Thank you Deputy Mayor Rachiele for working with the Long Island Cat Project to establish a trap, neuter and return program (TNT) for the feral cats of Farmingdale. This is a win-win situation for the kitties and for the people of Farmingdale affected with issues involving feral cats. First, this program is of no cost to the village, so it is a free benefit to the taxpayers of Farmingdale and they will benefit from its implementation. The most obvious benefit to people living with and near feral cats is that the number of feral cats will begin to become controlled and, ultimately, will drop as the population of sterilized cats grow older and dies off without having produced newer generations of kitties to take their place. An additional benefit is that sterilized cats possess fewer of the characteristics, which people tend to find offensive, such as female cats howling while in heat and male cats "spraying" pungent urine to mark their territory and fighting with other cats that enter it. The cats also will benefit from spaying or neutering in that the females will not reproduce repeatedly and the males will not have the urge to roam to locate and fight to claim a female cat in heat. This will benefit the health of males and females alike.

Two of the more widely recognized organizations devoted exclusively to the welfare and reduction of feral cat populations, Alley Cat Allies and Neighborhood Cats, have made great strides in publicizing and promoting TNR as the most effective method to do both. Their websites (www.alleycat.org) and (www.neighborhoodcats.org) provide many examples of situations in which TNR has worked to stop the burgeoning numbers of feral cats in various cities and other populations. More importantly, they also offer information on how to trap feral cats and to care for a colony of feral cats. In addition, the website for the Long Island Cat Project (www.licp.org) has a wealth of local resources.

Joe Rachiele should be applauded for being open-minded and progressive enough to accept the help being offered by Dr. Gay Senk (who is an angel for the kitties) and the rest of the folks working with the Long Island Cat Project. I am confident that he will not be disappointed.

Don't forget: Oct. 16 is National Feral Cat Day!

Stacey Tranchina