SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A University of Notre Dame theology student has turned her concerns about the plight of feral cats into a program that traps and sterilizes felines to reduce their numbers.
Since September, the Michiana Feral Cat Society has trapped and neutered 66 cats in the South Bend area.
"Most of them are doing OK on their own, just like a raccoon, so we let them live where they are, but we spay or neuter them," said Devon Smith, who operates the program.
When Smith moved into her home on South Bend's east side about two years ago she said she noticed the area had an unusually large population of wild cats. Her own neighborhood had between 10 and 15 strays, she said.
Smith began spaying and neutering those cats, but soon realized that cats were running wild, and breeding, all over the city.
"It just became abundantly clear to me right off the bat that this area needed a trap-neuter-return program," she told the South Bend Tribune.
So between writing her thesis and teaching introductory theology classes, the 31-year-old Vermont native started the Michiana Feral Cat Society with the help of several volunteers.
Smith said that about 2 million cats are euthanized every year in the U.S.
As an alternative to euthanasia, trap-neuter-return has gained traction in the past few decades. It is endorsed by both the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society of the United States of America.
The neutering programs generally target established cat colonies. They trap colony members and bring them to veterinarian clinics, where they are sterilized, vaccinated for rabies and treated for any injuries or illnesses. The cats are then returned to their colonies, although whenever possible, kittens and friendly adults are placed for adoption.
Smith's group has trapped cats in several areas in Indiana and adjacent Michigan, including a colony of 20 in Edwardsburg, Mich.
The group does its trapping on Friday evenings, keeping the cats overnight, often in Smith's basement. On Saturday, it takes the animals to the Anderson Feline Population Reduction Center in Beverly Shores, where they are treated for just $35 — a huge savings over veterinary bills Smith said would typically run about $150.
In December, before she discovered the Beverly Shores clinic, Smith took a second job at Bath & Body Works, just to pay for spaying and neutering.
At least one animal welfare group in the area appreciates the effort.
"I think in the long-term, it (Smith's group) will be a tremendous benefit to the community, because we will have fewer stray cats," said Karen Pugh, cat coordinator at Pet Refuge, a no-kill shelter in Mishawaka.
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