07/05/2025
***CW- animal death***
I have been trying to process and write this post over the last 24 hoursā¦
Rescue never stops, not even on holidays, and neither does the heartbreak.
For some context; we have been hard at work trapping for TNR all week. We had an extra slot to fill but werenāt having much luck at the current colony, so while on our way home we swung by an apartment complex we had trapped 3 adult cats and 4 kittens at 2 weeks prior. We like to circle back and make sure weāve fixed each and every cat per location and that no kittens are left behind. This was one of multiple times we have double checked at this colony since last trapping.
Upon arriving we immediately spotted an approximately 8 week old kitten sitting quietly by the dumpster all by itself, mama cat (who is spayed) was about 24 feet away. All we had were adult cat traps with us but we tried diligently for over an hour to catch this kitten despite being extremely tired. I crawled through the thick shrubs that he was hiding in to try and scruff him but the overgrowth was too dense. By this point it was already after midnight and we were covered in sweat and probably poison ivy. We went home, tended to our own pets and fosters before finally going to bed.
Next day, to regroup and come up with another plan, except I got a severe toothache throughout the night and had gotten no rest (I am needing my wisdom teeth removed). On top of feeling defeated and worried over the kitten. I weighed the pros and cons and decided I needed a day off to rest before returning to catch the kitten.
Fast forward to yesterday, July 4th. Myself, Christian, and our son headed over to the apartment complex to try again for the kitten after we had released an adult cat that we had had TNRd.
Upon arrival a young man approached our car and I told him we were the cat rescue that had helped spay/neuter the adult cats on the property and had rescued the 4 kittens. He gravely informed me that he had found a kitten dead on the mattress next to the dumpster that very morning and he didnāt know what to do with it. I walked around the back of the dumpster to find the very same kitten we were hoping to save, dead on the ground.
Friends, I lost itā¦ crying uncontrollably I wrapped that poor baby up in a towel and brought him home to bury him. I felt like I had failed himā¦ if I had just come back the day before or had stayed longer the first night around him, would he have made it? He had looked healthy and full of energy the night I first saw him, his cause of death is unknown.
I am full of guilt as I always am, feeling like I am never doing enoughā¦
But, I know I am not the one who failed him.
The residents at the apartment complex who had my number and email failed him. Why did they not reach out when I asked them to call me if they saw anymore kittens or cats needing spayed? I know they saw him, food and water dishes were next to the dumpsterā¦
If you feed animals please for the love of god, fix them.
ChowChow (the name my 8 year old son lovingly gave him) didnāt deserve thisā¦ he was a baby and could have lived such a happy life if those around him would have just done their part.
I have a video of myself crying and begging for people to spay and neuter, but I will spare you that. But, I need help guys. I and the small handful of rescue volunteers we have cannot be everywhere at once and we are only human. We have children, families, pets of our own, fosters, and our own health to keep up with. I have traps and am happy to train people on how they work. I just canāt do it all on my own anymoreā¦
Kitten season isnāt cute and we are running out of resources.
Please spay and neuter, even if itās not yours and even if you donāt think itās your responsibility. We are in an animal overpopulation crisis.
Rest in peace little kitty, Iām so sorry I was too late š
-Erin
Picture of deceased kitten with a flowering sprig of catnip and pink cone flower
