When fighting the good fight, especially with feral cats, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. There is one of me, and millions of feral cats. Add in the scads of people contributing to pet overpopulation, and it can make a girl feel a bit jaded. Luckily, 99% of the people I trap feral cats with are good hearted folk that want to make a change for the better in the lives of the cats who share their space.
Five years ago, I began trapping feral cats for a woman that had become overwhelmed. She had 50 adult feral cats living under her trailer. Over the spring and summer, (and a little into the fall) we trapped 46 of her adult feral cats. BCR took 36 kittens into foster care, and every single one of them lived! There was a two year stretch, without any kittens. Then in 2013 there were two tiny black kittens. The woman who fed them scooped them up, and we tried unsuccessfully to trap the mother. This year, 2014, was the year of completion. The first time I tried to trap the mama cat, she sauntered into the trap, ate all the food, and lightly sauntered out again. I came away from that attempt with one lone kitten. I named him Robin in honor of Robin Williams, and vowed he wouldn't be without his family for very long. The next week came and went with no luck. But today! August 26th, 2014 is the day that the last uteri left the land! Mama cat got spayed, vaccinated for rabies and distemper, and treated for fleas. Then she went back to her colony, and the two remaining kittens came to BCR to be fostered with copious amounts of love. This is a wonderful example of how TNR works. Five years ago, there were 86 felines living in one place. Today, due to predation, illness, and no more breeding, (not to mention the socialization and home finding for all the kittens) and that same colony is down to roughly 15 adult cats. And now, it is done. There will be no more. That ladies and gentlemen, is a beautiful thing. PS There are still many cats out there that BCR will be trapping and helping. This chapter, however is complete.
0 Comments
|
AuthorThe Captain of Browncoat Cat is a self proclaimed crazy cat lady. Of course, we're all mad here... Archives
July 2022
Categories |