AUTHOR Belinda Alexandra, of Kings Langley, is so passionate about saving stray cats she has waited outside a supermarket in winter till 3am to capture them for adoption.
She has so far caught seven feral cats, had them desexed and found homes for them to reduce the 3000-plus cats a year killed at the Blacktown Council pound.
Belinda is the kind of volunteer World League for the Protection of Animals president Halina Thompson is seeking to implement its recently introduced Trap-Neuter- Return program.
The author of six historical fiction books is also a member of the NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service, or WIRES, but does not see any contradiction in saving feral cats often blamed for killing wildlife.
"Both are animals that need protection from some person who has no reason to kill them," Belinda said.
"Unless we do something more cats will be killed after being dumped by their owners and left to breed."
She decided to act after seeing about 30 cats outside her supermarket and take-away food outlets at Kings Langley.
"I sought the help from Halina on how to trap them, where to send them for desexing and how to find people to adopt them and I've never looked back."
Ms Thompson said the TNR program is the most humane way to save feral cats from certain death.
She said her organisation had recently succeeded after a six-year campaign in persuading Blacktown Council to desex all animals, especially cats, taken to its pound to help increase the chance of their being re-homed.
Mayor Alan Pendleton said the council had succeeded in getting about 90 per cent of dogs in its pound adopted but not its cats.
He said the desexing of feral cats would help to reduce their numbers and slash the number that had to be put down.
More information on saving cats: wlpa.org or halina@wlpa.org or 9817 4892.