Alley Cat Rescue Saves Cats Through Annual May Spay Challenge

Alley Cat Rescue is preparing for its annual May Spay Challenge, a month-long international initiative to save lives and promote the spaying and neutering of feral cats. Alley Cat Rescue calls on veterinarians to help “fix” the kitten invasion by pledging to spay or neuter at least one feral cat each week for the month of May. Veterinarians are encouraged to work in collaboration with local animal rescuers to identify and assist cats in need of sterilization. By performing trap-neuter-return (TNR), veterinarians are proactively addressing the issue of cat overpopulation before kittens are born to face uncertain outcomes at overcrowded shelters.

Spring is notoriously referred to as “kitten season” because spring marks the high influx of kittens brought into shelters. This intake follows the cats’ breeding cycle beginning in March in the Western Hemisphere. Although kitten season may sound like a cute time of year, kittens are one of the most vulnerable groups of cats for euthanasia at shelters, and the high intake of kittens can decrease their chances of survival due to overcrowding. Over 3.2 million cats enter U.S. shelters each year, and sadly 3 in 10 of these animals will be euthanized. The number of cats being euthanized in this country is decreasing, and Alley Cat Rescue hopes this trend can continue with the help of cat sterilization programs, especially for cats living outdoors.

Many of these kittens are born from unsterilized, free-roaming cats. Spay/neuter surgery is vital towards saving kittens’ lives and helping overburdened shelters.

Alley Cat Rescue President and Founder Louise Holton says, “Our success in reducing outdoor cat populations is supported by those veterinarians willing to give back to the community by offering low-cost services for feral cats. Rescuers mostly use their own funds to neuter outdoor cats. They cannot do it alone. TNR stops the breeding cycle more efficiently than catch-and-kill and is used by groups all across the world."

Alley Cat Rescue first launched this initiative in May 2010 and since then over 1,200 veterinary hospitals from 45 U.S. states, Canada, Israel, Croatia, and South Africa have spayed and neutered over 30,000 feral cats.

Alley Cat Rescue hopes even more veterinarians will get involved this year. Any veterinarians interested in registering for the May Spay Challenge can register here.

About Alley Cat Rescue: ACR is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the welfare of all cats: domestic, stray, abandoned, and feral. ACR advocates for humane nonlethal control of feral cats. ACR has been awarded the Independent Charities of America’s “Best in America” Seal of Approval, and our newsletter has won several awards from the Cat Writers’ Association. For more information, please visit our website www.saveacat.org. ###