Guess what, there are approximately 80 million feral cats in the United States. We throw away cats and kittens like we do our garbage. I am not speaking without back up of some of these stats. We live near the South Deerfield grammar school and near the loud Amtrak rails. We end up with at least three cats a year who come looking for food and a home.

Few are chipped and often the owner does not want them back, some are sick and almost all are starved. I called Animal Control when I saw a small black cat running on Hillside Road and the officer told me that he is probably a barn cat and did nothing. They work and get paid by our towns, so do something!

It appears that folks do not like black cats and we have had a few and they are wonderful kitties. The fallacy that black cats are bad luck is stupidity.

We have another black kitty hanging around and starving at this very minute. We adopted the last cat so now we own two, and they do not get along. One is inside and one is inside and out. The new cat Blackie 2 came to us starving, not neutered and he had been either hit by a car and left for dead and not chipped, of course. He is a good cat, catches the moles and comes when called. Couldn’t even get our dog to do that years ago.

Now here is the problem. We can get this cat neutered via Dakin but they won’t keep him. They neuter them and let them go. Go where? To hang around, bother all the other cats, kill birds and starve to death? How nice is that. There is no animal shelter around here that wants him and I have to ask myself why? I know they are overcrowded but what difference since they are black they get cast away like garbage.

I support many animal requests but we are not rich. What will happen to this cat this winter in the cold? Get sick, starve, freeze to death? And he could make someone a nice pet, just needs attention and love.

My heart breaks for this cat and the many thousands more out there in the alleys, breeding, dying and starving. I know they are cute as kittens but we all age, them included. What are you going to do about it? I will be sending this column to Gov. Maura Healey. Will it do any good?

I can try. There needs to be a solution to this issue and I don’t have one. Do you? Please get your animals neutered and give them a chance at life. And if you can, help the helpless. They will give you love in return. And if you see animal abuse, report it.

Shirley Majewski

South Deerfield