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Rallying Animal Activists: Change Cat Policy At
JFK!
(Queens
Chronicle, November 21, 2007)
Cat traps at N.Y. airport spur protest
(USA TODAY,
November 19, 2007)
Feral cats an issue for JFK airport
(United Press
International, November 19, 2007)
How you can join the News in helping our
four-legged friends
(New York Daily
News, November 17, 2007)
Advocates Fight for JFK Cats
(WNYC, November
16, 2007)
Cat fight at JFK: Feline friends want animals
neutered, not slain
(Metro New York,
October 30, 2007)
Animal Lovers Rally To Save JFK Cats
(NY1 News,
October 29, 2007)
Pets, Pets, Pets
(The Beacon, April
26, 2007)
Long Island columnist Joanne Anderson reviews a two-day training
workshop at C.W. Post University instructed by Neighborhood Cats and
sponsored by The Humane Society of the US and Petco Foundation.
An unexpected
learning experience
(The Star Ledger; April 8, 2007)
Columnist Joan Lowell Smith reviews a
workshop instructed by Bryan Kortis on "Feral Cats, TNR & the Law" at
the Animal Welfare Federation of New Jersey's 2007 Conference.
Straight Talk: A Q&A with feral cat advocate Bryan Kortis
(Animal Sheltering, May/June 2006)
This cover article in The Humane
Society of the United States' publication features a wide-ranging
interview with Neighborhood Cats' Executive Director, touching on all
things feral. Also featuring the photography of Neighborhood Cats'
Meredith Weiss.
Palm Beach feral cat
program slated for revamp
(Palm Beach Post, June 14, 2006)
Neighborhood Cats' Bryan Kortis speaks
at town council meeting held to evaluate and improve the local feral cat
program.
Group aims to control
feral-cat population
(The Plain Dealer, June 8, 2006)
Featuring Neighborhood Cats' work in
New York City and mentioning an upcoming June 2006 TNR workshop taught
by us in Cleveland and sponsored by The Petco Foundation and
Petfinder.com.
New Resources for Feral Cat Management
(Cat Fancy, March 2006)
As part of its "Rescue Special" issue,
Cat Fancy highlights the growing collaboration between The Humane Society
of the United States and Neighborhood Cats which includes online
courses for colony caretakers and animal shelters, a day-long workshop at
the Animal Care Expo 2006 conference, and increased support materials.
Greenpoint Stray Cats Get a
New Beginning
(Greenline, February 3-28, 2006)
The local North Brooklyn paper features
a front page article on a 27 cat TNR project led by volunteer Noa
Bornstein with assistance from Neighborhood Cats' Meredith Weiss, Field
Director for the NYC Feral Cat Initiative. With services provided by the
Initiative and free spay/neuter by the ASPCA, the entire project was
completed in a week.
Group neuters its 100th
feral cat
(Long Beach Herald, February 2, 2006)
"Long Beach Cats celebrated the capture
of the 100th feral cat to go through their Trap-Neuter-Return program on
Jan. 22." The program, a collaboration by Neighborhood Cats, local humane
groups and the City of Long Beach, continues its successful first year.
"Neighborhood Cats" program
a success
(Nassau Herald, January 19, 2006)
One year after the start of a
village-wide TNR program in Atlantic Beach, NY, by Atlantic Beach Cats and
Neighborhood Cats, the results are in: an 89 percent sterilization rate of
the local feral cat population, only three kittens sighted in all of 2005,
and a program completed at only half of the budgeted cost.
TNR Program may end cat war
(Long Beach Herald, Dec.8-14, 2005)
The front page article features
Long Beach Cats, a project of Neighborhood Cats. The unique program,
approved and partially funded by the City of Long Beach, brings together
local humane organizations, veterinarians and volunteers in an effort to
use TNR to manage the community's long-standing feral cat overpopulation
crisis.
Volunteers work to to help
strays
(The Star Ledger, November 13, 2005)
Columnist Joan Lowell Smith, in
discussing the difficulties facing caretakers of stray and feral cats,
announces the new collaboration to help ferals and promote TNR by
Neighborhood Cats and The Humane Society of the United States.
Cat dumping's a 'huge problem'
(Philadelphia Daily News,
October 13, 2005)
In an article describing the feral and stray cat overpopulation crisis in
Philadelphia, PA, mention is made of the second annual National Feral Cat
Summit, produced by Neighborhood Cats and held the following Saturday in
Philadelphia.
