This feature comes from our Fall 2015 Alley Cat Action newsletter. Receive a print version, delivered to your home on a quarterly basis, when you donate $20 or more.
Alley Cat Allies launched National Feral Cat Day® as a call to action to spread awareness about community cats. This year’s theme is the Evolution of the Cat Revolution, and there are more than 600 events and activities planned. Wherever you live in the U.S. or one of nine participating countries, you can find someone celebrating National Feral Cat Day®.
We applaud the compassionate people who are the backbone of this movement. We spoke to caregivers, Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) activists, and veterinarians to learn about the evolution of their activism and the cats who inspired them.
Frankie Wolfe — Community Cat Caregiver
During a harsh Colorado winter in 2009 Frankie Wolfe first met Mama. She was nearly moved to tears when she spotted the pregnant tuxedo cat sleeping in the snow. She knew she had to do something. She just couldn’t allow a cat to struggle outdoors, pregnant and cold.
Alley Cat Allies’ website taught her that with food, shelter, and TNR, feral cats can live content and healthy lives. Mama later returned with her kittens, and they became Frankie’s first TNR experience. Now she and her veterinarian are experts, and Frankie and her husband have carried out TNR for over two dozen community cats.
The cats now live comfortably near her home, and she is grateful to Alley Cat Allies for helping her. Now, she is always looking out for cats without eartips.
Melanie Eaton — TNR Activist
When community cat activist Melanie Eaton moved to West Virginia, she was shocked at the lack of laws protecting cats. With Alley Cat Allies’ materials she began educating her community about cats. She started Berkeley TNR ‘n’ Rescue to provide TNR services. Her organization has helped 15 cat colonies so far.
Melanie credits her determination to a promise she made to one little kitten. On her way home from feeding a colony she received a call about kittens behind a grocery store. Among them was Sky, a tiny tabby who was in bad shape. After finally catching Sky, Melanie took her to a clinic where the veterinarian told her that Sky couldn’t be saved. Melanie was devastated. At that moment, she promised Sky she would fight for a TNR ordinance in her county. Melanie continues that fight today.
Tess Peavy, D.V.M.— Veterinarian
Dr. Tess Peavy lives in California, but her spay and neuter clinic travels all around the nation. She goes wherever affordable spay and neuter services are most needed.
Dr. Peavy once thought the only way to save cats was through adoption. But when she became a veterinarian she realized she could have the biggest impact by providing TNR services across the country. Now she performs up to 100 surgeries a day, and she’s an outspoken advocate about passing TNR legislation.
Dr. Peavy fondly remembers a calico cat in Indiana who came to the Neuter Scooter for help. The cat had kittens and nobody could trap her. One day they returned to find her inside the clinic after she came in through an open door. Tess jokes that she was checking herself in. The calico and her kittens were spayed or neutered and returned to their colony. They remind Dr. Peavy why she’s dedicated her life to saving cats.
National Feral Cat Day® celebrates everyone involved in revolutionizing the care of cats. Join us October 16 and learn how you can evolve. Visit www.NationalFeralCatDay.org.