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Feline Figures: An Estimated 12,000 Feral Cats Roam the Los Angeles ZIP Code 90037
Photo by lucyrk via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Try to wrap your brain around these numbers: it is estimated that 12,000 feral cats are roaming the streets of the ZIP code 90037 — a two-square mile of South Los Angeles that's roughly centered on Vermont Avenue and Vernon Avenue.
The reasons are many, rescue groups say: the city's Animal Services Department is stretched too thin and in a bum economy, residents can't afford to get their cats neutered, according to The Los Angeles Times. The story unfortunately does not explain where it got these mind-boggling feline figures from.
The Stray Cat Alliance is targeting 90037 and aims to trap and neuter at least 7,000 cats in the neighborhood — in the hopes of at least stopping the population from growing even more. They nonprofit is using a grant from a private unnamed company.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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