Fortunate Ferals

10/12/2026

𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 $𝟮𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀.

I know how that sounds.
So please, hear me out.

As many of you already know, Fortunate Ferals was awarded an incredible $25,000 grant through Florida Animal Friend. This funding is going to make a tremendous difference in our ability to provide TNVR services throughout Lee County.

And we couldn’t be more grateful.

But there’s something important I need our community to understand.

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲.

Our grant covers sterilization surgery, ear tipping, and $2 toward a rabies vaccination.

It does not cover FVRCP vaccinations, microchips, bloodwork, antibiotics, wound care, diagnostics, or treatment for illness and injury.

And grant funding is restricted.

We cannot simply move that money around because another medical need feels more urgent.

Now, anybody familiar with Fortunate Ferals knows we give 100% that we can.

Our cats receive FVRCP vaccinations and microchips in addition to their routine TNVR services because we believe in providing comprehensive preventative care.

But what happens when that cat isn’t healthy?

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿?

That’s the reality we’re facing.

I cannot begin to explain how discouraging it is to see the condition of some of the community cats we’re encountering throughout Lee County.

Injuries that have gone untreated.
Infections.
Illnesses.
Cats that have clearly been uncomfortable for who knows how long.

And sometimes, before a veterinarian can even consider anesthesia, that animal needs additional testing or treatment to determine whether surgery can be performed safely.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆.

Think about that for a moment.

Take Bubba, for example.

Bubba was found incredibly uncomfortable, with concerns that he may have been poisoned.

He needs medical attention, and he also happens to be absolutely feral.

Now, I want you to consider something.

If Bubba were somebody’s friendly house cat, his owner could recognize something was wrong, pick him up, and bring him to a veterinarian.

But Bubba doesn’t have that luxury.

He doesn’t have an owner scheduling his appointments or a comfortable carrier waiting by the door.

He has whoever notices him.
Whoever cares enough to trap him.
Whoever is willing to take responsibility for an animal that may never allow them to touch him.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗯𝗯𝗮?

That’s the part of community cat care I wish more people paid attention to.

𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀.

These cats experience pain, infection, injury, and illness just like the animals sleeping on our couches.

The difference is that their suffering often goes unnoticed until it becomes impossible to ignore.

And I’m having a very difficult time accepting that as something we should just get used to.

𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱.

Our medical fund has not experienced any meaningful growth over the past couple of months.

Our veterinary expenses, however, have continued.

And as much as I hate admitting it, watching those funds decrease while the requests for medical assistance continue to increase is becoming incredibly concerning.

I am not sharing this because I want anybody to feel sorry for us.

I’m sharing it because 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲.

We cannot continue saying yes to medical cases without having the means to pay for them.

And I don’t want to reach the point where we have to turn away an injured feral cat simply because we cannot afford to help.

That is why I’m asking for donations specifically toward our medical fund.

Whether it’s helping us provide an FVRCP vaccination and microchip or contributing toward the extensive veterinary care of a cat like Bubba, it matters.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀.

I also recognize that many of you are reaching out for assistance, and I need to address that.

Please utilize the educational resources we’ve shared, explore the clinics and programs available throughout our community, and understand that our volunteers are already balancing an enormous amount of responsibility.

We want people to feel empowered to take action, not feel as though they have to wait for Fortunate Ferals to personally walk them through every situation.

Because the truth is, 𝗟𝗲𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

And the solution requires more than a handful of people willing to do the work.

I am incredibly proud of the TNVR work we’re doing. Every week it feels like we get 10 different cats 20 sometimes even in various locations, trapped neutered and returned to where they call home… Preventing the next generation of homeless cats is one of the most meaningful ways we can improve their future.

But we cannot become so focused on preventing tomorrow’s suffering that we overlook the animals suffering today.

𝗦𝗼 𝗜’𝗺 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲.

If you can donate, please consider contributing specifically to our medical fund. If you cannot, please share this message.

