PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Rachel Crozier and Tracy Isaacs of Meow Now are going hunting, but their goal is to help their prey, not to hurt it.

“We are setting a few traps cause we’ve got one cat left here that has not been fixed,” Rachel said. “So we are attempting to catch him.”

Cats, roaming free and feral, are multiplying in Pinellas County at an alarming rate. 

“There are more colonies than people are aware of in most neighborhoods,” Isaacs said. “There could be one on this end of the block and a completely separate colony on the other end of the block. They don’t mix at all.”

It’s estimated about one million cats are grouped in cat colonies throughout the county. Many often end up euthanized, but Friends of Strays and Meow Now are joining forces to offer an alternative.

“The best way to (reduce the population), that’s backed by data, backed by science, is the trap, neuter, vaccinate and release program,” said Friends of Strays CEO Dara Eckhart. “You stop the reproduction.”

Meow Now spays and neuters about 40 cats a week. They hope to increase that to 50 with this new joint effort, but that means Crozier and Isaacs have their work cut out for them.  

“Sometimes we have an easy day and it’s easy pickings,” Isaacs said. “They run into the traps right away. And sometimes we have to literally sit and stake out for an hour or two or longer. Sometimes we’ve sat in the woods, on a bucket, camouflage on just waiting for that cat.”