Alley Cat Rescue Saves Cats Through Annual May Spay Challenge

MOUNT RAINER, MD — Kitten season is right around the corner and Alley Cat Rescue is gearing up for their annual May Spay Challenge to help combat cat overpopulation. The May Spay Challenge is a month-long international initiative to save lives and promote the spaying and neutering of feral cats.

Alley Cat Rescue calls on veterinarians to help “fix” the kitten invasion by pledging to spay or neuter at least one feral cat each week for the month of May. Veterinarians are encouraged to work in collaboration with local animal rescuers to identify and assist cats in need of sterilization. By performing trap-neuter-return (TNR), veterinarians are proactively addressing the issue of cat overpopulation before kittens are born to face uncertain outcomes at overcrowded shelters.

Spring is notoriously referred to as “kitten season” because spring marks the high influx of kittens taken to shelters. This intake follows the cats’ breeding cycle beginning in March on the Western Hemisphere. Although kitten season may sound like a cute time of year, kittens are one of the most vulnerable groups of cats for euthanasia at shelters, and the high intake of kittens can decrease their chances of survival due to overcrowding. Over 3.2 million cats enter U.S. shelters each year, and sadly 3 in 10 of these animals will be euthanized.

Many of these kittens are born from unsterilized, free-roaming cats. Spay/neuter surgery is vital towards saving kittens’ lives and helping overburdened shelters. Veterinarians can protect kittens from potential euthanasia throughout the month of May by sterilizing outdoor cats.

Alley Cat Rescue President and Founder Louise Holton says, “Most kittens in shelters lose their lives, as shelters cannot cope with the influx. If this was a feline disease, veterinarians would want to end it. But cat overpopulation has an easy simple answer: spay and neuter cats."

Alley Cat Rescue first launched this initiative in May 2010 and since then, over 1,200 veterinary hospitals from 45 U.S. states, Canada, Israel, Croatia, and South Africa have spayed and neutered over 30,000 feral cats. Alley Cat Rescue projects that even more veterinarians will get involved this year. Any veterinarians interested in participating in the May Spay Challenge can register here.

(Photo credit: SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP/Getty Images)