Book Review: The
Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
(Animal Sheltering, September/October 2005)
On page 10, Stephanie Shain of The Humane Society of the United
States gives a glowing review of our handbook, stating "[it's] the kind
of publication we all wish we’d had when we first stumbled blindly into
the world of feral cats."
Nuns, activists end catfight
over strays
(Daily News, June 9, 2005)
Detailed in the article is Neighborhood Cats' struggle to save the
lives of an eight-year old colony of neutered feral cats residing on the
grounds of the Corpus Christi Monastery in the Bronx. After a tense
public battle, all parties agreed to accept the offer of a sanctuary in
upstate NY to take in the felines.
Neighborhood Cats Launches
New Programs
(Paws to Think, Spring 2005)
Featuring Neighborhood Cats for their second issue in a row, Pet
Savers Foundation describes both the first-ever municipal contract to
implement TNR (secured by Neighborhood Cats in Atlantic Beach, NY) and the
Feral Cat Initiative, a new city-wide TNR program sponsored by the Mayor's
Alliance for NYC's Animals and administered by us.
Neighborhood Cats
(Paws to Think, Winter 2005)
The official publication of the Pet Savers Foundation features an article
describing the growth and development of Neighborhood Cats from a small
group of neighbors working on one feral cat colony to an organization with
national scope in the TNR movement.
Winterizing for Feral Cats
(Satya, February 2005)
An article authored by Bryan Kortis describes easy and inexpensive ways to
provide adequate shelter and nutrition to help ferals manage the cold of
winter.
Atlantic Beach a Pioneer in Stray Cat Control
(Nassau Herald, January 20, 2005)
The Village of Atlantic Beach, located on the southwestern end of Long
Island, made history by being the first municipality to contract with a
feral cat organization (Neighborhood Cats) for the purpose of implementing
a community-wide TNR program. The contract calls for Neighborhood Cats,
in cooperation with the local nonprofit Atlantic Beach Cats, to perform
intensive mass trapping in order to ward off the upcoming kitten season.
Taking
feral cats isn't a good move
(Newsday, November 1, 2004)
Based on interviews with Neighborhood Cats and Town Cats of Santa Clara,
CA, columnist Denise Flaim provides an insightful and informative guide to
the how and why (and especially the "why not") of relocating feral cats.
Wild Things
(NY Times, October 10, 2004)
This cover story to the Sunday City Section explores the feral and stray
cat crisis in New York City and identifies Neighborhood Cats as the leader
in the effort to improve the situation. Based on months of research by
reporter Jennifer Dunning, the article provides a comprehensive overview
of what's going on with the cats in NYC. Also featured is the photography
of Neighborhood Cats' Meredith Weiss.
Neuter,
release program for
feral cats stirs debate
(Chicago Tribune, July 7, 2004)
In an article exploring the new anti-TNR ordinances passed in
Waukegan, Illinois, Bryan Kortis of Neighborhood Cats is quoted, "The
problem is, communities and groups still have it in their head that either
we're going to have cats or we're not going to have cats. But that's an
unrealistic situation. Either you're going to have a manageable population
or an unmanageable population. Waukegan's plan will fail." Neighborhood
Cats is described in the article as "a New York group that has become one
of the leading voices for TNR programs."
Great Expectations! New Mayor's Alliance comes to
the rescue of New York animals
(Best Friends Magazine, July/August 2004)
In their cover story, Best Friends Animal Society takes a detailed
and comprehensive look at the efforts of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's
Animals to achieve no-kill in New York. Neighborhood Cats is described as
"the feral cat group in the city" and as having "one of the hardest
jobs in animal welfare."
"No Kill, The New Goal in
Animal Control"
(Gotham Gazette, Feb 2, 2004)
Lynda
Crawford takes a thorough and insightful look at the origins of NYC's
budding no kill movement and the challenges it faces. The article
includes an interview with Bryan Kortis on the role of TNR and street cats
in the growing effort. "There are tens of thousands of feral cats in New
York City, " said Kortis. "Maybe hundreds of thousands. Half the kittens
coming into city shelters are street cats. Three to four thousand animals
a month are being euthanized and most of them are cats. If we can't stop
the flow of these kittens going into shelters, we're not going to be able
to stop the euthanasia rates."
