This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

A Cat Named Betty White

Like her famous namesake, this cat is friendly, amusing and engaging. So why is she homeless and how did she end up in a shelter?

When Best Friends Animal Society in Utah approached LifeLine Animal Project and DeKalb County Animal Services about working with them on an innovative project called Feral Freedom, both local organizations readily agreed.

Best Friends' Feral Freedom had previously proved quite successful in Jacksonville, Fla., saving the lives of community cats and vastly reducing the number of felines euthanized in shelters.

An estimated 30,000 feral and stray cats each year end up in Atlanta’s shelters, where the only option is to kill them at the substantial cost to taxpayers of approximately $4 million. The directors of LifeLine and DCAS were eager for a better outcome for both Atlanta's cats and citizens. Euthanizing a large number of animals takes time, staff and money. Spaying and neutering has proved less costly, less time consuming, more effective at controlling cat populations and more humane.

Find out what's happening in Stone Mountain-Lithoniawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

LifeLine's seminal Catlanta program has been humanely managing local feral cat colonies successfully for almost a decade, so the organization was a logical service provider for the Best Friends program.

The program went into effect in DeKalb County this past summer.

Find out what's happening in Stone Mountain-Lithoniawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The first cat brought into LifeLine as part of Feral Freedom was a dirt-covered female who was terribly malnourished and ill. She was certainly in need of help. However, it soon became apparent that she wasn't feral, but likely a pet who had been dumped by her owners. She was never claimed and LifeLine took her under their care.

"She was dirty and pitiful looking when she came in," said Mickie Blair, LifeLine's cat adoption counselor and field coordinator. "She was an adult but weighed all of 5 pounds. Her hair was falling out."

Underneath all that grime, they found a beautiful and brilliantly white cat that LifeLine's executive director Rebecca Guinn immediately named Betty. Before long, her name was amended to "Betty White" and as she gained back her health and her hair, she also began to exhibit a wonderful, winning personality.

"Betty gets along great with other cats, " said Blair, "She's friendly, cute, sweet and healthy again. She's tested negative on all cat diseases. She's not deaf (a condition you see in some completely white colored domestic pets) and she's ready for adoption."

Betty is approximately 3 years old and ready for a home. If you would like to foster or adopt Betty White, contact adoptions@LifeLineAnimal.org.

Related Topics: Best Friends Animal Society, DeKalb County Animal Services, Feral Cats, Feral Freedom, LifeLine Animal Project, Lifeline, Rebecca Guinn, Spay And Neuter, betty white, and cats for adoption

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?