Every Thursday at 9:45 a.m., University of North Georgia senior public administration major Katy Joy Beller picks up a carload of student volunteers and drives them to the Feral Cat Program of Georgia in Dahlonega. The students clean kennels and feed, water, vaccinate and socialize the cats from 10 a.m. to noon.
Founded more than 20 years ago by veterinarian Jennifer House, FCPGA focuses on trap-neuter-return, or TNR. This practice involves trapping feral cats, spaying or neutering them, vaccinating them, then releasing them back where they were found.
House explained that this strategy helps reduce shelter overcrowding during what she calls “kitten season,” the spring and summer months when feral cats reproduce rapidly.
“Historically in animal shelters, they’re kind of overwhelmed in the spring and summer,” House said, “because the cats come in waves.”
While some of the captured cats are docile enough to live indoors, many are not friendly with humans and cannot be adopted. By slowing reproduction in feral colonies but allowing them to safely exist, FCPGA frees up shelter space for adoptable cats…