The Newton City Council on Monday night, unanimously decided to dedicate $2,500 in animal control funds for a one-year Catch, Neuter, and Return program for stray cats. The program will be run through Lucy’s Pet Pantry, and could be extended if council members see positive results. Terri McKinney, the Board Treasurer and Secretary for the Newton non-profit, has been running this program to reduce the number of stray cats, and first brought up the issue with Newton’s City Council at their May 4th meeting.
“Just in two weeks’ time, from the last council meeting, we have had 76 phone calls in regard to stray cats in neighborhoods. They were asking if we could come take care of them because they were told to contact us to get it taken care of. So the problem is there, it’s just a matter of figuring out where to start.”
McKinney says so-called “community cats” are a problem in Newton, particularly in the northwest quadrant of the city. She adds that Lucy’s Pet Pantry has already assisted in getting just under 1,500 stray cats neutered. She adds the City’s $2,500 will allow 100 more cats to be neutered in just a matter of months.
