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A Colony and Community in Need
Unfortunately, Innisfil’s TNR program – a trap, neuter, rescue/release program – had to cease its operation earlier this year due to a lack of funds. As a result, the number of feral and stray cats has been increasing. The huge, ongoing TNR challenge has been taken on by individual members of the community who belong to Lost and Found Pets of Innisfil and Barrie. Our volunteers are committed to trapping, fixing, and adopting out stray, friendly cats . In the case of the feral cats that we trap – cats who have been born outside and who have not been socialized with humans – once they are spayed or neutered, they are released back to the property from which they came. At this point in time, there is an URGENT NEED for YOUR FINANCIAL HELP, as our group operates solely on donations from the public.
Two years ago, an older gentleman discovered a colony of about 20 cats living on his property. At the time, there were two Calico moms who seemed to be the ones producing the kittens. The man didn’t mind the cats roaming and, in fact, he fed them so that they wouldn’t starve. However, last winter he was hospitalized for about a week. No one was aware of the cats or their kittens who had just been born and, as a result, many perished while others moved away.
When Lost and Found Pets became aware of the colony, we tried to do our best to trap the adults so that they could be spayed/neutered. This past June, one litter of 4 kittens was born. In September, another litter of 5 was born. All of the kittens were trapped, domesticated, and put up for adoption. Unfortunately, one of the most recently born kittens, a black and white one, has not yet been lured into a trap. The mom spirited the kitten away for a while and, since the momma returned, our group has still not been able to find the kitten. Though kitten traps were set both in the colony area as well as ½ mile down the street, there hasn’t been a sighting of the little baby, despite our volunteers sitting patiently, hour after hour, in the hope of seeing and trapping the kitten. The fear is that a coyote may have found the innocent fur baby, as there is a pack of coyotes living in the woods behind the gentleman’s house. The coyotes have been brazen enough to actually cross his porch.
People assume that cat colonies consist solely of feral cats but that, however, is NOT always the case. Some of the cats on this man’s property are semi-friendly. Because they know and trust him as their food source, they allow him to be near them. When he arrives with food, they come out of the insulated shelters that Lost and Found Pets has provided for them and even try to enter his house, something he does not permit. Kind as the man is, he does not understand how much food it takes for the colony to survive. This has meant that Lost and Found Pets has been assisting the man with cat food.
Our volunteer group would like to finish fixing all of the cats in this colony, but we simply have no money left. We are desperate to do this as soon as possible, as the man’s property is for sale. There is no guarantee that the next owner will be sympathetic to our cause, especially if the colony continues to reproduce. Hopefully, if the new owner realizes that the cats will not increase, he/she may allow them to continue to live in the area they have made their home. If that isn’t possible, yet another problem will surface: namely, trying to find a farm or another property where we can relocate this colony.
Dedicated as our volunteers with Lost and Found Pets of Innisfil and Barrie are, we really need the public’s help. Please seriously consider making a donation on the attached site. If citizens want to curb the number of stray/feral cats in the Innisfil area, it will take the combined efforts of our organization and citizens of the community.
Please share this post so that more people can become aware of the seriousness of the situation and how they can help. Thank you!