Community Corner

Ferndale Offers Free Training Saturday for National Feral Cat Day

A free Trap-Neuter-Return training will be held at the Ferndale Public Library on Saturday.

Have you noticed feral cats in your neighborhood?

Feral cats are free-roaming, outdoor cats that are not socialized to people. These cats shouldn't be taken to a shelter, according to All About Animals clinic, based in Warren.

Feral cats are "considered unadoptable and if taken to a shelter, they are euthanized," the organization reports.

Find out what's happening in Ferndalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But residents can help decrease the feral cat population by getting involved in "Trap, Neuter, Return." The city of Ferndale, along with All About Animals, is hosting a free training on the program this weekend.

The training will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Ferndale Public Library. It's one of many training events taking place across the country in honor of National Feral Cat Day, coming up on Oct. 16.

Find out what's happening in Ferndalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The training will include trapping, feeding, sterilization, winter sheltering, working with neighbors and more.

With Trap, Neuter, Return, outdoor cats are humanely trapped and brought to a veterinarian to be evaluated, spayed or neutered, and vaccinated. Cats that have undergone the procedure are eartipped while under anesthesia for identification.

The program "ends the cycle of breeding, making cats better neighbors, and improving their lives," according to All About Animals.

According to a city of Ferndale press release, this is the first year that the city will engage in a National Feral Cat Day event, seeking to highlight the OAKCATS program - a collaborative effort led by the Oakland Pet Adoption Center in partnership with the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance and All About Animals, through the support of PetSmart Charities.

For more information or to register for the training on Saturday, email tnr@allaboutanimalsrescue.org or call 586-879-1745. Registration is not necessary.


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