NEW PHILADELPHIA — Since Lindsay Bailey’s cat, Tiger, went missing a year ago, she’s been on a mission to help stray felines.
The search for her missing pet led her to discover colonies of outdoor cats in the New Philadelphia and Dover areas.
“I didn’t realize at all that there was a large cat population in Tuscarawas County; it’s crazy,” she said.
Following:Kittens dumped on icy Tuscarawas river recovering, two available for adoption
Since the fall, she has converted 127 picnic coolers into shelters to keep animals warm and dry. She had 31 neutered or neutered in December. She takes requests for trapping and sterilization of stray animals.
“I was able to find homes for some,” Bailey said.
Cat shelters made from coolers available
She feeds over 75 cats a day in Dover and New Philadelphia. Locations are close to the Ernest Warther Museum and Gardens, Speedway, Shoney’s, Bob Evans, Meteor Sealing Systems and more. She said she had the approval of the owners of the properties.
Bailey is sharing her story to let others know that she can provide them with an outdoor cat shelter if needed. Anyone interested in receiving shelter is asked to contact her via Facebook.
“There is no cost, just donations for my supplies and food for the colonies I feed,” Bailey said.
Bailey gets used to coolers for free. She buys straw for bedding. She gets caulking and tape to make a tight seal and to secure the tops. She also needs to purchase a cleaner to use on the shelters before they are deployed. Animals receive dry food.
His efforts are not necessarily appreciated.
While feeding cats next to a vacant trailer at the Quaker Mobile Home Park on 11th Street NW, she said: “I had eggs thrown on my car. People destroyed my shelters. Just horrible.”
As several cats ran from space around the mobile home to reach the food bowls, Bailey said some probably stayed away because two strangers, a reporter and a photographer, were present.
“They’re not treated very well here, so they’re scared,” she said.
She spotted one who was apparently pregnant.
Bailey assumes that many of the cats she cares for aren’t feral, and many could make good pets if given the chance to interact with people.
“I think a lot of them are dumped,” she said. “I saw people walking past the trailer park and throwing cats out the window. It’s sad.”
More help for stray cats in Tuscarawas County
Other local entities that help stray and feral cats are the Tuscarawas TNR Project and the Tuscarawas County Humane Society.
Teri Edwards, former director of the Twin City Chamber of Commerce, recently started trapping for Tuscarawas TNR, which stands for Trap, Neutralize and Release. The group had an internal goal of trapping 50 cats in 2022. Edwards said they had at least 75.
Some were kittens, which were socialized and placed in homes. Reaching young cats means they can be neutered before they can breed.
“If you don’t fix them, they keep populating,” Edwards said. “Two turns into six, then six turns into a whole lot more.”
She thinks the trapping and neutering efforts are helping Uhrichsville.
“We haven’t had any kittens so far this year,” she said in December. “We have noticed that the kitten cycle is already starting to break.”
Contact Nancy at 330-364-8402 or [email protected]
Contact Andrew Dolph at [email protected] or on Twitter, @andrewdolph.