PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Lucy Jaton, Manager for Training and Education of Community Cats at ASPCA
2:18:41
·
129 sec
Lucy Jaton, representing the ASPCA, highlights the urgent need for increased funding, access to affordable veterinary care, and support for organizations helping vulnerable cats in New York City. She describes the ASPCA's community cats program, which provides education, training, and resources to the public and rescue groups.
- The ASPCA offers 600+ free spay/neuter appointments monthly for community cats, serving 46 different organizations and 116 individual rescuers in 2023.
- Their program faces capacity limitations and urges the council to increase funding and access to affordable veterinary care for rescues and community cat programs.
- The ASPCA's community cats program includes education for law enforcement, workshops for community members, and case management for community cat issues.
Lucy Jaton
2:18:41
I'm Lucy Chaitan, and I'm the manager for training and education of community cats at the ASPCA.
2:18:47
We are here to highlight the urgent need for greater funding, access to affordable veterinary care, and overall support for the organizations that dedicate themselves to helping our city's most vulnerable felines.
2:18:57
Supporting community cats involves a tremendous amount of behind the scenes work.
2:19:01
Our program guides the public and rescue groups on cruelty referrals and works directly with law enforcement on such cases.
2:19:07
We provide humane education to the NYPD and NYPD explorers supporting community cat work on the ground.
2:19:12
Our program supports the community through education, training, and connections to outside resources.
2:19:17
We offer workshops both in person and online to train community members and agencies on how to manage and care if a community cat's effectively.
2:19:24
We recognize that there are very few outside resources available and we urgently need more.
2:19:29
Currently, just one person manages our community cats' casework.
2:19:32
Half the workload is field fieldwork and case management, which includes conducting site visits to assess conditions, gathering information and developing intervention plans.
2:19:41
The remaining half is dedicated to education and training aimed at empowering the community to take proactive steps and managing community cats.
2:19:48
It is important to note that the ASPCA does not directly provide trapped new to return monitor services.
2:19:53
To give you a better sense of the scope of our work with rescues, I'd like to share some stats.
2:19:58
892 rescuers are currently active with us.
2:20:01
There are over 9000 rescuers who could become active in 2023, we provided appointments to 46 different organizations and 116 individual rescuers.
2:20:10
We provide a minimum of 600 freeze bay neuter appointments monthly for community cats, including appointments for pregnant cats, which is significantly more than any other private organization.
2:20:19
This September alone, we are offering approximately 1318 free space New Jersey spots in New York City.
2:20:26
There have been times when fewer appointments were available.
2:20:28
This is not because we want to provide us support or see more on ultra community cats.
2:20:34
It is simply because it is what our capacity allows.
2:20:37
We have also provided funding for Spay News Services to other groups to help bolster their efforts.
2:20:41
We are grateful to all the rescuers are making a difference, and we urge the council to increase funding and access to affordable veterinary care for rescues and community cat programs across the city.
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Testimony by Matt Goldweber, Senior Program Manager of American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) on Surrender Prevention Programs and Animal Welfare
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Testimony by Rena Lafaille, Director of Administration at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
