“Oh no, we have a cat with kittens under our house!”

For the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, this is a familiar phone call. In June alone, FCCO helped 462 cats by spaying or neutering. To date this year 2,629 have been
helped, and since the clinic opened, a whopping 48,678. Because of the work
FCCO provides, countless lives have been saved.

The FCCO is a trap-neuter-return program – serving all Oregon communities,
like the Mountain – for feral and stray cats. The coalition assists feral cats by
providing spay/neuter clinics where caregivers bring feral cats they are
feeding and after they are “fixed,” returned to their caregivers to take back to
the place they were found.

Feral cats were once pets or the offspring of former pets who have learned to
live in the wild, usually from straying or being abandoned by their owners.
Since their skills to survive have been weakened by domestication, cats need
help from people or they will suffer. An estimated 60 million feral cats live in
this country.

The Portland-based clinic is a busy place this day. At the front desk, Sue
Kloskey, a volunteer, books in cats one at a time from the line of people
holding cages which curves out the door.

“Today we are expecting 87 cats, but not all will show though,” Kloskey said.
She writes a number down on a piece of tape and a duplicate which goes on
each cage. “This is to make sure they get the correct cat back.”

There are cats in boxes and feral traps piled high, all with covers over the top
which helps to calm them down. Frightened faces peer out through the bars
wondering what is coming next. All are anesthetized in the traps or cages
before being handled by the volunteers and animal technicians.

Forty five dedicated Portland veterinarians selflessly volunteer their time and
services to the FCCO since it was founded in 1995. In addition to the main

clinic in Portland, a mobile clinic also goes to communities outside of Portland
all the way down to Salem.

Clinic Manager Caitlin Traxler, CVT, is busy shaving a cat’s tummy readying
her for surgery.

“There’s just not enough space, not enough homes. Truthfully though, I do
this because it is fun.” She smiles, obviously enjoying her work. “You get to
meet caregivers from all over and see the volunteers. It’s fun to see all the
people who care for feral cats, rich, poor, it’s everyone, and you hear a lot of
heartwarming stories.”

Operations Director Leah Kennon, CVT, carefully places a cat on the operating
table.

“This is a unique place where you can make a big difference in a day,” Kennon
said. “From the cats coming in today, this will prevent hundreds of litters of
kittens that otherwise wouldn’t survive, the survival rate is low. And, those
kittens will grow up to have kittens. Overall, I like to see a decrease in the
numbers of cats going into shelters. Feral cats don’t have a very good fate in
shelters.”

FCCO Board President Dr. Kris Ellingsen scrubs up for surgery and prepares
for the first of the cats that will be “fixed” at the clinic that day.

“I’ve been on the board for six years now, and have been doing this since
2001,” Ellingsen said. “When I first came here to Portland, I wanted to keep
my spay skills up, so I started to volunteer here. The feral cat coalition is a
wonderful organization to control unwanted litters. Caregivers are great and it
can sometimes just get overwhelming for them. They are such caring people.
I love the fact that we can help that way.”

After the first of the cats comes out of surgery, Mary Crittendon, a 10-year
volunteer, keeps a close eye on her charge in the post-recovery section.
“I love cats and they need all the help they can get. These cats are the lucky
ones,” Crittendon said, looking around the room at the cats awaiting their
turn. “They are not all so lucky.”

Cat overpopulation has become a serious problem. In 2010, 18,000 cats were
euthanized in Oregon alone, mostly because there are more cats than
available homes. There are so many cats because some cats roam free
without being spayed or neutered. Kittens can have kittens, and a female cat
can reproduce at 5 months of age, with two or more litters per year. Those
litters will in turn reproduce, and males can father countless kittens in just
one year, which adds up to a whole lot of cats.

By the end of the day at the clinic, 64 cats had been either spayed or
neutered, all received distemper and rabies shots, were combed for fleas,
given spot Advantage, and a long lasting pain medication to send them on
their way with their caregivers. The tips of their right ears were clipped, the
international sign for a spayed or neutered feral cat.

Now, these same 64 cats will not reproduce, and save countless lives and
litters of unwanted kittens.

The coalition is dedicated to the humane treatment of feral cats and to the
prevention of future generations through spay/neuter programs and
education. The FCCO is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization supported solely
through donations.

If you need assistance with a feral or stray cat, call the FCCO at 503-797-
2606, or visit their website at www.feralcats.com.