Cats and kittens receive care, find new homes thanks to the nonprofit 'Cats of San Bernardino'

SAN BERNARDINO (KABC) -- There are several colonies of feral cats roaming around San Bernardino, and many of those cats and kittens are getting the care they need, finding new homes thanks to the nonprofit "Cats of San Bernardino."

"Trap, neuter, return: That's when you catch a feral cat, you get it spayed, neutered, vaccinated, parasite control, and then you release it back into the community, and it's no longer reproducing, and it cuts down on the cat population," said Jaina Spagis.

Since the organization moved to San Bernardino in 2016, Jaina and Ivy Spagis estimate they've treated about 1,200 cats.

"Controlling the cat population is the most important mission for us, I'd say," said Ivy Spagis.

While many of those feral cats will be released back into the wild, they try to get as many as they can ready for adoption. However, it's not easy.

In 2019, they became an official 501(c)(3) organization. Some of their cats have gone to some pretty big names, including rock legend Ozzy Osborne's daughter.

"One of our cats, Valentino, got adopted by the Osborne family, Kelly Osborne family, and one of our cats got adopted by one of only two female NASA pilots, so a bunch of cool cats have come through here," said Jaina Spagis.

The duo is hoping to expand their mission, but of course, that takes money. They say everything they have has come by way of crowdfunding.

"Our dream is to one day have a much larger facility," said Jaina Spagis. "We're thinking of a cat ranch where there's a larger property where we can help feral cats as well, where they can road free. But also, have it gated so we can help more cats, because right now, we are in a space crunch. We have three cat rooms, which is all the space in our home."

For more information, visit the "Cats of San Bernardino" website.