There is a huge population of free-roaming cats in Garden City because of the history of the temporary community members in some areas. The responsibility for the city’s free-roaming cats has fallen on to the caregivers who have taken on the overwhelming tasks of their care.

 

Though we have always had a caring few who maintain their own colonies, this is a low-income area, and caregivers are using the little money they have to pay for spay and neutering surgeries, fostering, intake fees for adoptable kittens and cats, along with medical care and food. These efforts of a few are not sustainable. Cats are multiplying faster than they are being trapped.

 

One local colony has 20 to 30 free-roaming cats and kittens. There are dozens of similar colonies in Garden City.

Spay Neuter Idaho Pets, Inc. (SNIP) estimates one cat and its offspring can be responsible for 420,000 cats in 10 years.

The cats belong to the whole community, not to just the few people who have taken on the responsibility.

The Garden City Community Cats Project  shares in the management and expense of Garden City cats. We believe in Trap Neuter and Return (TNR) as a way to show compassion to our cat community, and work with the caregivers to incorporate this into their colony's management. 

 

GCCCP Practices

• GCCCP offers mass Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). We schedule large blocs of spay\neuter appointments and fill them. TNR will only work if mass TNR is accomplished.

• GCCCP finds and works with the caregivers of free-roaming cat colonies by trapping the cats; obtaining and paying for spay or neutering; and providing transportation, pre-surgery boarding and post-surgery recovery. By working with caregivers (approximately 40 now) you can schedule their cats into blocs of appointments. The caregivers know their cats, eating times, ages, pregnancies, etc. and usually like to learn to trap. Much of what I do is manage caregivers into a GCCCP work force.

• GCCCP distributes free cat food and supplies to any free-roaming colony caregiver. This keeps them actively neutering their cats and more willing to allow new cats into the colony.

• GCCCP gives free spay or neutering for ANY cat in Garden City because any cat is a potential stray. Plus, if there are cats inside that are not neutered they probably were free-roaming at some point since shelters neuter all their cats.

• Everything is Free.