HAWKINSVILLE, Ga. — Hawkinsville's seen its fair share of stray cats over the years.
So many stray cats, that there's a city ordinance against feeding them.
According to that ordinance, "It shall be unlawful for any person to feed stray or feral animals, where such feeding causes a nuisance to neighbors or businesses or creates a condition contrary to the health, safety, or welfare of the city."
Hawkinsville Animal Control manager, Chandra Toledo, said she loves animals of all kinds. That's why she's worked with them for 12 years.
What she doesn't like is seeing her city overpopulated with too many animals that can't be taken care of properly.
"Nobody has in their budget to fix every animal that walks in," Toledo said. "There's no point in adopting an animal if it's not fixed."
That's why she came up with the idea of capturing cats downtown — where overpopulation's the biggest problem — and having those cats neutered and spayed before getting released.
With the help of Good Mews, Atlanta Humane Society, and the Rescue Ranch, they hope they capture at least 50 cats this weekend who need to be helped.
The city and city commissioners helped to find funding for this weekend. Toledo said it'll cost about $5,000 to $7,000 depending on how many cats they capture.
She said the main two reasons for the overpopulation of cats are people abandoning their pets, and people feeding cats when they're not supposed to.
"If you're feeding them, you have to fix them. Because if you're just feeding a cat, they're gonna reproduce," Toledo said. "They're gonna bring more, and they multiply so fast you're not gonna be able to afford the food. Now, you have starving cats and they could've been kept down."
She also hopes people who can no longer take care of their pets contact their nearest rescue shelter instead of tossing them out on the streets.