Many years ago something needed to be done. Havoc Feral Colony·Sunday, January 27, 2019·
Too many litters to count. More kitties than most would believe. We moved here nearly 20 years ago, with two sibling cats once OBX adopted kittens, we’d always said we’d never let run wild. They were preceded by two we had in church hill, “outdoor cats” who both either disappeared, or died within 6 months of each other. We made a pledge, never allow domesticated cats in our care to run free. So when we moved here, we would allow them to hang out on leashes, temporarily tethered with plastic coated wires. They loved hanging out in front of our house, it was then we realized once occasional visits happened, we had an occasional “stray” coming by to say “hi”. There was NO colony at that point, though. As the years went on, we started seeing more hanging out, where the others disappeared, but still, only one or two here and there outside. It must have been about 6 years ago litters started happening from those visitors. We weren’t aware at that time, or rather, wouldn’t allow ourselves to become aware, of the rising issue, that it needed attention, and not only a treatment, but a solution... or it was due to get out of hand and beyond control in no time at all. While our two cats in our house died of natural causes within months of each other, having had cats my entire life, we both agreed, there’d be NO MORE cats in our house. We have dogs. Nothing against felines, but if we have dogs they deserve our attention, and spreading it too thin when it comes to the dogs we house here is not fair to them. No more feedings, no more cat boxes. No more cats. Still, the problem outside with more cats arriving and giving birth to litters, gathering up their kittens and running them over to Richmond Animal Care and Control and/or calling for help, kept going on. And there was the occasional kitten getting hit on our busy side street, which felt terrible to see, on a road that people use as their cut through from one very busy to road to the other, a couple of blocks away. One morning we awoke to look out our front window and actually see what was around us, a ton of kitties of all ages. A few days later we noticed one woman we’ll call “Brenda”, with these wire cages, and a big bag of food offered to a neighbor. Somehow she had gotten wind of a “colony” here that was reproducing like wildfire. This wasn’t even her neighborhood, but she took it upon herself to take that initiative to do something about it. She TNRed several, the ones she could get a hold of, but some slipped through the cracks, and I’m sure there were other areas she was paying attention to. We started sneaking under a neighbor’s bush in the evening offering them food, both soft and hard, what our tiny budgets would allow. One morning, another litter just magically arrived, we showed our friends via video, a very generous friend came by to offer a forever home to one of those kittens... and she did a genius and roman candle sort of thing. She called a friend she knew who fostered and TNRed cats, part of a network of others who do the same thing... realizing these situations don’t resolve themselves. Problems like this don’t just stop happening, they do one thing very well, quickly and sometimes tragically get worse. And without persistent dedication and attention and at least a semi organized way of attacking the issue, almost overnight it can become overwhelming.
“Ann” and her incredible man, showed up with multiple cages, taking selected ones off to be TNRed... including the mother of that litter. We spent 17 hours in frigid cold the following night, gathering up the remaining kittens, which we realized would not survive without their momma or us helping them. These lovelies eventually made it into our friends arms, then soon into Ann’s caring angelic hands, and her home, to be fostered and offered for adoption to other incredible friends. This is a ridiculously generous thing that some people out there do- take time, effort, investment, and more... to solve an issue that happens all OVER our city, state, and everywhere for that matter. They don’t indifferently ignore an issue, they don’t assume it will cease, they don’t grab their guns thinking that will solve anything, or hope feral animals will just find somewhere else to go. Because in actuality that just does not happen. They attempt with everything they have, most times more than they have, to solve an issue using caring and love as their primary tools, using what little resources they can gather to try and tackle a small piece of worldwide problem which rests within their own grasp, changing what they can. Feeling much like what I imagine others feel about having the wisdom to know the difference between the things you cannot change and the things you can, slowly but surely, we began to see the light, to realize the real solution for the issue in our area, was stopping the reproduction cycle, getting them shelter, and taking out the biggest challenge they face day in and day out: hunger. That which drives them to cross those dangerous streets which threaten their lives. We tried facing the issue head on. Over several more stops, with help, we continued the work of fixing the remaining residents out there, and comprehensively doing the same with any others that might in turn arrive. We worked out a routine in our very busy days and nights to provide an eating area, care-taking of that area like grass cutting and alley cleanup, bed building, and heaters added to those beds with the help of a bunch of angels, and patient response from neighbors and our area animal control, .. and still, it goes on, and we’re definitely not done yet. Every day presents a new challenge time and effort wise. It never stops for us- it’s day and night each morning ‘til right before we got to sleep. We keep an eye on them. We offer them companionship. We know the challenges of this mission. But these kitties, once castaways, are now quite appreciated, and they know well that they were born for a reason other than being a thorn in our neighbors’ side. This page was created as a celebration of their and our success. Their care has been and still is a ton of work, not just by US but by many who donate their time and assistance to see a local colony of incredible little ones live out the rest of their lives in peace, safety, and relative comfort. We’re very aware we’re not saving an entire population. But this crew in particular, is happy and cared for, now, thanks to you, and us. I hope you’ll follow this page and their story which continues to be written every day. It’s not a sad one, it’s simply magic. Their registry is here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1PVS4QQWRNHQB
And their youtube site is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkhfqeGfECQq5uq3beheHtw
We cannot thank enough people in this note, for helping us help them. We hope to reach out to you with news of their lives, and glimpses into their goings on.. and show you how that assistance is assisting them to live happy, and be loved. We try to make posts here fun and creative. Thanks for following the page, responding to, and sharing the posts, and staying in touch, yall!
