Neighborhood Cats (New York, New York 10025) was formed in 1999 to promote trap-neuter-return (TNR) as the most humane and effective means of solving New York City’s severe feral cat overpopulation crisis. Its goal is to establish TNR as the preferred method of feral cat control and, ultimately, to substantially reduce the number of cats born and living on the city’s streets.
Towards this end, Neighborhood Cats performs high profile TNR field projects which serve as models to the community, and also provide hands-on assistance in other neighborhood-oriented projects. Neighborhood Cats holds workshops to teach feral cat caretakers how to properly manage their colonies, and also provides them with support services, such as phone consultations, low-cost shelters, and an e-mail network. In its role as an advocate, Neighborhood Cats lobbies for feral-friendly services from city agencies and local animal welfare organizations, promotes the development of other TNR groups, publicizes TNR through newsletters and events, and maintains a current and informative web site. Its efforts have seen a dramatic growth in the use of TNR in just a few years. Neighborhood Cats will continue to do whatever it can to see the movement reach its full potential.
