This past summer we had feral cats/kittens trapped in our backyard, taken to the spay/neuter clinic, and released back to the yard. I'm happy to say we have 4 of those still with us; one baby disappeared fairly quickly after release, and then the adult male was killed by dogs roaming our streets. We have another adult male who has taken up close residence (also trapped and neutered).. This is old news. You can look back and see pics of very skinny feral cats. All now have good weight and sheen to their coats (yes, we feed and encourage them to stay). They look healthy and content.
The reason I'm writing here now is to let you know of the woman who helped us with the "how to's" of the program. She is a good friend, name of Dee, who did all the research, picked up the traps for us, and then returned them to the program after we were done.
Here comes the good part! After this experience, Dee realized that there was a huge colony of feral cats (or more than one colony) very close to where she lived. She did a lot of thinking, a lot of phone calls, a lot of research and actual foot work. Plans were made and set into motion. A mobile spay/neuter clinic was involved and 2 other women, as well as residents of the neighborhood helped trap feral kitties. Initially the spay/neuter was to have included anyone in the neighborhood who wanted to have their pet taken care of, but when the scope of the project became apparent, it was limited to the feral kitties. On trapping day, in the space of 4.5 hours, a total of 91 cats were captured. They were overnighted in different areas, and then taken for their visit with the vet. Because of the high number of cats, they didn't have enough traps to hold them all. Dee and friends ended up doubling some cats in the same cage. They were able to get a few more traps, and so the evening of trapping they were able to get another 8 cats. A total of 99 feral kitties spayed or neutered, and then when stable the next day, released to their 'home' in the neighborhood. There was one that didn't make it thru surgery (sickly, didn't tolerate anesthesia) and one male who had to have his penis amputated (I think - he had problems when he came in for neutering). All cats, except these 2 were in good health as "their" people take care to feed and offer shelter.
I just wanted to applaud my neighbor and friend for her good works. It is truly a 'feel good' story of good works that won't get a mention in the paper. Mostly because of attitudes from outside the community of "too many cats" or "hoarders" in a poor section of town. There is a desire for no additional outside attention. I also applaud the people of the community who, altho in need themselves, take care of the cats of the community, and were enthusiastic about the program and the help that was offered. I believe a grant was also secured to help cover the bills - I'll let you know in a later post when I talk again with Dee.
My hope is that these cats live their lives in peace in the poor community that shelters them.
Thanks for your time in reading this. And thank you Maggie for mentioning your good deeds on the forum. If I'd not read that, I wouldn't have thought of posting this to honor my friend.
teri
The reason I'm writing here now is to let you know of the woman who helped us with the "how to's" of the program. She is a good friend, name of Dee, who did all the research, picked up the traps for us, and then returned them to the program after we were done.
Here comes the good part! After this experience, Dee realized that there was a huge colony of feral cats (or more than one colony) very close to where she lived. She did a lot of thinking, a lot of phone calls, a lot of research and actual foot work. Plans were made and set into motion. A mobile spay/neuter clinic was involved and 2 other women, as well as residents of the neighborhood helped trap feral kitties. Initially the spay/neuter was to have included anyone in the neighborhood who wanted to have their pet taken care of, but when the scope of the project became apparent, it was limited to the feral kitties. On trapping day, in the space of 4.5 hours, a total of 91 cats were captured. They were overnighted in different areas, and then taken for their visit with the vet. Because of the high number of cats, they didn't have enough traps to hold them all. Dee and friends ended up doubling some cats in the same cage. They were able to get a few more traps, and so the evening of trapping they were able to get another 8 cats. A total of 99 feral kitties spayed or neutered, and then when stable the next day, released to their 'home' in the neighborhood. There was one that didn't make it thru surgery (sickly, didn't tolerate anesthesia) and one male who had to have his penis amputated (I think - he had problems when he came in for neutering). All cats, except these 2 were in good health as "their" people take care to feed and offer shelter.
I just wanted to applaud my neighbor and friend for her good works. It is truly a 'feel good' story of good works that won't get a mention in the paper. Mostly because of attitudes from outside the community of "too many cats" or "hoarders" in a poor section of town. There is a desire for no additional outside attention. I also applaud the people of the community who, altho in need themselves, take care of the cats of the community, and were enthusiastic about the program and the help that was offered. I believe a grant was also secured to help cover the bills - I'll let you know in a later post when I talk again with Dee.
My hope is that these cats live their lives in peace in the poor community that shelters them.
Thanks for your time in reading this. And thank you Maggie for mentioning your good deeds on the forum. If I'd not read that, I wouldn't have thought of posting this to honor my friend.
teri