Samira Zarazua
OMAHA, Neb. — The feral cat population in the Omaha metropolitan area exceeds 67,000. With the rising number of stray felines in the community, non-profit organizations like the Nebraska Humane Society (NHS) and Felius Cat Cafe and Rescue use their efforts to battle these numbers in a safe and humane way.
The most successful way in lowering the stray cat population is through the medical procedure of neutering and spaying cats. Cats can be safely captured to then be brought to facilities that safely perform this procedure, later releasing the cats back to their neighborhoods, or setting them up for adoption if they show signs of human friendliness. This prevents cats from having stresses of mating and pregnancy, which then contributes to helping the overpopulations crisis.
Two Felius cats resting in window basket.
According to NHS’s Community Cats Program Coordinator, Monica Vazquez, relocating cats to new areas could lead to them starving themselves. If the cats are relocated, they no longer have an idea of where food is located or where it is safe to sleep, causing them stress that could kill the cats in the long run. Euthanization has also not effectively solved the problem of cats populating themselves.
This medical procedure provides not only a solution to the population crisis, but it also keeps cats safe and healthy. Neutering and spaying help prevent cats from developing mammary or testicular tumors (Alley Cat Allies, 2024). It also helps regulate hormones that could potentially be harming the felines. An easy way to recognize if a stary cat is neutered or spayed is by checking for “ear-tipping.” This is when the left tip of the ear of a cat is surgically removed, showing that they have been through the procedure.
Community cat sitting at the bottom of stairs.
Felius Cat Cafe and Rescue works with shelters and organizations, like NHS and Stray-to-Spay, to get community cats neutered and spayed safely. While some cats prefer to stay in their neighborhoods, Felius creates a space for kitties that wish to be in the presence of a human through adoption. While not everyone could adopt a cat, Hannah Johnson, the shelter operations manager at Felius, recommends that neighbors could set food outside for cats and build outdoor shelters to temporarily house cats during the inclement weather season. It is also recommended to safely trap cats that may be experiencing pregnancy to then be brough to a shelter to properly spay the community cat.
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