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In January of 2013, A-PAL began the Community Cats program, led by Jeff Holman. Cats that previously were held for only 72 hours before being euthanized at the shelter were instead placed into this new program and given a second chance. Once cats entered the program, they were spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies, and had an ear clipped to show they had been altered.
The immediate results of this program were amazing! Of the 361 cats that went through the program in 2013, 199 were determined to be feral and returned to their colonies; 112 others were placed in "barn homes," where their skills as varmint hunters were put to good use. The remaining 50 were quite tame and were adopted as pets. Each year, we maintain statistics on the program and are still amazed at the number of lives that have been saved. We've expanded and now offer free spay and neuter of feral cats for local Amador County community members. In 2021, 201 feral cats were spayed or neutered for community members and 144 feral cats were spayed or neutered for our community cats team. Of the 144 cats, 60 went back to their colony, 45 went to barn homes and 39 were tame enough to be pet cats. Read "Understanding Feral Cats" (below) to see if your cats are eligible for this program. |
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