An Overton County Animal group trapping feral cats to address growing overpopulation crisis through a program of spaying, neutering, and returning animals to their colonies.
Dog Days Search and Rescue Co-Founder JoAnn DeCollibus said the volunteer-led organization focuses on city locations and residential areas where cat populations have become a community problem. DeCollibus said the cats’ wild nature makes them impossible to re-home in traditional domestic settings.
“The problem is overpopulation,” DeCollibus said. “They just keep multiplying. You can have a numerous amount of cats in a very short period of time if you do not catch and spay and neuter them. And then they become a problem to the community.”
DeCollibus said the rescue group identifies feral cats through research and physical markers, such as a clipped ear tip. This identifier allows rescuers to see from a distance if a cat has already been processed through a spay and neuter program.
“If the cat is showing up at a certain location and it’s acting very fearful, or it sees a person and it disappears very quickly, more than likely it’s a feral cat,” DeCollibus said. “If a cat comes up to you and it’s semi-friendly and friendly, more than likely it’s not feral and there’s an opportunity that it might have an owner or there’s an opportunity to help that cat and try to find it a new owner.”
DeCollibus said the speed of feline reproduction creates an urgent need for intervention because kittens can become pregnant as early as six months old. While feral adults are returned to the wild, friendly kittens found in public areas are often placed with adopters or other rescue organizations after they are fixed.
“If you don’t spay and neuter them, they’re just gonna keep multiplying as quickly as you can even think about it,” DeCollibus said. “So you can have two or three cats in an area and it might not seem like a problem, but in six to ten, twelve weeks, you could have a couple of litters of kittens and you just have to be very careful because they will just keep multiplying.”
DeCollibus said the current surge in the cat population is driven by both natural reproduction and people driving into the county to abandon their pets. She said residents who encounter new cats should take photographs to post on social media, as some animals may simply be lost pets that have meandered a few blocks away from home.
“We’re seeing a lot of colonies in public places, on city streets, in neighborhoods that are multiplying,” DeCollibus said. “They’re just getting larger. And part of that problem is they’re not spayed and neutered, so we’re trying to make a dent in that. The other problem is people are actually dumping cats in the city limits and around the county.”
DeCollibus said while providing food, water, and protection from the elements is helpful for animals in distress, residents should be aware that consistent feeding will encourage an animal to remain in the immediate area.