Searching for ‘pawsitive’ solutions

Whenever a big rain sweeps through the area, Denise Cox gets worried about some of Chelsea’s smallest, and most helpless, residents: the population of feral cats that has taken up residence near the shops at Chelsea Crossroads.

Cox said she first noticed the cats about a year ago, and has been feeding them every day on her way home from her business, Some Wear in Time Consignment Boutique.

She said she feeds six or seven cats regularly, though she estimates there are more than two dozen living in the drainage system below the Publix parking lot.

“They’re all too wild to catch,” she said.

Unlike stray cats, who were raised by humans but may have run away or been abandoned, feral cats are entirely wild, and will generally run from humans or act aggressively if caught.

Cox said she has been able to capture and socialize a few of the kittens, including one she has kept to foster and named Chelsea.

But unfortunately, she said, many others are not so lucky.

“Every month or two there will be a different one hit by a car, or something bad will have happened to them,” she said.

Feral cats are not a novel occurrence in Shelby County. Every year, the Shelby County Humane Society and Animal Outreach of Shelby County trap, neuter/spay and release (TNR) hundreds of cats. Some are returned to where they were caught, while others are transported and become barn cats.

But until a month or so ago, Cox said not much had been done to address the issue with the Chelsea Crossroads population.

The city doesn’t have an ordinance about feral cats, as some municipalities do, and with limited resources isn’t able to help.

Cox said she realized that something had to be done about the cats after she tried to take a six-month-old kitten to the vet after it was hit by a car, but it died on the way.

“They’re just getting killed,” she said.

She said she reached out to Darcie Odom, who offered to help by starting a TNR process for the cats.

Odom is a veterinarian that operates VIP Mobile Clinic, which provides in-home pet healthcare.

Odom said stray and feral cats are common everywhere, but that the conditions at the shopping center — namely a supply of shelter and food — make it an easy place for cats to gather.

“These colonies tend to set up where they have a good food source,” she said, referring not only to the surrounding businesses and the owners who feed the cats, but to the open field near the shopping center that provides a hunting ground for the cats to catch mice and birds.

And even though she and Cox estimate just about two dozen cats currently make up the colony, that number could easily skyrocket over the next few months.

“It doesn’t take any time for two cats to become a colony of cats,” Odom said.

To try to help, Odom has set up her mobile clinic over a few weekends when she and Cox have been able to trap a few of the cats.

“They’re pretty smart, so usually we can only get two at a time,” she said.

So far, Odom said she has been able to spay three female cats and neuter one male, and that despite being wild, the cats were relatively healthy, and surprisingly free of fleas and ticks.

The cost of performing the surgeries is $30 per animal, and so far the cost has been covered by donations by the community, Cox said.

“Everybody’s kind of come together and tried to help as much as they can,” she said, but added that there is still a long way to go.

There are many theories and ideas about the best way to deal with a feral cat colony, Odom said, but in her opinion the most reliable method is to TNR and allow the situation to take care of itself over a few years. 

If she and a team were to simply remove or relocate the cats, a new colony could easily take its place soon after.

Schedules and resources permitting, Odom said she hopes to continue capturing and fixing cats over the next few months.

Cox thanked the community for their donations, but reiterated that it is up to the community to support the cats going forward.

For those looking to help, Odom said, the best thing to do would be to drop off donations of cat food or funds with Cox, who has become the de facto organizer of the operation.

And Cox said she is hoping to work with various community groups to build a few shelters for the cats, especially now that the weather is turning cold.

And the namesake cat of Chelsea?

She’s enjoying being the face of an effort to save the rest.

For more information about the effort or to help, contact Cox at Some Wear in Time on Facebook or by calling 678-9155.