Many people claim to be “cat people,” but Pastor Larry Vandever may be one of the most dedicated; He is committed to Lehigh Valley’s feral feline homeless population.

Vandever, who has pressed the Bethlehem City Council and administration to implement a catch, neuter and release program for the Christmas City’s feral cats, has made feeding and caring for homeless cats a crusade of conscience.

“God has told me this is my purpose,” said Pastor Vandever, who said he is not currently working for a church. He said he earned an on-line degree in theology from Liberty University, where he got his diploma in May 2017. By trade, Vandever is a master carpenter. He said he is not the pastor of a church yet, but attends the Grace Bible Fellowship Church in Nazareth, where he lives.

On a recent ride-along in September, the Press got a chance to see the carpenter turned man of God in action. We visited two colonies or sites where feral cats have made their homes, in all we saw at least 13 cats. It was just the tip of the iceberg, as Vandever claims there are between 80 and 85 cats in the Bethlehem area –with more every week.

In the first colony, on the manicured grounds of a Bethlehem area hotel, we met three or four black cats. Vandever had named them Smokey, Ebony, Spooky and Big Boy; after a couple of quick beeps on the car’s horn they started to amble out of a small ravine dotted with trees and bushes.

“They know the sound of the horn means food is here,” said Vandever.

He opened the trunk to his large sedan, revealing a goodly stock of prepared meals in plastic plates covered with tinfoil. He had prepared the meals for his daily rounds. Each plate held a mix of moist meat and dry nuggets of processed food.

As he fed the cats and occasionally petted them, Vandever shared his theory of why wet food can’t be left with the cats on hot days. He said he can’t leave moist food with the cats because it gets fly-blown, meaning flies lay eggs in the food.

He explained that taking care of the cats benefited the hotel, whose management approved of his activities.

He said the presence of the cats keeps the mouse population down. Killing mice? Vandever went on to explain his understanding of the mechanics of mouse control: “The cats don’t kill the mice,” he said. “It’s just that mice won’t have their babies in an area where they know there are cats.”

His presence also augments the security of the hotel. As he explained, he has seen drug deals taking place on the property (which is adjacent to several private residences) and reported the perpetrators to police.

Pastor Vandever said he heads a nonprofit, the Coalition for Feral Cats of Lehigh Valley, which has proposals pending acceptance with the city of Easton and Palmer Township.

As to Bethlehem, when last contacted Police Chief Mark DiLuzio said his staff had prepared a request or proposal for a feral cat program that includes neutering and shots, but had not yet put it out for bid.

Vandever said he, his wife Nancy and two colleagues do most of the work when it comes to care of the cats.

Potential volunteers or people needing information can contact Pastor Larry Vandever at (484) 241-5981.

Vandever said the coalition traps the feral cats then gets them neutered, gets them shots, checks for fleas, ear mites and ticks and also trims their nails. They return the adults to the colony after they have recovered from the neutering surgery. The coalition then monitors each returned cat for the life of the cat.

“We try to get the kittens adopted,” said Vandever. He explained that potential adopting families are screened for suitability and have to agree to get the kittens neutered 30 days after being adopted.

“We also make sure that the adopting family or person is not getting kittens to use for food for a pet python,” said Vandever.

“Two of us spend eight hours a day feeding cats,” he said. “It costs $600 a month for all 80 to 85 cats for food and medicine.”

Vandever explained his interpretation of state law regarding feral cats: “If you feed a cat for 72 hours, it’s yours.”

In the coalition’s case, that doesn’t apply because they are designated caregivers, according to Vandever.

Sometimes, according to the pastor, the coalition takes cats and gets them shots (of medicine) “at our own expense.”

We visited a second colony in another part of Bethlehem – Pastor Vandever asked the Press not to reveal the location of the colonies because he feared some people might try to harm the cats.

He pointed to a couple of security cameras he said he had installed to monitor the colony. He said they also sometimes put up game cameras to document intruders. A warning sign announces that it is illegal to harm cats.

Here we saw seven cats, but according to Vandever, there were four more that refused to show themselves.

“There are two types of feral cats,” explained the pastor. “True feral cats are born in the wild and are truly wild animals. You can’t get close to them. The other kind are escaped or lost domesticated cats. These are usually pretty friendly.”

“Goldie,” an orange tabby, was the first to come out of the wooded thicket and stand at the edge of the driveway where the sedan was parked. While skittish of me, the cats we saw were all were very trusting of their benefactor. Clearly there was a bond of trust between the animals and their guardian angel.

Whitey, Blondie, Francis, Stripes, and several other feral cats in this colony made their appearance among a small batch of makeshift kennels in the undergrowth of the trees. The coalition makes these little homes from large plastic tubs which they insulate against cold weather.

As he takes food and water to the cats, he pets someof them and scratches offered ears. He said he uses the opportunity to check for fleas and ticks.

“We had a fundraiser in Bath at Phillips Pet Supply Outlet,” said Vandever. “We made $160. Every little bit helps.”

Then Vandever packed up the dirty dishes and headed out on his appointed rounds to other colonies. The cats must be fed.