Emergency Cat Help Needed- Raccoon attacks!
Tax deductible
I have an emergency situation with a large group of 20+ non-neutered male and pregnant female semi-feral cats, their ever increasing number of baby kittens and a bad raccoon situation, currently located at my personal residence, that I need your help with! The cats must be moved immediately, or more will die.
My name is Tamala Lester, and I am the Founder of The Barnyard Sanctuary. Over the past 9 years since I opened the sanctuary, we have had MANY animals dumped at the sanctuary, at my personal residence and at a neighbor's farm across the street from where I live. Normally, we would just absorb these poor animals into the sanctuary, as it's not their fault they were thrown out, but we cannot do that in this case, without your urgently needed financial help.
For those of you who are followers of The Barnyard Sanctuary, you may recall that we lost a major donor 2 years ago, resulting in the loss of $100,000 a year in income. We still have not recovered from that loss and are scraping by on a very strict budget. Taking on the medical expenses for all the cats listed below, and their babies, is not in the budget at this time, which is why we are reaching out to YOU for help.
In the past 1.5 years, we have seen a HUGE influx in the number of dumped cats, especially at my home. Most are semi-feral, but several are tame and even declawed! While I have already personally spayed/neutered, tested and vaccinated over 20 of these cats myself, I simply cannot afford to do any more, as I work (more than) full-time at the sanctuary for no pay. Right now we have about 20+ cats that still need to be caught and fixed, tested and vaccinated, as well as 6 we have already taken in that need vetting.
Over the winter, a pair of young raccoons started coming to the wildlife feeder to eat. We do not mind helping out the raccoons and opossums that visit us at night, especially during the winter. We have a separate feeding station set up elsewhere on the property for them, so we do not encourage them to come up by the cats. But, this pair insisted on coming right up to the back porch where I feed the cats (so that I can watch them and bring the food bowls in when they are done). One of these raccoons turned out to be very aggressive and would attack any cat that passed within 10' of him, even tiny kittens! On two occasions, I saw him do this and I ran out the door, screaming and yelling at him. While one raccoon would immediately run off, the other would stand his ground, stepping forward, snarling and growling at me. This behavior is not the norm for raccoons. It’s also interesting that this pair of raccoons was a much lighter cream color than all the other raccoons, who are brownish gray, making them quite distinctive.
In April and May, I had NINE litters of kittens born on our property from unspayed females dumped here, after I had already spayed all the prior ones dumped here. Since I totally expected to see a bunch of kittens turn up to start eating solid food, I could not figure out where all the babies went. I then started finding several dead and dismembered kittens laying around and didn't know what would just be killing them and leaving them (versus taking them or eating them). In late June, one of the moms was severely injured from a deep bite through her hind foot (she has since recovered). In early July, the male tom (daddy to all), showed up with severe bite injuries to his face, wounds of which he quickly died. Fortunately, I was then able to catch 9 of the 13 surviving kittens and get them to a local dog and cat rescue for placement, which literally saved their lives. While I did not SEE them get killed or attacked, it appeared to me to be the one more aggressive raccoon.
