FAYETTE COUNTY, Ind. – An Indiana woman is overrun with feral cats; now she's begging people to help her fix this feline problem.
Cheryl Moffett said she takes full responsibility for her situation because she started feeding stray cats five years ago.
"They are not just breeding and making more cats, but stray cats show up in the neighborhood because I've had food out for these cats and now it's caused so much stress," Moffett said.
She said she is now feeding more than 30 feral cats; it’s costing her thousands of dollars each year.
"People tell me you've just got to quit feeding them or take them somewhere like a barn," Moffett said.
She said the county’s animal control told her to stop feeding them and they would go away, but for her it’s easier said than done.
"I would be really sad if I have no one. They are outside crying and this hot weather, if they don't have cool water. It's really heartbreaking to me," Moffett said.
FACE Low-Cost Animal Clinic’s Executive Director Jen Hancock said cats are more resourceful than people believe. She said they’re capable of surviving on their own, but getting a cat fixed could help with the issue.
"It's very important that these cats are fixed - spayed or neutered. That's the only way you're going to prevent having more outdoor cats living in our city," Hancock said.
Moffett has worked with low-cost vet clinics to get some cats fixed, but the problem persists. She said she can’t stop feeding these cats, but that if somebody would pick up the ones she feeds now, she would never feed a new cat again.
"I've learned a good lesson. I'll have to harden my heart," Moffett said.
FACE Low-Cost Animal Clinic said each city and county has their own hoarding ordinances in place, but stray cats are in a gray area. Across the state, there are a lot of ordinances that don’t mention stray cats and what agency should be called out.
