BERLIN, Md. - A feral cat sanctuary is getting ready to open its doors in Berlin this spring.
For about four years now -- five feral cats have taken shelter in a makeshift hut behind Mick Carmody's workshop in Berlin.
"They might be homeless, but they have a home here," said Carmody.
The five cats originally part of a colony of 38, all abandoned by a neighbor before she moved out of town.
A sad story, but Nick hasn't minded the company.
"They're well-fed, well cared for. They're easy to be around. They're entertaining," said Carmody.
Nick has Susan Coleman to thank for that.
She's the director of Community Cats Coalition, a non-profit organization that cares for feral cats.
"We get ten to sixteen calls a day from people seeking help for their cats that have shown up in their yard or on their farm or in their neighborhood and don't know what to do," said Coleman.
Coleman will get those cats vaccinated, but for some communities that's not enough.
"Some neighborhoods do not want them back. They consider them nuisances, but we've always needed a sanctuary to put these feral cats that have nowhere else to go," said Coleman.
That will all change soon, though.
Pet spa owner Kathy Slaughter purchased property that includes an old chicken house, which will be converted into a feral cat sanctuary, called Safe Harbor Cat Sanctuary
Slaughter said the cats need the extra space
"Typically, the fosters in our groups will take the moms back to their own homes but they are caged in an environment where they don't have any free-roaming or quality of life," said Slaughter.
Slaughter is hoping to open the sanctuary doors by April 1.
Safe Harbor Cat Sanctuary will host a fundraiser on Dec. 9 at the Ocean Pines Community Center from 5-9 p.m.
