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Dec. 4, 2024 By Shane O’Brien
LIC Feral Feeders, a non-profit dedicated to providing essential care to homeless and feral cats, will host an adoption event in Astoria this Saturday.
The event, which will take place between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Earth & Me at 30-38 Steinway St. on Saturday, Dec. 7, will feature around a dozen adoptable cats and kittens that have been rescued from the streets of Queens.
Jannatul Ahmed, director of operations at LIC Feral Feeders, said Saturday’s event aims to promote the non-profit’s work in the local community and help find forever homes for cats in the Feral Feeders system.
Feral Feeders has recently halted the intake of new cats due to a lack of available holding space, a temporary measure to house cats rescued from the streets before they enter a foster home.
Moyna will be up for adoption at LIC Feral Feeders’ adoption event this Saturday. Photo: LIC Feral Feeders
Ahmed said Feral Feeders’ main holding space is currently under renovation, limiting the number of cats the organization can take off the streets. Feral Feeders aims to provide forever homes for neutered and medically cleared cats and find foster homes for outdoor cats currently waiting to be rescued.
The organization observes homeless cats for a significant portion of time before trapping and neutering the animals to help control New York’s feral cat population. Cats deemed friendly are placed in the Feral Feeders foster system to prepare them for a forever home, while cats deemed unsuitable for human environments are trapped, neutered and released (TNR).
Ahmed said Saturday’s adoption event aims to educate the public about the extent of the stray cat situation in New York City and introduce members of the community to the foster system.
“Some new neighbors may not know about the world of cat rescue and how bad the stray cat overpopulation issue is,” Ahmed said. “The goal is really to find foster homes for our perfectly adoptable and medically cleared cats and kittens.
“We also hope to find some fosters who are open to taking in cats that are either waiting to be rescued from outdoors or cats that are in temporary holding indoors and need to be placed elsewhere.”
Victoria Koulouris, president of LIC Feral Feeders, said the organization consistently emphasizes an ethos of “adopt, don’t shop,” stating that the non-profit carries out video interviews and reference checks with anyone wishing to adopt or foster a cat.
“Adopt don’t shop is something that we emphasize all year long. We’re trying to move away from the idea of purchasing any kind of animal, and I think we’re making some strides in that realm,” Koulouris said.
Ahmed said Saturday’s adoption event will also provide exposure for Earth & Me, a small, independently-owned business selling a range of environmentally friendly self-care products. Earth & Me recently announced that it will shutter its Ditmars Boulevard location at the end of 2024.
“We really hope that we’re able to support this amazing small business with a focus on living a zero waste lifestyle, which works hand in hand with a lot of the issues and initiatives that we focus on,” Ahmed said.
Meanwhile, Feral Feeders will also a “Whisker Wonderland” fundraiser at Urban Vegan Roots at 34-47 31st St. on Saturday, Dec. 14 between 7-9 p.m.
The event, which will feature singing performances, raffles and live portrait drawings, will raise funds for Feral Feeders’ rescue and foster operations.
“This the very first fundraiser of this type that we’re doing,” Koulouris said. “We’re always looking to get funds in.”
She said the non-profit’s TNR services are critical to keeping New York’s cat population under control.
“TNR is absolutely crucial to the city to try and get a handle on the overpopulation of homeless cats,” she said. “It’s a huge endeavor, and we’re not the only rescue out there working on it, but we certainly can use a whole lot more help in terms of funding. Unfortunately, it’s not a free service.”
Tickets for the fundraising event are $20, and all ticket holders are automatically entered into raffles for prizes provided by local organizations, including the Museum of the Moving Image and Weruva.
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