968-4867. The organization needs volunteers to trap and transport cats, answer phones, and much more.

Contact AzCATs if you are feeding a feral cat colony that you need to sterilize. Please visit the web site at www.azcats.org or contact AzCATs at 480-968-4867 or by e-mail for more information.

AzCATs is an Arizona non-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation dedicated to humanely ending cat overpopulation. For more information on AzCATs call (480) 986-4TNR (4867).

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