Because there’s something I want everyone to remember the next time they hear that “Fortunate Ferals received a $25,000 grant.”

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.

And I think both are equally important. 

PayPal: Fortunate Ferals
Venmo:
Cash App: $fortunateferals

10/10/2026

𝟯,𝟬𝟯𝟲 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗦?!
𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡?!

It’s been a little while since I’ve done one of these, and as I’ve mentioned before, Facebook LOVES reminding me to recognize our new followers.

Well, apparently I haven’t been paying much attention to the numbers lately, because when I finally took a look, I was genuinely overwhelmed with appreciation.

𝟯,𝟬𝟯𝟲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. 🥹💚

That’s a whole lot of people, and since quite a few of you are new here, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about Fortunate Ferals.

First of all, 𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘! 🐈

Maybe you’re here because you absolutely love cats.

Maybe you’re here because you DON’T like cats, and you’re desperately trying to figure out what to do about the ones hanging around your property.

Maybe you’re dealing with a colony of your own, you’ve encountered a problem in the past, you’re looking for resources, or maybe you just stumbled across one of our educational posts and decided to stick around.

Whatever brought you here, I think it’s safe to say that somewhere along the way, 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁.

And that’s something we can appreciate around here.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the president of Fortunate Ferals, a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving Lee County, Florida.

𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗧𝗡𝗩𝗥 (𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗽, 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗩𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻) 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

We are not a rescue, and although we would love to be able to physically assist every single person who reaches out to us, the reality is that our volunteer base simply cannot accommodate the number of trapping requests we receive.

But that doesn’t mean we aren’t here to help!

Through educational workshops, veterinary partnerships, spay and neuter vouchers, mobile veterinary units, community outreach, and what sometimes feels like around-the-clock guidance, we work hard to provide people with the knowledge and resources they need to make a difference themselves.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲.

You’ll find an abundance of educational information on this page. Some of it might seem incredibly basic, especially if you’ve been involved in community cat care for years. Other things might surprise you, challenge something you thought you knew, or teach you something entirely new.

And that’s the point!

I don’t expect everyone who follows this page to know everything about community cats. I don’t even expect everyone to agree with everything we say.

𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻.

Because whether you’re an experienced trapper, a longtime caretaker, someone who just started feeding a stray, or someone who would really prefer the neighborhood cats stop using their flower beds as a litter box, there’s room for education here.

And there’s value in every single person willing to be part of the solution.

So when I look at that number, I don’t just see 3,036 followers.

𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝟯,𝟬𝟯𝟲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

3,036 people who, for one reason or another, have taken an interest in the lives of cats.

And that’s pretty incredible when you think about it.

I hope that during your time here, you learn something valuable, find the encouragement you need, and maybe even discover that you’re capable of doing a whole lot more for the animals around you than you ever imagined.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱.

And since there are so many new faces around here, I’d love to know:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀?

10/09/2026

𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗬 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬, 𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦! 💚

Let’s talk for a little bit because we’ve got quite a few things happening behind the scenes, and I want to catch everybody up!

𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 — 𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗔𝗧 𝗗𝗔𝗬! 🐾

For those of you who may not be aware, October 16th is recognized as National Feral Cat Day!

Now, here at Fortunate Ferals, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘆.

But that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to take advantage of an opportunity to celebrate these incredible animals and the people who dedicate their time to helping them!

I’ve been making phone calls, reaching out to different clinics, and trying to put a few things together for our community.

Have I run into a few walls?
Absolutely.

But something about a wall just makes me want to climb over it. 😅

And I’ll tell you something else.
𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁.

Go ahead and tuck that statement into your little brain filing cabinet. We’ll pull it back out around this time next year and see just how far we’ve come. 😉

Regardless of those little obstacles, 𝗪𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚!

And not just on October 16th.
We’re going to be celebrating on 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟱𝘁𝗵, too!

So here’s where I want to hear from some of you.

