Adventures in Cat Wrangling
There’s a house in the neighborhood with a sizable colony. A
colony is a group of feral cats that live together and share a food source. In
the case of the house in the neighborhood an elderly couple puts food out every
day but that’s all they do. The result? Lots and lots of cats! Without medical
care they contract and spread diseases so many kittens don’t survive past a few
weeks. Without being spayed female cats spend their whole lifetime being
pregnant and caring for litters. The kittens are barely on their own before Mom
has more little ones.
I was on a mission to save these damn cats. I purchased a
humane trap and began trapping and TNR’ing ferals. (TNR stands for
Trap-Neuter-Return, their ears are tipped so you can easily tell who’s been
fixed.) I fostered two litters of tiny kittens and found homes for them. One of
the litters was found on the roof of a
house. (Getting them down was an adventure all by itself.) I spent my own money
caring and feeding them and they in turn destroyed my house and gave me massive
allergy attacks. I didn’t care, I loved holding the tiny bundles of fur and
purrs.
But the kittens keep coming. Every time I see a new litter
my heart sinks. Last week I buried one kitten that didn’t make it but am caring
for two of its siblings right now. One of them has scabs over its eyes, the
other has a bad case of ear mites. (I’m giving up my monthly pedicures to pay
for pet bills. Don’t look at my toes.) They are too young for medicine so I give
them gentle baths and rub salve into the places the fur is gone. They reward me
with mighty purrs and snuggles and I let them and then I itch all over.
There are so many – so many – animals in the world that need
saving. It can be overwhelming. But we just have to keep doing it. I’ve met so
many wonderful people along this journey who have dedicated their lives to
saving animals. A friend in Orlando feeds a colony at 3 a.m. when she gets off
work. Another friend in Leesburg mothers orphaned squirrels until they can
survive on their own. There are local nonprofits like L.E.A.S.H., Inc. and
Misfit Animal Rescue whose mission is to reduce euthanasia numbers and find
homes for dogs and cats. Misfit Low Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic holds shot
clinics and spays and neuters pets and ferals alike. Lake County Animal Shelter
has a rebate program to reimburse up to $50 for spaying and neutering. (Thank goodness!) Lake
County offers wonderful programs like senior sleepovers where you can give an
elderly shelter dog a break from the kennel; you can also take a dog to lunch or take a yoga class with shelter cats.
How can you help? If you have the means to donate money, please
do! L.E.A.S.H., Inc. and Misfit Animal Rescue have Donate buttons on their
websites. They are nonprofit and need help for medical care and food. Misfit
Animal Rescue and Lake County Animal Shelter are in need of food, bleach, paper
towels, old blankets/towels, and gently used cages and carriers (check out
their websites for a detailed list). If you’re not in a position to donate
monetarily you can still help! The animal shelter needs volunteers to clean,
walk dogs, and give love to the animals. L.E.A.S.H., Inc. needs volunteers to
join their TNR program. Every little bit helps. There is no greater reward than
a feline nose bump or a dog walking happily alongside you. A little love goes a
long way.
Thank you for reading my blog! You can hit the Subscribe
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you!
Just keep swimming!
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Minnie who jumped off the roof at four weeks!
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| Ella and Spenser who let me live with them. |
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| Survivor number one. |
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| Cloud, a TNR'd feral. |
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