Ross County Humane Society looks to address feral cat problem
CHILLICOTHE— Feral cats are unowned cats who live outdoors. Most of them have never had a home and have not been socialized, making them weary of people.
They roam the outdoors looking for food, whether that be in a dumpster or by hunting. When left alone these feral cats will breed creating more feral cats, which can easily become a problem and a nuisance to a community. These feral cat colonies can also bring with them cat scratch fever, distemper, rabies, ringworm and several other diseases.
The Chillicothe Cat Project is a group effort between the Ross County Humane Society and Cats & Company that looks to reduce the number of feral cats in the city. They plan to do this by trapping the cats in humane traps and sterilizing them. After healing from being spayed or neutered the cats will be returned to where they came from.
The Humane Society is only able to help so much as they are a dog facility and are unable to regularly take in cats, despite them getting calls about cats multiple times a day.
"It definitely is a concern," said Jenn Thomas, executive director for the Ross County Humane Society. "We get calls about cats every day."
In less than a year Cats & Company has helped over 300 cats who would have otherwise become feral and roam the city. The Chillicothe Cat Project estimates that there are still over 1,000 feral and roaming cats that are not being handled. Without a proper program this number will only grow.
"At the rate these colonies are growing the city is going to be inundated with a problem in a few years," said Thomas.
The project is hoping to provide a training for caretakers and volunteers as well as veterinary relationships for surgery needs. The project does come with concerns, such as owned outdoor cats, cat relocation and municipality support.
While still in the beginning phases the project expects to be able to trap and release around 480 cats per "season" once it is up and running. By trapping and releasing these cats the project will provide a long-term solution to the feral cat problem in the city if it is maintained properly.
A full season of the program will cost around $35,000, which includes the trapping, sterilizing and care of the felines. The group is currently asking Chillicothe City Council to help fund this project. The request has been sent to the community affairs committee.
Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at SReeves@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @Shelby_Reeves_
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Humane Society looks to address feral cat problem
