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Cacapon TNR, РО Box 794, Great Cacapon, WV (2025)

11/25/2025

As the holidays approach, we can't help but reflect on our mission to help the overlooked. The forgotten. The afterthought. The community cats whose numbers far exceed the help available, but whose uncontrolled breeding is exactly why every shelter and rescue is always full.

In the cat rescue/welfare world, kittens reign supreme. Countless pleas for help on social media look for shelters or rescues to take the kittens dumped on someone's doorstep. Their posts generate the most responses, with the most urgency. Even more heartbreaking are the kittens suffering from snotty noses, weepy eyes, fleas and ticks, and intestinal parasites. Then there are the ones whose eyes have already ruptured from a severe upper respiratory infection, or who are on death's door from flea anemia. For those lucky enough to make it to rescue, they have a good chance of getting the treatment they need, and eventually, a home they deserve. But very often, these social media posts stop at the kittens. They rarely mention the mama cat.

People assume there is some gang of animal kidnappers out there, just waiting to trap a pregnant cat and dump her at a known animal lover's house. Or they believe some evildoer was able to scoop up an entire litter of kittens and dump them at a property where they know they'll get fed. But what if the "dumper" is the mama cat herself? What if she fled her overcrowded colony, looking for a safe place to have her kittens away from murderous toms, and where she'll get enough to eat? What if that litter of kittens were forced out of their home by their own mom once they were weaned? Or the young male was forced out by more a dominant male?

Animal dumping happens. A lot. But it doesn't explain every new cat or group of cats that shows up on someone's property. The reality is, community cats are everywhere. There's likely a colony of cats being fed within just a few miles of where you live. There's a reason "cat distribution system" is now a widely known concept. Cats are survivors. They will roam when they need to. They will excommunicate offspring from the colony if it means surviving. They will find someone new to start feeding them if they have to. And they will start a brand new colony that will hit double digits within a year if the new feeder waits to spay/neuter.

Cat overpopulation is a crisis, and it didn't happen by accident. If you truly want to help cats, devote time and money to spay/neuter of community cats. Volunteer with or start your own Trap-Neuter-Return program. Shelters and rescues will always be at or over capacity until there are more TNR organizations than rescues. Or at least as many. We can't foster or adopt our way out of this crisis, and all the resources devoted to one kitten in rescue could spay/neuter 15-20 community cats. TNR has the highest impact on the welfare of cats compared to all other efforts.

If you find a litter of kittens, think beyond those adorable fluffballs and keep your eye out for the mom. Drive your neighborhood and look for a house with cats in the yard or with bowls of food out. And we're not talking just your next door neighbors. We're talking a mile or two radius. Talk to neighbors - do they know of other neighbors who feed cats? More often than not, it's those neighbors that are the source of the pregnant mama or young adult or litter of kittens that showed up on your doorstep. Until that spigot is turned off, the cat distribution system will keep churning out new kittens needing to be saved.

This , please support Cacapon TNR, who will ALWAYS ask ! And then we'll spay her. And neuter the dad. And alter the kittens.

Ways to give:
-- Donate below via Facebook
-- Check made payable to Cacapon TNR and mailed to PO Box 794, Great Cacapon, WV 25422
-- Zelle: [email protected]
-- Venmo:
-- PayPal Giving Fund: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4483171

11/03/2025

💛 Help Us Help Them: Special Medical Fundraiser for Cacapon TNR 💛

Our tiny all-volunteer crew has been hard at work trapping, transporting, and returning community cats to keep colonies healthy and populations under control - and as it is with every group of cats we TNR, we have a few special cases who need extra help. 🐾

Many of our caretakers already stretch their budgets just to feed and shelter their cats. When unexpected medical needs pop up, that’s where you can make a lifesaving difference.

Staple, Poppa, Sylvie and Flora each need dental surgeries to remove painful, infected teeth -infections like these can spread and cause serious health issues if left untreated. Cats are masters at hiding their pain, but dental infections and broken teeth are literally torture, and treatment is imperative to relive the misery.

Darth Vader is a sweet little punkin who has been battling a severe upper respiratory infection since he was a baby and now that he’s been neutered and treated, he is on antibiotics to help him breathe easy again.

Rudy is our toughest case this round - he’s been limping for months and had goopy, painful eyes. The vet discovered he has broken teeth, a mass on his paw believed to be an eosinophilic granuloma (a tumor often caused by inflammation) and severe bilateral lower entropion, a condition where the eyelids roll inward, causing the eyelashes to rub against the eyeball. Imagine how painful that must be! Rudy will need double entropion surgery to correct both eyes so he can finally live without pain. The mass on his paw will also be removed and then he will be held for two weeks to heal before he can be returned to his caregiver, who is very happy he is healthy enough to be treated and eventually released. He has been suffering for too long and now his prognosis is good, though he will be monitored in case the granuloma returns later in life.

