Labor of love helps reduce local feral cat numbers

Female feral cats waiting to be spayed.

"Yesterday we took a record 51 cats to Lynnwood for spay and neuter!" noted Twila Collins of The Cat's Meow SNAP! Thursday, Aug. 1. "That puts our 23-month total at 1,213 surgeries."

Of the many pets sterilized this way, no small number have been rounded up through the efforts of Toledo residents Elise and Don Brenner, who donated their time and love by humanely capturing feral cats to help reduce their numbers.

Says Elise Brenner, "Someone had dumped a calico cat some months ago near our home and we did not get her spayed soon enough. We spayed her locally at a cost of almost $100, but it was impossible for us to pay for five kittens, too."

Thanks to Collins, she added, these five new felines won't contribute to the homeless cat numbers in Lewis County.

Collins’ efforts established the Cat's Meow of Lewis County as a 501(c)3 charitable operation located at 404 South Tower Ave., in Centralia, with the goal of providing a local clinic rather than sending animals to Lynnwood for their procedure. She is actively campaigning for her vision of help reduce pet populations by inviting donors to become members of this Caretaker Family.

"If 500 people pledge just $10 monthly, we can meet our current expenses" she explained, "and qualify for grants to install a facility in Lewis County."

Lynnwood is home to the Feral Cat Spay Neuter Project (FCSNP), currently providing low and no-cost surgeries to both domestic and free-roaming felines of Washington State through the Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) program. Aimed at reducing the free-roaming feline population in Washington State, such organizations approach overpopulation with an alternative to euthanasia. Estimates range from three to five litters per year birthed by an unsprayed cat, so the impact of unaltered animals quickly overwhelms shelters and adopting agencies.

Says Brenner: "She [Collins] was wonderful and was always there to answer any of our questions."

For more info or to help with time, materials or donations, visit www.catsmeowoflc.org or call (360) 623-0820.

*Update: Sadly, one kitten was struck and killed by a passing vehicle after being returned to its adopted environment. The remainder have taken to spending most of the time on the roof of their caretakers' home, safe from coyotes and predators.