BEATRICE, Neb. - A small southeast Nebraska town is tackling a problem that plagues a number of towns across Nebraska.

The town of DeWitt, northwest of Beatrice, has become overrun by a feral cat population, but with help of the Beatrice Humane Society and other organizations, the problem is trying to be solved.

“The city of DeWitt is the first city outside of Gage County to approach us and say feral cat overpopulation is a problem in our town,”  Carlee Fiddes, Executive Director for the Beatrice Humane Society, said. “What we’re doing is using TNR (Trap Neuter and Release) and we also vaccinate.., The goal is to humanely control  cat population and it’s the only humane way that there is.”

Trapping begins with food in a cage, then transport to the Beatrice location. The humane society currently has about 20 cats ready for surgery. But the process goes beyond just population control - the vaccination side of things is aimed at protection from rabies.

“By vaccinating our cats and dogs we’re putting a barrier between us and rabies and that’s a very important barrier to have and they can either help us or hurt us and that barrier can help us,” Fiddes said.

Fiddes says the ultimate goal is to have DeWitt’s cat population 90% neutered at the end of the process. As of right now, she estimates that number to be between 10%-15%.

“If we can get to 90% spayed and neutered we actually stabilize that population begins stabling to potentially zero,” Fiddes said. “Assuming no humans move in and leave a cat behind and unfortunately in our community, that’s a real everyday occurrence, but it does allow us to really get to the heart of the problem.”