Helping Homeless Felines

Hello, fellow animal lover and generous donor. We are asking for contributions to enable us to find homes for the Kirkwood Colony and give them a chance at a safe, secure and healthy life they deserve while also giving their elderly caretaker peace of mind. Helping Homeless Felines (HHF), an all-volunteer rescue,  
was recently asked to help a very special colony of 18 beautiful cats that urgently needs to be relocated because they are losing the home to which they are bound. We tell their full story below and please stay tuned for regular updates from the Colony’s star kitty, Cornelius.

We only need 200 kind and compassionate souls to contribute $25 each to enable us to carry out this ambitious plan. But ANY amount we receive will make a world of difference. And we hope Cornelius’ blog-inspired updates will show you the direct impact your contribution has made.

Every penny you donate, 100% of it, will be spent on the following:
1. Food

2. Medical Evaluation and Treatment: We are estimating a conservative $300 per cat assuming nothing major is necessary for any one of them. This includes shaving for the longhairs, flea treatment, deworming, dermatitis treatment, vaccinations and other treatments as necessary. We use low-cost service providers and avail of a rescue organization discount when offered.

3. Equipment: 1 drop trap, 4 holding crates, towels, food/water bowls

4. Holding Supplies: cat litter, paper towels, non-toxic cleaning spray, disposal bags

5. Transport: Fuel, lots and lots of fuel. Prospective farms are at least one hour away (45 miles or more)  and will require 2 - 3 visits (drop-off, check up and equipment pickup).

NOTE: At this time, we already have an organic strawberry farm interested in 3 cats, an equestrian stable interested in 2 cats and a potential home for 2 more. Your support now means we can strike while the iron is hot!

Just a few of the beautiful faces of the Kirkwood Colony


The Story of Cornelius and The Kirkwood Colony
There is always a despairing story behind every hoarding situation, and the story of the Kirkwood Colony is no different. When we first surveyed the large colony, to say that it was overwhelming would be an understatement. Cats came running out from bushes, woodpiles, from under the broken down flat-tired Ford Blazer in the dirt driveway. At the helm of the cat swarm were two yearlings, an inky black tabby with his gray and black-swirled brother who we christened Cornelius. They yowled at us from below with bright, eager eyes only to dart out of reach the moment we motioned to pet them. The rest stumbled over empty cat food cans littering the ground, approaching us beseechingly then backing away with trepidation. Someone had been feeding them, but not recently. We found a box of unopened cans and took the liberty of feeding the hungry melee. Everything about this place suggested it would be a considerable challenge.


Once described by a neighbor as a “tragic implosion”, the house in which the cats dwell is nothing more than the skeletal remains of what, we’ve been told, was once a well-loved home. Red brick and wood swallowed by a jungle of ivy, it is hard to see where the house begins and the bramble ends. What used to be a lush mix of trees and flowering gardens tended to by nurturing hands has been reclaimed by all manner of weeds and clingy vines. Strewn about the yard are boxes, large bins and plastic bags full of clothes, odds and ends, and mementos - a last ditch effort to save remnants of a past life after the County came and condemned the home to decay. All the while, cats, 18 of them mill about the property. Some are lazing in the sun, young Cornelius and his brother wrestle on the ground and the skittish ones scurry in and out of gaping holes in the front door. An old tire rut halfway filled with rainwater serves as a watering hole. The putrid smell of excrement permeates the air. As difficult as it is to envision, the colony’s elderly caretaker, whom we shall call Mr. Boggs, grew up in this house. He suffers from severe mental illness compounded by other health issues that have taken their toll. In February of this year, Mr. Boggs  was admitted into a local hospital where he would spend several weeks. It was during this time that the Kirkwood Colony was brought to our attention by concerned neighbors whose trash bins, garages and cars were suddenly being invaded by cats. While he spent more time in physical rehab, HHF worked with a handful of neighbors to take over caring for the colony.  We immediately trapped, neutered/spayed and returned 15 cats so the colony is now a non-breeding one. The cats are also rabies vaccinated but they suffer the impacts of years of neglect from malnutrition and parasites to wounds and matted fur. In addition, they have issues like weepy eyes, open sores, irregular breathing and severe dermatitis, that stem from the toxic environment they live in. But most importantly, they inhabit a well sought after half acre lot that is squarely in the bullseye of prime real estate. It is only a matter of time before they will lose the only home they have to new construction. But what to do? Apart from the three parent cats adopted by Mr. Boggs, some cats, like Cornelius and his brother, are semi-feral at best, but majority are feral and have a healthy fear of people. They are also mature cats, ranging from one to seven or more years in age. Adoption for most of the colony is out of the question. The only real option is the worst one. Relocation. 

To do this, we would have to break the colony up in pairs, threes, or, if we are extremely lucky, a foursome and place them with working farms where they would continue being cared for while living outdoors with as much or as little human interaction as they pleased in exchange for keeping the vermin population under control. HHF has successfully converted urban ferals into barn cats in the past, but not on this scale. Any relocation, within itself, is resource-intensive. Relocating a colony of this size is downright daunting! But we know it is the right thing to do and we are up to the task and challenge of making it happen. The only obstacle that stands in our way is that we simply do not have the resources to carry out this significant undertaking in light of the other colonies HHF sustains and the steady stream of emergency calls we are getting to rescue the inflated number of kittens born this year as shelters closed for TNR due to COVID-19. It is raining kittens out there, folks. So, we are reaching out to animal lovers everywhere, with an invitation to join us, Cornelius and the Kirkwood Colony on the journey to their forever homes. Please support this critical effort and help us win this race against the clock.

And if we haven’t already earned a contribution from you thus far, perhaps updates from Cornelius himself (like the one below) will.

With profound gratitude,
The Helping Homeless Felines Team