"The Natural Pet Fair: Everything for Companion
Animals and Their Guardians"
(Satya, Jan/Feb. 2004)
Shelly Lucky Stein reviews last fall's Natural Pet Fair, a
first-of-its-kind event featuring holistic animal products and animal
advocacy groups. Stein writes that he was particularly moved, among other
lectures, by Neighborhood Cats' presentation on Trap-Neuter-Return as the
only humane and effective method for reducing feral and stray cat
populations.
"Rikers Island
TNR Program Revisited"
(ASPCA Animal Watch, Winter 2003)
Following up on the feature story in their Winter 2002 issue, ASPCA
Animal Watch returns to Rikers Island to gauge the progress of the 250 cat
trap-neuter-return project. One year later found relatively few
unneutered cats remaining, only an occasional litter of kittens and
reports from prison personnel that the cats were much less visible
(neutered cats roam much less.) "All in all," [Executive Director Bryan
Kortis] says, "Rikers has, to date, served as an excellent example of the
effectiveness of TNR when properly implemented."
"Homeless Shelters for Stray Cats"
(Newsday, November 25, 2003)
In her weekly column, "Animal House," columnist Denise Flaim
provides a do-it-yourself list of ways to keep feral cats warm over the
winter. The Neighborhood Cats' styrofoam shelter is described in detail,
along with other cold climate tips from us, such as using Vitamin C and
preventing water from freezing.
"Cat program has a purrpuss"
(The Sunday Star-Ledger, Oct 5, 2003)
Columnist Joan Lowell Smith, favorably discussing trap-neuter-return,
describes a recent pilot TNR project in Bloomfield, New Jersey, performed
by Neighborhood Cats and the local organization Friends of the
Bloomfield/Bukowski Animal Shelter. Executive Director Bryan Kortis is
quoted as stating, in part, "Like it or not, tens of millions of cats live
outdoors and saying they shouldn't or passing laws banning them isn't
going to change that basic fact. Likewise, if ferals are killing off
wildlife, the answer is fewer feral cats and TNR alone is shown to achieve
this. No other method, such as trap and kill, has ever done the same."
"TNR: The Humane Alternative" (ASPCA
Animal Watch,
Fall 2003)
In a cover story featuring the photography of Neighborhood Cats' Meredith
Weiss, trap-neuter-return receives a favorable review. An innovative
array of programs and organizations from around the country, including
Neighborhood Cats, are described as the case for TNR is made. Educational
resources, including our own online course, are also detailed.
"Cat People: The History of Pups, Kitties & Other Household Pets is
Examined in Playful & Poignant `Petropolis'"
(New York Resident, July 21, 2003)
This review of the "Petropolis" exhibit at the New-York Historical Society
(which runs through November 9, 2003 at W.77th St. & CPW) includes an
interview with Executive Director Bryan Kortis, who states in part,
"There's an enormous street-cat population. It's the number one reason
why there's so much euthanasia in the city's shelters."
"The 2003
ANIMAL PEOPLE Watchdog Report on 113 Animal Protection Charities"
(June 2003)
This annual analysis of the nation's leading animal protection nonprofits
includes Neighborhood Cats for the first time and concludes, "Neighborhood
Cats may be the best thing that has happened for feral cats in the past
decade." The report goes on to mention our first-of-its-kind online
course on TNR, "world class" website, scholarship program for students in
developing countries and the fact that, "Neighborhood Cats responds in a
timely and helpful manner to all inquiries and requests for assistance,
whether from impoverished overseas rescuers or potential donors."
"Tails
from the Big House"
(New York Tails, Summer 2003)
Featuring the history of the Rikers Island TNR project performed last year
in an effort led by Neighborhood Cats and the project's current success.
The advantages of TNR in general are also discussed: "An important part of
Neighborhood Cats' and other feral cat help groups is education and
outreach. `By the time we enter the situation it's because people have
started to complain,' Mr. Kortis said. `We don't think the people
complaining are bad people; we understand their hostility if they're
getting woken up in the middle of the night by a dozen noisy cats.' Humane
sterilization, release and management of a stabilized colony often
alleviates the situation and sometimes brings fringe benefits. `Building
superintendents are our best friends,' Mr. Kortis says, because rats and
mice smell the cats and stay far away."
"An
education in feral felines"
(Animal Wellness, June 7, 2003)
In the magazine's "yakkity yak" column on current events, Neighborhood
Cats' online course in TNR (www.suite101.com) is featured.
