Safe Harbor Animal Coalition ‘fixing’ the stray, feral cat overpopulation problem in Baldwin County

FOLEY, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Safe Harbor Animal Coalition is all about cats and they say there is a cat problem in Baldwin County that they are addressing one cat at a time.

A cat sanctuary off County Road 49 in Foley is home to more than 130 cats. Each one with a name and a story. All are part of an effort to curb the overpopulation of cats in Baldwin County.

“We probably have no clue how many there are, to be honest, but 70 thousand might be a conservative number,” said Tom Conerly, Executive Director of Safe Harbor Animal Coalition. “This came into being because of the issue with stray and feral cats out there for the most part and other cats that were in immediate danger or conflicted with endangered species.”

Using the Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return program, the coalition is starting to make a dent not only with their 20-acre sanctuary and adoption facility but with a new state-of-the-art surgical center that caters to dogs and cats from rescue groups and shelters from surrounding counties along with six cities in South Baldwin. “Before now they were captured and euthanized,” said Conerly. “That’s not the answer.”

Doing nothing isn’t the answer either. Fixing the problem is a step in the right direction according to Conerly, and it’s the right thing to do.

The Coalition’s adoption facility is now open to the public. In the coming months, the surgical center will also open to the public for low-cost spay and neuter procedures for dogs and cats.

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