30 000 feral cats in Norfolk County

[projekktor id=’24764′]

Norfolk County has a serious cat problem. There are some 30 000 stray and feral cats roaming the area. In a county with a population of around 65 000, that’s nearly one cat for every two people.

Everywhere you look in the barns and sheds on John Gudinska’s property you’ll find a cat. He has around around 50 he looks after and even dedicates whole buildings just to them. He says there’s way too many cats in the county. “It really upsets me that town council doesn’t step up to the plate. They don’t think it’s an issue but it is and this is a perfect example.”

And he’s not alone, the local humane society says they get about 200 to 300 calls per month reporting large groups of cats. John has been working with the feral cats, socializing them so that they can be adopted. Cathie Hosken works at the the Simcoe County SPCA and is helping with that but says that most feral cats will never be adoptable.

Right now the municipality is offering $50 000 to any group that can come up with a long-term solution to the cat problem. The Simcoe SPCA responded to the call, but their submission was disqualified when the county determined it was incomplete.

“I believe that they need to provide money and not a control but a T-N-R program and a re-homing program.”

So that the feral cats can live out their lives without repopulating, and the adoptable strays can be neutered before finding loving homes.