Feral Feline Festival

By Tamara Sevigny

With live music by Angelo Vessicho and Sound Alternative, dancing and dance contests, refreshments and door prizes the Feral Feline Festival will be a hit again this year. To be held on Saturday, October 22 in Northford at 7pm this is the 3rd year that the Greater New Haven Cat Project (GNHCP) has put on this lively festival. It brings together animal lovers for an evening of dance, food, prizes and fun while helping with feline overpopulation.

The live music offered by Angelo Vessichio and Sound Alternative is a mix of types from 40's to the present with everything from club music to oldies, country and rock. Door prizes are a given but join in the raffles and get your chances at gift certificates for tanning salons and restaurants or a variety of other gifts.

The organizer of the event, the GNHCP, is a non-profit, volunteer staffed organization dedicated to improving the lives of stray, abandoned and feral cats in the greater New Haven area.

They are known for their low-cost spay and neuter program. They specialize in spaying and neutering cats, providing basic veterinary care and vaccinations, testing for diseases, rescuing and socializing feral cats and kittens, finding homes for stray and abandoned cats and returning altered feral cats to original colonies. They also provide the public with information, resources and education.

To help raise funds and be able to offer their services the GNHCP’s Feral Feline Festival is one of their biggest fund-raisers. At a cost of approximately $100 per cat for vaccination, spaying or neutering and veterinarian attention, and at 35-40 cats per month the cost can be tremendous.

Join the Greater New Haven Cat Project and Angelo Vessichio and Sound Alternative for a night out with food and fun at Masonic Hall located on Forest Road (Rte 22) in Northford. The festival starts at 7pm. Tickets are a modest $20 per person and available by calling 203-782-2287 or purchase at the door. If you can't attend consider making a donation. Contributions are tax deductible and can be sent to GNHCP, P.O. Box 1432, New Haven, CT 06506. Raffle donations also accepted.