By Jeff Todd

MORGAN COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) – People in Log Lane Village were already calling Danielle Lee Daniels whenever they had a problem with cats around their homes. Now, she’s taken the position full-time and started a shelter to deal with the dozens of feral cats.

“We just can’t keep them all,” Daniels joked. “I’ve always loved animals.”

Daniels drives 80 miles to the Dumb Friends League facility in Denver to have about a dozen cats spayed and neutered almost every single day. In the afternoon she picks up the cats, drives back to Log Lane Village and eventually releases them back into the town.

It’s the first time a consistent sterilization of strays in the history of the town. So far, Daniels has taken about 50 cats to get fixed.

“We decided to do TNR which is trap, neuter, and return. It’s proven to work better than just capturing cats and killing them because they keep the other cats from coming into the neighborhood, so it keeps the population down,” she said.

Daniels admits she didn’t know what she was getting herself into.

“Just kind of threw myself into it. Filed my paperwork and just kind of did it. It was just kind of trial and error,” she said about setting up a system to collect the cats, store them, and take them to a veterinarian.

“Doing it on a regular basis then we can get all the cats and keep control of the population. My goal is to have them all spayed and neutered,” Daniels said.

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Now, she’s hoping this will lead to a bigger shelter for her organization Paws Helping Hands. So far neighbors have appreciated her effort.

“They seem to encourage it. They really like it. They’re happy to see somebody doing something,” Daniels said.

The town is paying Daniels about $30 per cat, but it’s not covering all the bills. She’s hoping for help with from volunteers or donations for food, litter, moving blankets, or cages. You can contact her through the organization’s Facebook page.

Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he’s been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.