In a recent study published in the Veterinary
Journal, Dr.
Julie Levy, a professor of shelter medicine at the University of Florida
College of Veterinary Medicine, gave results of her program to reduce the number
of sheltered (and euthanized) feral cats in a given area.
The
target area was in Alachua County, where 2300 feral cats (54% of the estimated
population) were trapped, sterilized and replaced back into their area. The
number of cats taken into the local shelter fell by 70 percent and cats
euthanized decreased by 95 percent. In the rest of the county, the number of sheltered cats also fell by 13 percent, an euthanasia decreased by
30 percent. As an unexpected bonus, adoptions increased of these
friendlier kittens and cats too.
Dr.
Levy is also the director of Maddie's Fund (Maddie's Shelter Medical
Fund) at the University of Florida. It is dedicated to "helping shelters
achieve their life savings goals, training the shelter medical professionals of
today and tomorrow, and developing new knowledge to enhance the well-being of
sheltered animals"
