Every Thursday at 9:45 a.m., University of North Georgia senior public administration major Katy Joy Beller picks up a carload of student volunteers and drives them to the Feral Cat Program of Georgia in Dahlonega. The students clean kennels and feed, water, vaccinate and socialize the cats from 10 a.m. to noon.
Founded more than 20 years ago by veterinarian Jennifer House, FCPGA focuses on trap-neuter-return, or TNR. This practice involves trapping feral cats, spaying or neutering them, vaccinating them, then releasing them back where they were found.
House explained that this strategy helps reduce shelter overcrowding during what she calls “kitten season,” the spring and summer months when feral cats reproduce rapidly.
“Historically in animal shelters, they’re kind of overwhelmed in the spring and summer,” House said, “because the cats come in waves.”
While some of the captured cats are docile enough to live indoors, many are not friendly with humans and cannot be adopted. By slowing reproduction in feral colonies but allowing them to safely exist, FCPGA frees up shelter space for adoptable cats.
Until last year, the program relied on volunteers to house cats during the TNR process. Lumpkin County Animal Shelter helped ease the burden, but without a physical location, FCPGA couldn’t keep up with the exponential growth of feral colonies, said House.
In October 2024, the nonprofit purchased a house at 4318 S. Chestatee St., which can hold around 50 cats at a time. Shelter operations are tended to entirely by volunteers, said House.
“It’s a huge help to have [UNG students] here. We love having them, and we’re very thankful,” she said. “It’s good to know that we have at least a pool of people that will help us, because I’m overwhelmed.”
She said, “To be able to go through the university to do it is helpful. To know that… [on Thursdays] we’re going to have enough people… is awesome.”
House said she can usually count on having five to 10 student volunteers a week during the fall and spring semesters. Students sign up to participate through UNG Connect as a part of the university’s Activating Community Transformation, or A.C.T. NOW, initiative.
Sophomore criminal justice major Grace Ling, who has volunteered at FCPGA, explained how the program gives students an opportunity to escape the stresses of academic life while helping their community.
“I love animals and I like to help others,” Ling said. “It’s pretty important to me, because I feel like it’s all part of a process toward a better future for the kitties and [the] people.”
Beller, who drives the van each week, said the partnership has been especially meaningful for students who live on campus and miss their pets.
“It’s been super fun to watch students get connected with it, because a lot of students don’t have cars or don’t have an opportunity to volunteer, [but] they miss their cats back home,” she said. “It’s a combination of connecting people with things that they’re missing, but also helping out the local community and those in need.”
