Imperial County Humane Society combats feral crisis

The United States Humane Society estimates 50 million feral cats live in the U.S. It’s a crisis affecting communities nation wide. The Imperial Valley Humane Society is working to reduce the number of feral cats in Imperial County.

“A true feral is when they act like they are wild,” sais Devon Apodaca, executive director of the Imperial Valley Humane Society.

“You can’t touch them, and you can’t approach them,” said Apodaca.

He says the feral cat crisis in the valley has been a problem for years. Apodaca says there are many people in the community that want to help feral cats, but feeding them is not always the answer.

“They are feeding them, and feeding them, but they are not spaying and neutering them and in turn that creates the perfect breeding environment for these cats,” Apodaca said.

The IV Humane Society says spaying and neutering cats is vital to solving the influx of feral cats.

“We need to do what is right for the animals, get them spayed and neutered and make sure they are taken care of,” said Apodaca.

The IV Humane Society has taken an initiative to solve this crisis. With help from the community they raised five thousand dollars, to bring a low cost mobile spay and neuter clinic to the Imperial Valley.

The money raised will help spay and neuter one-hundred community cats for the price of five dollars.

“One hundred cats, getting them done is not gonna end this problem, but if done right it will make a dent,” Apodaca said.

The IV Humane Society is planning a spay and neuter clinic in mid May and will be announcing the official day in a couple of days on their website.