This news item expired on Wednesday, December 31, 2014 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
There are an estimated 40,000 stray or community cats in Buncombe County, an estimated 28,000 are being fed and cared for by the community and most are having 
kittens year after year.
To help alleviate this problem, the Humane Alliance of Western North Carolina in partnership with Buncombe County Government, the Mimi Paige Foundation and PetSmart Charities announced the kickoff of the Community Cat Program.
Thanks to a grant from PetSmart Charities, this program, administered by the Humane Alliance, offers FREE spay/neuter and rabies vaccinations for outdoor, community cats in Buncombe County
This is the next critical step for these community cats and the people who take care of them. The free spay/neuter, rabies vaccination program will help residents who are feeding outdoor cats come into compliance with local ordinances, decrease the number of cats and kittens reproducing each year, and decrease the destructive and annoying behaviors associated like marking and yowling. It will also help decrease the number of cats and kittens entering Buncombe County Animal Shelter each year.
The program is simple. Residents simply pick up a trap, capture the cat and bring it to the Humane Alliance where it will be spayed/neutered and vaccinated. They will then return the cat to the community and the trap to the Alliance.
The animal community in Buncombe has come together to try and solve the unfortunate problem of cat overpopulation in our County. Everyone wins when we work together.
Residents interested in learning more about this program can contact the Humane Alliance of WNC at 828-450-7550 or go to their website at humanealliance.org.
Humane Alliance of WNC is a nationally recognized non-profit organization that focuses on high-volume, high-quality, low-cost companion animal sterilization.