Penny 2 (aka Mac) was neutered in 2022, and back then we noticed his eyes were goopy and red. Since then, his condition worsened, and we retrapped this tired boy so he could be evaluated by our TNR vet. He was found to also have the painful condition of entropion and finally had his surgery so he can now live out his senior years seeing through pain-free eyes.

Every cat deserves a chance at a healthy, comfortable life - and that’s what your donations make possible.

We transport cats to the high-volume, low-cost Metro Ferals TNR clinic in Mount Airy, MD to keep expenses down for our local caretakers, but even “low-cost” adds up fast. Our volunteers cover their own gas, supplies, and transport - but the vet bills, medications, and special procedures like these simply can’t be done without community support.

🐱Please consider donating today to help cover medical treatments for Staple, Poppa, Sylvie, Flora, Darth Vader, Rudy, Penny 2 and the many cats we TNR each clinic. Every dollar truly helps- and every cat you see here has a name, a caretaker, and a story that matters.

😻Ways to help:
-Donate directly (“Donate” below or find “Cacapon TNR” on Venmo and Pay Pal, and we also accept zelle- find us using [email protected])
-Share this post to spread the word

We may be a tiny team of full-time volunteers, but with your help, we can keep making a huge difference for these cats and their caretakers. ❤️
Here are the photos of the cats we discussed here as well as some other cuties from this week’s TNR “haul”. Enjoy!

10/04/2025

We'd like to address something, real quick, before we tell you we've trapped 30 cats this weekend who will be going to get the snip/tip treatment tomorrow, and then ask for financial support to pay for their surgeries.

Someone recently verbalized a difficulty that we've known about and have often talked about internally: we're bad at social media. TBH, we're all volunteers of a certain age, and navigating social media will always be like swimming upstream. Or having teeth pulled. We know we suck, but we're going to try to do better! At least try to keep you better updated, even if it isn't particularly witty or entertaining. Because, although it may not seem like it, we ARE still out here trying to TNR the heck out of these Morgan and Hampshire County outdoor cats.

With that out of the way...meet Hillary! She is one of the cats currently in our custody awaiting their mini-van ride to a better life. We first saw Hillary on the trail cam almost 2 years ago, and have been trying to get her ever since. In all that time, she's never brought kittens around, despite her appearing on camera pregnant multiple times. She was last seen pregnant in late July. Unfortunately, we weren't able to trap her before giving birth, and no kittens ever appeared. We trapped 3 teenagers from the same location today (their mama was spayed in June), and they all look bigger and feel heavier than Hillary. This girl has been going through the cycle of pregnancy and birth, with no surviving kittens, for years, and it has taken a toll. We are beyond excited this dainty lady will never have to go through that cycle again. This colony, that we started back in September 2022, is now officially done! Well, at least with spay/neuter. One of the males we got neutered in 2022 looks to have developed entropian, where the eyelid turns inward and the eyelashes rub on the eyeball. If we are right, we plan to trap him and get him seen before we pack up our drop trap for good. If Dr. K determines he needs treatment, a plea for help to pay for his entropian repair surgery will be forthcoming.

Also included in our 30-cat haul this weekend is a sad case. Spencer (if a boy)/Shiloh (if a girl) has a ruptured eye that is likely going to need to be removed. Ouch! It's as painful as it looks. His/her dedicated caretaker, Susan, has been trapping her own cats since March and has gotten 57 spayed and neutered so far....62 after this weekend!! We are so grateful to Susan for never giving up. Most of Susan's cats came from neighbors who stopped feeding. She stepped up for them in a big way. So we hope you can step up to help us help Spencer/Shiloh get an enucleation surgery.

[Insert "ask" for donations here.] We now ask for donations 😬🤞🙏

Venmo: (under charities)
PayPal Giving Fund: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4483171
Zelle: [email protected]

09/29/2025

🐾🚨 Outside Cat Caretakers, WARM WEATHER ALERT: Let’s talk about Fly Strike 🪰🐱 (Warning: Graphic Photos Accompany This Post)

Fall is here, but with the weather still warm we wanted to discuss something you may come across when it gets hot outside.
Fly strike (also known as myiasis) happens when flies lay eggs on the body of an animal (usually around wounds or messy bottoms). Those eggs hatch FAST - into wriggly maggots that literally eat into the skin. Gross, dangerous, and sometimes deadly if untreated.

