The mobile home park, which was not identified at the request of the park owner to protect the animals, may be overrun with cats, but area experts say it represents a snapshot of a nationwide pet population problem.
Four million cats and dogs — or one every 8 seconds — are euthanized at shelters every year across the nation, according to the U.S. Humane Society.
And while steps in recent years have helped reduce canine over-breeding, there are still too few programs taking an aggressive stance on spaying and neutering cats, said Meg Stephenson, executive director at Animal Friends Humane Society.
The shelter in Butler County has taken in 2,850 cats this year — 507 more than at the same point last year, she said.
Barb Wehmann and Ed Lentz, a couple from Springfield Twp. in Hamilton County who run Save Cats and Obliterate Over Population — SCOOP — have offered to help trap, neuter or spay and release the cats in the mobile home park. The nonprofit group is looking for volunteers to help trap and care for the cats.
“The key is they didn’t want these cats to be harmed in any way,” Wehmann said.
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