A Seattle woman has made it her mission to help feral cats. Pamela Staeheli s organization,Feral Cat Assistance and Trapping,is all about S & N: spay and neuter.
Vickie Cowan called Staeheli to help with cats that someone abandoned in her neighborhood.
We ve got to get them taken care of before we get more of them, she said. We ve already got four, I don t need 10.
The idea is trap, medicate, then spay or neuter feral and free-roaming cats to prevent suffering.
Staeheli says it s never ideal to release feral cats, but it s also difficult to see kittens born wild.
They have terrible upper respiratory infections where their eyes are swollen shut... they can t breathe. That s suffering to me. I can prevent that by spaying and neutering feral cats, she said.
Up to 20 cats are treated a week - for free - and then are returned to where they were picked up.
Reduce the population not only being born in the wild but also brought into the shelters to reduce the kill rate, said Staeheli.
Staeheli says she helped about 700 cats last year. She says for the past two years, most of her work has been in Pierce County.
I believe people have a purpose and this is my purpose, Staeheli said.
KING 5's Susan Wyatt contributed to this report