If you’re currently working on a colony, you’ve attended one of our educational workshops, you understand the trapping process, but could use a little financial assistance getting those cats sterilized, 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗢𝗨𝗧.

We may be able to help you make that happen!

I want these celebrations to mean something beyond a date on the calendar. I want them to make a difference for the cats who are still out there waiting for someone to take that next step.

𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧 𝗨𝗣 — 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝟮𝟳𝗧𝗛 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗣! 📚

Our upcoming Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return (TNVR) workshop at the Lee County, FL Library is officially FULL!

Actually, it’s been full. 😂

I believe it took less than a week for all available spots to be claimed, which tells me something very important.

𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗡.
𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗣.
𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟.

I did consider squeezing another workshop in before this one, but I have to be realistic with you guys.

Not everything is as easy to coordinate as it is to type into a Facebook post.

There’s a lot that goes into making these opportunities possible, and sometimes the behind-the-scenes work takes a little longer than any of us would like.

We do have another workshop scheduled in the coming months, but I fully intend to get additional dates on the calendar before then.

So please, 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁. 💚

In the meantime, please remember that Fortunate Ferals is not your only resource!

Gulf Coast Humane Society also offers educational workshops on the third Saturday of each month, and there are various veterinary clinics throughout our community that accept TNVR appointments directly. (We have a post about those in photos)

Some of those appointments are much more affordable than people realize!

And if the cost is what’s standing between you and getting those cats sterilized, talk to us.

We can discuss what resources or assistance may be available.

𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁.
𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽.

For those of you who successfully registered for our October 27th workshop, I look forward to seeing you!

I’ll likely send out a little email beforehand with a few reminders, but your confirmation from the library is your ticket in.

𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗕𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗜 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗚𝗢.

I want every single one of you doing this work to remind yourselves just how important you are.

Important to this community.
Important to these cats.
Important to the animals who don’t have the ability to speak up and ask for the help they need.

Please don’t allow yourselves to become so mentally consumed by everything you haven’t accomplished that you forget to recognize everything you already have.

And if you’re beginning to recognize things you could be doing better?

𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗.

That means you’re learning.
You’re paying attention.
You’re growing.

And chances are, you’re already doing ten times better than you were before you even recognized there was room for improvement.

That’s something worth being proud of.

None of us have all the answers.
None of us can fix everything overnight.
And goodness knows, some days it feels like we’re moving at the speed of a turtle with a flat tire. 😂

But we’re moving.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗲’𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲.

So hang in there.

I look forward to seeing some of you at our upcoming workshop, and the rest of you at the many events, educational opportunities, and community projects we have planned for the coming year.

Speaking of which…

𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘 𝗪𝗘’𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗟𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗬 𝗔𝗟𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟳?!

I feel like I blinked and lost six months.

Happy Friday, everybody.
Keep doing your part.
Every single cat counts. 💚

10/09/2026

𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧.
𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧.
𝗟𝗘𝗧’𝗦 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘.

It usually starts with one cat….right….

One hungry cat shows up, you put a little food out, and before you know it, that cat is showing up every single day.

Then another one appears.

And another.

And suddenly, you’re buying more cat food than you ever imagined and wondering where all these cats are coming from. 😅

Sound familiar?

Here’s something I really want people to understand.

𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

And that’s where the difference between a feeder and a responsible caretaker becomes incredibly important.

🐾 𝗔 𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗥 provides food.

That’s a wonderful start, but without sterilization, those cats can continue reproducing. What started as one or two hungry cats can eventually become an entire colony of cats needing food, medical attention, and someone to take responsibility for them.

🐾 𝗔 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗥 understands that feeding is only one part of the equation.

A responsible caretaker:

🐈 Makes sure the cats in their colony are sterilized through 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗽, 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗩𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 (𝗧𝗡𝗩𝗥).

🐈 Recognizes the importance of ear tipping, which allows us to identify sterilized community cats without having to trap them all over again.

🐈 Provides food and fresh water responsibly, keeps feeding areas clean, and considers the surrounding community.

