COLOMBIA – The city of Colombia is currently suffering from cat overpopulation which is causing environmental problems and has triggered movements by various organizations to capture, neuter and release kittens to the wild.
One organization in particular, Boone County Animal Care, is working to capture wild or abandoned cats, neuter them, and release them back into the wild. If not released, the cats will be adopted in foster homes like daddy’s cat café.
“The pandemic had a huge impact on it, just like everything else because our clinic was closed. Here we have all that free time to go out and catch but then we had nothing for them.” Cats to have surgery, said Elise Mosenbacher, longtime volunteer at Boone County Animal Care.
A cat sits in daddy’s cat café, according to his website works with Boone County Animal Care to fill the cat playroom with adoptable cats and improve the lives of homeless cats in the Columbia community.
The Missouri Department of Conservation estimates in 2015 that there are 50 to 60 million cats nationwide. The United States as a whole is overpopulated with cats, creating environmental hazards. They are the leading cause of rabies in other animals and are more likely to contribute to humans than the average animal. In addition, cats are one of the greatest killers of natural plant life, and smaller animals like birds and squirrels.
“We’re trying to educate people about the importance of spaying and neutering. There would be a lot less suffering and a lot less homeless cats if people only repair their animals,” said Mosenbacher.
As COVID-19 cases slow down, shelters are reopening. They emphasize that the Trap Neuter Release (TNR) strategy improves the general health of cats and significantly reduces the number of cats in local animal shelters or on the street.
