Cat’s Meow addresses feral colonies in city

Thanks to a grant from Petco Love foundation, The Cat’s Meow Adoption Center was able to spay or neuter an additional 44 cats in 2024, preventing the births of “lots and lots of kittens” and reducing the number of homeless animals in Las Cruces, said Michelle Corella, who cofounded Cat’s Meow in 2014.

Beginning at six-seven months old, female cats can have up to four litters of kittens a year, Corella said, and each litter typically contains two to six kittens. And because Las Cruces doesn’t have harsh winters, litters are born here throughout the year.

“It’s a huge problem in this community,” Corella said, not only for cats and kittens, but also for dogs and puppies.

Las Cruces needs a community-wide trap-neuter-release program to deal with feral cat colonies, Corella said, and the city needs to enforce existing ordinances that regulate animal breeding and kennel licenses.

“I don’t think it’s getting better,” she said. “There are not enough spay-neuter resources.”

The nonprofit SNAP (Spay Neuter Action Program) does a great job providing spay/neuter services for cats and dogs that have owners, Corella said, but that doesn’t include feral cats.

“In 2024, SNAP issued over 2,500 vouchers for spay/neuter for companion pets of low income residents throughout Doña Ana County,” SNAP Director LaVaughn Hart wrote in an email. “Over 2,100 surgeries were completed in 2024. This number represents an increase of 15 percent over our 2023 numbers. Contracts with Doña Ana County and the City of Las Cruces enable SNAP to provide these surgeries free of charge (to) income qualified residents.”

Hart said SNAP is funded by donations from the public as well as grants – including a December 2024 grant from Petco Love – and contracts.

As 2025 began, The Cat’s Meow was home to 90-plus cats and kittens, including strays and abandoned pets, Corella said. Another 40-50 cats are with volunteer foster families, waiting to be adopted.

The in-house population includes everything from special-needs cats – one is currently recovering from a broken hip – to the occasional exotic breed, such as a purebred Persian cat recently adopted from CMAC.

“We don’t discriminate,” Corella said. “We have cats coming from everywhere. It makes our work here very challenging.”
The felines coexist peacefully at CHAC.

“These guys know each other very well,” she said. “They’re generally pretty chill.”

After “a really long, difficult summer,” The Cat’s Meow ended 2024 with 39 adoptions in December, making it “a really great month,” Corella said.

All cats and kittens that come to The Cat’s Meow are spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, and receive other healthcare services like de-worming, she said.

“We spare no expense,” Corella said.

And, even though it doesn’t cover the cost of all the services CMAC provides, its adoption fee is $70.

The Cat’s Meow receives no government funding, Corella said, and relies entirely on donations and grants like the one it received from Petco Love. Donations of money, pet food, bedding, leashes and other cat needs, along with cleaning supplies, are welcome, she said, and so are volunteers and foster families.

The center hopes to buy the building it occupies at 2211 N. Mesquite St., Corella said.

“We would like to be here forever, or put ourselves out of business if we ever get on top of spay-neuter and (cat) overpopulation,” she said.

The Cat’s Meow has found homes for about 3,000 cats and kittens in the past 10-plus years, and has provided spay-neuter services to about 4,000 animals, Corella said.

CMAC is open 1-4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and by appointment. Call 575-640-0011.

For more information and to see photos of and information about cats and kittens currently available for adoption at The Cat’s Meow, visit TheCatsMeowLasCruces.com. Send donations to The Cat’s Meow, P.O. Box 3166, Las Cruces, NM 88003.

Also visit petcolove.org/our-organization/.