ARC Produces Outreach Video in Honor of National Feral Cat Day Oct. 16.

SARASOTA -- Animal Rescue Coalition (ARC) is producing an outreach video to help the public better understand one of the nonprofit's most effective programs - its Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program for feral cats.

The three-minute video showcases Buddy's Feral Cat Day and is ARC's way of joining other animal welfare groups nationwide in recognizing National Feral Cat Day on Oct. 16.  Buddy's Feral Cat Program is responsible for the spaying and neutering of more than 9,500 cats since its inception in 2002.

"This video will help the community understand how ARC's program humanely cares for feral cats," says Program Director Caroline Resnick. "It will inspire and showcase the important work ARC provides the community."

The video includes actual footage of Buddy's feral cat clinic and is being prepared by Premier Video Productions of Bradenton.  Upon its release, it will be posted on ARC's website, shared with local media, and showcased at ARC's fundraisers.  The video can also be viewed at ARC's storefront location on Saturday mornings during The Farmers Market.

The monthly clinic is the heart of Buddy's Feral Cat Program, which was named after a rescued feral kitten now named Buddy, owned by ARC's dedicated volunteer and supporter Phyllis Siskel.  Eleven months out of every year, Resnick and ARC's Medical Director Dr. Laurie Walmsley lead scores of volunteers, including local veterinarians who donate their time in spaying and neutering up to 140 cats brought to the clinic from throughout Sarasota, Charlotte, Manatee and DeSoto counties.

In addition to sterilization surgeries, the cats receive vaccinations for rabies and distemper, are treated for fleas and other parasites, and receive medical care for injuries or treatable illness. Following the scientifically supported principles of Trap-Neuter-Return, the cats are then released back to their original locations under the care of colony caregivers, who feed and monitor the colony.  When TNR is properly implemented, the colony eventually reduces itself over time.

The clinic is held every third Sunday (except December) at Ashton Animal Clinic. To learn more, go to our website at www.arcsarasota.org.

BACKGROUND: A feral cat is a domestic cat that has not been socialized to humans.  They are the direct result of pet abandonment and the failure to spay/neuter free-roaming and loosely owned pets.  An unaltered cat without human contact will produce litter after litter of unsocialized cats.  Once spayed/neutered and provided a reliable food source, feral cats refrain from nuisance behaviors, such as spraying, fighting and breeding.

Trap-Neuter-Return eliminates the birth of unwanted kittens that overload the county's shelter system.  Implementing Trap-Neuter-Return also reduces the systematic killing of feral cats in shelters, which are typically unadoptable because of their fear of humans.