Lake George Cat Program helping stray and feral cats

LAKE GEORGE | The first time Morgan Giuliano ever visited Lake George, she was met with a grim sight off Exit 22 from I-87- the lifeless body of a cat who had been at the wrong place at the wrong time. When she officially made Lake George her home five years ago, she soon realized that dead feline had served as a sign of things to come. "I noticed a problem immediately and it has always bothered me," Giuliano recalled. That problem was there were homeless cats everywhere, animals who by no choice of their own had been fated to hardship, enduring an endless cycle of breeding and perpetuating a cycle of suffering in the relentless Adirondack winters and blistering summers. They would never know the loving touch of a trusted hand, of a secure bed, and what it is to be able to sleep with both eyes closed. Now, Giuliano is stepping up and doing something to help address the issue. As head organizer of The Lake George Cat Program, Giuliano is fighting the good fight on behalf of the cats in need- trapping, spaying and neutering, and finding homes for friendly cats and kittens. The goal is to halt breeding in its tracks. "This is mostly a village program for now, but members of the town board have been huge supporters," she said. "From the scientific papers I have read, you need to get 80% of the stray cat population spayed or neutered to even begin to see any kind of decline in the population, which is what I want to see." Though the program is currently in its infancy, Giuliano has aspirations of growing it to be able to include more than strictly TNR (trap-neuter-return). "Once we have a larger pool of volunteers and fosters, my goal is to try and get as many cats off the streets as possible," she revealed. "Some TNR programs think it is a good thing to have cats wandering around the neighborhood; I don't think it is a good thing or should be accepted." Even though a cat may not be able to reproduce, it doesn't eradicate the known suffering of returning to a life on the street. There may not be more generations born unwanted, but for that one animal, the hardships are still their reality until the day they either get taken by a predator, hit by a car, cross paths with a harmful human, or eventually get sick and crawl off and die alone. Giuliano believes with more resources and manpower, that doesn't always have to be the case. "Our goal as we get bigger is to have a better system for socializing some cats," she explained. "I released a cat the other day who was very timid but I felt if someone could care for him for a few weeks, we could have gotten him socialized and comfortable with people- we probably could have found a home for him." Making things more difficult is the fact that all shelters and rescue organizations are already filled to capacity with animals. "I am lucky the Village has given us funding and our vet is willing to volunteer her time and knowledge and I just have to pay for supplies," Giuliano said. "That is hugely beneficial for us." But The Lake George Cat Program could really benefit from more volunteers, with various opportunities available for those willing to give of their time. Cats are always in need of transport to their vet appointments, helping to set cages on personal property to trap cats is always needed and encouraged, and offering to foster a cat would be extraordinary. Supply donations are always welcome, and sending letters to the Village of Lake George showing support and praise for the program to help funding continue would go a long way in sustaining the efforts. "I think everyone should care about this program because even if you don't care about cats, cats will still care about you," Giuliano noted. "They will still come onto your property, they will be killing your birds, and if we just ignore them, they won't go away. They will just continue to reproduce. There are plenty of cats out there that are friendly and can be sent to a furever home, which is a wonderful ending for them rather than living their lives out on the streets." Monetary donations to The Lake George Cat Program may be made by calling North Shore Animal League America at 518-409-8105. Donation checks may be made out to North Shore Animal League with "Lake George Cat Program" in the note and mailed to North Shore Animal League America, 115 Maple Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801. For questions on volunteering, fostering, donating, or help if you find a litter of kittens, please email Guiliano at lgcatprogram@gmail.com, or call her at 518-668-5722 ext. 5. All messages will be returned. If you live in the Village of Lake George and find a litter of kittens and need help, please give Guiliano a call. "Special thanks to Marisa Muratori, Sharyn Ruzza, Lisa Mastrodomenico, Dan Barusch, Diana Garay, Mayor Perry and the Village Board of Trustees for funding the program, Vincent Crocitto & Jim Derby for their kind donation, Debbie Oligny & Janice Olson at North Shore, the team at ADK Spay & Neuter, and to all of our supporters for their help," Guilano expressed. Follow The Lake George Cat Program on Facebook for updates and adoptable cats and kittens. If you are interested in adopting one of their felines, send a message to Facebook or email Giuliano.

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Lake George Cat Program helping stray and feral cats

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