Cat lover learns tough lesson trying to save colony

(Not everyone will tolerate feral cats on their property, here's one battle won!)

A few months ago, a neighbor complained to Jacksonville Beach Animal Control about the stray cats and borrowed a trap to capture them. Over the last few months, as many as 30 cats have been collected from the colony and taken to Jacksonville Animal Care and Control in Jacksonville, where they most likely were euthanized, Merrick and city officials said.

"I kept noticing missing cats," Merrick said. "Evidently they were being trapped for awhile."

When Merrick realized what had happened to the felines, he rushed to the facility. He said he was heartbroken when he couldn't find any of them, particularly when he was told that they most likely had been "put down."