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| Snowball as a feral kitten, living outside. |
Today is National Feral Cat Day, hosted by Alley Cat Allies. Since our house is full of rescued feral cats - this is a very appropriate holiday for us. Let's start at the beginning for those who don't know us.
When Mom and Pop bought their farmhouse back in 1999, in the mountains of western North Carolina, they unwittingly acquired a colony of feral cats who had been living in the woods behind the house. Many of the kittens were not healthy and Mom was very upset. She called the local Humane Society and got the typical reaction when she mentioned ferals - "We can trap them and kill them for you.."
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| The first shelter made of straw bales covered with plastic and lines with straw. |
Horrified at their reaction to feral cats, Mom looked for other humane options and found Alley Cat Allies online. They sent her brochures and helped her figure out how to trap them, find a vet to do discount spay and neuters and build a shelter for them to be warm and safe while living outdoors. Mom and Pop TNR'd about 20 something of us with the help of the neighborhood vet. That's a lot of cats! TNR works and we had a great life in their yard with food, love and shelter.
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| The shelter evolved to an insulated kitchen cabinet. Pop added a second level and porch to it. |
Many years later, those left of this colony are now living the Life of Riley - indoors with love, food, medical care and a warm place to spend their lives. Things are different now thanks to Alley Cat Allies. They provided education and tools to care for ferals and now many organizations across the nation are working to care for feral cats. So, if you need help to care for a colony of cats near you - please contact Alley cat Allies or a local feral cat organization.
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| This is the screen porch on the shelter for the younger ones. The older ferals are inside with Mom and Pop. |
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| Snowball and Pop in a love session. |
P.S. We would like to invite you all to our Al's 10th Gotcha Day on Oct 21. Since CB doesn't post special days anymore, we wanted to let you know before hand! Mark your calendar. It will be fun!