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for immediate release
contact: Neighborhood Cats
headcat@neighborhoodcats.org
212-662-5761
CATS LIKELY TO BE EUTHANIZED TODAY - Port Authority Unbending in Extermination Effort
(Oct. 30, 2007) Ten cats trapped by Port Authority exterminators were brought to animal control this morning with more on the way. The vast majority of the cats will be quickly euthanized as they are feral and unadoptable and there are few, if any, suitable sites for relocation. The dead cats should finally put to rest the public lies of the Port Authority of NY and NJ that the cats would be adopted to good homes or placed elsewhere. The deaths also make a mockery of the Port Authority's offer to pay for the cats' neutering - so far, no one has stepped forward to take in a dead, but neutered cat.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Continue to call, email and fax to express your outrage! Insist Port Authority suspend the extermination effort and implement a plan agreeable to the NYC animal welfare community, including the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals (www.animalalliancenyc.org). Port Authority officials will not listen, so now let's contact the politicians and lawmakers in the JFK Airport district who can step in and stop the slaughter.
Also, enter your vote in the NY1 Poll (a local cable TV station) on "What should happen to the feral cats at JFK Airport?" Click on: http://www.ny1.com/ny1/Polls/index.jsp?pollactivequestionintid=3028
Finally, please take a moment to thank the media for their coverage of this issue. Their support has been critical in getting the word out. Links to articles and Letters to the Editor are listed at the end of this post.
WHO TO CONTACT
Governor Eliot Spitzer of NY - 212-681-4580 (phone)
518-474-1513 (Fax)
Email: go to www.ny.gov and click on "contact us" at the bottom of the page
Lt. Gov Mary Donahue of NY - 518-474-4623 (ask to speak with chief of staff)
New York City Council - James Sanders - 718-527-4356
New York State Assembly - Michele R. Titus - 718-327-1845
New York State Senate - Shirley Huntley - 718-322-2537
In addition, for the names and contact info of Port Authority officials, go to the home page of www.neighborhoodcats.org. Note that, due to the enormous public outcry, email addresses and phone numbers may have been changed.
THANK THE MEDIA!
Please write letters to the following publications and post your comments onto the following media websites to help us set the record straight for the animals! Even if you can’t write a letter, a simple thank you note to the media for exposing the Port Authority’s cat extermination program will help us make a difference. Thank you! Here are some of the latest media coverage:
Metro: Cat fight at JFK
http://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/Cat_fight_at_JFK/10534.html
Submit letters at: http://ny.metro.us/metro/yourturn
amNew York: JFK feral cats facing death
http://www.amny.com/news/local/am-cats1030,0,7665187.story
Email letters to: am-letters@am-ny.com
NYTimes.com CityRoom: Cat People Confront Airport People http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/cat-people-confront-airport-people/
post comment on site
Gothamist : Rally Against Port Authority’s JFK Cat Roundup Today http://gothamist.com/2007/10/29/rally_against_p.php
post comment on site
NY Post: No Paws in JFK Cat Hunt
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10302007/news/regionalnews/no_paws_in_jfk_cat_hunt.htm
Submit your letter at: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/letters/letters_editor.htm
Newsday: Kennedy Airport feral cat roundup draws criticism
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/transportation/ny-nycats305438287oct30,0,2536534.story
post comment on site
TALKING POINTS
Feral cats are unsocialized and unadoptable. They are also extremely territorial and cannot be easily relocated, assuming there's anywhere for them to go in a city with a feral cat overpopulation crisis already on its hands. The humane, enlightened way of dealing with them is to neuter, vaccinate and return them to their territory, a method known as Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). TNR is also the only known method for permanently reducing the number of feral cats in an area. Extermination efforts like the Port Authority's only cause temporary dips in feline populations. Newly lost and abandoned cats, as well as uncaptured cats, quickly reproduce and soon bring the numbers right back up. TNR is supported by every major humane organization in the country, including The Humane Society of the US, ASPCA and Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals.