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September 2, 2010
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Cats living in wild get help in form of grant
Published January 4, 2009
WALTON COUNTY — Thanks to a grant from a New York-based animal organization, Carolee McKay can make sure stray and feral cats in the area can continue living in their habitats without reproducing.
McKay, the executive director of Oxford-based Altered Feral State Inc., wasted no time putting the $4,000 to use for feral felines.
On Dec. 13 and 14, McKay trapped 22 adult feral cats which were spay or neutered and returned to their home properties on Dec. 17.
According to www.wikipedia.org, “a feral cat is an unowned and untame cat separated from domestication. Feral cats are born in the wild and are never socialized, or may be abandoned or lost pets that have become wild. They should not be confused with the wildcat which are not descended from domestic cats.”
McKay said there were no complications in trapping the animals.
“These colonies (of cats) are now stable and well-cared for by their caregivers,” McKay said. “There won’t be new kittens born and the adult cats will live their lives well fed, cared for and loved.”
McKay said the non-profit, licensed organization is arranged to improve the lives of homeless and feral cats and eliminate their breeding through the trap, neuter and return programs like the ones that just took place.
The group also hopes to educate the public about the plight of stray and feral cats and the need to spay and neuter pets, support feral cat caretakers and gain recognition of the beneficial role they perform, according to its Web site, www.alteredferalstate.org.
“The whole program of (trap and release) is that is non-lethal method to control the pet population,” she said at her Old Highway 138 sanctuary, where feral kittens are offered for adoption.
McKay, who has been working with feral cats for more than 15 years with her husband Ed, said now that the holidays are over, the group will take care of the remaining colonies identified through the project.
More funding is expected and more colonies should be cared for in the future.
Controlling the cat population has been a passion for McKay, who said one breeding female cat and her offspring can produce up to 4,000 cats in three years.
McKay said she has been working with the county to update its codes to differentiate between feral cats and domesticated felines so that proper steps can be taken to make sure the feral cats are able to continue living in their natural habitats.
While older feral cats are not able to be domesticated, McKay said kittens can make suitable pets and she offers them to a good home.
They are spayed or neutered and vaccinated before going to their new homes.
“We’re the ones that put them there,” McKay said of feral cats living in the woods and on the streets of Walton County. “People need to know they need to spay and neuter or the cycle perpetuates.”
For more information on Altered Feral State Inc., call 770-787-4549 or visit www.alteredferalstate.org.
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