Orange Beach City Council unanimously approved a partnership with two nonprofits that have a shared goal to protect two species of endangered beach mouse from one of its many threats: feral cats.

The agreement between the city and Coastal Cats & Critters Inc. will provide for the housing and care of feral cats removed from beach mouse habitats, and one with Safe Harbor Animal Coalition (SHAC) will allow the group to remove the cats from the area. This group partnership was approved at the May 6 council meeting.

Both resolutions state, "The feral cat population in Orange Beach poses a great threat to the endangered beach mouse species due to the predatory nature of the cats."

The Alabama beach mouse and Perdido Key beach mouse are both endangered species with habitats in Orange Beach. The $25,000 required by Coastal Cats & Critters and the $200 required per cat caught and neutered by SHAC will be funded through the city's Alabama Beach Mouse Conservation Funds and Perdido Key Beach Mouse Conservation Funds.

Coastal Cats & Critters is a nonprofit sanctuary for "abandoned, unadoptable and feral cats" in Baldwin County, according to this partnership's resolution.

SHAC is a nonprofit with the goal of addressing an "unabated feral cat population" with its Trap, Neuter, Removal (TNR) program, according to the SHAC resolution.

Coastal Cats & Critters has agreed to house and care for the feral cats only once they have been "spayed/neutered, ear-tipped, vaccinated and microchipped," according to the agreement documents. The city has requested that the organization notify the city when there is no space available for new cats and maintain a record of all cats accepted because of this agreement.

SHAC is also to keep records of which cats are caught with photos taken for documentation and "detailed location" of where each cat was found. It will also be responsible for ensuring the specifics for the agreement with Coastal Cats & Critters are completed before the cats are delivered to the sanctuary.

The agreement approves the removal and care of up to 50 cats found in beach mouse habitat in Orange Beach. The partnership is set to last for 18 months, starting May 6 and ending at the end of October next year. It is liable for renewal by city council.