As if it wasn’t busy enough, Emporia’s Street Cats Club is adding a new dimension to its operations.
Founder Victoria Partridge, the guest on KVOE’s On-Air Chat on Wednesday, says Street Cats is now helping feral cats get into new settings: barns.
Partridge says this is for cats in dangerous situations, referencing an incident in Burlington where cats were poisoned with antifreeze and another situation where cats were at risk of getting shot.
This comes as the Street Cats Club’s trap-neuter-return program is having traffic at levels the club has never seen before.
Partridge says kitten season is starting earlier than normal due to the warm winter. She says Street Cats has been scaling the program to meet the increased need. Street Cats fixed nearly 30 cats in Americus last year into this year and is getting calls from across the state. The increased interest is renewing a push for a transport van.
Partridge says a partnership with the K-State Shelter Med program helped to expand the program. Street Cats has also partnered with local veterinarians, is set to begin a collaboration with Prairie Paws Animal Shelter and has started to contract with several “high-volume” mobile spay and neuter units.
Street Cats is now planning for its Lolapalooza fundraiser later this year. Partridge is seeking sponsors for that event now, with the date to be finalized soon. Street Cats is also looking for volunteers and it’s in the market for a transport van. For more information or to sign up as a home for the new Working Barn Cat program, go online to streetcatsclub.org, find Street Cats Club on various social media channels or call 620-366-1215.
