The effort to reduce the overpopulation of feral and free-roaming cats, board member Launa Johnson emphasized, is largely accomplished by subsidizing services.
“Our average cost is about $75 per cat,” she said during a July 8 Bastrop City Council meeting. “That is an average depending on which clinic we use, and we use nine of them.”
The details
Bastrop Cats Anonymous TNR Society treated 1,333 cats in 2024 across Bastrop County, and has treated 720 so far this year, according to officials.
“On Austin Street and Jefferson Street particularly, Bastrop residents reported that they have seen less fighting and no new litters of kittens,” Johnson said.
The city of Bastrop awarded Bastrop Cats Anonymous TNR Society $3,500 for fiscal year 2025, and the nonprofit organization has requested $4,000 for fiscal year 2026—a 14% increase, according to a city staff report.
“The expenses for the first three quarters of fiscal year 2025 have already totaled $5,010, and I’m going to spend about $500 more this week,” Johnson said. “That is a 39% increase over the expected budget that I gave y’all last year for the funds that we did receive.”
Some context
Council member Cynthia Meyer asked Johnson if volunteers also rely on money out of their own pockets.
“I personally have seven kittens currently, and I received no funding for food and no funding for litter,” Johnson told Meyer. “If I told you what I spent in a year, you’d throw up. I don’t even keep track of it because I’d throw up.”
Mark your calendar
To help combat out-of-pocket costs, Bastrop Cats Anonymous will host a fundraising event called Kitty Bingo—Breakfast at Tiffany's on Sept 21.
“We need your help to make it a success,” officials said in an event announcement. “Your contribution, big or small, will directly support our nonprofit organization and the work we do in our community, humanely reducing the feral and free-roaming cat population through trap-neuter-return.”
The nonprofit organization is seeking support in a variety of ways, including:
- Sponsorships for the event
- Monetary donations
- Bingo prize donations
- Door prize donations
- Raffle and silent auction item donations
Contributions can be coordinated by contacting Bastrop Cats Anonymous by email at [email protected] or by messaging them on Facebook.