🐈 Monitors the colony for injuries, illnesses, changes in behavior, and unfamiliar faces.

🐈 Understands that 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. Newcomers need to be evaluated and sterilized if they haven’t already been.

And perhaps most importantly?

𝗔 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗡𝗩𝗥 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

Once your colony is sterilized, those cats can continue living their lives without producing more kittens. But that doesn’t mean you stop paying attention.

Cats come and go. Newcomers arrive. Situations change.

That’s why monitoring matters.

Now, I don’t expect everybody who puts a bowl of food outside to magically know how to trap a cat or understand every aspect of TNVR.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺, 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆.

That’s why Fortunate Ferals puts so much emphasis on education, workshops, and making sterilization resources available to our community.

We’re not asking people to stop caring.

We’re asking people to understand what caring for community cats actually involves.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀.
𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲. 💚

10/07/2026

𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗪𝗘’𝗥𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗧𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗖… 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬. 🐈‍⬛

If you know me personally, you probably already know that I am a HUGE Edgar Allan Poe fan.

Today, October 7th, marks the anniversary of his death in 1849, and that gave me a pretty good excuse to combine two things I happen to find pretty interesting:

𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀.

Because one of the really fascinating things about looking back through history is realizing that our relationship with cats—and our attempts to understand these strange, intelligent little creatures—is nothing new.

𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺, 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺, 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆, 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.

And Edgar Allan Poe left us a pretty fascinating example of that.

Most people probably connect Poe and cats through his famous short story The Black Cat.

But his interest in them went beyond fiction.

In 1840, Poe wrote a piece called Instinct vs. Reason — A Black Cat, where he talked about a real black cat living in his household.

And apparently, this cat had figured out 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿.

Not by accidentally bumping into it.

She had actually learned how to manipulate a complicated latch—using one paw to work the latch while positioning her body and back feet in a way that allowed her to push the door open.

Poe said he had watched her do it 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀.

But what I really love about this story isn’t that Poe had a ridiculously smart cat.

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿.

He questioned whether humans were being a little arrogant by assuming that animals couldn’t reason or think through problems.

In 1840.

And if you’ve spent any significant amount of time around cats, that probably made you laugh a little. 😂

Because nearly 200 years later, we’re STILL studying feline cognition and discovering just how much these animals observe, learn, remember and understand about the world around them.

Poe’s family also had a tortoiseshell cat named 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮.

Historical accounts describe her as being incredibly attached to the family—and apparently Poe was just as wrapped around her little paw as the rest of us are with our cats today.

He reportedly got out of bed at night to let her in and out, and Catterina was said to refuse food while Poe was away.

𝗦𝗼 𝘆𝗲𝘀, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝗱𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝘁. 😂

But one of the stories about Catterina that sticks with me the most is much quieter.

Poe’s wife, Virginia, became extremely ill with tuberculosis. During her illness, a visitor to their home remembered Catterina lying with Virginia and helping to keep her warm.

Think about that for a second.

More than 175 years ago, in a completely different world from the one we’re living in today, there was still a cat curling herself against a sick human she loved.

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵. 🖤

And I think that’s why I love little pieces of history like this.

We usually learn history through the big things—wars, inventions, famous works, dates, deaths and accomplishments.

But sometimes the tiny details tell us something too.

A man sitting in his home in the 1800s watching a black cat solve a problem.

A cat refusing her dinner because her person wasn’t home.

Another curling up beside a sick woman to keep her warm.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁.
𝗖𝗮𝘁𝘀… 𝗺𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵. 🐈‍⬛

They’ve fascinated us, confused us, comforted us and apparently outsmarted us for centuries.

So in remembrance of one of my favorite writers today, I figured I’d share a little piece of the cat history hidden behind the man most of us associate with ravens.

𝗘𝗱𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀. 🖤🐈‍⬛

And somehow, knowing that Poe himself once sat around watching his cat do something ridiculous and came to the conclusion that there was a lot more going on in that little head than humans gave her credit for makes me like him even more.

