April 18, 2008

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- There are more than 60 million feral cats living in the streets of the United States, which means it’s a problem for all too many communities, including Tallahassee.

Stemming from irresponsible cat owners, who never spay or neuter their cats and then later abandon them outside, the problem is being addressed head on by on Dr. Kerry Hyde.

The Florida vet is called “the cat lady” and it is for good reason.

After completing a post-doctorate in animal behavior, Hyde was drawn to controlling the feral cat population. From there, Meow or Never was formed, a company that helps those in North Florida with Trap, Neuter, Return for both feral and stray cats.

“We humanely trap cats living outdoors and take them to the vet, evaluated, vaccinated, spay and neuter,” said Hyde. “We keep them for a short time and then treat them.”

Hyde does most of the work out of her apartment, but has created a myspace page that allows people a crash course on what to do in order to control the cat population in North Florida and South Georgia.

Trap-neuter-return stops reproduction, which fights the spread of feline diseases. Hyde reports that more than 98 percent of local ferals are very healthy and are disease-free

What started out as a hobby of sorts has turned into a full-blown career.

"I get five to six calls a day, what can I do, or volunteers,” said Hyde. “Most of the time I get e-mails about how they can help and get involved."

Recently, Hyde had a cat stay in her apartment for three days. Kept in a protective cage, as she cared for him until the time came for his release. Then Hyde drove back to the location of where he was rescued, and just like that, he was back in his original habitat.

“They are considered wild life,” she said. “Some are stray, most are feral and learn to live on their own or come up for food.”

While most cases are as straight-forward as Hyde’s recent capture and release, others are a little more complicated.

“We got a call from a car dealership and had a feral cat coming through the AC ducts,” said Hyde of one of the more unusual cases she has dealt with. “It was literally raining kittens, they were on peoples desks.”

But for Hyde, it’s just another day in the life of the cat lady who is fulfilling her mission to due her part in helping the cat population of the world.

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