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"The odd thing," says Lynn about her new-found interest in feral cats,"is that I've always considered myself a dog person. Miss Kitty is the first cat I've ever owned, and, I must say, I'm crazy about her. My concern for feral cats is linked to the stunning realization that one cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats in 7 years. As a result, millions of cats, especially ferals, are euthanized every year in the U.S., either because there are too few homes for them or because the cats are too wild to domesticate.
"Once I'd learned about Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) and realized there was something that could be done immediately to stop the killing of feral cats, I checked the internet to find an educational video that my local PBS station might consent to air. Fortunately, I located "Urban Rescuers." Not only did it contain exactly the kind of information I felt the community needed to know, I got acquainted with the producer, Nikki Corda. An animal lover herself, Nikki has been an absolute delight to work with, professional, cooperative, and keenly interested in my project. She was even able to customize the ending titles to better suit the Wichita market. Best of all, because Nikki's award-winning documentary is so balanced and well done, it took virtually no convincing to get KPTS to run it; the content director was pleased to.
"Now with the word out about TNR, my real hope was that a group of people would step forward to join together to help improve the lives of feral cats. Ray Huff in Sedgwick, KS (a short distance from Wichita) was way ahead of me. He'd already formed Friends of Felines, www.felinefriendsks.com, and had many years of experience, including a list of willing volunteers and other helpful contacts, from vets to drivers willing, if necessary, to transport newly altered cats to cat colonies in other states.
"As luck would have it, I met Ray about the time he was organizing a huge project in Syracuse, KS, which involved trapping over 100 feral cats. The project is so unusual I've included the press release below for anyone who's interested in a story about heart, commitment, and people who are masters of patience and planning."
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Volunteers plan to rescue 100 cats from Kansas farm
By Nancy D. Borst
JOHNSON – A project to rescue approximately 100 cats living on a farm in southwest Kansas has attracted volunteers and offers of help from New Mexico to Ohio.
The first phase of the rescue, dubbed the Syracuse Project because of its location near that community, is scheduled to take place May 18-19, according to project coordinator Ray Huff of Friends of Felines, a non-profit stray and feral cat advocacy group based in Sedgwick, Kan.
The cats on the farm are feral cats – cats that have never been domesticated and cannot be tamed to live with people. A team of trained volunteers will capture approximately 40 of the cats first, using self-closing traps baited with canned fish. The volunteers will care for the cats overnight before taking them to clinics, where veterinarians will neuter the cats and provide any other needed care, including vaccinations.
The cats then will be sent with drivers to their new homes as soon as they are ready to travel, said Huff. The whole process will be repeated at a later date once new homes have been found for the remaining cats. Huff said he got involved with the project when the family that owns the farm reached out for help.
Lowell Stepp and his family have shared the northwest Stanton County farm between Johnson and Syracuse with various animals since moving there in 1943, said José Rheinscheld, Stepp’s daughter.
Early this year, Stepp’s health (he will be 98 in May) forced him to move off the farm, leaving no one to feed the cats, who require 40 pounds of food a day. Rheinscheld, who left her Texas home to spend the past year caring for her father, said abandoning the cats was never an option.
Rheinscheld has worked with animal groups online to help secure new homes for the cats. Some will go to Pueblo, Colo. and Colorado Springs, Colo. Others will go to the Santa Fe, N.M. area. “Fortunately I have a man in Denver and another in Albuquerque who have volunteered to be transporters,” she said.
Huff said the rest of the first group of cats will relocate to the Pratt area and Sedgwick and Harvey counties in south central Kansas. Veterinarian Pam Howell, who also is president of the Pratt County Humane Society, said she offered her services because “as a vet I knew there was something I could do.” Volunteers from Sedgwick, Pratt, Hutchinson and Johnson will participate in the project.
Huff said he has received monetary donations from as far away as Ohio to help cover the expenses of trapping, treating and transporting the cats. News of the Syracuse Project has been circulated among feline advocacy groups nationwide.
“I had a check in the mail from someone in Ohio for $250,” he said. “This lady said she appreciated the work we’re doing for these cats and wanted to help.”
Friends of Felines supports the trap-neuter-release (TNR) strategy as the only proven way to control the population in feral cat colonies. TNR breaks the cycle of reproduction, protects public health and naturally reduces the numbers of feral cats.
“If you just walk away from this colony and do nothing, the cats will continue to multiply,” he said. “The point is you’re saving these cats who were near and dear to somebody.”
That level of compassion is key, said Rheinscheld.
“He has been superb,” she said of Huff. “I couldn’t ask for a better person to work with. He has understood my problem from the get-go. I know that we’re not going to get every cat but the thing that makes it okay for me is that all of us will have done the best we can and that’s all we can do.”
For more information about this project or the work of Friends of Felines, visit the organization’s Web site at www.felinefriendsks.com.
Nancy D. Borst is a freelance writer. You may reach her at: ndbdesk@cox.net.
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