Two local agencies are coming together to tackle Clark County's feral cat problem.
Best Friends Animal Society teamed up with The Animal Foundation to trap cats in order to fix them, vaccinate them, and return them to their respective neighborhoods.
Clark County has around 200,000 feral cats roaming the neighborhoods.
"Sometimes they will get into cat fights because they are territorial since you know they still have all the hormones and everything and then they will be having more kittens and then the neighborhoods will be overrun with these cats," said Best Friends Animal Society Community Cat Project Coordinator Kirstie James.
James is one of a few people who goes around the valley to different neighborhoods trapping cats.
"There's a whole process to this, getting ready and setting up the traps," she said.
James opens up a can of fish, divies it up into dishes, puts the food in the back of the cage, puts a blanket over the cage, strategically places it in a yard, and waits.
"It's actually extremely important to go out and spay and neuter these cats because they will just keep having more and more litters," said James.
The team spreads out into different neighborhoods and catches a few cats each night. One time, they were able to catch 50 cats in two nights. The cats are then brought to The Animal Foundation to get spayed or neutered and vaccinated and then brought back to their respective neighborhoods.
October 2016 to October 2017 was the first year Best Friends Animal Society was consistently going out and trapping. They were able to fix and release 4,000 feral cats! They are aiming for 5,000 feral cats before October 2018.
"It's better for the community and better for the cats," said The Animal Foundation's Quality of Life Manager Michelle Barbosa. "They do deserve to live out their lives."
If you want to volunteer with Best Friends Animal Society and help trap the cats or you have a feral cat problem in your community, you can email them at LASVEGASCCP@BESTFRIENDS.ORG or call them at 7029071867.
