Stacey Kinsey has spent the past 12 years advocating for the trap, neuter and return method for dealing with feral cats in Jefferson County through her Kitty Moon Catchers Community Cats organization.
Right now her “organization” has just one member, herself.
“It’s just me,” she said. “But, it takes a village.”
Kinsey said the village has helped by donating funds to Kitty Moon Catchers to pay for spaying and neutering and other costs associated with tending to ownerless felines. In addition, she works with other animal advocacy groups, such as Advocates 4 Animals Pet Pantry & Rescue, a nonprofit group based in Hillsboro.
“I also work with Dr. Andrew Martin, a veterinarian in Herculaneum, who’s absolutely awesome,” she said.
Kinsey, 63, who moved to Pevely in 2013, said she prefers to call the cats she tends to “community cats” because in addition to the ones that are feral, many are abandoned pet cats that their owners let loose.
Through Kitty Moon Catchers, Kinsey traps homeless cats, takes them to veterinarians to be spayed or neutered and vaccinated and returns them to their colonies. She also watches over the colonies.
“There are colonies in Herculaneum,” she said. “Also, in Festus and other areas. I’m caring for about 20 or 21 colonies in Jefferson County.”
Kinsey said her interest in the welfare of the animals goes back to her childhood in Ohio.
“I’ve always been an animal lover,” she said. “I drove my mother crazy. I brought home all kinds of animals. I got it from my grandma, Bessie. She rescued animals.”
Kinsey said she first established her Kitty Moon Catchers organization when she lived on the West Coast. She describes it as a “TNR (trap-neuter-return) Task Force.”
“I started this in California. I’ve been doing it since 1986,” she said. “Since then, I’ve done TNR with hundreds of cats and trained other people to do it."
Kinsey said she had not lived in Jefferson County long before she learned that local residents had concerns about feral cats in Herculaneum.
“I called Jim Kasten, who was the Herculaneum city administrator at the time and is a really wonderful guy,” she said. “I asked, ‘Have you guys ever heard of TNR?’”
Kinsey said she scheduled a meeting with Kasten and other Herculaneum officials to discuss the matter, but wanted some other TNR advocates to come with her. So, she took to Facebook to find other TNR supporters in the area.
“I said I’m new to the area; does anybody want to help me with this meeting?” she said. “I didn’t know any vets yet. I had my cages. I had my traps. I needed to relicense myself (as a nonprofit in a new state). So, I needed a licensed rescue to help me. I got Open Door Animal Sanctuary (in House Springs).
“Tracie Quackenbush, who heads Open Door, got back to me, and she and another woman, Elaine Paul, went with me to the meeting in Herculaneum and we explained to them about TNR, basically the benefits of it.”
Kinsey said Kasten and other Herculaneum officials were receptive to TNR.
“Let me tell you, (Kasten) was beyond his time, because he saw the benefit of TNR right away,” she said.
After Herculaneum officials gave Kinsey the approval to move ahead with TNR in their city, she began her efforts.
Kasten said Kinsey’s TNR activities made a notable difference in Herculaneum.
“It was a good partnership with them,” he said. “We were able to catch most, if not all, of the cats. They were neutered.
“The colonies had been just replenishing. By neutering them, they’d go back to the same place, but they weren’t reproducing.”
Kinsey recently got involved when a feral cat problem was reported in Festus and a number of people objected to legislation the city passed involving homeless cats. She praised Festus officials for listening to concerns about the cats.
“I’ve worked with Gregory Camp (the city administrator) in Festus,” she said. “He’s awesome.”
She said she would appreciate help with her work at Kitty Moon Catchers, but cautions that she needs committed volunteers.
“It’s not something you can just jump into,” Kinsey said. “I need to train them, and they’ve got to really, really want to do this. It’s something that’s really involved. It takes a village.
“The real help is people willing to take over feral colonies. I provide food for them.”
Kinsey said she has endured cat scratches during her TNR efforts.
“That’s another reason I say not everybody can do this,” she said. “I’m not scared. It just goes with it. I mean, kitties are going to scratch. Even kitties that are nice kitties are going to scratch.”
She said she would love for someone to help her by setting up a website for Kitty Moon Catchers. She also appreciates financial donations for Kitty Moon Catchers activities.
“I have a Kitty Moon Catcher Venmo,” she said.
Kinsey said she also is seeking a veterinarian to provide regular spay and neuter clinics in the area.
“I’d like to get a clinic once a month to fix up to 40 cats,” she said. “But, you know, it takes money.”
“It’s my passion,” she said. “I mean, we really let these cats down. We throw them out. We dump them. We expect them to live on their own.”
She and her husband, Scott, have three children – Lucy, 15, and twins Ruby and Jake, 13.
“My family helps me with trapping,” she said.
Kinsey said she has two rescue dogs, and she fosters cats.
She said she worked as a private exercise trainer until she had children.
“I retired when I became a mom and also focused on TNR,” she said.
Kinsey said she does not mind putting in time to care for homeless felines.
Quackenbush, executive director of Open Door Animal Rescue, praised Kinsey for her efforts to help cats in the area.
“Stacey is a great person and is definitely mission driven,” Quackenbush said. “It’s a huge benefit to the community, and TNR is the movement right now. We’re never going to get overpopulation of animals under control until we get all animals spayed or neutered.”
For more information about Kitty Moon Catchers or to donate to the group, visit the Kitty Moon Catchers page on Facebook.