It’s a sad story, but one that is duplicated in many areas of New York as well as many other cities, counties, states. The number of street cats has risen and will continue to rise.
One factor, they say, is the pandemic. People adopted and bought and rescued pets to keep them company
during the pandemic. Way too many of them have since returned to their former life and decided they can no longer care for the pet. Some cats have been returned to shelters, but many, countless cats have been turned out on the streets.
Here’s a poignant account of what’s happening in a region of New York. Magnify this by thousands and it 
makes for an even uglier picture and reality. Thankfully there are people watching out for the cats—but not nearly the number that’s needed. They can’t be everywhere and tend to every cat and that’s the sad reality.
Did you know, for example, that 8 out of 10 kittens die 
in their first six months on the street. Even the savviest and sturdiest street cat lives an average of just 4 years. There’s an estimated 500,000 cats trying to survive on New York streets. 
And folks, we can’t adopt ourselves out of this predicament.
Here’s a link to the article. Read it, think about these cats and those street cats in your state/city/neighborhood and come up with at least one thing you can do to help.
From my end, I share stories like this here in my blog—hoping to bring awareness and possibly inspire action. As you will notice I include stories in my cozy mysteries also to bring awareness to the problems and hopefully spur on readers to take initiative. How can you help? Donate, Help, Spread the ugly truth about the situation. Appeal to local agencies for help. Volunteer even if it means feeding feral cats in a colony near you once a day. To those of you who are already doing these things, I thank you and honor you. For those of you who aren’t in touch with the feral cat problem in the US, please read this article.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/08/nyregion/feral-cats-nyc.html
Feral cats as well as cats and dogs that residents allow to roam outdoors don’t last long in our community. Along with rabbits, they quickly fall prey to the local coyotes.