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July 01, 2008
SUMMER 2008 REPORT
Marco and his littermates were born in an abandoned garbage truck filled with compacted, decomposing rubbish. The truck itself is at least fifteen feet high and deep, and not one of us thought the kittens would be able to get out on their own. This became more pressing with a rumor the truck had been sold and would be moving soon.
Trapping each kitten was an awkward and malodorous project, but in the end, seven kittens each ended their ordeal with a much-needed bath before being safely tucked into a foster home.
Ironically, the truly horrifying moment for us came days later, when some of the kittens choked up pieces of black plastic bags, complete with bits of red ties!
Happily, kittens and foster homes alike recovered nicely, but this was no time to rest on our laurels. Marco’s mother had given birth and then tirelessly cared for her kittens in a nest of garbage – what would possess a cat to pick such a den?
Marco’s family is just a small part of a large and longstanding colony that keenly represents the miserable cycle of breeding, starving, sickness and death that unaltered, homeless cats face. Set on the edge of a busy road made more dangerous by speeding drivers from the neighborhood bar, many cats make their home here.
In this place filled with dumpsters and trash, supplemental piles of cheap food left by an occasional feeder may be enough to sustain the adults, but not the dozens of litters born to them.
We can help them. Every shelter in the whole state of Connecticut combined could not take in all of the cats in Marco’s extended colony but they don’t have to continue living this way.
Friends of Felines is a local, all volunteer, no-kill, nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for homeless and forgotten felines in this community. We do this through responsible adoptions, humane education, and by practicing an effective and internationally recognized method of controlling feline overpopulation known as Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).
Marco turned out to be such a confident, funny and joyful kitten, he was snatched up quickly by a family who had adopted a Friends of Felines cat the year before – and the two boys are now best friends!
We trapped Marco’s mother within a few weeks of rescuing her kittens. She was spayed, vaccinated against rabies, held for a period of recovery, and then returned to her feral family and friends. She will never again have to seek refuge in a garbage truck.
We have a ways to go…
You can help us help them. Friends of Felines is a registered nonprofit organization, so your donations are tax deductible. Your employer may offer matching gifts to make your dollars go even further - please don’t forget to ask! Any amount is greatly appreciated and is always used directly to help cats and kittens who have no one else to help them – please remember, caring for homeless and forgotten felines in this community is what FOF does.
To learn more about Friends of Felines – our upcoming adoption events, our very wonderful cats and kittens, and our Feral Cat Project, please visit us at www.adoptapet.org.
Thank you for caring!
Posted by Becky at July 1, 2008 09:28 PM