“Maybe they can help become part of the solution instead of part of the problem,” says Greenville Animal Protective Services Supervisor Tim Langley.
GAPS wants new faces to help with the Trap-Neuter-Return program in the city. Volunteers are desperately needed to help get the feral cat population under control.
“The main thing is having responsible people taking care of a colony,” says Langley.
Outgoing Greenville City Council Member Marion Blackburn was instrumental in passing the ordinance to put this great program in place. She says spaying and neutering the animals will solve the problems that have plagued Greenville for years. She says if this is not addressed it will only get worse.
“Cats will start to come into a place where there is food available, where there are friendly people and when the cats are not sterilized they will of course overpopulate,” explains Blackburn.
“With time, these cats are no longer over populating and they are keeping other cats from coming in,” says Blackburn. “You have a stable situation.”
The City of Greenville is not the only community in the East working to control stray and feral cats. The Town of Grifton is also using a T-N-R program to get its cat population under control. GAPS says this approach has a proven track record in many other areas.
“This community is not alone,” says Langley. “Just like any other community, they have issues with feral cats. You’re going to have feral cats regardless; it’s how you control that pet population.”
Those who are interested in volunteering will be set up with cages and training on how to best trap the cats in their community. The spay and neutering services are paid for by nonprofits which are actually in Greenville. Most have received grants to cover these expenses.
Pet owners with outdoor cats are strongly encouraged to keep a collar on their animals and microchip them if possible. There is always the potential that owned animals could be trapped by mistake, so officers say this is the best approach to ensure pets are managed somehow by the pet owners themselves.
Blackburn will complete her term on the council this coming Monday evening, December 14, 2015. She is now focusing on a new program: The Animal Welfare Coalition.