A colony of feral cats will be in danger at Richmond International Airport unless RIC authorities decide to do the right thing and permit a concentrated Trap-Neuter-Return effort to take place that would humanely and effectively manage the colony for the long term. RIC’s Office of Public Safety and Operations is considering having the cats summarily trapped and taken to Henrico Animal Control – a solution that is neither humane nor effective, and which will likely result in the cats’ deaths since they are not socialized to humans and are therefore not likely to be adopted. Airport management was alerted to the presence of the cats recently by a Good Samaritan, who intended to have the cats cared for as opposed to having them rounded up and killed. Help the Richmond SPCA and others prevent this outcome by signing this petition encouraging RIC to act with compassion. Community volunteers have already offered their assistance to successfully have all the cats trapped, sterilized, vaccinated against rabies and returned to the property. Not only is this result in the best interest of the cats, our primary concern, it will also achieve the ultimate aim of RIC, which is to limit the size of the colony. For years feral cats have been living on airport property, and we are told the colony has had caretakers who have performed TNR. They, like so many other dedicated feral cat caretakers throughout Metro Richmond, have done this work anonymously, fearing that management will seek retribution for their efforts to assist the cats if they are caught. In the case of RIC, we understand that anyone trespassing on airport property to care for the cats will be issued warnings and citations. This is a tough mentality to fight, but it’s important that we do so for the benefit of cats, businesses, caretakers and our community. Please join this effort to protect the wellbeing and safety of these feral cats and encourage your friends, co-workers, family and neighbors to do the same. Thank you for your love of animals. Please visit www.richmondspca.org/feral for details and information about TNR (what it is, why it works and who it helps).