Nevermore?

Please.

She learned to open the damn door herself. 😂

10/04/2026

𝗧𝗢 𝗕𝗘 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗚𝗨𝗬𝗦…

𝗜 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗦 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛 𝗔𝗦 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗠𝗘.

And before anybody reads that the wrong way—no. 😂

I’m not saying that from a place of being drained, lost, or needing somebody to remind me why I do this.

𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲.
𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵.
𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗜 𝗮𝗺, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜’𝗺 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴.

It feels a little strange saying all of that out loud, but because I know some of you could overthink a stop sign if given enough time, I felt it necessary to get that disclaimer out of the way first. 😂

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀:

Every idea you give me, I store somewhere in this chaotic brain of mine.

Every “have you ever thought about…”
Every “we really need this in our area…”
Every “could Fortunate Ferals ever…”
Every need I notice.
Every problem somebody brings to my attention.

𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

And if something makes sense, I start figuring out how we could actually make it happen.

Because one thing I really want people to understand about Fortunate Ferals is that 𝗪𝗘 𝗗𝗢𝗡’𝗧 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗔 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗔.

We think about the logistics.
The cats.
The people.
The money.
The location.
The cleanup.
The volunteers.
The reality.
What could go wrong.
What happens afterward.
And probably 47 completely unrelated things that somehow become relevant in my brain. 😂

Libra season is here and my birthday is coming, so I’m allowed to blame at least part of this on being about as Libra as they come. ♎️😂

But seriously…

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘’𝗦 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗜 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨.

I know there are areas of Lee County that want us there.

I know there are communities trying to figure out how to bring something like one of our mobile TNVR events with SWFL SNS closer to them.

I know there are places we’ve already been that would love to have us back.

𝗪𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗙 𝗜𝗧.

But I cannot physically be in every neighborhood.

I don’t know every property owner, every church, every community center, every business owner, or every person who might be willing to open a door for us.

𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧’𝗦 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗜𝗡.

If your area needs us, help me find the starting point.

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗘 𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡.

We need somewhere willing to give us approximately three days.

We need an indoor, air-conditioned space where we can safely, successfully, and cleanly hold approximately 40 community cats in traps throughout the process.

We need electricity.

We need adequate parking and enough accessibility to safely move cats in and out.

We can provide the majority of the tables and supplies we need, although if additional tables are available, we will absolutely take them.

And most importantly, 𝗪𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗨𝗦.

You don’t need to bring me a perfectly packaged plan.

Give me a real lead.
Give me a contact.
Give me a building.
Give me somebody willing to have the conversation.

𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗠𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗 𝗢𝗡.

Because THAT I can do.

And I didn’t figure that out yesterday.

𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁.

Glenda didn’t bring me into this simply because I happened to be part of the solution for one specific case.

She saw that I wanted to understand the bigger picture—and then she taught me how to see it.

How to look beyond the one case in front of me. How to ask what caused it, what could prevent the next one, what resources already exist, what’s missing, and what we can realistically build to fill the gap.

I didn’t fully understand at the time just how much of that she was teaching me.

𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘄.

And I think that’s part of why my brain works the way it does with this organization.

Bring me the problem, absolutely—but bring me the beginning of a solution too.

𝗜’𝗟𝗟 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘.

Fortunate Ferals is a Trap-Neuter-Return organization. We have boundaries, and we’re going to keep them because those boundaries are what allow us to continue doing this work responsibly.

But within those boundaries?

𝗜 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗘𝗘 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛 𝗪𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗.

So if you’re sitting in an area overwhelmed with community cats thinking, “We need Fortunate Ferals out here”…

𝗗𝗢𝗡’𝗧 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗟 𝗠𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗨𝗦.

𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗣 𝗠𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗚𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗨𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘.

Ask the annoying questions.
Talk to the church.
Call the community center.
Ask the business owner.
Think about that building you drive past every day.
Make the introduction.

