The Cedartown-Polk County Humane Society celebrated a volunteer who has made a real impact on the community’s stray population of cats over the past years.

When Pat Lusted moved to Rockmart several years ago from Albany, New York, she was looking to help in some way with pets, and found her calling with the help of Gail Posey in tracking down and trapping stray cats.

Those cats are then taken to the Humane Society to take part in their low cost spay/neuter program, ensuring that future generations of kittens that would without intervention cause thousands more to be born.

As of Friday when the Humane Society gathered for a celebration at lunch, Lusted had captured 1,013 cats and brought them in for treatment. Alongside a huge stack of paperwork filled out over the past years, Lusted got another unexpected gift: a sample of what was taken from the cats in a jar.

She said she appreciated the honors, and encouraged everyone to get their pets spayed or neutered to ensure that their pets don’t cause an increase in stray populations in Polk County.

The Cedartown-Polk County Humane Society is a nonprofit organization seeking to ensure that dogs and cats who are stray or surrendered can find forever homes. Alongside the housing and adoption efforts they undertake, local residents can also utilize their low cost spay-neuter program by appointment. Check out their website for details at their website here.