LETTER: Feral cats out of hand

I'm fairly new to Moses Lake. I've only lived here for four years, but it quickly became apparent that the cat population is extremely out of hand.

The only way the high population of cats can receive any help at all is through the gumption and generosity of far too few individuals. Some are trapping these cats and paying themselves for spaying/neutering or by asking for donations.

There's been several cats in my extended back yard that I've been trying to help. In the process of figuring out what to do, I soon found that there are zero programs in this community. The Grant County Animal Outreach doesn't even accept cats! I'm a retired person living on Social Security and have limited funds, but am determined to at least help the four to five young cats in my neighborhood. But even these few could add up to thousands of dollars at regular prices.

I understand that our elected officials are working on this situation and there's talk of building a bigger and better shelter, but this is far off into the future!! We need action now. How about getting local veterinarians to donate time several days each week/month to perform the needed sterilization surgeries and to help coordinate with the trappers for a speedy and efficient process? It can be done. It's being done in other towns and cities where low income owners and feral cat trappers can receive this service for a nominal fee that includes spay/neutering plus vaccinations.

We need someone to rally the help to get organized and find ways to make this happen.

Carol Fay

Moses Lake