NORFOLK, Neb. -- Cami Kuehler has been playing an important role in the Norfolk community that many people may not know about.

Five years ago, Kuehler founded the Norfolk Cat Project to help reduce the number of stray cats around the city.

"I was out driving around, and I noticed a lot of colonies of cats," Kuehler said. "So, of course, I started feeding them and providing shelter and then I realized there are way too many cats, something needs to be done."

Kuehler began identifying colonies around Norfolk and would leave traps out with wet food inside.

The cats are then taken to the Madison County Veterinary Clinic to be spayed or neutered.

Depending on how tame a cat is, it is either put up for adoption through the clinic or the Animal Shelter of Northeast Nebraska or released back into a sterile colony.

"If you can create a sterile area, that prevents other new cats from wanting to join," Kuehler said. "So then really, that is the only way to control the population, is to be able to create a stable colony."

The organization has helped 150 cats this year and over 600 cats in the last five years.

Kuehler said that most colonies can be found behind businesses or in neighborhoods.

"There is a huge need in our community," Kuehler said. "There are so many litters of kittens being born every day."

Dr. Kathleen Ritzmann, the owner of the Madison County Veterinary Clinic, told News Channel Nebraska the importance of having stray cats spayed and neutered.

"It keeps the population under control, which is really our number one goal," Ritzmann said. "But it also helps the individual cats themselves. It helps with disease control. It also helps keep down their nuisance behaviors which is what makes them annoying in the community. Spraying, yowling, fighting; all those are less when they are fixed." 

Even though stray cats seem to be problematic, Ritzmann said that having healthy and sterile cats in the community can make a big difference in communal health. 

"They help keep mice down and rodents," Ritzmann said. "They help public health because of that. So, having cats in the community is a good thing but there is a balance in the ecosystem between too many cats and too few."

Kuehler is looking for volunteers to join her organization to help change the lives of stray cats. 

If interested in becoming a volunteer or donating to her organization, contact Kuehler at 402-640-3179.