Becky Robinson—co-founder and president of Alley Cat Allies, which bills itself the only national advocacy organization dedicated to the protection and human treatment of cats—recounts the incident and surrounding circumstances that led in 1990 to the launching of Alley Cat Allies. She also discusses the history, evolution and effectiveness of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). Robinsons responds to questions about the controversy that sometimes swirls around TNR and how best to treat feral and homeless cats—including from the perspective of wildlife advocates, factions of veterinarians and others who oppose TNR—the study by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the Fish and Wildlife Service, and more. She also underscores the effectiveness of TNR over time by citing examples of feral cat colonies–including the one that originally set her and Alley Cat Allies in motion–that no longer exist, in the wake of all their residents having been spayed and neutered, and eventually the final cat living at each died. (www.AlleyCat.org, www.facebook.com/AlleyCatAllies)
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COMEDY CORNER: Marc Maron’s “Cat Guy” (TA radio edit) (wwwWTFpod.com)
MUSIC: JD McPherson’s “Fire Bug,” Brad Mehldau’s version of “Blackbird,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Jethro Tull’s “Mother Goose”