It seems like kitten season 2023 has been more demanding than seasons past. Just ask those who trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR). Sometimes it feels like we’re not making any headway, but then I’m reminded that we have not had kittens in the original three CATpassionate Village locations in two-plus years. So, we press on and try to come up with strategies that will broaden our impact and stop needless suffering.
This year, developing TNVR partnerships has delivered. Take Sam, for example.
Sam reached out to us in June because he had three female and one male adult cats who produced three litters of kittens almost simultaneously this season. The kittens had become too feral to socialize.
He didn’t want the cats removed. He appreciates the service they provide in keeping rodents away from his fruit trees. He feeds them and even appears to love them judging from the life enrichment toys, water fountain and more on his patio where the cats count on meals.
Responsibly, he didn’t want the colony to grow. Something had to be done.
We came up with a plan. He would borrow traps from us, trap for two cats once a week, and transport trapped cats to Harmony Vet Care in Town ‘n Country (Tampa, FL). I would pick up the cats from Harmony, CATpassionate Village would cover the expense of spay/neuter and vaccinations, and I would recover the cats. The next day, we would meet at a mutually convenient location, where he would pick up the cats, take them home and release them to their familiar environment.
We did this for nine weeks. This past week, all 16 of the cats and kittens in his colony are spayed/neutered and vaccinated.
While Sam’s trapping efforts were going on, we had three more partners trapping in addition to our trapping efforts at Hope Village. Granted, we’re not talking about big individual trapping numbers, but slow, steady and committed has worked well for us, for the cats, and has made a bigger difference in the lives of homeless feral cats.
We are grateful for Melinda, Bob, Sherree, Karen, Jennifer, Janet, Jim, Joyce, Sam, Dolly, Rafael, Steve, Joey, John, Ralph, Cori, Sharon, Matthew, Ralph, Cat Man Chris, AnimalLuvr's Dream Rescue, Rescue Pets of Florida, and many others who support us and partner with us. Our collective efforts have made 60 cat spay/neuter and vaccinations in the Lutz area possible so far this year, eliminating a whole lot of needless suffering.
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