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Woman tackles feral cat problem in the Poconos

Sharon Corey is known as Monroe County's cat whisperer, helping trap, neuter, vaccinate, and release cats back into the wild all over the county.

MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — Twice a month, a section of the garage at Ed's Towing in Coolbaugh Township transforms into a waiting room.

The patients are cats being spayed or neutered by Eastern PA Animal Alliance's mobile clinic.

Sharon Corey of Stroud Township brought in a dozen cats that are not hers.

"After they get spayed out of the mobile unit, they come in here. There's heat on in here, and it stabilizes their body temperature. Then we come to pick them up. I keep them in my house for 24 to 48 hours and then release them, and they go on their way," said Corey.

Corey is known as Monroe County's cat whisper, helping trap, neuter, vaccinate, and release cats back into the wild all over the county. She started doing it in New York, where she used to live, before moving to the Poconos. 

"I'm really a dog person, but this area needs spaying and neutering desperately. The problem is extremely bad. I mean, it's getting better," Corey said. "I do probably 300 to 500 cats easily a year on my own."

Not only does Sharon help residents, but she also helps communities dealing with feral cat problems.

"She has just been an angel to our HOA, helped us so far with 11 cats, 12 with that one, and so far we have 12 more left and 20 cats a will be TNR," said Harleyann Lunt, a part of the Lenape Hill Property Association in Effort.

Corey says one stray cat can quickly turn into hundreds. She hopes to help fix the problem one cat at a time.

She makes temporary cat houses for free to help the animals survive once they're fixed.

"I make Styrofoam shelters. People will donate some Styrofoam coolers to me or straw, or I will buy some, and we'll wrap them up. We'll make them cut holes in them, and that just something temporary, so the cats have something, and it still keeps them warm," Corey said.

For an $80 donation, you can get one of the cat houses. Money goes toward getting more cats that are trapped in Monroe County fixed.

If you are interested, you can reach Sharon Corey on Facebook.

See more pets and animal stories on WNEP's YouTube playlist.  

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