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DRAFT <br /> <br /> <br />Program evaluation is essential to the effective management of any effort of this kind, just as it <br />has been to previous efforts to manage pet overpopulation to date in Orange County. Without <br />some meaningful measures, there is no feedback between individual initiatives or a package of <br />initiatives and the objectives or goal of a plan of this kind. Measures are important to effective <br />management, whether they reinforce the importance of that effort in its present form, suggest <br />that there is a need for some slight modification, or show that there should be a shift from one <br />track to another. <br />Program evaluation is also important for communicating with the public, elected officials, and <br />local government managers about a plan or program for managing animal companions. <br />Ongoing communication should be evidence-based and strengthen overall support. It should <br />make the public aware of new and different ways to address “cat problems” and relate to cats <br />now and in the future. Such efforts should encourage and invite members of the public to <br />become involved in what is ultimately a community effort to reform the enduring but dynamic <br />bond between cats and people as we move forward in the 21st century. <br /> <br />8. Sources <br />A. Meeting notes by date <br />B. Strategic Plan <br />C. Cat stats <br />D. JAVMA articles on feral cat stats <br />E. Pilot Program ideas <br />