Heather Wright/The Independent

The Caregivers of Petrolia Ferals won’t be getting a grant from the Town of Petrolia this year.
The group requested a $3,000 grant from the town, in a letter to council Feb. 10, which had provided cash to control the feral cat population in the past.

In a letter sent to council, the organization said over 275 cats have been trapped in the last two years in town. About 220 of those have been adopted. Several have been released back into the community after being spayed or neutered.

“The number of lives that have been prevented from being born in Petrolia is astronomical,” said Julie Medeiros in a letter to council.

The group estimates it has spent about $62,000 in Petrolia alone.

Medeiros called the group’s work “critical” since leaving the feral population unchecked would lead to disease.

While councillors appreciated the work of the volunteer group, it didn’t agree to the grant.

“We have a deadline for these kinds of things, and this is, unfortunately, one of those items missed the deadline,” said Councillor Bill Clark.

“I think they do good work, but if we go down that road, then we have to entertain every request, and that’s why we set a deadline in the first place.”