Then bring it to me.

I might ask you 900 questions. I might ask the same question twice. 😂

But if there’s a responsible, realistic way to turn your idea into something that helps community cats?

𝗜’𝗟𝗟 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗 𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗧.

Because as much as people look to us for solutions, Fortunate Ferals was never supposed to be one person—or even one organization—trying to solve everything.

𝗧𝗡𝗥 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗬 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗦 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗔 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡.

So yes.

𝗜 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗦 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛 𝗔𝗦 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗠𝗘.

Whether you realized it yet or not…

𝗪𝗘’𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗢𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥. 💚🐾

10/03/2026

10/02/2026

𝗗𝗢𝗡’𝗧 𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗟𝗢𝗨𝗗. 🤫🐈

Yes, I just made that up. 😂
But hear me out, because if you feed community cats, this is actually REALLY important.

Feeding cats is a kind thing to do.

𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼.

And part of responsible feeding is understanding one very simple fact:

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀.

I know. Rude. 😂

But seriously — when you’re caring for community cats, being discreet can actually help protect them.

If you’re showing up at the same place every day, putting out giant bowls of food, leaving disposable plates behind, tossing cans in the area or leaving food sitting overnight, eventually somebody is going to notice.

And unfortunately, when somebody sees the mess, 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗱.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗼.

Suddenly there are complaints about “all these cats.” The cats get labeled a nuisance. Businesses or property owners become frustrated. And the very cats you were trying to help can end up in a much worse situation.

So… 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱.

🐾 Feed at consistent times whenever possible.

🐾 Feed only what the cats can reasonably eat while you’re there.

🐾 Give them 15–30 minutes, then pick up whatever is left.

🐾 Skip the giant spread of bowls. You’re feeding cats, not opening a Golden Corral.

🐾 Pick up cans, plates, bags and trash — even if it isn’t yours.

🐾 Keep feeding areas clean and as discreet as possible.

🐾 And please don’t leave food sitting out all night.

𝗔𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮. 😂

If you absolutely need something to put food on, a tortilla can make a pretty handy little biodegradable “plate.” Whatever tiny bit you miss when cleaning up has a much better chance of disappearing with the wildlife than becoming another piece of trash blowing around the property.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝘆𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗼𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

You may barely notice them when you leave, but someone driving past absolutely can. A bunch of disposable bowls scattered around a business, parking lot or neighborhood looks like exactly what it is:

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵.

And again — guess who gets blamed for it?

🐈⬅️ That guy.

Now, about our other freeloaders… 😂🦝

If you’re feeding the cats at 7 PM and the raccoons are standing there at 6:55 checking their watches, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸:

If raccoons are already hanging around waiting for dinner, bring a little inexpensive, LARGE-kibble dog food.

Give them a small distraction away from where you’re feeding the cats. The larger pieces take them a little longer to work through, which can buy you enough time to get the cats fed, clean everything up and get out of there.

And when you’re done?

𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗞. 𝗜𝗧. 𝗔𝗟𝗟. 𝗨𝗣.

The goal should always be:

𝗖𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗱.
𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻.
𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱.
𝗔𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲.

You can be doing something incredibly kind and still accidentally create a problem for the animals you’re trying to protect.

𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘆.

It’s about looking at the entire picture and making choices that allow those cats to safely remain where they live.

Be clean.
Be consistent.
Be respectful of the property.
𝗕𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁.

Not everybody is a cat person.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. 💚🐾

So if you’re going to be one of them…

𝗕𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲.

10/02/2026

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗛𝗨𝗚𝗘 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.

But there’s one person in particular I want to highlight today.

She asked me to keep her anonymous, so we’re going to call her Ripple. And yes, there’s a reason I picked that name. 💚

She knows exactly who she is.

I want to tell you guys her story because, if I’m being completely truthful, 𝗜 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗼.

