Congratulations to Jean Lupien who won a free outdoor shelter for their colony cats and a bottle of Feral Flower Essence from FixNation board member Jackson Galaxy’s Spirit Essences line through FixNation’s National Feral Cat Day story competition!
I have been taking care of a colony in North Hollywood for about 5 years. But, a family of b&w’s pushed out the other neighborhood cats and seemed to claim me as their own around 2012. No other cats dared come around. I learned about TNR’ing at that point because my landlord insisted I get them all fixed if I was to continue feeding them. And, while it took me a year and a half, I eventually got all 9 of them fixed..at least I thought. And then, BOOM, someone had kittens. One morning I went out and discovered a lifeless kitten in a parking space…he’d eaten leftover anti-freeze. After I buried him, I vowed that I’d never allow this to happen again. Then that same week (3am on 9/11/12), I heard a terrified kitten meowing in the parking lot under my kitchen window. He must have just found his legs. His Momma was elsewhere and he somehow made it about 100 yards from where she was hiding her litter. I took him in and he was maybe 3 weeks old…covered in fleas, didn’t know how to pee or poop, sickly. I tucked him in to my armpit that night to insulate him. In the morning, I went out for my regular feeding and I was mad. How could his Mom abandon him? So, I took him out with me, discovered another runt nearby, picked her up as well and presented them to the Momma like “How could you do this?”. And, I swear, she looked at me with big sad eyes like she just couldn’t do it anymore. As strange as it seems, I felt like she asked if I would take on the responsibility. So, I did. They are Gunner & B.B.
