Narrowsburg News

Jane Luchsinger
Posted 8/21/12

Narrowsburg, we have a problem! We are overwhelmed with feral cats. Many of you are aware of this situation and don’t like it one bit.

Here are some staggering statistics. According to the …

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Narrowsburg News

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Narrowsburg, we have a problem! We are overwhelmed with feral cats. Many of you are aware of this situation and don’t like it one bit.

Here are some staggering statistics. According to the webpage of “Solano Feral Cat,” the average female has 1.4 liter per year, with 3.5 live births or 4.9 kittens per year. Not so bad you are thinking. Well this equates to one pair of breeding cats and their offspring producing 420,000 cats in seven years. Now that’s a problem.

What do we do? The ASPCA advocates for a trap/neuter/return policy (TNR). TNR has been found to stabilize and eventually reduce the free-roaming cat population through attrition. TNR also largely eliminates the spraying, vocalization, and fighting you may be hearing.

A few dedicated Narrowsburg residents—Diane Cortese, Shirley Masuo and Brenda Seldin—formed The Narrowsburg Cat Patrol. The stated mission is “to spay and neuter strays, rehabilitate sick and provide shelter and adopt out kittens,” in other words trap, neuter and return with a little extra. Cats are vaccinated for rabies and kittens are adopted. However, Cat Patrol must rely on donations from the public to complete its mission of reaching every feral cat in Narrowsburg.

Surgery is costly. Cats need to be transported for surgery and require a day or two of recovery after surgery. All this is provided by The Narrowsburg Cat Patrol, but they can’t do this alone. We all need to contribute to the efforts of The Narrowsburg Cat Patrol and give a donation, which may be dropped off at Little Hairem on Main Street. You will be contributing to make our community a better place to live.

As we approach the official opening of the summer season, we begin to plant flowers, spruce up the yard and finally shed some of those heavy clothes. While you are working in the yard, if you find some feral cats please notify The Narrowsburg Cat Patrol. They will take care of them so they don’t become a nuisance. Thank you, Narrowsburg Cat Patrol.

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