46 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JULY 2019
PRESS PETS
SEASON
KITTEN STEMMING THE FERALS
BY ALLISON MATOS
The outdoor feral cat population on
Long Island is drastically increasing,
with no end in sight.
A female cat as young as four months
old can have a litter of up to six kittens
and can have three to four litters
per year. The average female cat
can add up to 300 more cats to this
ever-growing population. This creates
an overpopulation of homeless,
abandoned, and unwanted feral and
stray cats — and there are right and
wrong ways to help.
“If you feed a feral, fix a feral,” says
Stephanie Notarnicola of Farmingdale
Dog and Cat Clinic and Fixing
Felines of Islip Township. “While
feeding outdoor cats can help them
survive, if outdoor cats aren’t spayed
or neutered, the overpopulation issue
will only get worse. If one person
fixed just one cat in their lifetime,
hundreds of lives would be spared.”
Thanks to several organizations,
shelters and
rescue organizations on
LI offering free or lowcost
trap-neuter-return
(TNR) services, becoming
part of the solution
is easy. Fixing
Felines of Islip
offers a
monthly
s p a y /
n e u t e r
c l i n i c .
Their lowcost
services
include $68
for females
and $58 for
males, which includes rabies and
distemper vaccine, flea treatment
and deworming. Some rescues such
as Little Shelter
Animal Rescue
in Huntington
offer low-cost
spay/neuter certificates
for cat colony
caretakers.
People who want to help
a r e urged to set up
a spay-neuter
appointment
before
trapping a cat.
This reduces
stress for both
the human and
kitty.
With the right
e q u i pme n t ,
trapping a cat is
simple. Most experts recommend
using a Tru Catch Trap, which can
be purchased for approximately $60
(some groups have loaners). The trap
is easy to set, and using fragrant food
like rotisserie chicken or tuna traps
cats in no time. Once caught, cover
the trap with a blanket or sheet and
keep in a quiet/secure place until
the spay/neuter appointment. Never
leave a trapped animal unattended
outside.
After the procedure, it is recommended
to keep male cats for at least
24 hours and 48 hours for females in
a crate/trap until they can safely be
released back outside. If space is an
issue, some groups such as Farmingdale
Dog & Cat Clinic offer overnight
boarding for only $14.
For those who want to help but can’t
commit to trapping, TNR groups are
always in need of donations and volunteers.
Check with local shelters and
rescues and ask how to become part
of the solution.
One female cat can
birth up to 300 kittens in her lifetime.
(Getty Images)
ROGALLERY.COM
- fine art & auctions -
Over 5000 MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS
paintings, prints, photos & sculpture
800-888-1063 // art@rogallery.com
The largest selection of art online!
PABLO
PICASSO
femme a a robe multicolore
estate lithograph, 22-B
Fine Art Buyers
Seeking Consignments
Art Auctions
World-Wide Shipping
View Any Artwork on
ROGALLERY.COM
in Person at:
47-15 36th Street
LIC NY 11101, by appt.
TAILS FROM THE OTHER SIDE
WITH PSYCHIC MEDIUM JEFFERY WANDS
THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2019
7:30 PM - 9:45 PM
The evening will be followed by a book signing from Jeffrey.
Krasnoff Theater at the Tilles Center
LIU Post 720 Northern Boulevard, Greenvale, NY
For ticket info:
tillescenter.org/events/
Net proceeds benefit North Shore Animal League America.
For entertainment purposes only. Attendance does not
guarantee a reading. Tickets are nonrefundable.
For more info email events@animalleague.org
/ROGALLERY.COM
link
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
/ROGALLERY.COM
link
/
link
link
