Success Story: It Takes a Village
This past summer, a concerned citizen contacted us about a worrisome situation in a nearby home involving more than 15 cats, including several pregnant moms and multiple litters of kittens. Like many of our more complex cases, we engaged local law enforcement, our veterinary partners, and our network of foster families. The outcome: Nearly 40 cats and kittens were rescued and adopted into loving homes.
Every day, we get dozens of calls, emails, and social media posts asking us for help. In this instance, saying yes, was just the first step in ensuring the safety of these at-risk animals.
When we received the call, we immediately contacted local animal control to partner on a plan to safely extract the cats. It took some coordination and plenty of patience, but we were able to get them all out of the home.
Once the cats were in our care, we had them fully evaluated to assess their medical and nutritional needs. Several of the adults and kittens required feeding plans to get their weight up and help them thrive. The mother cats also required supplemental care so they could have healthy pregnancies and deliveries.
All of the cats needed foster homes. Bringing them into the shelter environment in their compromised state would have left them vulnerable to potential illness. Our fantastic network of foster families stepped up to care for these sweet kitties, some taking in multiple pregnant moms, which ultimately meant taking on multiple litters of kittens. The staff worked closely with the foster families to manage the medical and nutritional needs.
We were able to successfully conduct this rescue mission because of our community’s support. We were able to take in and care for these at-risk cats and kittens, ensuring their welfare needs could be met without taking resources away from other animals in the shelter. Being able to say yes, even though the extent of the need was unpredictable, led to nearly 40 cats and kittens being able to get a chance at a full, healthy, and happy life.
And let’s not forget their adopters! More than 30 families were enriched by adding an adorable new companion (or two!) to their homes. Here are just a few of the updates:
Pico and Boo:
“We are so happy to have them in our lives! They are doing really well. They are both affectionate and playful. Then they sleep together. Thank you so much for letting us have them!”
Quinoa:
“She seems to really be making herself at home. She has a really funny personality and we’ve loved playing with her.”
One of the mom cats:
“She seems to have adjusted very well. We humans all love her to pieces. She is very friendly to everyone. Thanks for picking us to be her family.”
Our Baypath community should take pride in knowing they made this joy possible!
