Volunteers help valley’s ‘community cats’

Reported in the Methow Valley News JUNE 26, 2025 BY RALPH SCHWARTZ

County nonprofits seek to stem overpopulation armed with a tin of sardines, Chris Eckstrom was on a mission. On a recent hot June afternoon, Eckstrom, a volunteer cat trapper, scrambled among vehicles, outbuildings and tall grass to get to a pair of live traps she had set on a property in Twisp.

She was hoping to catch three kittens birthed recently by Emerald, part of a colony of some dozen cats on the property. She had already trapped one of Emerald’s young, as well as all four kittens belonging to Gypsy, a calico from the same colony.

“The general rule of thumb is, if a community cat isn’t altered, they’re pregnant,” Eckstrom said.

Eckstrom has been working for a few months in what people involved in cat rescue refer to as “TNR,” or trap, neuter, release. She’s been fostering kittens since 2018. The five kittens she trapped in Twisp live with her currently.

“I know where they hang out,” Eckstrom said, referring to the three kittens still running loose. “There’s some sheds back there that they love to play under, so I’m going to give that a try.”

While the term “feral” may apply to the most untameable animals in a colony, the term has fallen out of favor when referring to homeless felines. The preferred expression now is “community cats.” Eckstrom explained the label goes beyond political correctness.

“That’s not just a PC term,” she said. “This is a people problem, too.”

Nonprofit network

Several people in Okanogan County are taking the problem seriously. Dot Schank, president of Okanogan Regional Humane, mentored Eckstrom in the art of cat trapping. Schank’s organization provides low-cost spay and neuter services to low-income pet owners while also tackling the community cat problem.

Jill Servais is president of Team Okanogan Animal Rescue (TOAR), another nonprofit devoted to ending the problem of animal overpopulation and the suffering it brings. Tomcats engage in fierce fights before they are fixed. Females are susceptible to metritis, an inflammation of the uterus, from repeated pregnancies. Kittens are vulnerable to predators.

TOAR distributes donated pet food to food banks, traps cats, and provides grants to fix and vaccinate cats and dogs. The organization also organizes the aptly named “Big Fix.”

The third Big Fix happens Thursday-Sunday (June 26–29) at Okanogan County Fairgrounds. Veterinarians will spay and neuter some 1,000 cats and dogs at no cost. Animals will also be vaccinated and microchipped.

Demand is high at the event — some pet owners will sleep in their cars overnight to secure their spot, Servais said. About one third of the animals fixed over the four days will be community cats.

Estimates of the community cat population in Okanogan County are hard to come by. The scientific literature uses a crude formula based on the human population. Using two commonly accepted formulas, the community cat population in the county ranges somewhere between 3,000 and 7,300, according to TOAR.

“People caring for cats on the ground believe the number is likely closer to 7,300,” Servais said.

The county may have 28 cat colonies, the biggest ones having populations approaching 100.

Events like Big Fix are having their intended effect. Trapping, fixing and then returning adult cats to their colonies is helping to stabilize their populations, Servais said.

Adult cats from a colony typically can’t be tamed, so they are returned to their “natural life,” left to take care of themselves, Eckstrom said.

“It’s cruel to try to impose yourself on them and try to tame them,” she said.

Back at the colony

Eckstrom returned to the shed where she had set her traps later the same evening. If she catches more of Emerald’s kitties, she will bring them to her home outside Winthrop and foster them until they are about six weeks old. Then she’ll set them up for adoption.

Typically, animals seeking new homes end up at shelters such as the NOAH Center in Stanwood, the PAWS shelter in Lynnwood or the Spokane Humane Society.

“People will ask me, ‘How can you let them go?’” Eckstrom said. “It’s so hard, but if you don’t send them off, you can’t foster anymore.”

Okanogan County does not have an animal control officer or a municipal shelter. The lone animal shelter, the nonprofit Animal Foster Care cat shelter, has a long waitlist. Orphaned dogs, meanwhile, are kept in foster volunteers’ backyards.

Dog-rescue advocates met with county commissioners in May, to discuss ways to establish a temporary shelter for abandoned or abused dogs. They ran up against the county leaders’ limited budget.

Commissioner Andy Hover was sympathetic to their cause but skeptical over how to pay for it.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Hover said during a May 13 meeting. “I love dogs. I love animals. But when you sit in this seat, you’ve got to make those hard choices” — between raising property taxes and creating a burden on residents to fund services, or deciding what services the county can’t afford to provide.

Despite the alluring aroma of sardines coming from the two traps, they were empty when Eckstrom returned that evening.

Several days later, a kitten walked into one of Eckstrom’s traps but was too light to trip it. Her work to rescue the kittens and stabilize the adult population at this particular Twisp colony continues.

How to help

Servais at TOAR said she is always looking for volunteers, to transport animals to shelters across the state, or to distribute donated pet food. Servais also seeks volunteers and donations for a silent auction and a big fundraiser TOAR will hold in September in Leavenworth with OkanDogs, another local nonprofit that supports vet care, adoptions and spay/neuter services.

TOAR also needs trappers who do the work Eckstrom has embraced in recent months, or “colony caregivers” who can make sure animals without homes are fed.

“There are individuals across the county who are using their own money to support community cats across the community — a lot of unsung heroes,” Servais said. “I’m really grateful for all the work they’re doing.”

Money helps, too. TOAR, Okanogan Regional Humane and Animal Foster Care all accept donations on their websites. They also take donations of pet food.

These organizations are also looking for new foster volunteers, to serve as a bridge to animals’ long-term owners.

Eckstrom had advice for those thinking of becoming a pet owner.

“Adopt, don’t shop,” she said. And make sure your pets are fixed. The surgery, along with vaccinations, are included in the adoption fee.

“Remember that adoption is a lifetime commitment,” Eckstrom said. “And ask for help if you need it.”