How Pet Overpopulation Prevention (POPP) Helped One Family Affordably Find a Way Out of a Stray Cat Overpopulation Problem
Overpopulation can start with just one cat, as Dave West and his family experienced in 2025. Dave had lived in the Tri-Cities since 2015, and later moved his mother, Cyndie Moore, down from Moses Lake to be closer. While living at Moses Lake, Cyndie had developed the habit of feeding the stray cats that visited her backyard. A habit she wasn’t about to quit after moving to the Tri-Cities.
“She has a bleeding heart for animals and wanted to get a cat,” explained Dave. “And then a stray cat from the neighborhood came up to her on her porch. She was very friendly, with no collar. Well, after mom let it in the house, it turned out the cat was pregnant.”
A Stray Cat Overpopulation Crisis
When the cat had her litter, there were four kittens in total. And then, being an indoor-outdoor cat that could come and go, the cat got pregnant again. This time the cat had a litter of eight. And then, in a short amount of time, the kittens from the first litter were pregnant. From one cat came thirty.
While all these kittens were being conceived and born, Dave was trying to convince his mother to find someone to do something about these cats. His mother was on a fixed income, making it difficult to find an affordable vet. As an added challenge, Cyndie had adapted to a more nocturnal lifestyle, which meant that she was not awake during most of the resources’ hours of operation.
Through a friend who happened to work with Tri-Cities Animal Services, Dave learned about some of the organizations in the area that help with stray cats. This led to Cyndie getting in touch with POPP.
How POPP’s Pasco-Based Spay and Neuter Clinic Helped
With Cyndie paying a portion of the surgery costs and relying on a POPP donation fund, POPP coordinated the rescue of as many cats from the property as possible, spayed or neutered them, and then returned the cats to Cyndie.
“These cats seem to be magnetized to my mother. She’s already got another cat that gave birth to another litter,” joked Dave. “She’s got four more cats that need to be fixed already, thanks to that open door policy she has.”
Dave added with a laugh, “She’s even got a raccoon who has been trying to get in, but it’s too big to fit through the cat door.”
This family has seen how just one intact cat can lead to a population explosion.
“If it wasn’t for POPP, my mother’s home would be overrun with 50-60 cats,” said Dave. “Not only did POPP do a great job helping us with this future population problem, but it was affordable. My mom wanted to do the right thing, but it was hard given her situation.”
The average costs for a vet in the area are out of Cyndie’s budget, a common barrier for many. This challenge highlights the community’s need for low-cost, low-income qualified spay and neuter clinics such as POPP’s. In situations like Cyndie’s, taking action quickly matters.
A Charity Night with Sargent & Lundy Leads to Helping Spay and Neuter More Animals in the Tri-Cities
The Richland location of Sargent & Lundy hosts an Annual Employee Recognition Banquet. During this banquet, they host a charity auction where employees and families bid on items donated by colleagues and local partners; every dollar raised goes to the selected charities. Over the past 15+ years, this Richland office has contributed more than $200,000 to local nonprofits through this event. Every dollar raised is given to selected charities.
Dave has worked for Sargent & Lundy for about three years. Based on Cyndie’s success working with POPP, Dave decided to nominate POPP. The nominee voting was split, and for the first time, two charities were selected as Charity Partners that year: Second Harvest and POPP.
POPP board members Teresa Isaacson and Heather Gangler, and the POPP Spay and Neuter Clinic’s resident veterinarian, Dr. Carmen Ames, DMV, went to the event to represent POPP.
“It was an amazing event,” said Teresa. “The generosity of this group was remarkable.”
“I was astounded with everything that the Sargent & Lundy Richland group was able to put together; they really put on an amazing event,” said Carmen. “Being able to talk with everyone there, and their genuine interest in POPP and what we do, was really moving. I feel so fortunate that we were able to be a part of it.”
She added, “When the world seems like not such a nice place, it feels really awesome to see two organizations like POPP and Sargent & Lundy come together to do something good. To not only give recognition for doing a good job, but then for them to give back and help us do more is incredible.”
The event took place on January 30th at the Red Lion Hotel & Conference Center in Pasco. In total, the event raised about $40,000 for charity.
Helping the Tri-Cities Address Pet Overpopulation
POPP has been helping the Tri-Cities community address the overpopulation problem and responsible pet ownership since 1995.
If you’re struggling with a booming cat colony problem like Cyndie, reach out here. Alley Cat Allies also offers resources.
If you are interested in spaying and neutering your pets or local community cats/strays, make an appointment for them here.
If you would like to donate to POPP to help further the cause, go here.