Humane Society Calumet Area will host a free event where participants can construct a feral cat shelter on October 16. The event is one of hundreds taking place across the country in honor of National Feral Cat Day, a day to call for an end to the killing of cats in animal control pounds and shelters, the leading documented cause of death for cats in the United States.
The event will be held at HSCA’s Estelle Marcus Animal Clinic, 421 45th St, Munster, Ind. HSCA will be providing instructions on how to build a feral cat shelter, as well as information about feral cats and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).
Attendees can bring their own supplies and create a feral cat shelter to take home. HSCA also will have supplies on hand, donated by Home Depot in Schererville, Ind. Attendees can use these supplies to create and donate a shelter to be distributed to HSCA's feral cat caretaker partners. Supplies needed include an 18-gallon Rubbermaid tote, a Styrofoam cooler, straw (not hay), duct tape and a utility knife.
Instructions can be downloaded at www.hscalumet.org/App_downloads/catshelter.pdf.
Supplies are limited and so attendees are encouraged to register by emailing HSCA at info@hscalumet.org.
Alley Cat Allies, the national advocate for feral and stray cats and the foremost authority on Trap-Neuter-Return, launched National Feral Cat Day in 2001. This year, thousands of people will celebrate National Feral Cat Day by calling for their local animal shelters to reform their policies and adopt Trap-Neuter-Return programs to save feral cats.
Through Trap-Neuter-Return, outdoor cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and returned to their outdoor home. Hundreds of local governments now have ordinances endorsing Trap-Neuter-Return, which is rapidly becoming the predominant approach to feral cats.
For more information about National Feral Cat Day, see www.alleycat.org/NFCD. To learn more about HSCA, visit www.hscalumet.org.
About Humane Society Calumet Area Founded by concerned citizen Miss Evelyn Sweitzer in 1941, Humane Society Calumet Area aims to lead the community in the humane treatment of animals by providing vital community services. In 2013, more than 1,500 homeless animals found homes through HSCA and many lost animals were reunited with their families. Additional HSCA services include spay and neuter surgeries for families with financial hardship at Estelle Marcus Animal Clinic, pet therapy teams that visit nursing homes and assisted living facilities, a humane education team that teaches local children about pet safety and compassion, and rehabilitation for wildlife at Moraine Ridge Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.