On July 23, a few days after relocating the 9 kittens, I heard screaming coming from my back porch at 330am. I jumped out of bed and ran out the back door, to find that same raccoon pinning down a 9 week old female kitten, biting her repeatedly. My screaming chased him off, and I ran inside for a towel to wrap the kitten in (in case the raccoon was rabid I did not want his saliva on me). On my way back inside with the injured kitten, I then heard screaming coming from the front porch! I quickly set the injured kitten down on the kitchen floor, and ran out the front door, bare foot and in my PJs. There I saw that same aggressive raccoon, curled like an armadillo around another kitten that had been sleeping in a cardboard box, biting him. I started yelling, and both he and the kitten ran off, leaving me very shaken. I have never seen a raccoon act like this before, and I have seen a lot of raccoons, especially after 2 years working for a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
The first baby girl (back porch), Sox, was so severely bitten, that one hind leg was snapped completely in half and was dangling (shown in picture above when I first took her to the vet 7/24/19). She remained 2 weeks at the vet, and had her hind leg amputated. She came home on 8/7/19 and is very slowly recovering. She is still not walking because her other hind leg was also so severely bitten and swollen, that it is too painful to stand on. Almost all her toes on all 4 feet were dislocated from her fighting off the much larger animal, who had pinned her down. (see update posted on 9/26 for Sox)
The second baby boy (front porch), Wonder, had disappeared. I searched all over and could not find him. Five days later, he appeared on his own! He was so skinny, limping, barely able to walk, and I rushed him to the vet on 7/29/19. His back was sprained and he had several dislocated toes, with multiple bite wounds on his feet. It turns out that he is also totally blind. I brought him home and was putting him in a large black wire cage on my front porch during the day, so that his mother and sister could see him, bringing him in at night. On 8/4/19, the raccoon came just before I was to take him in, reached into the cage and dragged his legs out and started biting him all over again! Back to the vet for pain medicine and antibiotics. He is now being kept totally inside. (see update posted 9/28 for Wonder)
So far this past week, we have had another 2 litters of kittens born (5 babies total). This situation MUST be rectified immediately by capturing and spaying/neutering the cats. Not only is it urgent that these cats are spayed/neutered, but they need to be vaccinated for rabies and then relocated to the sanctuary, as soon as possible. They cannot stay here any longer, as it is no longer safe for them. At this exact moment, we already have 3 more obviously pregnant moms, with more that will get pregnant soon if I do not get them fixed also. I cannot do it alone- I need your help! (update 9/30- we now have 5 litters with 15 kittens total)
So, to sum it up so far, we have:
- 20+ cats to catch, spay/neuter, vaccinate and take to the sanctuary for safety.
- 2 kittens (Sox and Wonder) with huge vet expenses, and who will need to be spay/neutered.
- 2 female kittens (Monster and Purr) from a litter last fall, who are blind and need to be spayed and vaccinated/tested.
- Plus.... a woman had called me last fall to say that her Marine husband had died of cancer. She could no longer live on base and was moving to Oregon to live with her sister in a condo building that did not allow pets. She was due to drive out the next day and had the 2 super friendly cats in her car, both in one small carrier. I had to help her (we help military families), so I took the 2 cats, Skittles and Matilda. They are now 4 years old, unvaccinated and currently living in my garage. I need to get them vaccinated and tested, so they can move in with the other tame cats already at the sanctuary, until I can find them a home.
- 15+ kittens to find homes for (currently on antibiotics and eye drops)
I truly need your help asap. Here is a recap of the expenses (updated to 9/30/19):
1) $2,360 proposed cost to spay ($90)/neuter ($50) and vaccinate ($35) 20 cats (5 male, 15 female)
2) $3,368 Vet bill already incurred for Sox and Wonder
3) $328 proposed cost to spay, vaccinate and test Monster and Purr (DONE!)
4) $248 proposed cost to vaccinate, test and exam Skittles and Matilda
5) $140 proposed cost to spay/neuter Sox and Wonder when they are healthy and older
6) $616 Vet bill just incurred 9/26 for kitten Rudy
TOTAL AMOUNT NEEDED FOR VET: $7,060
We need to modify our existing Cat House at the Sanctuary, plus build some outdoor cat condos. Materials will be about $800.
In addition, the rescue who took the first 9 kittens has had vet expenses of about $1,500 getting the babies healthy and vaccinated. We would like to help cover these expenses, if possible.
Right now, I have 2 Chewy deliveries every month for cat food (wet and dry) plus litter, which totals aprox $420/month. I am fighting to be able to pay for it.
It would be the most incredible thing ever, if we could raise the money to pay the vet bills, plus the costs for the 8 kittens taken and to create a shelter for them ($9,360 total) AND have enough people to sign up to be monthly donors, that we could cover the $420 a month for food!
I am very dedicated to helping these poor cats. THE ONLY THING STANDING BETWEEN ME AND SUCCESS IS LACK OF FUNDING! I am willing to do the work, will you be willing to help make it financially possible? We must hurry before the females go into heat again and winter hits.
