I interviewed Diviya Roney who is in charge of the Furkids Community Cat Program. I interviewed the Founder of Furkids, Samantha Shelton, last month.
Can you tell us a bit about the Community Cat Program at Furkids?
It was launched on July 1, 2022. We focus on Spay and Neuter and education. We also provide resources and support to the community.
If someone has community cats living in their neighborhood, what should they do?
They can email communitycats@furkids.org. We will provide instructions and rent out traps. Feeders are the best trappers as they know the cats’ schedule. If you can’t physically do it we can send our volunteers to help. Contact us first to set up a plan, please don’t trap before a plan is in place to TNR the cat.
Can you explain what TNR is?
Trap Neuter Return applies to community cats. The rule is that if you are feeding outdoor cats you must TNR them. The only way to reduce the overwhelming cat population is TNR. The cats must be returned to their colony after spay/neuter. We train people on how to run their colony including deworming and providing shelter.
Since you started the program, how many cats have you helped?
We are already in 22 counties in GA and have helped over 800 cats. We aim to help 100 cats a month. We don’t care where you are in GA, we will support you.
You are the Founder of Frida’s Foundation. Has it been easy stepping into this new role?
Furkids has made the transition easy. This is replicating Frida’s on a much larger scale. I am still running both. The name recognition has been helpful.
Do you have a story that you like to tell?
Frida’s Foundation is a story that is close to my heart. The reason that Frida’s was founded was due to a human being getting no support and consequently committing suicide. Frida’s Foundation and Furkids’ mission is to help people struggling and lift them up. Animals help people tremendously and help keep them going. We are here to support people keep animals in their homes or colonies intact.
How can the community help you?
Donations are a huge help to cover spay and neuter. We meed traps too if you want to donate those. We also need food for our food pantry. We are supporting a lot of people with new colonies. A lot of people who help community cats need ongoing help with their colonies. We provide medical assistance and food for their cats. Volunteers and trapping volunteers are also needed. And really just getting the word out about our mission and how we can assist is helpful. We help struggling families and are not county specific. We are running a $30 promotion to fix a cat and the cost is on an as-need basis.