Gene Smith, director of the Cleveland Animal ShelterTO GET INVOLVED* Donate: Cover the cost of a spay/neuter operation* Sponsor: Pay for the care of a feral cat* Adopt: Offer your barn or garage for cat relocation* Volunteer: Attend weekly meetings at Mark’s Dog House, 3443 Keith St. NW, Cleveland* Learn more: Call Catnippers at 423-464-6074; like Cleveland for a No Kill City on Facebook or call 423-646-6070
A grass-roots movement in Bradley County, Tenn., is starting two programs aimed at keeping feral cats out of the pound.
The group, Cleveland for a No Kill City, aims to help move animals out of the Cleveland Animal Shelter faster — so that eventually the shelter won’t need to kill animals because of overcrowding.
The new programs, a barn-relocation program and a trap-neuter-return program called Catnippers, target feral cats in two ways, volunteer Beth Foster said. The barn-relocation program removes cats from the shelter and relocates them on farms. But Catnippers aims to keep feral cats out of the shelter in the first place.
“We’re hoping people will start calling Catnippers instead of animal control if they have feral cats hanging around their homes and businesses,” Foster said. “We will trap the cats, spay and neuter the cats, eartip them and return them.”