Thank you for reading my long request. Hopefully, you will be one of the guardian angels who help us.
Thank you!!
Tamala
My name is Tamala Lester, and I am the Founder of The Barnyard Sanctuary. Over the past 9 years since I opened the sanctuary, we have had MANY animals dumped at the sanctuary, at my personal residence and at a neighbor's farm across the street from where I live. Normally, we would just absorb these poor animals into the sanctuary, as it's not their fault they were thrown out, but we cannot do that in this case, without your urgently needed financial help.
For those of you who are followers of The Barnyard Sanctuary, you may recall that we lost a major donor 2 years ago, resulting in the loss of $100,000 a year in income. We still have not recovered from that loss and are scraping by on a very strict budget. Taking on the medical expenses for all the cats listed below, and their babies, is not in the budget at this time, which is why we are reaching out to YOU for help.
In the past 1.5 years, we have seen a HUGE influx in the number of dumped cats, especially at my home. Most are semi-feral, but several are tame and even declawed! While I have already personally spayed/neutered, tested and vaccinated over 20 of these cats myself, I simply cannot afford to do any more, as I work (more than) full-time at the sanctuary for no pay. Right now we have about 20+ cats that still need to be caught and fixed, tested and vaccinated, as well as 6 we have already taken in that need vetting.
Over the winter, a pair of young raccoons started coming to the wildlife feeder to eat. We do not mind helping out the raccoons and opossums that visit us at night, especially during the winter. We have a separate feeding station set up elsewhere on the property for them, so we do not encourage them to come up by the cats. But, this pair insisted on coming right up to the back porch where I feed the cats (so that I can watch them and bring the food bowls in when they are done). One of these raccoons turned out to be very aggressive and would attack any cat that passed within 10' of him, even tiny kittens! On two occasions, I saw him do this and I ran out the door, screaming and yelling at him. While one raccoon would immediately run off, the other would stand his ground, stepping forward, snarling and growling at me. This behavior is not the norm for raccoons. It’s also interesting that this pair of raccoons was a much lighter cream color than all the other raccoons, who are brownish gray, making them quite distinctive.
In April and May, I had NINE litters of kittens born on our property from unspayed females dumped here, after I had already spayed all the prior ones dumped here. Since I totally expected to see a bunch of kittens turn up to start eating solid food, I could not figure out where all the babies went. I then started finding several dead and dismembered kittens laying around and didn't know what would just be killing them and leaving them (versus taking them or eating them). In late June, one of the moms was severely injured from a deep bite through her hind foot (she has since recovered). In early July, the male tom (daddy to all), showed up with severe bite injuries to his face, wounds of which he quickly died. Fortunately, I was then able to catch 9 of the 13 surviving kittens and get them to a local dog and cat rescue for placement, which literally saved their lives. While I did not SEE them get killed or attacked, it appeared to me to be the one more aggressive raccoon.
On July 23, a few days after relocating the 9 kittens, I heard screaming coming from my back porch at 330am. I jumped out of bed and ran out the back door, to find that same raccoon pinning down a 9 week old female kitten, biting her repeatedly. My screaming chased him off, and I ran inside for a towel to wrap the kitten in (in case the raccoon was rabid I did not want his saliva on me). On my way back inside with the injured kitten, I then heard screaming coming from the front porch! I quickly set the injured kitten down on the kitchen floor, and ran out the front door, bare foot and in my PJs. There I saw that same aggressive raccoon, curled like an armadillo around another kitten that had been sleeping in a cardboard box, biting him. I started yelling, and both he and the kitten ran off, leaving me very shaken. I have never seen a raccoon act like this before, and I have seen a lot of raccoons, especially after 2 years working for a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
