Leander cat rescue in need of new home
LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — Help for feral and friendly stray cats in Williamson County could soon be on pause if Ferallife Guards, a group that traps, neuters and rehomes cats, is unable to find a new home in the coming months.
Laurie Frederick, president of Ferallife Guards, said the group was told by its landlord late last year that its lease was ending sooner than anticipated.
Frederick said the group planned to move to a new location where it could expand in the near future, just not quite this soon. Now the group is raising money and searching for properties where it can relocate.
Frederick said the landlord has graciously donated the portable building the group currently operates from, but it still needs to raise enough money to secure a new tract of land and transport the building.
“If we have to stop again, it’s going to go back to the impact that we had when COVID shut everything down, where we have to pause, and our request backlog grows again. And it really is, it really is heartbreaking to have to say no,” Frederick said.
Frederick says the group has been running for the last five years. In that time, it has trapped and neutered roughly 4,500 cats, helping to curb overpopulation.
Last fall, the group started its in-house medical services, Frederick said to reduce stress on the animals they serve. Those include sterilization services but also medical care cats might not otherwise receive.
“We go out there, we trap the cats, we spay and neuter them. They get their vaccines. If there’s any adoptable kittens or friendly cats, we’ll get them out of there into our adoption program,” Frederick said.
Since then, they’ve spayed and neutered about 200 cats, Frederick said.
Donations to Ferallife Guards can be made directly to the group through its website or Amplify Austin.
