Tracy Brodt was teaching her teenage daughter to drive in the parking lot at the Western Idaho Fairgrounds in 2014 when she spotted a woman feeding stray cats near Les Bois Park.
After more than a decade of diligence and care, Brodt has helped bring that feral cat population down from around 200 to less than 50. The Idaho Humane Society has supported the project by assisting with spay and neuter efforts.
But the cats are in need of a new home as construction ramps up to transform the old Les Bois Park grounds into the home of Idaho’s first pro soccer team: Athletic Club Boise. The USL League One club is expected to begin play in March of 2026.
“Ever since Les Bois Park was chosen as our new stadium site, we’ve worked closely with the Brodt family — who has been tending to the feral cat population personally for the last decade — to ensure the safety of the feral cats,” Athletic Club Boise told the Idaho Statesman in an emailed statement.
“With the Brodt family’s consultation with the Idaho Humane Society, they are following best practices to gradually move the cats out of construction areas. Access has never been restricted to the feral cats. Our shared goal is the well-being of the animals as we continue building a home for AC Boise that reflects the values of our community.”
A feral cat population that has been living at Les Bois Park will need to be relocated as construction begins for the soccer stadium for Athletic Club Boise.
The Brodts said they plan to trap and move the cats to a temporary home on a farm owned by a local veterinarian, but are still working to find a permanent home for the animals.
Over the years, Tracy and fellow feline lover and volunteer Carol Stephenson and her partner, Gregor Addey, have cared for abandoned kittens, sick strays and injured cats out of their own pockets. They feed and provide water to the cat population at Les Bois Park on a daily basis.
“If you meet a rescuer of feral cats, you’ve met someone selfless,” said Donna Brown, founder of the nonprofit Garden City Community Cats Project. “Those feral cats, the far majority of them won’t ever let you even touch them. But these people are caring for them because they want them to have a good life.”
Terry Brodt, Tracy’s husband, said the family spends “tens of thousands of dollars” every year caring for stray cats, including food and veterinary bills.
“My wife’s specialty is when they find kittens that are really ill or abandoned or a cat’s hurt,” Terry said. “My wife is like a super nurse. She’s really good at getting them back to health.”
Tracy Brodt has been caring for the feral cat population at Les Bois Park in Garden City for more than a decade.
The Brodts estimate that more than 90 percent of the feral population at Les Bois Park has been spayed or neutered. Many of the cats have lived there their entire lives, but the area also became a dumping ground for unwanted cats. The Brodts help get cats that have been domesticated adopted, including kittens.
“My wife feeds so many cats,” Terry said. “You wouldn’t believe how many cans of cat food she opens in one night. It’s unbelievable.”
While there is a plan in place for the current feral population at Les Bois Park, Brown anticipates the area will continue to be a haven for stray cats, meaning Athletic Club Boise will likely need a long-term plan for their care.
“The thing that people don’t understand is you can’t annihilate a cat population, even if you were heartless and did, because they’ll always be cats to fill in,” Brown said.
KIVI-TV Channel 6 first reported the story.
A population of feral cats lives at Les Bois Park in Garden City. The Brodt family has been caring for them for more than a decade.
