Free TNVR for feral felines

Forgotten Cats will trap, sterilize and vaccinate 1,000 feral and stray cats in Norristown at no cost

Forgotten Cats, a nonprofit cat rescue organization, today announced the launch of a program that will provide free spay/neuter to outdoor cats in Norristown. The program is funded through a grant by PetSmart Charities as part of its efforts to proactively prevent pet homelessness through increased spay and neuter operations.

Through this program, Forgotten Cats will provide free TNVR – trap, neuter/ spay, vaccinate, return – for 1,000 feral and stray cats in the Norristown area.

“A TNVR program like this one is much-needed in Norristown,” said Felicia Cross, Executive Director of Forgotten Cats. “We routinely hear from residents who are concerned about cat overpopulation, and the Montgomery County SPCA reports that their highest area of intake for homeless cats in the county is Norristown. We’re grateful for PetSmart Charities’ support and excited to get started.”

Forgotten Cats will humanely trap and transport cats to its clinic, where the cats will receive spay/neuter and vaccination services from a licensed veterinarian. Following the cats’ recovery, Forgotten Cats will transport them back to the exact location where they were trapped and release them. Friendly cats and kittens will be placed for adoption through one of Forgotten Cats’ 11 adoption centers.

TNVR has been shown to significantly reduce the number of homeless kittens born to outdoor cats each year.

“An unspayed female cat can multiply to 20 cats within a year, creating a ripple effect of cat overpopulation, homelessness and suffering unless humans intervene to break the cycle,” said Cross. “With kitten season starting in March, it’s critical that we spay and neuter as many outdoor cats as possible in order to proactively prevent the births of homeless kittens.”

Forgotten Cats estimates there to be 2,200 homeless cats in Norristown. Over the past 13 years, the organization has provided low-cost sterilizations for more than 1,250 cats from the area, which stabilized the growth of 325 colonies of community cats. In 2018 alone, Forgotten Cats spayed, neutered and vaccinated 300 outdoor cats across Norristown, Upper Moreland and Abington thanks to a grant from Petco Foundation.

Residents who notice or care for outdoor cats are encouraged to call Forgotten Cats at 215-219-8148 or fill out a TNVR request form online at http://forgottencats.org/index.php

SUBMITTED PHOTO Oliver, in the foreground, and Ziva, back, were feral kittens before Forgotten Cats trapped, spayed/ neutered and returned them to their forever home.