Join the effort to help Coney Island's stray cats at a meeting tonight

coney island cat — Just because this cat is homeless doesn’t mean it has to be miserable. via Flickr user Mingo Haven

Coney Island has a lot of cool things to offer, like the Cyclone and the Cyclones and a beach and Nathan’s. But it also has a fair number of feral cats, which are being scattered thanks to development along the boardwalk. Now, cat rescue non-profit Brooklyn Rescue Umbrella is determined to help those cats, and is holding a meeting tonight in Coney to lay out their plans and find volunteers to help them implement it. If you love cats, and hate suffering, this could very well be the place for you.

The meeting is taking place tonight at 7pm at the Coney Island YMCA (2980 West 29th Street), and is being held to lay the groundwork to take care of the neighborhood’s feral cats. The Coney Island Boardwalk Cats Project, as the effort is being called now is looking for volunteers to help get off the ground, including people to help with TNR efforts and someone to help with social media and fundraising outreach. They’ve only got 50 seats open for the meeting, so make sure you reserve a ticket if you’re going.

The project has some roots elsewhere, since it’s being modeled after the Atlantic City Boardwalk Cats project, in which volunteers help trap, neuter and release feral cats, as well as set up feeding stations and shelters for the homeless cats. BRU’s Josie Marrero will be leading the meeting, which will include a short film about the Atlantic City project, along with a talk on the feral cat population of Coney Island and New York City’s feral cat crisis. And just think of how that will sound when you’re trying to impress someone at a bar. “Me? Oh I help take care of helpless feral cats in in my downtime, just do some little things to make their lives easier.”