NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - A Newport News man is dealing with a feral cat colony in his neighborhood, and tells News 3 he's frustrated at the city's inaction.
“This has been going on almost three years,” said Sammy Burton.
News 3 reached out to a city spokesperson for comment, who told us they're aware of Burton's situation, but said the city hasn't trapped cats for several years due to overpopulation at the local animal shelter.
A city spokesperson said there is the option for residents to rent a trap from Animal Welfare and handle the situation themselves. The trap costs $60, but the money is returned to you when you return the equipment.
“I don’t think that’s fair because we’re paying that agency to do their job, and why should I have to do their job," said Burton.
There are local agencies that handle trap-neuter-release (TNR). One of those is the Poquoson Animal Welfare Sanctuary.
Jim Rohrbach volunteers with PAWS. He said once they trap the feral cat, they get medical care.
“They get spayed or neutered depending on what they need, they get rabies shots, they get distemper shots, a wellness check and they get a SNAP test which determines whether they’re FIV positive of FIL positive,” said Rohrbach.
He said they then release them back to a caretaker, who feeds the feral cats and lets them roam their property- but this time they're welcomed.
The city of Newport News also has a feral cat colony program, where people can become registered caretakers. If you register a colony, this avoids the possible fines for violating the city ordinance which does not allow people to feed free-roaming cats.
For more information about free-roaming cats in Newport News, you can e-mail Animal Welfare at animalwelfare@nnva.gov or call (757) 933-8953.
