Volunteers are needed to help deal with feral cats

Dear Editor:

Feral cats in Delta and other towns throughout the county are drawing a lot of attention these days, and everyone seems to be asking the same question: "What is being done?" We are looking for a few people or organizations more interested in asking "How can we help?" to aid in developing a communit-wide solution.

CAWS (Delta County Citizens for Animal Welfare and Shelter) has been conducting trap, neuter, return (TNR) of feral cats for seven years. From November 2011 to February 2012, we provided TNR services to 64 cats in Delta County. This was accomplished through a generous funding partnership with End of the Trail Horse Rescue in Olathe. CAWS is fortunate to have dedicated trappers who will hit the street the moment funding is available, but the trouble is, funding for small scale TNR programs is hard to come by. To become eligible for large TNR grants we need to evolve our current program into something that can make a lasting and measurable impact in our communities.

Spring kittens are being born every day this month, yet CAWS' traps are sitting empty due to lack of funding. As a volunteer-run, non-profit organization, our resources are limited, but we recognize the need for TNR services and can see that we are at a crossroads. Either we continue to TNR feral cats as we can with very limited and sporadic funding, or we work with the community to develop a truly sustainable program for reducing feral cat populations, and seek out the grant dollars to implement it. CAWS can dedicate resources to help make this happen, and would even be willing to incubate another non-profit dedicated exclusively to feral cats, but we need people who care about the plight of these cats who will come together and be part of developing the solution. If you are interested in helping to create a program to assist with feral cats, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

JoAnn Kalenak

On behalf of the

CAWS Board

of Directors

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