- The TNR program offers free traps, food, and covers surgery costs for local cat owners.
- More than 400 cats have been trapped, neutered, and returned to safe environments.
- Watch the video to see the positive impact of the community’s efforts.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
This is the procedure a local nonprofit has been providing for stray cats in the neighborhoods and it's already prevented 1.8 million stray kittens from being born.
I'm checking back in, one year later, to update you on how All Saints Cat TNR is growing its mission in Thomas County.
Stray cats used to be everywhere in Thomasville—litter after litter being born, struggling to survive, getting sick or injured.
All Saints Cat TNR's mission was to change that.
This year they hit a milestone, sterilizing more than 400 cats and raising $20,000 to keep going.
"They would recover. I wouldn't have a place for them, so I kept them in my bathroom in the bathtub overnight," said Manza.
Kristen Manza who noticed stray cats around her apartment complex started small—recovering the cats in her apartment after surgery.
But she quickly realized the problem was bigger than just her street and wanted to expand her work.
"Once I sort of got all the cats where I was living, I made a post on Facebook, and I was like, hey, look, this is what I've done. Are there other areas in Thomasville? Which, obviously, there were," said Manza.
That post turned into a movement.
Now, instead of just fixing cats herself, Kristen is helping others do the same.
"People are actually recovering their own cats, either their garage, their shed, any kind of covered, safe area. People are taking that initiative, and honestly, that is the part that makes me the most happy," said Manza.
More and more people in the community are stepping up.
"Last month in February, 25 cats were brought in, and none were brought in by the people who were part of All Saints. It was just by the public," said Manza.
Carol Jones has been working at the Spay and Neuter Clinic since it opened nearly a decade ago.
She's seen a shift—fewer stray cats roaming the streets and more people taking action.
"We had a group that used to trap, but we're all old ladies now, and it's hard for us to get out at night and do that sort of thing, so when Kristen and Tara and a couple of other people came along to do that, it was wonderful," said Jones.
Kristen tells me they are providing those services for free. Neighbors can join her Facebook group to support the mission.
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