While everyone is sheltering in place during the pandemic crisis, Beltsville Community Cats (BCC) continues working to humanely control the feral cat population in Beltsville. However, BCC is no longer able to perform its primary function of sterilizing feral cats. In early April the MD State Veterinarian Board placed a ban on all spay/neuter surgeries while Governor Hogan’s “Stay at Home” order is in effect. The board determined that spay/neuter surgeries are “non-essential services.” As we wait for this ban to be lifted, BCC will continue collecting information on unaltered feral cats in Beltsville.
Kitten season arrived in early spring, and BCC has responded to several calls about litters of kittens. Unfortunately, BCC has only a few foster homes, and many cat rescue programs are no longer taking kittens from outside their designated areas. As a result, BCC desperately needs more foster homes.
How can you help? Consider fostering or donating. Fostering kittens can provide a meaningful activity that can give individuals and families a feeling of purpose during these challenging times. BCC also needs money and cat food for volunteers who feed approximately 125 cats living in colonies at industrial and commercial sites in Beltsville. Like so many others, some BCC volunteers have been laid off and can no longer afford to feed these cats. If you are still working or have a fixed income that has not been impacted by the economic shutdown, please consider donating money and/or cat food to BCC. Tax deductible donations can be mailed to BCC, PO Box 942, Beltsville, MD 20704. If you want to donate cat food, talk about fostering kittens, or explore volunteering for BCC, call 240.444.8353 or email hello@beltsvillecats.net. We would love to hear from you!