Some animal advocates say Connecticut has an overpopulation of stray cats and would like to see the state do more to curb the issue.
Two independent rescuers in Vernon are trying to tackle the issue in their own neighborhoods, creating Forgotten Paws CT, a resource to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome stray cats.
Fran Skoglund and Tiffany DuBois estimate they’ve rescued thousands of cats over the years.
“They tend to find you,” Skoglund said. “You get one, they tend to tend to tell their friends.”
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Skoglund calls the cat overpopulation a crisis in the state.
“It's a crisis that has gotten worse since pandemic, because we see a lot of thrown away animals as well, as you know, animals that were thrown away who weren't fixed. So, they end up having animals outside…it just becomes an awful circle,” she said. “I don’t think people understand, even with the state of Connecticut is…really, how bad it is.”
Most shelters are overrun and with the cost of pet care, many people resort to dumping their animals or can’t take in any extras.
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“There’s just no resources out there, and even for us ourselves, all of us are spending our money out of our own pockets, our working money and you know, sometimes we do let our bills go behind because they're cats that are in need,” Skoglund said.
“We pay out of pocket where we're not a nonprofit. So, we're just two girls just trying to help the, you know, community cats and trying to stop the population, just trying to just trying to make it better. We do what we can," she continued.
The Connecticut Humane Society does offer help, offering spaying and neutering at a cost, or taking cats in to rehome. There is a surrender fee if you surrender an animal.
“If they're accepting food from you and then they're also accepting human contact, that means that you can, again, contact your animal control first to see if this pet has been reported lost, and then from there, if it's definitely not an owned pet, contact an animal welfare organization like the Connecticut Humane Society so that we can schedule you an appointment, get those cats in and then we can find them a new home,” Kathryn Schubert, marketing and communications manager at the Connecticut Humane Society, said.
“Get them inside, bring them to a welfare organization so that they can get the care they need. It's just so important, especially this time of year, if you're seeing a cat outside, it's definitely going to be a cold cat," Schubert continued.
“It's just heartbreaking 'cause you see the faces all the time, even being out in the snow and you can't do anything. You can just feed and try and give shelter and do what you can. So that's really what we do. It gets to you,” Skoglund said.
