Panama City Beach launches new program to reduce feral cat population

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. ( WMBB ) – Stray cats have been a serious local problem in Bay County for decades. Panama City Beach is taking action to reduce the feral cat population. Officials launched a new program that will hopefully slow stray cat reproduction rates.

Beach council members allocated $40,000 in this year's budget to develop a spay/neuter pilot program. The project provides $50 vouchers to residents for Operation Spay Bay to spay or neuter stray cats.

"The goal is to reduce the amount of outside kitties that we have in Bay County, reduce the breed and reduce the amount of diseases. The way to do that is to get the stray cats fixed," Operation Spay Bay Community Outreach Coordinator Maxine Cornette said.

It can add up to as many as 1200 kittens in a year traced back to a single female cat. Spay Bay's existing trap, neuter and return program covers its own costs.

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They fix the strays, provide them medication, then release them in the same area where they were found. They chip an ear, so volunteers know they have been spayed or neutered.

Spay Bay officials are praising the beach's pilot program and would like to see other cities adopt something similar.

"[Feral cats] overtake any area. So, yes, in order to have them outside and do the job that we want them to do because they can work for us, though, keep your rodents down but in order to do that, you have got to reduce the population. So everywhere and anywhere it should be doing it," Cornette said.

One voucher covers the cost of one cat. Beach residents are limited to five vouchers each, qualified non-profit organizations are limited to 20 vouchers at a time. The vouchers are not valid for domestic cats.

Panama City Beach's pilot program will cover the costs of 800 stray cats.

"The goal is to reduce the feral cat population and our hope from a city perspective that we reduce our animal control costs that we spend with a third party to come pick up these cats, shelter them and ultimately euthanize a lot of them. It will take a couple of years to see if that does in fact happen, but that's from a fiscal standpoint," Panama City Beach Assistant City Manager Holly White said.

If the pilot program is successful, council members say they will consider expanding it.