On Thursday, four cats from Columbus caught a ride to Pennsylvania with other crated felines destined for something better. For these four, their second chance was courtesy of a tireless cadre of volunteers known as Operation Colony Cats (OCC). Their mission is to spay and neuter as many feral cats as possible to reduce stray populations in Lowndes County. That improves the lives and health of the cat colonies, benefits the community and lessens the strain on the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society (CLHS). In addition, through networking with other organizations including Sweet Paws Rescue out of Massachusetts and Wings of Rescue based in Washington, they try to find homes for as many adoptable cats as possible, primarily kittens.

Terri Doumit is the “force of nature” behind OCC, said Jeanette Unruh of Macon. “Lowndes County is lucky to have her. She’s making a huge difference for the feral and stray cat community, and educating the public along the way.” Unruh is Sweet Paws Rescue’s Mississippi representative. She helps OCC coordinate getting adoptable cats sent northward in USDA-approved transport trucks. At the journey’s end, the animals get a veterinarian visit, receive a health certificate and stay at a quarantine facility for 48 hours. Animals have a better chance of adoption in northern states that don’t have the dog and cat populations common to warmer climates. Strays don’t survive harsh winters and spay/neuter programs are more prevalent there, Unruh said.

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Doumit’s concern about the size and fate of Lowndes County’s feral cat population became so great a couple of years ago, she couldn’t sit on the sidelines. She was already volunteering at the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society, but through an acquaintance with Faye Drewry, she became determined to do more.

OCC started as just a few overwhelmed ladies wondering what in the world they could do to make a difference, Doumit said. That led to a meeting with the humane society in 2018 and the launch of the mission.

The grim reality is that many litters of kittens born to feral cats will die, succumbing to environmental hazards or contracting feline diseases. To offer those kittens a chance their mother may have never had, and to reduce unwanted cat populations, Doumit and fellow volunteers set out to expand on Drewry’s TNR efforts.

TNR — Trap, Neuter, Return, also known as Trap, Neuter, Release — is a humane, effective approach to reduce feral numbers. Cats are trapped, spayed or neutered and, when recovered, returned to their territory or colony where they help control rodents. Before release, sterilized ferals are eartipped while under anesthesia, a universal sign they have been “fixed.” A few can sometimes be relocated as barn mousers.

“But all our kittens we try to socialize and move into homes, sometimes into rescue programs up north, occasionally at the humane society. That partnership is important,” said Doumit.

TNR benefits the colony’s health, reduces community complaints about cats and stops the out-of-control breeding cycle in treated cats.

Dr. Renee Westbrook of Self Creek Veterinary Clinic in Starkville is one of the veterinarians who performs procedures on OCC cats, some of them through a grant applied for by the CLHS.

“It’s hard for people to realize that one cat can become 80 to 120 cats in just 18 to 20 months’ time, assuming a littler of four to five kittens, with two or three being female, and the mom having three litters per year. The first and second litters can have their own litter or two in that time as well,” said Westbrook. “It’s a never-ending cycle and unless you catch and fix these cats, they will just continue to multiply.”

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CLHS Director Karen Johnwick said OCC has made “a big improvement.” She believes she is seeing it in the numbers. In 2018, the shelter took in 1,493 cats. In 2019, the total was 1,020.

“It’s made a huge difference on some of the feral cat colonies. With the whole TNR program, they’re just not multiplying as much,” Johnwick said. “These power rangers are out there tracking them down. There’s a lot of footwork that goes into it, and they’re not getting paid for any of it. They’re just doing it to hopefully improve the lives of these cats.”

OCC’s numbers also tell a story. In 2019, it spayed or neutered 575 cats, almost all from Lowndes County. A total of 142 cats were sent north with Sweet Paws Rescue, and 42 local adoptions were completed.

“This year, in 2020, in just two months we’ve done 136 spays or neuters,” Doumit said. “We’ve sent 28 to Sweet Paws. We sent seven cats with Wings of Rescue to Canada, sent 15 to Pennsylvania with different ground transport, and adopted out three cats with special health issues.”

The work is never-ending, and the mission is expanding. OCC’s primary needs are designated donations to CLHS, earmarked for OCC to use for low-cost $35 spay/neuter procedures. They also need more temporary foster “parents.”

Sarah Nedoff of Starkville is in her third year of fostering kittens.

“The first year, we had six total; last year I lost count,” she laughed. Nedoff currently has two OCC foster kittens; they’re expected to make the trip to Massachusetts in a few weeks. Getting attached to kittens and then letting them go is hard, the medical technologist admitted.

“I refer to them all as my foster fur-babies,” she said. “But I love my animals and realize we’re there to help them in the transition to find a forever home. You realize you’re sending them off to find that with someone — and I know I’ll get more; I’ll get to love more babies.”

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Kitten season is just ahead. Doumit and Johnwick know colonies and shelters will be inundated with litters in the coming months. Every cat OCC can get fixed makes a difference.

The work is not easy, and sometimes it’s heartbreaking and exhausting, Doumit said, but with the support of others, it continues. Donations toward the $35 procedures, made to CLHS (50 Airline Road, Columbus, MS 39702) and designated for OCC, are a major help.

“The grant runs out so quickly (for those), and there’s only a certain number of spots they get every few months. We pool our resources and ask the community for help,” said Doumit, who also invites anyone interested to follow or contact the private group through its Facebook page; request to become a member.

“We are trying to be good caretakers of the animals of Lowndes County. … You have to be active and you have to really care and you have to be committed.”

Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.

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