Good news for the cats of Bayside State Prison! In our last update, we let you know that discussions had begun with officials at Bayside State Prison and that an interim care and feeding program was put into place while we worked to find an acceptable long term solution. We’re pleased to announce today that after several weeks of constructive discussions with prison Administrator Powell, Major Redman, and others in leadership at Bayside State Prison, we have reached an agreement that ensures that the cats will receive the care and food they need, prison operations are not disturbed, the needs of the inmates, staff, and guards are met, and the cat population does not expand.
Bayside State Prison has had a colony of community cats for several decades. Many of the cats have developed emotional ties to inmates and staff and vice versa. Finding a win-win solution was very important to Alley Cat Allies and to the leadership team at the prison. As part of this week’s agreement, prison leadership and Alley Cat Allies jointly re-affirmed their commitment to the full implementation of a Trap-Neuter-Return program that was begun last year and look forward to working with local groups to ensure smooth, speedy, and effective implementation. Through this program, all the cats who live at the prison will be vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and receive any needed medical attention. Prison officials have also asked that we come back to the prison periodically to check on the cats and their health. Alley Cat Allies is delighted to agree to do this.
We appreciate Bayside State Prison’s cooperation in permitting our staff to work with them to ensure that the cats who call the prison grounds their home are in good health, and we look forward to meeting the various cats at the prison and helping to ensure that they remain in good health.