Name:     Mike Koberstein	Recreation/Sport:   Animal Rescue
Relationship:	Country:     United States of America
Lancaster Online: PAWS volunteers help control feral cat colonies Spay/neuter programs need funds; raffle for quilt will feed the kitty. By LAURA KNOWLES, Correspondent Sunday News Published: Jan 13, 2008 12:06 AM EST LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa - From downtown Lancaster to the suburbs of Manheim Township to the rural areas of Denver, the problem of feral cats is everywhere. ... Darlene Reikard, of Lancaster, is a cat lover and PAWS volunteer, who got involved in the organization through her vet's office in Leola. She has taken in many homeless felines and wanted to help with catching, as well as spaying or neutering strays. "I have cats in my house, cats in my garage and cats on my porch that I feed. These cats need our care," says Reikard. She works with Burns in rescuing, fostering and seeking homes for those animals that can be adopted; she helps out at the PAWS Adoption Center at PetSmart on Fruitville Pike; and she also works with Mike Koberstein, another Lancaster cat lover who has been volunteering with PAWS for only a few months. "I used to try to rescue cats on my own. That's why I was so pleased to find out about PAWS," says Koberstein. He has developed expertise in ways to catch feral cats and kittens in harmless traps, either advising people on how catch them, or actually doing it for them. The felines are then spayed or neutered through the Humane League of Lancaster's veterinarian. They are allowed to recover and are returned to their original locations. Burns and other PAWS volunteers in Lancaster, Lebanon, Dauphin, York, Perry, Franklin, Cumberland and Adams counties operate on about $250,000 in funding, with about 200 volunteers. They provide spay/neuter, adoption, fostering, humane education and fundraising services.