CAMBRIDGE – If it weren’t for a small group of dedicated volunteers, Dorchester County’s cat population would have much more difficult lives. Kitty City Rescue, Inc., founded by President Pat Wilcox, feeds, houses, spays, neuters - and loves - hundreds of feral and tame cats.

“We have 305 in our houses now,” Ms. Wilcox said. “We have cared for more than 3,000.”

That’s not to say all those cats live in the volunteers’ homes. They don’t.
The animals have three double-wide trailers, complete with air conditioning and screen porches, provided for them. There is also a site on Washington Street in Cambridge where the more adoptable animals are kept and where they can be visited by prospective owners.

But there are many more cats than that. Ms. Wilcox said there are 11 colonies of feral cats scattered across Dorchester, which she visits to leave food. She and her helpers also catch as many as they can, so they can be spayed and neutered, thereby reducing the wild population. The cats are also given appropriate shots to fight disease.

It’s a labor of love, and it isn’t cheap. “Our food bill is $800 a week,” Ms. Wilcox said.

“Kitty City Rescue was founded in Cambridge on March 10, 2010,” a statement from the group says. “We are a non-profit organization creating a no-kill program for Dorchester County’s abandoned, abused and unwanted cats. The purpose of Kitty City Rescue, Inc. is to insure the safety and well being of all cats placed in its care, whether they are abandoned, abused or surrendered. Kitty City Rescue will provide spay and neuter surgery, necessary inoculations before a cat is placed in a permanent home.”

For information or to donate, email jimwilcoxD@gmail.com or call 410-228-2880.