way to go... utah?

yeah that's right. utah. they recently said thanks but no thanks to a bill that would allow the shooting of feral cats (sound familiar?). a TNR bill has been introduced in its place.

who knew utah could be so progressive?

(gabby did.  she knows all.)

the usda sure does kill a lot of wildlife

ya, try upwards of 4 million (pdf) in 2009. that's a whooole lot of tax dollars ($57 million from the feds, $64 million from states and local gov'ts) going towards dead animals. this site's got the break down.

was anyone else dumbfounded by the total number of birds killed? 2,140,978. someone should forward that number to those anti-feral cat bird brains. their numbers are loose estimates at best, but these are cold rigor-mortis'd facts.


cue *the more you know* music.

alley cat allies defends T-N-R from PETA's hype-machine

wow.  PETA shows us just how much they suck....again.  this time it's their damnation of t-n-r which they liken to being  "abandoned and forced to endure the harsh conditions of homelessness."  they'd rather just kill them.

luckily we have the alley cat allies out there helping these very cats and keeping them out of PETA's deadly clutches. 

"They thrive in every landscape, from densely populated cities to rural farmland. Feral cats are a part of our community. They always have been, and they always will be."

heartland farm sanctuary - cuz goats need homes too

these are the folks  we mentioned a couple of weeks ago who are going to be working with DCHS to place feral cats at farms throughout the area.

their main focus is to rescue and provide permanent homes for farm animals who through neglect, foreclosure or other baaaad stuff end up homeless.

yay for rescue!  hay for horses!

dchs to start placing feral cats?

the news was announced via dane county humane society's facebook page today and if it means what it sounds like it's tremendous news for everyone working towards a no kill madison.

the barn buddies program will work with the heartland farm sanctuary to place feral cats at farms where they can live out their days as barn cats.

snip snip!

dane county friends of ferals are having a spay-day this sunday, august 15th.

events like these are a crucial step in achieving a no kill community.  at the last marathon spayathon in may 148 cats were fixed in 24 hours. that's a lot of cats!  and a lot of unwanted babies.

if you're interested in supporting FoF or adopting a kitty come to the west-side store this saturday for the adoption fair from 12:00-3:30pm.

for more fun spayathon pics (including madcat's own Dr. Adam) take the jump!

t-n-r roundup

good news coming out of corpus christi - the A&M campus has been working alongside a city t-n-r program to manage and reduce its feral population with success.

wish we could say the same thing about racine's countryside shelter.  there are disputes over their annual kill percentage because they don't want to include all the ferals automatically killed.

don't shoot the cat, redux

anti-cat legislation - we defeated it in wisconsin. now, it's new jersey's turn.

there are efforts underway in the garden state to declare feral cats not native to the state, an "exotic species", which would make them fair game for hunting and trap-and-kill by animal control.

the interesting part of all of this is that trap-neuter-return programs have been in place all over the state and doing a good job of feral management while saving counties money.

LA's t-n-r upset

we're back to birds versus cats. last month the los angeles superior court sided with the audubon society and other bird groups in a bid to prevent the city from subsidizing the area's large-scale trap-neuter-return program.

the real debate brought up by the case was whether t-n-r works. obviously the deciding judge doesn't think so. but we do. a lot of cats would probably agree with us, too. how about you? vote here.

feral cats and ninja rats

duluth adopted out its first feral cats, giving them a second chance at life. see, even in non-no kill cities, having faith in the community and relying on the kindness of strangers can save countless lives. maybe this is the first step to initiating a real t-n-r program that will save so many more.

in other cat news:

allerca, the company behind the supposedly "allergy-free cat" that bred and sold cats for thousands of dollars a pop, is going out of business.

UK comic, Russel Brand, says he won't move to the states to be with his gf, katy perry, unless his kitty can come, too.

the brits don't have the only mass-tranist-loving felines; boston's subway kitty, kenmore, has a new, less noisy, home.

and last, but not least, the ninja rats have arrived. nikki luvs hers because she thinks of herself as a bit of a samurai. her claws agree.

happy national feral cat day!

alley cat allies is promoting the no kill approach of t-n-r by honoring october 16th as national feral cat day. now get out there and love some kitties!

in a recent poll dogs edged out cats as best pet. must have been fixed. get it? fixed! seriously, go trap some ferals and get 'em fixed!

another kitty kidnapped and since cats are still classified as property she's only worth $100. when is our legal system going to recognize pets as different from cds and sofas?

hey balloon boy, now that we know you're safe, meet keyboard cat.

if you're ready to help the feral cats of dane county click here.

wat pill? i no hided it

cats and pills go together like ewoks and stormtroopers. that's why we love pill pockets!

fat cats aren't just sitting in corporate boardrooms anymore. they're taking up half the couch! here's a quick Q and A on kitties and kcals.

how many cats have become beloved family pets just by showing up at the front door and not leaving? is it really stealing?

ok, folks. get your traps out and ready because national feral cat day is only two days away on the 16th! if you are in dane county and want to help, please contact the dane county friends of ferals.

kiki the happy kitteh

miss kiki is the newest happy cat to hit monroe st. she is one-year old, energetic and likes to give cuddles and kisses. she had a littler of kittens earlier in the summer and is now looking forward to starting a new life with a little less responsibility and lots more fun. stop in and giver her some love!

girls kept in backyard for years had ceramic cat collection, cat fancy magazines. kitties can be a comfort in even the saddest of situations. we hope they get to experience the love and understanding of a real kitty soon.

the comments on this story about rabies in a feral cat population show point pleasant, new jersey to be anything but pleasant.

the new movie, district 9, features a cat-food monopoly and aliens. surprisingly, alf is not involved.

even more fun with robotic cats!

yume neko smile has been upgraded to yume neko "dream cat." no word yet on when exactly these robotic cats will attempt total domination of earth, but you can bet it'll be dreamy.

the beverly hills solution to urban feral cats - jail the woman trapping, neutering and adopting them out on her own dime.

ghost cat or orange fuzz? tell us what you think!

accused cat killer my be a sociopath. no disagreement here.

a dog and his duck - friends 4-ever!

it don't matter if she's black or white, or orange, or tabby

mj wasn't the only one who could moon walk. check out these crazy, dancing animals doing their salute to the king of pop.

a warrant has been issued for the seizure of a dog-attacking cat. i wonder how long "hoppy" will out-hop the cops.

just because a cat lives outside and is terrified when trapped in a cage doesn't mean it's dangerously feral. thank goodness the regulations here are being updated. "i just want cats treated the same as dogs: equal protection under the law for cats - i guess." hear, hear!

another cat was looking for his fifteen-minutes of fame. time to up the security for live tv studios!