‘Their life expectancy doubles, triples, quadruples’: A plan for Fairbury’s feral cats

FAIRBURY, Neb. (KLKN) — Fairbury is a city with less than 4,000 people, but if you ask some of the locals, they will tell you the population seems well above that, thanks to the feral cats.

The overpopulation of stray felines roam the streets and lawns alike.

Brian Hildebrandt feeds the homeless cats twice a day because he cares about their well-being.

“I had to put up a sign that says cat crossing and I’ve had cats get hit left and right,” said Hildebrandt, referring to the several cats whom he witnessed get hit by passing cars.

He’s not the only one concerned.

Valerie Synder has lived in Fairbury for over two decades, and used to run a local transport service for animals.

She says the problem of stray cats has worsened over time.

“It used to be in just one part of town,” said Synder. “A lot of the abandoned houses and buildings had them, but now, we see them in all neighborhoods. There’s really not a neighborhood that’s not affected.”

Synder says that spaying and neutering these cats would solve the long-term issue of overpopulation, but it hasn’t been easy in Fairbury.

The city only has one homeless animal shelter: Homeless No More Cat Rescue.

“I need a place I can take the cats, without costing me anything, so I can get them fixed and then let them back out, after the fact,” said Hildenbrandt.

The cost to neuter a cat is approximately 50.00 dollars, but the local animal shelter is not large enough to handle the population of cats without additional funding.

Synder says the city has allocated funds to support free procedures, but it’s not enough.

Carlee Fiddes is the executive director of the Beatrice Humane Society and has dealt with thousands of feral cats over the years.

“They’re doing the right things by their animals,” said Fiddes about the local shelter in Fairbury. “This town and that county are too big for one small rescue to be able to help with all of the kittens when nobody’s spaying and neutering the adults.”

Fiddes runs the only non-profit trap, neuter and release program in the state of Nebraska.

She often works with for-profit groups and veterinary clinics that primarily care for cats owned by their clients.

Fiddes has decided to organize the largest TNR event she’s done yet, with a lofty goal of helping at least 250 feral cats in Fairbury.

“We’re going to be doing a one-day spay and neuter clinic in Fairbury, very similar to the Wymore event,” she said.

She’s referring to last summer, when she held a similar event in the community of Wymore.

After that event, she says the number of stray cats in Wymore has reduced, and the cats there have improved health, too.

“Their life expectancy doubles, triples, quadruples as soon as we spay and neuter them, their health status gets instantly better,” said Fiddes.

To reach her next goal in Fairbury, she says they will need nearly $ 16,000.

“We’ve been working with the city council in Fairbury and several of the prominent businesses and their animal control, and really just trying to get this project out into the community, because quite frankly, that’s where the support’s going to come from,” said Fiddes.

They hope to raise the funds needed during the Jefferson County Gives event on Mar. 19.

If you would like to support the TNR cause, you can also visit the Beatrice Humane Society’s homepage.