Walnut Creek cat lady' leads non-profit's efforts to reduce cat overpopulation

"Gemma Boyd grew up with cats in Long Beach but never imagined that cat welfare would become her life's work. But in 1997, three lost little kittens inspired her to eventually lead Community Concern for Cats, a Walnut Creek-based nonprofit that rescues homeless felines, who are at risk of starvation, disease and reproducing exponentially. While running a courier business in Pleasant Hill, Boyd heard about three kittens crossing a major thoroughfare and went searching."

"Boyd connected with CC4C, which consisted of a small network of cat lovers who searched for kittens and adult cats, trying to survive in people's back yards, vacant lots or abandoned buildings. Then and now, they rescue sweet-natured cats and prepare them for adoption, while trapping the less social cats so that they can be sterilized before returning to the outdoors."

Gemma Boyd began rescuing kittens after finding three lost kittens in 1997 and became involved in addressing street cat overpopulation in Contra Costa County. Community Concern for Cats (CC4C) grew from a small network of volunteers who locate, rescue, foster, medically treat and prepare friendly cats for adoption, and trap, sterilize and return less social cats. CC4C operates a thrift store funding operations, maintains an annual budget around $850,000, runs a storefront opened during the pandemic that hosts about 1,000 adoptions annually, and runs a small hospital with staff veterinarians providing care and spaying/neutering.

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