"Helping People Help Feral Cats"
(Paws to Think, Spring 2003)
This spring
edition of the Pet Savers Foundation Magazine features an article on
working with feral cats and trap-neuter-return. Neighborhood Cats is
mentioned as a "Feral Friend" and one of the larger feral cat groups in
the country. Listed in the "Resources" section of the article is
Neighborhood Cats' online TNR course.
"Reply to Letter to the Editor"
(ASPCA Animal
Watch,
Spring 2003)
Executive
Director Bryan Kortis responds to a reader who questioned the need to
eartip feral cats as a way of identifying them as neutered (a practice
reported in an earlier Animal Watch article on the Rikers Island TNR
project). Kortis explains how Neighborhood Cats arrived at the conclusion
eartipping is necessary for the protection of the cats.
(For more on eartipping.)
"Start
Spreading the Mews..."
(Cat Fancy, March 2003)
A sparkling review of MEOW NY, the fall benefit which was, "a
great success, with thousands of dollars raised that will be administered
by Neighborhood Cats, New York City's Feral Cat Resource and the primary
beneficiary of the event." Check out the photos, including the feral
cat award winners - Sandra DeFeo of the Humane Society of NY, Gail
Buchwald of ASPCA Cares and Captain Gloria Murli of the NYC Dept. of
Correction.
"Animal Precinct"
(Animal Planet TV, January 20, 2003)
Appearing nationally on the popular cable television show,
Neighborhood Cats joins with the ASPCA's Humane Law Enforcement and ASPCA
Cares program to trap and neuter 80 feral cats living in a Brooklyn
apartment.
"Feline
Reprieve from Overpopulation:
Saving Feral Cats on Rikers Island"
(Cat
Fancy, January 2003)
Written by award-winning author Susan Easterly, the article
describes the landmark Rikers Island TNR project led by Neighborhood Cats
in detail, features the photos of Neighborhood Cats' Meredith Weiss, and
tells the story of Big Foot, an old-time Rikers feline resident.
"[Neighborhood Cats' Executive Director Bryan] Kortis hopes others
will look to the Rikers project for humane answers to feral cat
problems."
"Feral
Cat Colonies"
(The Manhattan Pet Gazette, January 2003)
Based on an interview with Neighborhood Cats' Bryan Kortis, the article
explores the complex social structure of feral cat colonies and concludes
trap-neuter-return is the best way to care for feral adults, when
possible.
"2002
National Feral Cat Day Awards for Excellence"
(Alley Cat Action, Winter 2002)
Neighborhood Cats receives Alley Cat Allies' Award for Excellence
as the Feral Cat Organization of 2002.
"They
Call Me Assassin:
The Hidden World of the Killer Deli Cat, Nicked Ears and All"
(NY Times, November 24, 2002)
In an article on the lives of NYC deli cats, Neighborhood Cats'
Bryan Kortis debunks the myth that store cats can survive by eating mice
alone. "There have always been cats in food establishments, not
just delis, but they don't actually kill the mice," Mr. Kortis said.
"Their scent keeps them away. The problem is, if the owner thinks the
cat can live on its kill, the cat will starve to death." But Mr.
Kortis, whose organization saved several cats abandoned in lower Manhattan
restaurants and delis after the trade center collapse, thinks there are
better ways to prevent infestation, "We recommend alternatives like
ultrasonic devices," he said, "which are very effective.'"
"'Meow
NY' program raises funds for stray cats"
(Town & Village, November 21, 2002)
The first annual MEOW NY fundraising event was held on November 12,
2002 and hosted by supermodel Marisol Thomas, who was accompanied by her
husband, Matchbox Twenty lead singer Rob Thomas. Neighborhood Cats
was the primary beneficiary of the event, which took place at the Gallery
at the One Club on East 26th Street. TNR "is the wave of the
future for enlightened animal control," said Bryan Kortis.
"Queens
Cats Get Royal Treatment -
Feral cat colonies on Rikers Island are successfully TNR'd"
(ASPCA Animal Watch, Winter 2002)
Describing the Rikers Island project, the article acknowledges that
TNR is the only recognized effective and humane way to manage wild cat
colonies. Neighborhood Cats' Ruth Sharp states, "TNR helps
provide humane care while gradually reducing the colony's
numbers...."
"At
N.Y. Prisons, Feral Cats are Lifers"
(Best Friends Magazine, November/December 2002)
242 feral cats trapped in Rikers Island TNR project,
spearheaded by Neighborhood Cats.
