Alley Cat Allies was hard at work holding two Feline Frenzy® spay and neuter events recently! Altogether, we covered the cost of 200 cats and kittens’ worth of spay and neuter and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), vaccination, microchip, and any other needed veterinary care. On top of the critical surgeries, we provided our humane education materials and thousands of pounds of free cat food to local caregivers.
[Read about our Feline Frenzy in Wise County, Virginia]
Alley Cat Allies Director of Programs Alice Burton helps give organize the thousands of pounds of free cat food given out at our Feline Frenzy event.
In St. Mary’s County, Maryland, a very rural community in great need of low-cost veterinary care and other resources for cats, we held our spay and neuter event with the St. Mary’s County Animal Adoption and Resource Center, St. Mary’s Animal Welfare League (SMAWL) and Last Chance Animal Rescue.
Our Director of Programs Alice Burton was on the ground at the event, helping lead a team of local advocates, animal control officers, and volunteers to provide TNR services for 93 cats and kittens over the course of several days.
“Feline Frenzy is all about laying the groundwork for a better community for cats, and that starts with uniting community members on humane, effective programs,” said Alice. “This week’s spay and neuter event brought key organizations and officials together with local residents and caregivers to start on that lifesaving road. It’s all about building a strong network and a sense of familiarity to help plan future programs, projects, and events to help more cats.”
Reese’s inspects her humane trap. She and brother Snickers were both helped at our Feline Frenzy event.
Alley Cat Allies helped coordinate the TNR process, from humane trapping to the veterinary procedures to the cats’ return to their outdoor homes. For the cats’ caregivers, who often struggle to pay for feeding cats, let alone afford full-cost spay and neuter, the event was a lifeline.
“This event helped us fill a vital community need that was so long overdue,” said Theresa Marlowe, Manager of St. Mary’s Animal Adoption & Resource Center. “Alley Cat Allies didn’t just help cats, but also pulled together an entire rescue community that worked together under a unified umbrella, and gave us a roadmap to growing this lifesaving program.”
Catherine S. was thrilled and relieved as we helped trap 7 of her community cats for our event—handsome tux Gizmo and his feline family members Klondike, Juju, Cocoa, Fuzzy, Tux, and Socks. They all received spay and neuter surgery, vaccination, microchips, and eartips for identification—and are now back in their outdoor home where they thrive.
Gizmo’s caregiver was thrilled and relieved that he could finally receive neuter surgery, at no cost to her.
“These cats are near and dear to my heart. I’m thrilled that they can remain here on the property they were born, where they’re comfortable, happy, and well taken care of. Plus, no more new babies showing up,” said Catherine. “I can’t thank Alley Cat Allies enough for all they’ve done to help me ensure these cats are healthy, safe, fixed, and back in the only home they’ve ever known.”
Little calico mix Reese’s and her big tabby brother, Snickers, were also among the cats we helped at the Feline Frenzy event. Their caregiver, Anna K., couldn’t be more thankful on behalf of the duo—whom she admits she’s partial to.
“They’re just special. I even give them a special feeding before the other cats come out, and they scratch at the door for it every morning,” Anna confided playfully to us as we worked to humanely trap Reese’s and Snickers for the event.
This handsome guy was picture perfect waiting for his neuter surgery at our Feline Frenzy event. We called him Arepa!
A large component of Feline Frenzy is developing or strengthening high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter and TNR resources in a community. That is why we hold these special events in at-need communities like St. Mary’s County, where spay and neuter for 100 cats means far fewer kittens who will be potentially impounded in local shelters. TNR addresses the community cat population by ending the breeding cycle and improving cats’ health, improving the relationship between cats and the people they live near, reducing shelter intake and killing, and reducing calls to animal services.
Our goal is for this weekend to be just the beginning of lifesaving change in St. Mary’s County—and it was all possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters like you. You power all of our Feline Frenzy work, and you’re the reason we change cats’ lives every day.