By Stephen Smoot
Hardy County is estimated to have at least 15,000 feral cats living in hundreds of colonies scattered about the towns and the landscape. That comes from estimates offered by Dr. Thomas Parisi with South Branch Animal Hospital.
The Humane Society of Hardy County has pledged to “fix” the problem through ongoing efforts to capture and render incapable of reproduction as many cats as they can. The nearly 600 that they have found and fixed, then released back into the wild has likely cut back that feral population by many thousands.
All of that progress, however, may start to fall behind again without help.
As Steve Pendleton shared, the problem remains pervasive. Even as cat colonies continue to expand, uncounted numbers suffer and die in the wild. In their fight to hold numbers down, the Humane Society has continual needs of both funds and friendly volunteers to keep the work in progress.
Last year saw “a very large jump in applications” from those reporting feral cat gatherings.” Pendleton said that was “not something that we had anticipated.” Applications brought cats to procedures provided by caring local veterinarians and resources quickly ran extremely low. With the need continuing to build, the Humane Society is reaching out to a community that has continued to generously support their mission to ask for more help.
The program needs assistance to continue its progress, or “a lot of colonies will continue to populate,” added Pendleton..
“The veterinarians have been very good to us,” explained Pendleton, who went on to say that “they give us great rates. They’ve been valuable partners.” He gave praise and thanks to South Branch Animal Hospital, Lost River Animal Hospital, Mountaineer Veterinary Services in Petersburg, and Faithful Friends in Franklin.
“There are a lot more diseases among colonies,” said Pendleton.
In August 2024, the Centers for Disease Control’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published a study on “an urban, unmanaged cat colony” in Maryland. It stated that “the Maryland Department of Health was notified that an aggressive feral cat had been captured and euthanized and had subsequently received a positive test result for rabies.”
It came from “a group of approximately 20 local feral cats and kittens that was receiving no, or little, human care. The colony lived in close proximity to a Cecil County hotel, which exacerbated the possibilities of human contact.
A “novel use of reverse 911 messaging” found three people potentially exposed to the rabid cat and all received treatment for rabies. No human cases of full blown rabies developed. “Unmanaged cat colonies pose public health risks,” said the CDC. When they become infected with disease “extensive resources might be required to prevent negative health outcomes.”
Disease dangers from feral cat colonies also serve as a threat to pet cats that spend some, or all of their time, outdoors. The CDC stated that “In the United States, cats are the most frequently reported rabid domestic animal” because when outside, even pet cats can have hunting ranges extending for miles.
Pendleton’s concerns do not end with limiting the number of cats. To him, the mission is also humanitarian. It’s about reducing the suffering of feral cats.
“A lot of cats” who live entirely in the wild “have really terrible deaths,” shared Pendleton.
The Humane Society of Hardy County shared just such a case example last week. An “Old Deuteronomy” type ginger cat given the moniker of “Sonny” was “found in town in terrible condition. He was an older cat and he tested positive for Feline Leukemia Virus.”
The post added “this is the reality for many unaltered cats living outside,” explaining that “when cats are not spayed or neutered, they mate and they fight, and that’s exactly how these deadly diseases spread.”
The Humane Society’s “Trap-Neuter-Return” program captures feral cats and bring them to veterinarians for procedures to spay or neuter them. Males can return to the wild almost immediately while females need more rest and recuperation from a more invasive surgery.
Volunteers go trap the cats. Volunteer “foster owners” take the cats into their homes for a few days until their procedure takes place, then care for them briefly until they can be returned to the place from which they where originally taken. Although still exposed to the dangers of living wild, they can no longer reproduce.
As Pendleton describes, that prevents a great deal of suffering. He explains that many, sometimes most, kittens from feral litters contract diseases that kill or harm them considerably. Kittens are as vulnerable as human babies when born.
A case last week touched the heart of the rescue community. A tiny tabby found in a barn colony was “very sick. Suffering.” A team of 10 “all day and into the evening” worked “to coordinate transport and get that baby to a rescue in Maryland where it could receive care.”
The need is as huge as the hearts of those who work to address it, but all the love and hard work fall short of what it takes to address it. The Humane Society has asked the community for whatever help it can provide, with the most urgent needs in money, in volunteers, and in fosters.
On April 25 at the South Branch Inn from 1 to 3 p.m., the Humane Society of Hardy County will hold a public meeting. They invite all to come and hear about plans to not simply fully implement the TNR program, but also education programs and a long-term goal to have a facility in which entire colonies can be brought for treatment. While nothing will ever eliminate feral cat colonies entirely, an expanded scope can keep them under control and monitored, making them less of a threat to humans, to pets, and to each other.
“Together,” they say “we can stop stories like Sonny’s from happening again.”
