Live free, felines! New program keeps cats out of Lexington County shelter

Lexington County’s not “kitten” about its new program to keep more cats alive and out of its municipal shelter.

Starting Oct. 1, the county animal shelter no longer will accept owner-surrendered, trapped or stray cats.

Instead, the county is working with Pawmetto Lifeline, a privately run no-kill shelter, to trap, spay or neuter, vaccinate and release stray cats.

Any cat owners who want to surrender their pets also will be referred to Pawmetto Lifeline for assistance.

The goal is to reduce the number of cats being euthanized and to help control the stray cat population.

Animal Control officers will no longer respond to complaints regarding free-roaming or at-large cats, except for cases involving neglect, abuse, maltreatment or bites. In those cases, cats that are taken into the county’s possession will be examined by a staff veterinarian and either released back to the owner, put up for adoption, re-homed through rescue organizations or euthanized.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 10:50 AM with the headline "Live free, felines! New program keeps cats out of Lexington County shelter."