Behind-the-scenes look at ‘Big Fix’ to get these Virginia feral cats 'as healthy as possible'

Watch the full report from WTVR CBS 6 Photojournalists A.J. Nwoko and Will Hicks in the video player above.

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- Dozens of feral cats were spayed or neutered and checked and treated for a range of potential maladies at a clinic in Ashland Thursday.

"We call this event the Big Fix," Bill Harrison with the William A. Harrison Jr. Foundation said. "Trappers to go out several nights before this event, trapping the feral cats."

Once the felines were trapped, they were transported to the Jessica Beath Clinic at the Farrington Firehouse in Hanover.

WTVR

Dr. Katrina Kollgaard, an associate veterinarian at the Kincheloe South Vet Clinic Associate Veterinarian, said most of the cats trapped are “truly feral.”

“They haven't had contact with human beings, and so they are not tame and they're not able to be domesticated," Kollgaard said.

Harrison said the sedated cats are vaccinated for rabies, checked for dental problems, any wounds or other issues. They are then spayed or neutered.

"They breed very rapidly," Kollgaard explained. "This can definitely help to control overpopulation in certain areas because that is definitely a big problem with feral cats."

WTVR

Harrison called the procedure, which costs about $40 per cat and is made possible by the donors of Furbish Thrift, "critical” for not only controlling the feral cat populations, but also for stopping the spread of diseases.

"Not just fleas, but also infectious diseases and things like that including rabies,” Kollgaard said. “So it's definitely helpful to get these guys as healthy as possible."

Kollgaard said the procedures will give the cats the best chance to continue to live happy lives, be a lot more healthy and still be in a low-stress situation that is safe for people.

WTVR

Harrison noted that the people who trapped the cats will pick them back up and return them back to the areas where they were trapped.

“That's the best process to have because these, for the most part, are cats that are able to be domesticated,” Harrison said. “They are not people’s pets. These are animals that were born in the wild."

Kollgaard said the procedures will give the cats the best chance to continue to live happy lives, be a lot more healthy and still be in a low-stress situation and is safe for people.

"This is the only time that most of these cats will ever be in a vet's office probably for their entire lifetimes," Harrison said.

Do you know about a good news story happening in your community? Click here to email WTVR.com and the CBS 6 News team.