50,000th Cat Spayed/Neutered!

Portland, OR – The Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon (FCCO) neutered its 50,000th cat on Friday, September 23, 2011, in Portland. Helping this landmark number of cats underscores the need for our services, and the tremendous amount of work that remains.The landmark cat was a 5-month old grey and white kitten from Kelso, Washington named Oscar. He was born to a stray female cat who appeared outside the caregiver’s home last fall. He and his two siblings were all neutered at the clinic on the 23rd. His mother was spayed by FCCO earlier this summer. The caregivers feed 13 cats and all of them are now spayed/neutered.In Portland last year, 6,555 cats were euthanized. The number one reason for this? There are simply more cats than available homes. This overpopulation results in abandoned cats, left to fend for themselves and breeding even more homeless cats. FCCO helps end this tragic cycle, giving both the cats and the community a humane and effective solution: Trap-Neuter-Return.How many kittens have been prevented? If 50,000 cats had just one litter of four kittens each, there would be 200,000 more kittens. This year FCCO will spay/neuter over 5,000 cats. At just one litter of four kittens each, FCCO will prevent 20,000 kittens this year alone.What do 50,000 cats look like? The average length of a cat, from head to tip of tail, is 30 inches. Line up 50,000 cats and you have 23.7 miles of feline – that’s a furry path from Beaverton all the way to Gresham!Who can help? Anyone feeding feral or outdoor stray cats can bring qualified cats to an FCCO clinic. The number to call for help with feral and stray cats is 503-797-2606 or visit HUwww.feralcats.comUH for more information.Founded in 1995, the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization supported solely through donations, is a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program for feral and outdoor stray cats living in Oregon and southwest Washington. The goal of the program is to reduce suffering for existing feral cats and prevent the births and suffering of future generations. The program's services are targeted for feral cats who have caregivers feeding them. The caregivers trap the cats, bring them to a clinic, and return the cats to where they are being fed with a commitment to feed the cat(s) on a permanent basis.