CONNERSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) – A Connersville woman is asking for help after she says her property has become overrun by feral cats.

Cheryl Moffett has about 50 felines roaming outside of her house.

She said she’s ashamed the problem has gotten this bad and admits it’s even caused a rift between her and her son as well as her neighbors.

While Moffett said she realizes she brought the problem on herself, she just wants the cats gone.

Moffett said her cat call for food has become a ritual every morning and night.

So much so, her life has been put on hold.

“I hate to not feed them. See, I don’t even go on a vacation and, even if I do go somewhere, I’m thinking, ‘I gotta get home and feed the cats,’” Moffett said.

The problem started a few years ago. Moffett spotted her first stray cat with kittens and started to feed them.

Five years and nearly $20,000 later, Moffett said, she does not know how to break the cycle.

“I feel sorry for them. I just have too soft a heart. That’s my problem, and I’ve had a hard time turning my back on them. I wish some that are real friendly could find a home,” Moffett said.

Moffett said the cats have taken over her yard and sometimes are even spotted on her roof and in her trees.

She’s so willing to get rid of the cats, she hasn’t named any of them.

But, Moffett said, her attachment is what’s keeping her from not giving them more food — a crucial mistake she admits keeps the felines coming back.

“How am I going to get out of this mess? What will I do? Some people say, ‘Well, just stop feeding them and they’ll leave,’ but I’ve fed them so long they just look in my windows,” Moffett said.

About half the cats are spayed or neutered, she said.

Moffett said she just wants her life back and for the cats to have lives of their own somewhere else.

“It really has become a nightmare. If I had it to do over again, I probably wouldn’t feed a stray cat. I’d just turn my head and not look. But, if I did, I’d know to get it spayed and neutered right away,” Moffett said.

The Low Cost Spay Neuter Clinic of Noblesville has been working with Moffett. The clinic’s operators said if anyone is interested, they’d like to help people who want the cats at Moffett’s home. The clinic will facilitate anyone trying to pick up one of the cats. Call the clinic at 317-706-0537.