Interview! Mike Phillips, President, Urban Cat League, and Community Outreach Coordinator for the New York City Feral Cat Initiative

Even though he had lived in Manhattan for decades, Mike didn’t know there were street cats in New York: “I had no idea because I lived on the 43^rd floor,” he observes. In 1999, he got bitten by the community cats bug while helping deal with a 75 cat colony living behind the historic San Remo building on Central Park West.  That colony no longer exists, proving “that 100% number proves how effective TNR can be.”  He then got involved with — and was President — of Neighborhood Cats, teaching TNR workshops all across New York’s five boroughs.  He describes some of the unique challenge cat advocates face in New York: mass trapping is hindered by the lack of large spaces for holding and recovery of cats, and the need to make multiple calls to access needed service

For more information please visit urbancatleague.org.