Group Seeks Help in Tracking, Trapping Feral Cats
 Animal DREAMS founder Yvonne Borsody explains some of the ways the nonprofit group raises funds. Left, a premade shelter for feral cats; right, pins mark feral cats or colonies. |
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"We see cats go in and out of our place all the time," said Michael Chalifoux, post commander. "We could sit out there and trap one every day."
So when a Pittsfield-based organization called for help in controlling and caring for the cats, Chalifoux decided to step up.
"It kind of got me a little bit, I'm a big volunteer," he said, noting the post has become involved in a wide range of programs for local residents. "There's six different parks in North Adams we help keep clean. I thought it would tie in nicely."
Chalifoux was one of dozen or so residents who turned out last week to hear the plea of Yvonne
Borsody, founder of Animal DREAMS, to help abandoned pets and cats that were born wild.
"North Adams has a serious cat problem," said Borsody to the group gathered at the North Adams Public Library. Animal DREAMS (Dignified Rescues, Education, Advocacy and Medical Services) is trying to lower feral cat populations in the county by spaying or neutering the cats and helping people of limited means to get their cats fixed.
Most cats are not true feral cats but former pets that were abandoned and an unspayed female can quickly turn into many more.
"One man we worked with went from one cat to 18 kittens and cats in about one year," said Borsody. The problems occur when owners don't take their pets to the veterinarian and don't get them spayed, she continued. Often when people have too many cats or move, they abandon their former pets.
To counteract the proliferation of feral felines, Animal DREAMS works with volunteers and local veterinarians (Greylock Animal Hospital here) to track, trap and treat the animals and return them to their haunts, where they are fed and monitored. Kittens and some strays are put up for adoption.
Most of the calls the group receives are for cats in Adams, North Adams and Pittsfield.
"This cat is no different than the one in your home," said a passionate Borsody, holding up a large poster of a feral tabby. The animals should be treated humanely, she said, rather than being turned over to shelters that will euthanize them because it's believed they are unadoptable.
Animal DREAMS has received two grants to "trap-neuter-return" feral cats in North Adams through Petsmart Charities and the Massachusetts Animal Coalition, through the sale of "I'm Animal Friendly" license plates available until June 30.
So far 88 cats have been trapped and treated, but that leaves more than 160 cats remaining that could be covered by the grant funding in the next three months.
The nonprofit organization needs community help to meet that goal, said Borsody. "To do this work, it has to come from within – from people in the community."
That means help identifying and trapping the cats for neutering; volunteers can provide shelter and sustenance later for returned cats. The cats' ears are "nipped" to show they're neutered and vaccinated.
Searches can take the volunteers into abandoned buildings, basements, wooded areas and all over. "Cats are everywhere and to find them we have to think like a cat," though she warned "there are ways to safely trap cats, including proper traps to use, so they won't get hurt and people without training should not attempt to trap animals on their own." Residents who call Animal DREAMS with sightings of ferals or strays should provide a description of the animal, where it was seen and any identifying features. They should check with neighbors first to see if it's a wandering pet or if someone is feeding it.
Animal DREAMS is seeking volunteers to look after the cats, trap them and transport them to veterinarians, as well as donations to aid its mission. The grant funding only covers neutering, not rabies shots, other vaccinations and treatments. Testing for feline leukemia alone can cost $40. Donations also help lower-income owners spay and neuter their pets.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Borsody at info@berkshireanimalDREAMS.org, by calling 413-528-1328 or visiting the Web site. Donations are accepted at the Web site or at Animal DREAMS, Inc., PO Box 1073, Pittsfield, MA 01202.
Chalifoux, meanwhile, is ready for some training in trapping cats on River Street. "There's just so many cats over there it's ludicrous."
