Feral cat group reaches neutering milestone in Cape Breton

The Feral and Abandoned Cat Society in Cape Breton has hit a milestone by spaying or neutering more than 1,000 cats in less than two years.

Volunteers trap the cats and take them to a vet for spaying or neutering before returning them to their colonies. It's a process known as or trap, neuter, return — or TNR.

Carmen Dunn, the president of the Feral and Abandoned Cat Society, said with thousands of feral cats living in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, it will take a while to see the impact of their work.

"It's pretty early to see the effects," she said.

"We've been in effect since 2012 and even just to TNR one colony can be a challenge."

Dunn said the group has identified 500 locations across the municipality where feral or abandoned cats are living. They estimate between 5,000 and 10,000 cats live on the streets in the municipality.

"There's always at least one elusive cat that's difficult to trap," she said.

"I think it'll be years before we truly see the effects so we're just at the grassroots phases of this project now."

The group gets $25,000 each year from the Cape Breton Regional Municipality to help pay for the spay and neuter program and also does fundraising.