Things are looking up for the stray cats of Atlantic City, NJ. It seems a trap/neuter program there over the past ten yours has lowered the feral cat population along the boardwalk by 50%.
From pressofatlanticcity.com:
"Atlantic City's chapter of Alley Cat Allies is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, having worked with the government since 2000 to keep feral colonies under control and educate people about how they contribute to the problem. It is common in resort areas for people to leave behind their pets at the end of their visits, with barrier island towns along Long Beach Island and down to Sea Isle City and Wildwood all having a history of strays roaming their streets.
"They pack up their cars and whatever doesn't fit they leave behind," said Amanda Casazza, a project manager for Alley Cat Allies.
"Decreasing feral cat numbers is not only a public health and animal welfare concern, but is also part of the overall effort to make the tourist destination more attractive."
We also have a terrible feral/stray cat problem here in Los Angeles, like any city. Though I am not a fan of the "release" part of trap/neuter/release, it is important to engage the community in addressing these issues and the rescue groups do a fair job of that, and help with educational efforts to make cat abandonment/neglect less of a problem.
