2025 was a “Banger year” for the Street Cats Club; however, club founder Victoria Partridge says she believes the organization has hit a “Plateau” of sorts in two key areas.
Patridge’s comments came during an appearance on KVOE’s Talk of Emporia Friday, where she noted the club’s “need” to increase its services in the near future with the local stray and feral cat population continuing to rise by significant margins. For reference, Partridge reported that in 2025, the local non-profit managed to Trap Neuter and Return almost 500 cats.
While impressive for an organization with less than 35 volunteers, Board President Melissa Lowery says it is barely making a dent in the need locally.
Partridge says that if they want to make a “Real dent” in the issue, they need to be providing double that amount of services, which will not be a cheap endeavor.
Patridge says that in 2025, the agency helped to cover over $46,000 in medical services for the local cat population; however, the real expense they saw was in their foster care program, noting the cost of fostering one cat is the equivalent of providing medical services to roughly 10.
Partridge says the club decided to pause the foster program as a result, with all foster services now running through Prairie Paws Animal Shelter, with no plans to resume it at this time. While this will be a cost-saving decision, she says it will not get the club entirely where it needs to be, making new grant opportunities and increased fundraising vitally important.
One positive Partridge noted is a growing partnership with the City of Americus, which is providing direct funding to the club to provide TNR services within the community, a trend she and Lowery both hope is just the start of more expansion across the area.
As for barriers to that progress, Partridge says space, specifically a dedicated space for TNR services, and transportation are two major concerns they will also be looking to address over the course of the calendar year.
For more information on the Street Cats Club, be sure to visit Streetcatsclub.org or find them on social media.
