Furry felines everywhere

TRACS would like to reach out to our public here in Sanders County and find out how we might be able to help them with the stray and feral cat populations we have in some areas. TRACS is hoping to get some financial help from a large national organization and has a very good chance of getting this money, which is designed to help reduce stray cat populations by controlling their reproduction. Stop the babies being made, and the populations will automatically be reduced.

TRACS would like to talk to individuals and find out where we have some problems and who might have complaints about feral cats being problematic. We would like to start a baseline log of how many we have and where they are. We will be dependent on people calling us and letting us know where they are and how many there are. Then when we start working on the spay and neuter surgeries for the cats, we can develop a plan of approach and be able to organize our efforts.

Our plans will include trapping the felines if necessary or putting them in carriers if handlable. We will then take them to one of the participating local and /or Missoula and Kalispell vets who will do the surgeries. The cats will then be taken back to their areas after a day or two of recooperation and turned back loose. The cat "colonies" will be stable and will start to diminish as old age and preditation reduce their numbers and fewer babies are born. As TRACS does this work with the help of the communities and kind people in the communities who can set traps and monitor them, some of the more adoptable cats and kittens will likely be brought to TRACS for future adoption.

So, if you are having a problem or have knowledge of someone else having a problem with "just too many cats and cats being dropped off all the time," please let TRACS know about this and we will include this info in our baseline information and in our plans for the future spay and neuter project for the community. Call us at 827-8722 and leave a message as to the area of the cat population, the numbers of cats estimated, the owner of the property if there is one, the nearest city in Sanders County, and the phone number to reach you.

Thanks to the community for their help with this project. We need volunteers in each of our cities and communities and if you have an interest in being on the team of volunteers, we would sure appreciate your help and assistance.