Feral cats can receive free spay, neuter and vaccination services

Thanks to a grant from PetSmart Charities to humanely reduce the overpopulation of cats in southern Delaware, Forgotten Cats Inc., a nonprofit cat rescue organization, has sterilized and vaccinated more than 780 cats across the county. Remaining grant funds are available to cover the costs of spay/neuter and vaccination for approximately 200 more cats in Sussex County, excluding the neighborhoods of Georgetown, Lewes and Seaford.

To have a neighborhood's outdoor cats sterilized and vaccinated for free under this PetSmart Charities grant, any resident from ZIP codes 19931, 19933, 19939, 19940, 19941, 19944, 19945, 19950, 19951, 19960, 19963, 19966, 19967, 19968, 19970, 19971 and 19975 can call 302-429-0124 or go to www.forgottencats.org.

Felicia Cross, founder and executive director of Forgotten Cats, said, "Until now, there has been little help for Sussex County's feral and stray cats, as well as their caretakers." Forgotten Cats does more than a typical spay/neuter clinic. It will humanely trap feral and stray cats in eligible Sussex County neighborhoods, transport them to one of the organization's two clinics to be sterilized and vaccinated, care for them while they recuperate from surgery, and return them to their original location. Domesticated cats will be put up for adoption in one of the organization's eight adoption centers.

"When performed per Forgotten Cats' protocol, TNVR not only is the most effective way to manage the feral cat population, but it also plays a major role in reducing animal suffering," said Cross. "It allows us to give medical treatments to feral cats who otherwise wouldn't have access to such care, as well as prevent the births of homeless kittens and take abandoned or lost stray cats off the streets to find them loving homes. It's a win-win for everyone involved - humans and cats alike."

Forgotten Cats is unique in that its trapping protocol ensures all cats within a colony are sterilized, resulting in no colony growth both immediately and over time. In addition to halting the growth of feral cat populations, the organization also works with colony caretakers to find homes for the friendly cats and kittens that are living on the streets, thus providing an instant reduction in colony size.

Since 2003, Forgotten Cats has provided TNVR and adoption services to cats in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. To date, it has sterilized more than 100,000 cats, preventing the births of millions of homeless kittens.