August 2017
The Humane Society of Henderson County is pursuing a grant that would address the community’s feral cat problem.
Henderson County belongs to the Green River Area Development District, so the county is eligible for a grant to help with that problem. The grant would provide funding to spay and neuter and give rabies shots to community cats.
“The responsibility for the community is to basically understand that they can buy into the program,” said Angela Hagedorn, the shelter's executive director. “The community cats are part of our community and they are a necessary part of our community, but this is making sure they are sterile and they are healthy.”
Hagedorn spoke about the grant during a presentation at Tuesday night's Henderson City Commission meeting. She said she has already spoken to and has the support of Henderson Fiscal Court, and also plans to speak with other judge-executives in the GRADD area.
An average female cat has one to eight kittens per litter and two to three litters per year. A single pair of cats and their kittens can produce as many 420,000 kittens in seven years, which is the average lifespan for a community cat, Hagedorn said.
Receiving the grant would help cut down on the overpopulation of feral cats, which she said are useful in helping keep the rodent and insect populations down.
Humane feral cat traps would be used to bring the animals to the Humane Society. The shelter would then spay or neuter and make sure the cats are up to date on their rabies and vaccines.
Cats will be ear tipped to make it easier to visibly identify that the cat has been spayed or neutered, said Hagedorn. The person who brought the animal in would then pick them up and put the cat back into its home.
The bills would then be sent to representatives at GRADD, who would pay using the grant money. The grant also covers the cost of cages to trap the cats.
Aside from talking about the feral cat grant, Hagedorn gave an annual report on the shelter, which took in 1,342 animals, including domestic pets and various forms of livestock. There were 736 cats, 556 dogs, one chicken, three guinea pigs, two pigs, 23 rabbits and four rats.
The euthanasia rate for the shelter is 14 percent. The shelter’s certified animal control officers only euthanize animals for aggression, severe illness or injury.
“I am proud to note that we are one of the only shelters in the state of Kentucky that has such a low euthanasia rate,” she said. “We do not euthanize for space and we have not done so for five years.”
The shelter was able to return four cats and 140 dogs to their owners.
Animal control went on 788 animal control runs and 104 on-call or after-hours runs during the fiscal year. Animal control had to seize 38 animals due to abuse and neglect.
In other business hear before the city commission: During its Aug. 15 meeting, The Henderson City-County Planning Commission voted to amend the city's zoning ordinance regarding site plans.
The Planning Commission feels this will make the site approval process more efficient and easier, said Planning Commission Staff Executive Director Brian Bishop. It gives the Planning Commission more discretion when it comes to site plans that are minimal impact to the community.
The City Commission backed this as a "business-friendly decision" and approved a first reading to amend the ordinance.
The Humane Society of Henderson County is pursuing a grant that would address the community’s feral cat problem.
Henderson County belongs to the Green River Area Development District, so the county is eligible for a grant to help with that problem. The grant would provide funding to spay and neuter and give rabies shots to community cats.
“The responsibility for the community is to basically understand that they can buy into the program,” said Angela Hagedorn, the shelter's executive director. “The community cats are part of our community and they are a necessary part of our community, but this is making sure they are sterile and they are healthy.”
Hagedorn spoke about the grant during a presentation at Tuesday night's Henderson City Commission meeting. She said she has already spoken to and has the support of Henderson Fiscal Court, and also plans to speak with other judge-executives in the GRADD area.
An average female cat has one to eight kittens per litter and two to three litters per year. A single pair of cats and their kittens can produce as many 420,000 kittens in seven years, which is the average lifespan for a community cat, Hagedorn said.
Receiving the grant would help cut down on the overpopulation of feral cats, which she said are useful in helping keep the rodent and insect populations down.
Humane feral cat traps would be used to bring the animals to the Humane Society. The shelter would then spay or neuter and make sure the cats are up to date on their rabies and vaccines.
Cats will be ear tipped to make it easier to visibly identify that the cat has been spayed or neutered, said Hagedorn. The person who brought the animal in would then pick them up and put the cat back into its home.
The bills would then be sent to representatives at GRADD, who would pay using the grant money. The grant also covers the cost of cages to trap the cats.
Aside from talking about the feral cat grant, Hagedorn gave an annual report on the shelter, which took in 1,342 animals, including domestic pets and various forms of livestock. There were 736 cats, 556 dogs, one chicken, three guinea pigs, two pigs, 23 rabbits and four rats.
The euthanasia rate for the shelter is 14 percent. The shelter’s certified animal control officers only euthanize animals for aggression, severe illness or injury.
“I am proud to note that we are one of the only shelters in the state of Kentucky that has such a low euthanasia rate,” she said. “We do not euthanize for space and we have not done so for five years.”
The shelter was able to return four cats and 140 dogs to their owners.
Animal control went on 788 animal control runs and 104 on-call or after-hours runs during the fiscal year. Animal control had to seize 38 animals due to abuse and neglect.
In other business hear before the city commission: During its Aug. 15 meeting, The Henderson City-County Planning Commission voted to amend the city's zoning ordinance regarding site plans.
The Planning Commission feels this will make the site approval process more efficient and easier, said Planning Commission Staff Executive Director Brian Bishop. It gives the Planning Commission more discretion when it comes to site plans that are minimal impact to the community.
The City Commission backed this as a "business-friendly decision" and approved a first reading to amend the ordinance.