Randy, 1990 2007, Washington, D.C., a
member of the original Alley Cat Allies colony.
Jet black Zorro was part of a large colony of hundreds of feral cats living along the Merrimack River in Newburyport, Mass. Black-and-white Randy lived in a Washington, D.C. alley in a colony of 54 cats (the colony that inspired Alley Cat Allies President Becky Robinson to found the organization). These two felines led different livesbut their legacies play a similar role. Randy and Zorro were both part of colony-wide Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs that started in the early 1990s, and they were both the last remaining cat in their colonies.
We’re sad to share that Zorro and Randy have both passed away. Zorro died on December 9, 2009 at the age of 16. Randy lived even longerhe was 17 years old when he passed away in 2007. They are missed, but their legacies live on. Randy and Zorro are proof that feral cats can live long, healthy lives, and that TNR effectively stabilizes feral cat colonies and reduces them in size over time through natural attrition and adoption of socialized cats and kittens.
Alley Cat Allies just released a comprehensive publication of case studies demonstrating that TNR successfully stabilizes and reduces feral cat populations, everywhere from university campuses and hiking areas to urban Chicago neighborhoods. For example, a large-scale TNR program in Chicago reduced the size of feral cat colonies in 23 zip codes by 41% in just
five years. We will use this resource to encourage even more communities to adopt TNR to stabilize feral cat colonies and ensure cats like Randy and Zorro can live out their lives in their outdoor homes.
NEW RESOURCE: Read Trap-Neuter-Return Effectively Stabilizes and Reduces Feral Cat Populations.