DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Lansing's feral cat population in Lansing has been a problem for years, and it puts kittens at risk for predatory attacks and diseases that can affect sight.
That's why organizations like Saved By Zade have stepped up.
Saved By Zade is a nonprofit that focuses on stopping cat overpopulation through spaying and neutering. They are preparing for “kitten season,” which happens year round in waves.
“We're doing a lot of front line rescue which means somebody calls us, there's a kitten in the ditch, there's a kitten on the side of the road. Those are the type of calls that we're fielding a lot,” says Alyssa Draper, Saved By Zade program director.
With the help of local clinics, the organization has been able to get cats spayed and neutered at low cost. Last year, they spayed and neutered more than 1,900 cats.
The organization likes to think of themselves as the first responders for kittens. Draper said, that while some shelters have a niche, they focus on helping cats in whatever way they can.
When a cat is rescued by the organization, they’re often in rough shape with everything from broken bones to eye infections to diseases and missing tails. Saved By Zade will examine the kitten's condition and then partner them with foster families
Now, they have close to 20 kittens in foster homes. Draper says during kitten season, the number will likely go up to 200.
Kate Turner, community outreach manager for Ingham County Animal Control, says the cat population in Lansing is so high because they don’t need human interaction to survive.
“There are a lot of active breeding populations that survive off of people who leave cat food out on porches, dumpsters, restaurant businesses that have food out regularly, so they're actually able to thrive very well in the communities," she said.
It doesn't make kitten season easy, Turner said. In fact shelters are “bracing” themselves.
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