Beatrice Humane Society finally sees progress in their mission to solve the stray cat surge

BEATRICE, Neb. (KLKN) — After struggling with a surge in stray cats for several years, the Beatrice Humane Society is noticing a huge difference.

Through their trap, neuter and release program, the organization has seen fewer kittens come in.

“The last couple of years, we’ve averaged between 3,000 and 3,500 cat spays per year throughout our low-cost spay/neuter program, which is incredible,” said Carlee Fiddes, the executive director at Beatrice Humane Society.

SEE ALSO: Finding felines: Beatrice program has neutered thousands of stray cats

Due to the number of cats they’ve been able to treat through the TNR program, the humane society saw zero kittens come in during April.

“We’ve been working really hard locally, and we’re finally starting to see that spread out,” Fiddes said. “It’s really cool to see the outcome be that we are decreasing the number of kittens coming into our communities.”

SEE ALSO:Shelters and rescues promote a solution to Nebraska towns crowded with feral cats

They said this is the latest they’ve gone into kitten season without any kittens for the first time in the history of their organization.

Fiddes said this proves the success of the TNR program and showcases all of the hard work teams have put in.

“To be honest, it makes me want to cry a little bit,” she said. “This has been a real passion of love for us as an organization. It is incredible to finally see this start paying off, as an organization, this has been a real challenge.”

Fiddes said the number of phone calls the humane society has received about stray cats has also decreased.

By addressing the overpopulation and reproduction of stray cats and finally seeing results, the community is reaping the benefits.

“Now to see the payoff is really rewarding,” Fiddes said. “To hear some of the people in the community who were previously ‘nay-sayers’ of the program, turn around, and all of a sudden be like ‘oh yeah! Spaying and neutering is the way to go,’ is just the brightest light that we have. It really does speak so much to how important this program is and how much it can bring our community back together.”