Friends of Feral Cats

Hi, As some of you know, I trap feral cats for TNR but need your help! 

So I am launching this “go fund me” to raise money to help spay/neuter and immunize and care for the ever growing feral/stray cat population and to spread awareness of  low cost programs available to the caregivers of these homeless cats.

My goal is to help 100 feral cats this year.  The cost to treat one cat is $35 (includes spay/neuter, rabies shot, flea meds and de-worming). I am now finding individuals who care for feral cats and will help these people by trapping their cats, taking them to BVSPCA, to get sterilized and immunized, and then care for these cats at my home for 3-5 days until they are ready to be released.

But I’m learning that just trapping cats is not going to solve this problem. I’ve been talking to a lot of people who feed these cats, and I keep hearing the same thing over and over: 

   1.    No one knows about the programs that are set up to help feral/stray cats.

   2.    People don’t have their own traps or are afraid that trapping a cat hurts them in some way, (of course, this is not true).

   3.    And although the cost is low it is still a deterrent. 

Many of these people who feed these cats are on fixed incomes so coming up with the money to sterilize even a few cats, much less a colony is just not feasible.

And if you think about it, what I am doing is a win-win for those of you who care for these cats ( they are sterilized and immunized) for those of you who feel these cats are a nuisance ( no more kittens so less cats running around).

I take care of a group of feral cats by my home, and I have two rooms and a garage dedicated to help foster the friendly cats and care for feral cats. I have invested hundreds of dollars in traps, nets, crates and other accessories for helping these kitties, but I quickly realized that I can’t do this alone.  

Each week I will post photos of the cats I trap and will share information on the trapping and caring of feral cats. I would also like to get a group of volunteers together so more cats can be trapped, sterilized and helped.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my mission and for your donation to support this cause. Any money you can give will help make a difference in the lives of these homeless cats and reduce the number of kittens born outside.

Thanks for caring and stay safe!       

               monique

My Story:  How I got started rescuing feral/stray cats

About a year and a half ago, my friend went for a walk through our neighborhood and found seven kittens.  One we eventually named Gizmo was only a month old and weighed less than 2 lbs. Knowing I had a trap she called me and asked for help.  When I checked out the situation, I was surprised to see that this was not your normal dump and run. The person who dropped these kittens off also left boxes for shelters, blankets and food. 

We called a rescue organization, and they said they would be available to help in six weeks. Six weeks was too long to wait, so this was not an option. Thankfully we got more people involved, trapped and fostered these kittens and were able to get them in a shelter to find their forever homes. 

At this same time I rescued five feral kittens and was learning how to socialize them.  A friend of mine lovingly referred to these kittens as “hooligans” because of the stories I would tell of all the trouble they got into. I also had to determine how to trap and sterilize their mother, who was a very smart female feral cat that wouldn’t go near a trap or even me if she thought I wanted to catch her? After 2 years and 10 months,I finally caught my mama feral who I named Starfish. A big weight came off my shoulders that day...no more kittens!

Fast forward to January 2020, I got a call asking if I could help trap some cats that have taken over a park due to, once again, cats being “dumped” and left to fend for themselves. By this time the two cats were now 20 with more kittens on the way! I purchased more traps, researched and found shelters/organizations that offered low-cost spay/neuter services and immunizations. I also purchased crates to house these cats for a few days after their surgery until they were well enough to be released.

To my surprise I realized that some of these cats I was trapping were what I now call “throwaways”; cats that once had a home but now were no longer wanted so people dropped them off at the park as well. These poor cats were confused by the outside world, starving, and traumatized by this ordeal. I would foster these cats until they felt safe again and then get them into a shelter so they could find their new forever home.

If we ever meet you would know straight away how passionate I am about these cats, because it is all I talk about. And my dream would be to have Delaware be the first state to have 90% of the feral cat population spayed/neutered in the next 10 years! With knowledge and compassion we can make a change for the good! 

For all of you that have helped me thus far  THANK YOU SO MUCH! For all the love and support. I wouldn’t have been able to get this far without you!!! 

        monique