Arch-Diocese Of New York Agrees To Meet To Discuss The St. James Church Cat Situation
First and foremost, since our last update to you, we can report that the valiant caretakers are getting some food to the cats, but of course this is not how a colony should be cared for, as you all know. We are not putting the cats’ health in jeopardy, and we would not use them as bargaining chips. That said, our primary goal is to keep them where they are and restore daily care as quickly as possible.
Secondly, before all of your calls and e-mails were received, the Archdiocese of NYC had insisted that the lockout of the cat caretakers at St. James Church was just a one-parish issue that they would not get involved in. Now, more than 1,000 calls and e-mails later, they have reconsidered. The Archdiocese of NYC has agreed to meet with the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals on Tuesday, March 27, to discuss the situation. Obviously, this is much more than a one-parish issue.
Thank you for your articulate and ardent letters and calls urging the church to allow the cats to remain where they are and underscoring the benefits of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). While the benefits of not removing a group of neutered, vaccinated cats living peacefully and being well cared for is obvious to many of us, many people still don’t understand that removal just doesn’t work.
This small colony of cats has received international attention, and what is decided here will set a precedent for others wishing to evict TNR’ed feral cat colonies from other places. The church has an opportunity to make a wonderful statement on behalf of humane care for feral cats if they make the correct and progressive choice to not remove the cats. We all know that removal is both ineffective and inhumane.
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Keep up the pressure:
Call Joseph Zwilling, Communications Director for the Archdiocese of New York, at (212) 371-1011 x2997.
E-mail the Archdiocese of New York at communications@archny.org. Father Gonsalves, the Vatican, and the NYC Feral Cat Initiative will be copied on your e-mail.
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The rest of the story and info about the cats to use:
http://www.animalalliancenyc.org/wordpress/2012/03/archdiocese-of-new-york-agrees-to-meet-to-discuss-the-st-james-church-cat-situation/
Okay. They have now shown no compassion for kids and animals. Are the elderly and/or disabled next? They seem to have it in for the powerless unless they are unborn.
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in the sense they were adopted as a group to be fed. I don't know if the people taking care of them are a real group, but they all 'adopted' the cats to feed and care of.
