MODESTO — A nonprofit in California’s Central Valley said its county’s stray cat problem has reached a new high.
The Cat Network of Stanislaus is now receiving more calls than it can take. Monica Baker, the owner of the organization, described the county’s current cat problem as “extremely overwhelming.”
Baker has been catching cats in Stanislaus County for 25 years, getting her start by volunteering at local programs.
After those programs shut down, she started her own nonprofit—the Cat Network of Stanislaus—in 2012. However, Baker said the increasing number of stray cats is making the demand for her services skyrocket over the last year.
“I’d say 20 people on our waiting list and then we have about 30 calls that have not even returned,” she said. “And every call has about, I’d say, five to 40 cats.”
The cost of spaying and neutering also limits Baker. Even at a discounted rate, each procedure costs between $75-150.