09/07/2025
Imagine for a moment… You’re a rescuer. You’re drowning in cats- especially kittens- as it is. People are contacting you daily and you have to tell them they have to wait. It’s hard to say no, but there’s only so much space… so much time… so many resources. But you think you “might” have a plan… a way to at least balance if people can be patient. It’s late Saturday afternoon. It was supposed to be a family day with a little time to breathe. Then you get a text… a plea… a photo. 17 flea infested kittens are in a tiny cage with no food or water. What do you do? You go, that’s what. This is not a be patient situation. You go and you learn they have already given 4 away to neighbors. You worry about their future and calculate how many kittens there will be in this neighborhood next year. You learn they want to breed one of the mother cats once more to the neighbor’s “purebred $1400 cat” in the search for the “perfect” kitten. You tell them no, all moms have to be fixed or you aren’t taking the kittens. A grown woman gets mad. Nervously, you watch the kittens crying to get out of their tiny crowded cage while one of the mom cats struggles to get in with them. You want to say ok, just let me save these… but you’ve seen this movie before and next spring, you’ll be answering this call again, so you stand firm. All mom cats (and now the kitten they are insisting on keeping) MUST be spayed. Reluctantly they agree. You take the remaining kittens and leave. You worry they will not follow through with their end of the bargain. You check the spay/ neuter clinic schedule and find the first available appointment isn’t until November 1. Your heart sinks. You book the appointments anyway and call the people to confirm. They don’t answer. You text the people to confirm. They don’t answer. You get home and it’s dark. You struggle to find a comfortable place for 12 more babies. You’re tired, but there’s lives depending on you. Just imagine.