The first baby girl (back porch), Sox, was so severely bitten, that one hind leg was snapped completely in half and was dangling (shown in picture above when I first took her to the vet 7/24/19). She remained 2 weeks at the vet, and had her hind leg amputated. She came home on 8/7/19 and is very slowly recovering. She is still not walking because her other hind leg was also so severely bitten and swollen, that it is too painful to stand on. Almost all her toes on all 4 feet were dislocated from her fighting off the much larger animal, who had pinned her down. (see update posted on 9/26 for Sox)
The second baby boy (front porch), Wonder, had disappeared. I searched all over and could not find him. Five days later, he appeared on his own! He was so skinny, limping, barely able to walk, and I rushed him to the vet on 7/29/19. His back was sprained and he had several dislocated toes, with multiple bite wounds on his feet. It turns out that he is also totally blind. I brought him home and was putting him in a large black wire cage on my front porch during the day, so that his mother and sister could see him, bringing him in at night. On 8/4/19, the raccoon came just before I was to take him in, reached into the cage and dragged his legs out and started biting him all over again! Back to the vet for pain medicine and antibiotics. He is now being kept totally inside. (see update posted 9/28 for Wonder)
So far this past week, we have had another 2 litters of kittens born (5 babies total). This situation MUST be rectified immediately by capturing and spaying/neutering the cats. Not only is it urgent that these cats are spayed/neutered, but they need to be vaccinated for rabies and then relocated to the sanctuary, as soon as possible. They cannot stay here any longer, as it is no longer safe for them. At this exact moment, we already have 3 more obviously pregnant moms, with more that will get pregnant soon if I do not get them fixed also. I cannot do it alone- I need your help! (update 9/30- we now have 5 litters with 15 kittens total)
So, to sum it up so far, we have:
- 20+ cats to catch, spay/neuter, vaccinate and take to the sanctuary for safety.
- 2 kittens (Sox and Wonder) with huge vet expenses, and who will need to be spay/neutered.
- 2 female kittens (Monster and Purr) from a litter last fall, who are blind and need to be spayed and vaccinated/tested.
- Plus.... a woman had called me last fall to say that her Marine husband had died of cancer. She could no longer live on base and was moving to Oregon to live with her sister in a condo building that did not allow pets. She was due to drive out the next day and had the 2 super friendly cats in her car, both in one small carrier. I had to help her (we help military families), so I took the 2 cats, Skittles and Matilda. They are now 4 years old, unvaccinated and currently living in my garage. I need to get them vaccinated and tested, so they can move in with the other tame cats already at the sanctuary, until I can find them a home.
- 15+ kittens to find homes for (currently on antibiotics and eye drops)
I truly need your help asap. Here is a recap of the expenses (updated to 9/30/19):
1) $2,360 proposed cost to spay ($90)/neuter ($50) and vaccinate ($35) 20 cats (5 male, 15 female)
2) $3,368 Vet bill already incurred for Sox and Wonder
3) $328 proposed cost to spay, vaccinate and test Monster and Purr (DONE!)
4) $248 proposed cost to vaccinate, test and exam Skittles and Matilda
5) $140 proposed cost to spay/neuter Sox and Wonder when they are healthy and older
6) $616 Vet bill just incurred 9/26 for kitten Rudy
TOTAL AMOUNT NEEDED FOR VET: $7,060
We need to modify our existing Cat House at the Sanctuary, plus build some outdoor cat condos. Materials will be about $800.
In addition, the rescue who took the first 9 kittens has had vet expenses of about $1,500 getting the babies healthy and vaccinated. We would like to help cover these expenses, if possible.
Right now, I have 2 Chewy deliveries every month for cat food (wet and dry) plus litter, which totals aprox $420/month. I am fighting to be able to pay for it.
It would be the most incredible thing ever, if we could raise the money to pay the vet bills, plus the costs for the 8 kittens taken and to create a shelter for them ($9,360 total) AND have enough people to sign up to be monthly donors, that we could cover the $420 a month for food!
I am very dedicated to helping these poor cats. THE ONLY THING STANDING BETWEEN ME AND SUCCESS IS LACK OF FUNDING! I am willing to do the work, will you be willing to help make it financially possible? We must hurry before the females go into heat again and winter hits.
Thank you for reading my long request. Hopefully, you will be one of the guardian angels who help us.
Thank you!!
Tamala
Organizer
Tamala Lester
Organizer
Blairstown, NJ
The Barnyard Sanctuary, a NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Registered nonprofit
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