Feral Cat Hero
Feral cats are a huge concern across the globe. For starters, they can have many litters of kittens that can start having their own kittens before their first year!
While humans cause much more of a negative impact on local wildlife than feral cats do, it can still be a concern.
Not to mention, many of these feral cats are actually the victims of being dumped, or abandoned by previous owners.
These cats are generally quite sweet and much less equipped to survive alone in wild conditions.
One woman in Cocoa, Florida has started to make a difference in the lives of the countless feral cats who call her neighborhood and family business area home!
Anne Chapman, a woman I call mom, started out feeding a few cats that showed up at her house. Then she started to notice there were cats at the family business too!
She started to feed those as well in the hopes of catching them and finding forever homes for them. Then more showed up, and more, and more, even a mother with young kittens came!
That’s when she knew there was a real issue in her area and that it went beyond the few she started out feeding.
After talking with wonderful people at the Brevard Humane Society, a place she enjoys volunteering at as a dog walker, she found out that there was a program called Trap, Neuter, and Release Program that allowed people to bring in feral cats to be spayed, or neutered. So, with that knowledge and a few loaner traps she picked up from the Brevard Humane Society, she joined a family of incredibly kind, generous people who were already a part of that program.
She started trapping feral cats and getting them spayed, or neutered, vaccinated, their ear clipped (identifies them as already altered), and an over health exam. They are also tested for Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), upon request.
After their day at the clinic, they are released back where they were caught, unless they are friendly. The friendly ones find a forever home!
Several hit the mega-ball jackpot and live with her!
To date, she has trapped over 30 cats/kittens and found homes for nearly half of them. I am so proud of my mom, and the other people who are out there making a real difference in the lives of others, be they furry, feathered, scaly, or of the human type!
Thank you, Mom. You are my hero, I love you!
Written by: Ryane Postell Killeen, Texas
