Several neighborhoods around Lake Norman are now grappling with a significant feral cat problem. A countywide effort aims to control the overpopulation of these community cats.
Community cats form colonies to survive and, if not spayed or neutered, breed prolifically. Unneutered males roam, spray territories, seek in-heat females, and fight, spreading diseases. One male cat can mate multiple times a day, leading to dozens of feral cats on a property.
During “kitten season,” from spring through autumn, Iredell County’s animal shelter and local rescues become overwhelmed. They receive numerous daily calls from people looking to surrender pets or found kittens and puppies.
Several nonprofits, including; PAR, ICAS, Lake Norman Humane, Bella Vita Animal Rescue, Citizens for Animal Welfare, and Stand for Animals are teaming up with the Iredell County Animal Services to combat the problem.
ICAS offers monthly TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) workshops to teach the public how to trap community cats. They also loan traps and have a limited number of free appointments each month for spaying or neutering the trapped animals. Afterward, the cats are returned to where they were trapped.
TNR is considered the only humane, effective, long-term solution to reducing the number of community cats.
Find out more about the TNR program here.
