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| Berkshire Animal Dreams in Berkshire, Mass., helps feral cats by providing food and medical care. |
Yvonne Borsody needs volunteers to help her care for the feral cats of Berkshire, Mass. The founder and director of Berkshire Animal Dreams, Borsody has trapped, neutered and provided food and medical care for the city's feral cats for eight years, the Berkshire Eagle reports.
"We are trying our best to stem the tide of cats being born and being abandoned," Borsody says. "So far we have prevented hundreds of kittens from being born."
Feral cat populations are a nationwide problem, Borsody says. Some animal welfare professionals attribute part of this problem to the mortgage crisis and to pet owners who abandon their pets when forced to move.
Preventing feral cats from reproducing can help stabilize and even reduce the numbers of the animals, according to groups such as Alley Cat Allies. So far, through Borsody's efforts and those of six volunteers, Berkshire Animal Dreams has trapped, neutered and returned about 2,000 cats.
To continue to help control the number of feral cats in the Berkshires, Borsody seeks more volunteers. "There's always someone who lives in the area and cares about the abandoned cats," she says. "Those are the people I want to tap into."
Borsody will host two presentations next week to provide more information about the feral cats of the Berkshires and what people can do to help. The first will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 11, at North Adams Public Library. The second will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at Lee Library. For more information about the presentations or Berkshire Animal Dreams, call 413-528-1328 or visit the group's website.