Press Releases

October 31, 2006
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Michelle Pintar
Direct: (414) 431-6104
E-mail: mpintar@wihumane.org

Cats CAN Live Nine Lives with Your Help!

MILWAUKEE ? The popular adage, ?Cats live nine lives,? could be true if they were kept indoors. Millions of cats suffer and even die in the United States each year due to guardians allowing them to roam outdoors. One such example of a cat who leads a tough life is Mac, a cat who was brought to the Wisconsin Humane Society covered in tar. Mac is a free-roaming feral cat who is believed to have once had a happy life with a guardian, but found her way outdoors never to return home again. Mac has since become a ?cat of the wild? and is undomesticated, unsocialized and not sterilized.

The Wisconsin Humane Society recommends these steps to help your cat live long, healthy lives:

· Keep your cat indoors! Outdoor cats have a much shorter life span than those who live indoors.

· If your cat doesn't already wear a collar, invest in one and make sure your furry friend also has an identification tag. Also have your cat implanted with an identifying microchip, which can make a difference between finding your cat or not.

· Cats need to get regular exercise. You can find plenty of great toys to keep your cat mentally and physically active. Spend at least 15 minutes each day exercising your cat.

· Spay or neuter your cat. This surgery helps reduce overpopulation and thus, prevents animal suffering. WHS spays or neuters all its cats before they are adopted, and also offers a Spay Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is an ideal solution for individuals who understand the benefit of spaying or neutering their cat but cannot afford to do so.

· Invest in a quality scratching post and show your cat how to use it. That will help to prevent your cat from damaging household property and simulate the need for your cat to use a tree to stretch.

· Since city ordinances currently restrict a humane approach to reducing the feral cat population called Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), WHS encourages members of the community to voice their support by educating their friends, family and neighbors about feral cats, cat overpopulation and TNR. Also, people can tell their Alderperson that they support changes to local ordinances that would allow TNR in Milwaukee.

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Note: Education Manager Dezarae Jones Hartwig with the Wisconsin Humane Society is available to talk about how to help your cat live healthy lives. To schedule an appointment, contact Michelle Pintar at
(414) 431-6104.