There are 50,000-60,000 feral cats in Osceola County, and that number could soon be going down thanks to a new grant.
- $300,000 to $500,000 to help spay, neuter cats
- About 50,000 to 60,000 feral cats in Osceola County
- Public meeting on grant on March 1
Five-month-old Ginger was dropped off at the shelter when she was just a baby.
"And then I see her, and it was like love at first sight so I just got her," said Kuturi Whitehead, who adopted Ginger.
While Ginger is getting a new home now, that's not the case for all the four-legged creatures who walk into this building.
From a total of 3,600 incoming cats and kitties, about 1,500 were euthanized this past year.
"Our foster program has grown a lot and that helped but we just simply cannot keep up with the numbers,” said Kim Staton, the director of Osceola County Animal Services. “There's gotta be more animals getting spayed and neutered."
Osceola County Animal Services won a grant of $300,000 to $500,000 over the next three years from Best Friends Animal Society. The goal is to spay and neuter 7,500 cats through the duration of the program.
This is an investment grant, meaning instead of receiving a check, the shelter will be getting a van to transport cats to spay and neuter clinics. Two full-time staff members will also work on trap neuter release programs as well as educate the public.
Staton said that the community, teamwork and partnerships are what truly helped get this grant.
"The overall goal really is to drive the number of cats in the community down, because we believe that will help the cats, the community, and it will enhance public safety,” Staton said. “It will be fewer cats coming into the shelter, fewer cats that will be euthanized. It will save tax dollars."
Kuturi Whitehead, who is a new cat dad, hopes this grant can help curb the stray cat population so little ones like Ginger are off the streets.
"It's a good effort to try to keep them down, and it's a good effort for the cats and people that love cats and animals and stuff,” Whitehead said. “Because I am a huge animal lover so I agree with it … I accept it."
There will be a public meeting at the Osceola County chambers where residents are invited to ask questions or offer feedback about the grant, on March 1 at 5:30 p.m.