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The Albert Lea City Council and leaders of the Freeborn County Humane Society began discussions last week about how to manage the city’s feral cat population, which is growing quickly in some parts of the city.

The conversation stemmed from calls some of the councilors have received from residents in the community about the issue.

Dee Amberg, who has been involved with the Humane Society for over 20 years and who has worked with the trap-neuter-release program through Camp Companion out of Rochester for 13 years, said the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out much of the success the Humane Society had done over the years with the TNR program as veterinarians stopped doing surgeries during the pandemic and are still playing catch-up.

Add on top of that an increasing vet shortage, as well as a shortage in some vet supplies and increasing cost, and it has been a challenge, Amberg said.

Through the TNR program, feral cats are humanely trapped and then transported to a clinic setting where they are spayed or neutered and then returned back to their initial setting.

Amberg said kittens are removed from the colony and cared for until they can be adopted out. Sick cats are also removed and not returned back outside.

Tawni Hammer, who is also a part of the Humane Society, said though there are benefits feral cats can have in the community through controlling things such as the rat population, she noted that cats can have six to eight litters a year starting at 4 months old if they are not fixed.

Hammer said the Humane Society would love to have a low-cost vet clinic of its own, where people could come for low-cost spays and neuters.

She referenced an individual who wanted to get two kittens fixed, and they were unable to get an appointment for six months and the cost would have been $400.

“The vets in our area are doing their best, but there’s not enough of them,” Hammer said.

While the Humane Society would like to do more, it has also struggled in recent years with too many animals at the shelter and tired volunteers, Hammer said.

As of last week the Humane Society had about 90 cats in its custody, she said. All animals that go through the Humane Society are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and micro-chipped before they are released to someone for an adoption. She said people often think the organization makes money off of the animals, when in reality they spend about $250 on a cat and typically only get paid $50 in return when one is adopted.

Amberg asked the council not to implement a ban on feeding cats and to be kind and compassionate, keeping in mind the effect a ban could have on the individuals who are feeding them. Some of the people suffer from mental illness.

“It’s all of our problem, and we’ve got to help each other,” Amberg said of how the community needs to come together to manage the large feral cat numbers in some neighborhoods.

Third Ward Councilor Jason Howland asked what people should do if they see a feral cat or a number of cats in their neighborhoods, and Amberg and Hammer said they should communicate with the Humane Society to come up with a solution.

Public Safety Director J.D. Carlson said Monday that since the work session last week, Camp Companion has agreed to partner with the city on a trap-neuter-release program. Through the program, the city would be canvassed and cats could be trapped and be brought in to be spayed or neutered.

The city is expected to release more details about the initiative in the coming days.