Our intrepid South Tampa cat trapper Petra Gearhart, profiled in this week’s issue, offers an update on the status of abandoned cats at Holiday Mobile Home Park. As of Sunday night, she has trapped and neutered 80 homeless cats found in the 24-acre trailer park off of Interbay Boulevard.

“When I took this on I had no idea I’d top 80 cats,” she says, exhaustion dripping from her voice.

For the last few weeks, Gearhart has scrambled to get the cats before demolition crews flatten the area. She says only six or eight remain, but last night, for the first time, a security guard asked her to leave.

“We’re so close,” she laments. “All it takes is one calico to have a litter and boom! More kittens.”

Although bulldozers were expected Sept. 18, Gearhart says management is waiting a few extra days and she hopes they will let her back in before the end of the week.

Through word of mouth and the Planet’s story, cat lovers everywhere contacted Gearhart to help her efforts.

“Little miracles are happening,” she says.

The 10th Life Sanctuary took in about 20 more cats last week, bringing their total to 30. The organization – which runs a kind of cat preserve in Clewiston – normally charges $300 per cat for lifetime care, but they waived the fee for Gearhart.

Another woman made the trek to Tampa from Winter Haven to take the kittens Gearhart rescued, and a husband and wife team from Brooksville helped trap and foster another 30 cats.

“Sometimes I get almost to tears when I see how everyone chipped in,” Gearhart gushes.

Most of the trapped felines wait in various shelters and foster homes until responsible owners can give them permanent domiciles. Gearhart says those interested should stop by Tampa’s Humane Society or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ Largo shelter to adopt their neutered and disease-free cats. For those unable to keep a pet, Gearhart suggests they send a tax-deductible donation to 10th Life Sanctuary or the Humane Society to help them continue their work.

“What makes this all worth it is 80 cats are not going to be out there breeding,” an exhausted Gearhart says. “It would have been a big mess.”

This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2006.