A local organization aims to address a growing population of feral cats, in a humane fashion. Project Echo Feral Cat Consulting is an organization that aims to track local groups of feral cats, known as colonies, to trap, spay/neuter, and release them back into the wild. Tara Janeczko's one of the group's consultants, and says their method is a much more proactive solution, than simply removing the cats from the area.

"When animal control comes in and removes a cat, it creates what they call a vacuum effect. What that means is the cats already in the colony will produce more, or outsiders will move in, because there's that food source. When we come in and do the TNR (trap, neuter, release), it becomes a managed colony with somebody monitoring it, and if there are newcomers, or a stray that may be pregnant, we can get on that right away."

She notes putting these felines up for adoption isn't an option, as many are essentially wild animals. They've started their work with a group of feral cats in Oakville, and Janeczko notes while they have faced challenges, they are making progress.

"Because we're in the early stages funding, is a big hold back for us right now. We've had a couple of cats go through the TNR process, but we want to see them all get done and there are approximately 14 cats in the colony alone. We're in there doing the job of trapping and returning them, and hopefully decreasing that reproductive cycle."

Although they've started the work in Oakville, Janeczko says they're planning on taking on Portage's feral cat population in the near future. However, she notes that will take a lot of support, ranging from funding for veterinarian fees, to people to do the work. She notes once they've worked with a specific colony, they also need people to take on the task of monitoring that group.

"We would be looking for people willing to kind of care for that colony once we have come in, do what we do, and then leave. Someone has to be the eyes and ears at that point, so that we can make sure anything new coming in can still be trapped to maintain that kind of stability."

With Project Echo now up and running, Janeczko says she's excited to begin to see the results of their work.

"I'm excited to be involved in something that's more proactive instead of reactive. I can see the importance of it, it's beneficial and it's effective. I love animals and always have. I've become really close to the colony we're working with now because I've seen them, I've seen them come and go, and I can see the difference it makes."

She notes they're accepting donations to support their work, and will have a table set up at the Oakville town-wide garage sale this weekend.