If you talk to me almost every day, you might remember me mentioning that a week or two ago I got a phone call around 11:30 at night from someone who had trapped a whole bunch of cats without having much of a plan for what came next. 😅

Now, some people reading this might already know exactly what my initial internal reaction was.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁.
𝗔𝗻𝗱, 𝗶𝗳 𝗜’𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝗜 𝗮𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼.

And since then, Ripple and I have kept talking.

I’ve gotten to know her, learned more about what she’s doing, answered questions and talked through situations with her—and somewhere along the way I realized:

𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗼𝗻𝗲.

Before that late-night phone call ever happened, Ripple had come to one of our workshops.

And she didn’t just sit there.
𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 😂

She actually apologized to me afterward for asking so many, and I told her the same thing I’ll tell anybody:

𝗜 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀.

Questions tell me you’re listening.
They tell me you’re thinking about how this information applies in the real world.

Most importantly, they tell me there’s a pretty good chance you’re actually going to take what you learned and 𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗜𝗧.

And Ripple absolutely did.
Quietly, without me even knowing it, she started trapping.

𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗧.

And the more I’ve gotten to know her, the more I’ve realized that somewhere along the way, trapping became something meaningful for her too.

When life gets heavy, some people shut down.

Some people make choices that probably aren’t very good for them.

𝗥𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀. 😂

And I know that might sound a little funky to some people, but to me?

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗱𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻.

She found something productive that matters to her, and every time she does it, another community cat benefits from it.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘁.
𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝘁.

I know my language has gotten a little stronger lately , but there’s something I think people sometimes misunderstand about the individuals doing this work.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 “𝗰𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲.”

The people doing this correctly are hauling traps around at ridiculous hours, crawling through bushes, figuring out appointments, coordinating caretakers, holding cats for recovery, returning them where they belong, dealing with setbacks and getting back up the next day to do it all over again.

𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲.
And Ripple is one of those people.

During our conversations since then, I’ve heard her repeat things back to me that we taught at that workshop.

𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗.

She understands why 𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗡 matters.

She understands that trapping situations can become complicated when multiple people are involved.

She understands that getting the cat into the trap is only one piece of doing TNR responsibly.

𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱. 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Ripple came to us wanting to learn how to do the work, not just asking us to do the work for her.

I hope that comes across the way I mean it, because it matters.

I want to give people every resource I possibly can for their community cats. I want to answer your questions. I want to help you work through the weird situations—and trust me, 𝗧𝗡𝗥 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

But there is something incredibly powerful about someone whose first instinct is:

𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄.

Because there are levels to this.
You learn.
You try.
You ask questions.
You screw something up.
You learn some more.
You get better.

And eventually, you become another person out there who can make a difference without waiting for somebody else to do it for you.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴.

This woman is NONSTOP.

She gets a bad feeling about a situation?
She traps. 😅

She gets bored?
She traps. 😂

Cats need fixing?
She traps. 🤣

And every single time she gets another community cat sterilized and returned, that impact keeps moving outward.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗜 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲.

Because that’s exactly what happens when you teach one person and that person actually takes what they learned and puts it into action.

It doesn’t stop with them.
One person learns.
One person starts doing.
One cat becomes another cat.
One colony becomes another colony.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱.

So Ripple, you know exactly who you are, and I know you’ll see this.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗼𝗻𝗲.
Thank you for asking the questions.
Thank you for actually listening to the answers.
Thank you for taking what you learned and getting your hands dirty.

And thank you for reminding me why I spend so much time trying to teach this stuff in the first place.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀.

Not because you or I know everything.
Not because you or I will never make a mistake.
But because you came willing to learn, and then you were willing to 𝗗𝗢.

𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱.

And to every other independent trapper quietly doing the exact same thing out there:

𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.💚

You may not have an organization behind your name. You may not have a page documenting every cat.

Most people may never know how many late nights, weird situations, trap malfunctions, scratched-up arms and “well… now what?” moments went into what you do.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄.

And this community is better because you decided to do something.

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲.
𝗘𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱. 💚