"Helping
the Neighborhood's Cats"
(The Manhattan Pet Gazette, November 2002)
The inaugural issue of the Manhattan Pet Gazette features an article
authored by Bryan Kortis on the origins and work of Neighborhood Cats, and
on how others too, can help the street cats in their areas.
"Cat
control saves lives and money"
(The Star Ledger, October 13, 2002)
TNR works in New Jersey; Neighborhood Cats named Feral Cat
Organization of 2002 by Alley Cat Allies.
"Working
Together to Save Rikers Island's Cats"
(Alley Cat Action, Fall 2002)
"Neighborhood Cats (NC) is the New York City feral cat
organization founded in September 1999 after learning about TNR from Alley
Cat Allies' factsheets and hands-on participation. Three years and vast
experience later, NC volunteers continue to educate local residents about
feral cats and colony management and they have branched out to build
coalitions with city agencies and other feral cat groups."
"Cats
on Rikers Island Need Your Help"
(Brooklyn Eagle, September 12-19, 2002)
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the
Center for Animal Care and Control, the Humane Society of New York and
Neighborhood Cats collaborate to neuter the Rikers cats and develop a
long-term plan for their care.
"Kitty
Crackdown on Rikers"
(New York Post, September 2, 2002)
A humorous look at the Rikers Island project.
"Wild
at Heart, Furry of Face, and Now, Under Control"
(New York Times, September 1, 2002)
Rikers Island TNR project believed to be the largest
trap-neuter-return project ever carried out at a single facility in the
United States. "The point is not to wipe out the island's cat
population, said Bryan Kortis, executive director of Neighborhood Cats, an
animal welfare group in Manhattan. `What you try to do is manage the
situation,' he said."
"Animal
Welfare Groups Team Up To Protect
Cat Population on Rikers Island"
(Channel 7 Eyewitness News, August 26, 2002)
"Felines feel free at Rikers"
(Daily News, August 24, 2002)
Prison inmates
aren't the only ones doing time on Rikers Island. For nearly 20 years,
Capt. Gloria Murli of the city Correction Department has tended to
hundreds of feral cats.....
"Expanding
Borders of Kindness"
(The Star Ledger, May 5, 2002)
TNR workshops offered by Neighborhood Cats provide a valuable
resource for New Jersey shelters and rescue groups.
"Helping
a Shelter - Pets Aided by Web Site"
(The Westsider, February 21-27, 2002)
Mickey Siporin reports that, "If you're concerned about the
growing number of stray and feral cats in your neighborhood, there's a way
to help yourself, help the community and help the cats. This is
win-win-win. Visit (and support) Neighborhood Cats - on the Web..."
The website has "a wealth of background info."
"Feral
Cats Find New Friends"
(The Daily Cat, February 17, 2002)
"In a development thrilling to those concerned with feral cat
issues, the Center for Animal Care and Control (CACC) in New York City has
agreed, for the first time, to test a pilot trap-neuter-release program in
collaboration with Neighborhood Cats, a non-profit organization." In
addition, new services for feral cats include the ASPCA's mobile
spay/neuter van.
"They
Love N.Y. Alley Cats - Cats at the World Trade Center"
(Best Friends Magazine, January/February 2002)
Neighborhood Cats helps out after September 11th attack by rescuing
lost and abandoned cats at Ground Zero.
"It's
a Cat-astrophe"
(New York Post, October 25, 2001)
Dozens of cats have been left to fend for themselves - or starve -
by hard-hearted restaurant and deli owners at Ground Zero who've abandoned
the four-legged survivors. A neighborhood group that takes care of
the stray cats who live on the city's streets rescued the ground-zero cats
at 120 Cedar St. - and is outraged the animals were abandoned.
"NYC
Group Gets on with Life by Helping Feral Cats"
(Alley Cat Action, Winter 2001)
In the days following September 11, Neighborhood Cats proceeded
with a planned TNR project in Riverside Park, the first of its kind in a
city park. All 29 colony members were successfully trapped.
"Pet
Projects"
(Time Out New York, August 16-23, 2001)
One way to get involved in helping animals outside your home is to
learn from Neighborhood Cats how to care for a local feral colony.
"Neighborhood
Cats of N.Y.C."
(Alley Cat Action, Summer 2001)
The TNR movement in NYC has begun with the advent of Neighborhood
Cats and the setting up of model colonies throughout Manhattan.
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