In an effort to reduce the number of unwanted cats in the county, the Outer Banks SPCA has announced that it would launch a program to spay and neuter stray cats in the county. This program will be carried out in collaboration with other organizations.

The details of the program are outlined below.

On Monday, August 29, the beginning of a community initiative known as Operation Homeless Cats (OHC) will take place in Dare County to spay and neuter the cats that are without homes.

The number of cats in Dare County has to be reduced to a more manageable level in order to avoid a situation similar to the one that now exists at the area’s animal shelters.

The OHC was established through a collaborative effort between Dare County and the Outer Banks SPCA. Other charitable organizations, such as Feline Hope, Friends of Felines – Hatteras Island, Spay and Neuter Today, the Feline Fix Foundation, the Coastal Humane Society, and Winston’s March Animal Rescue, are also taking part in this event.

All of these groups are in complete agreement that there is a significant and expanding problem with stray cats in Dare County, North Carolina and that the number of stray cats will continue to increase dramatically if the issue is not actively handled.

Cats that are unable to find homes can be a danger to the public’s health and a nuisance to the neighbourhood. They are highly concentrated in the areas surrounding our county’s grocery stores, other businesses, and restaurants.

Relocating them does not alleviate the issue since previous studies have shown that doing so would result in the creation of a void that will be filled by other stray cats looking for a home.

In the next six months, traps will be put all over the county in high-volume locations as well as in other targeted places where homeless cats have been recognized as living. This will be done in every municipality.

Throughout Dare County, employees and volunteers will be responsible for setting up, checking, and collecting the traps. The cats will then be transported to one of our local veterinarians to undergo sterilization procedures and get vaccines before being returned to their original location in a secure manner. To make it clear that they have been spayed or neutered, the ears of every cat will be tipped.

Please keep an eye out for us whenever we are in the area where you live if you have an outdoor-living cat since we could accidentally catch it.

Call the Outer Banks SPCA at (254) 475-5620 if you would like to report stray or abandoned cats in your neighborhood who require assistance so that they can be cared for.