County, local non-profits working on Spay-a-Thon event for feral cats
By Debra Moore
Progress is being made on the dire feral cat situation facing Plumas County. Though it wasn’t on the agenda, County Administrative Officer Debra Lucero discussed the steps the county has taken thus far in response to public comment made by Rose Buzzetta, director of Friends of Plumas County Animals.
During the July 11 Board of Supervisors meeting, Buzzetta described her efforts and those of other volunteers to address the problem. The goal is to spay and neuter as many feral cats as possible — a task that requires trapping the animals, spaying and neutering them, and holding them for a few days before they can be released. Besides funding, the biggest hurdle is a lack of local veterinarians to perform the procedures.
However, former veterinarians are stepping forward and Buzzetta said she is organizing a Spay-a-Thon utilizing local vets’ spaces during their off hours. She said organizers are still looking for funding to help purchase traps and provide vaccinations. She concluded her remarks by saying she planned to meet with CAO Lucero on July 19 to develop the program.
While the board typically doesn’t respond during public comment, CAO Lucero said she wanted to provide an update to the board so they would know that the county is working on this issue and she provided a detailed account of those activities. She said she met with Alex Saez, the animal control supervisor, whose responsibilities extend beyond feral cats. “On this particular day, Alex was trying to deal with two pot belly pigs in Portola,” Lucero said.
Lucero said that the county received a $180,000 grant for spay/neuters and there were 135 vouchers for the program left. “Bad news is that the feral cats are increasing,” Lucero said…Lack of vets is the biggest problem.”
It’s estimated that there are 200 feral cats in the Greenville area alone that are being fed at feeding stations. These cats, if they aren’t spayed or neutered, will continue to breed and the problem will continue to grow. Lucero said that former Quincy area veterinarian Frank Merrill would be willing to spay and neuter 50 cats a day – but he needs a spot to perform the procedures.
Supervisor Kevin Goss said such detailed information should be put on the board’s agenda. Because Lucero and Buzzetta are scheduled to meet July 19, the item will be placed on the agenda for the board’s next regularly scheduled meeting after that, which would be Aug. 1.
WOW , What a load of BS
There are NO 200 feral cat’s in Greenville, Period . SHAME ON YOU . . . Debra Lucero , Rose Buzzetta , for lying and saying such a thing. You don’t understand a thing about Our Greenville cats. First of all they are and have been watched and cared for by a remarkable person from the beginning , who goes beyond feeding and caring for these precious souls devastated by the Dixie Fire . Safe trapping them as best as they can to get them food , water and spayed/ neutered with Her own funds and local donations , as I am one who’s donated food also.
So in my opinion , there should be some apologizes made and Plumus News correct you news article to remove the lies said and show the true facts and Maybe reach out and show some compassion and offer some help in donations for the one’s who truly care and love the beautiful “Fire Cat’s of Greenville”. . . Show some Love, WE’VE ALL BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH !
I was born and raised in Plumas County and even 40 years ago the overpopulation of cats was a problem. Now this many years later, the county, including Indian Valley, continues to suffer from cat overpopulation. Rose Buzzetta is one of the brave warriors who is bringing this problem to local government’s attention in order to find a true LONG-TERM solution that will once and for all create harmony between humans and community cats while ENDING the terrible suffering that comes from cat overpopulation (not to mention the economic and fiscal impact overpopulation has on the county). TNR (trap, neuter, return) is adopted state wide in numerous counties, evidenced based, and shown to humanely care for cats. Cat Lovers endorse TNR, sterilization, spay/neuter services, because it is the most humane approach. Many people are trying their best to help the cats but this problem requires real community collaboration, funds, problem solving, educational resources, experts, and a whole lot of compassion. Until the entire county accepts there is a real problem, then there will never be a solution and the consequence will be animal suffering. Until you step your foot for one hour in the shoes of animal rescue workers it is impossible to know the true animal suffering folks, such as Rose Buzzetta, witness and the helplessness they feel as one more cat and kitten suffers. There is not enough money, vets, space, medical resources, or volunteers to care for the overpopulation of cats. TNR and spay/neuter services is the solution. This is not the forum to attack one another. This is a forum to call out the problem, bring awareness, and motivate solutions. Thank you County Board of Supervisors for hearing the plea and thank you for all the animal advocates who are bringing real solutions to this problem. Lastly, The job of the media is to give voice to diverse perspectives and to report current events in the county. Thank You Plumas New for doing your job and publishing this article. For the greater good of the cats and animal rights.
Unless one was present at said meeting how would they know from this article who stated “estimated 200 cats” as there are no quotations. Does anyone know who came up with this number? It’s easy for emotions to come to the forefront when animals are concerned.