• What does it look like?
• Tiny rice-like eggs or squirmy maggots around wounds, tail, or backside; can look like yellow sticky seedlings in clumps
• Matted, damp hair, especially near their rear ends
• Red, irritated, smelly skin
• Cat/kittens may seem restless, painful, or weak

• What to do if you find maggots and can’t get to a vet immediately:
1. Stay calm (the cat’s already stressed enough).
2. Clip fur carefully around the area if you can.
3. Use a fine toothed comb (flea combs work great) to gently comb out the egg clumps.
4. Flush with warm water or sterile saline - this helps remove surface maggots.
5. Use tweezers to remove visible maggots (ew, yes, but life-saving).
6. Keep the cat warm, clean, and dry. If you have a safe place inside where you can keep kitty safe from predators (and more flies) while awaiting step 7, even better.
7. Get to a vet ASAP - maggots can burrow deeper than you can see.

• Prevention: check kittens daily (especially booties), clean wounds quickly, and give community cats dry shelters where flies are less interested in hanging out.

TAKE NOTE- Because flies are attracted to organic matter and drawn to the smell of decay - like the meat in leftover cat food - you might find the eggs or even maggots in food bowls left out too long after meals. Ingesting these eggs can lead to gastrointestinal upset and parasitic infections. It's best to discard contaminated food.
To prevent this, serve only small portions that your cat will eat quickly, wash bowls after meals, keep food in a cool, shaded area, and clean up any uneaten wet food within 20-30 minutes.

Remember: flies want a free meal - don’t let them turn your outside cat into a buffet! 🪰🚫🐾

09/20/2025

🐾 Meet Shadow – A Brave Young Cat Who Needs Your Help 🐾

At our September 7th clinic, Shadow went to Mount Airy, MD with 30 other cats to be neutered, but we quickly noticed something serious. His left eye was bulging and ulcerated, while his right eye was squinty and weepy.

We expected the diagnosis to be an advanced case of upper respiratory infection - URIs are SO common in outdoor cats, especially kittens! But we found out that Shadow has a rare congenital condition called bilateral lateral upper eyelid agenesis, which means he’s missing his upper eyelids. Without lids to protect them, the hairs around his eyes constantly rub against his eyeballs, causing painful scratching and damage. Without intervention, he will eventually go blind, all the while experiencing unrelenting pain.

Options for Shadow are to do a skin graft surgery, moving skin from his lips to create eyelids. This would be a specialist surgery that would be in the thousands. Or we could try entropian repair, which would involve making a small incision in the skin above his eye and pulling the skin up to keep the hair off of his eyes. Like a little kitty eye-lift!

Sadly, his left eye is too damaged to save. Shadow will need an enucleation (eye removal) to relieve his pain. Thankfully, he still has sight in his right eye, and our wonderful TNR vet believes it can be saved with an entropian repair. By removing the bulging and ulcerated eye, and fixing the entropian, we can give him a much brighter, pain-free future. We expect the total of these 2 surgeries to be between $400-$500.

Shadow is just a young cat with so much life ahead of him. We’re asking for your support to cover his medical expenses. Every dollar brings us closer to getting him the surgery he needs.

Please consider donating and sharing his story. Together, we can give Shadow the chance at the safe and happy life he deserves.

$Update #2, 7/24, 4 pm - Sarah, the fractured pelvis kitten, is back home, eating, and currently curled up on her loving...$

07/22/2025

Update #2, 7/24, 4 pm - Sarah, the fractured pelvis kitten, is back home, eating, and currently curled up on her loving owner's lap. This morning, the vet staff said she did amazingly well overnight. She even did some light playing! At close to 5 months old, Sarah only weighed 1.9 lbs at the time of surgery. She should have weighed 4 - 5 lbs! She clearly needed this surgery desperately. But along with hiding pain masterfully, cats can heal super fast with the proper care. Sarah now has a healthy and happy future THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!!!

Update #1, 7/23, 9 pm - Thank you all so much for your amazing support! We raised enough for her surgery, which she had today and the vet reported she did well! She will stay overnight tonight there for observation and should be able to go home tomorrow to begin recovery in familiar surroundings. We will post another update as soon as we have one.

Dear supporters - we need your urgent help!! One of the caretakers we helped with TNR reached out about a kitten struggling to eliminate, crying out in pain when she would do so. This is an unusual situation for us - although we address medical issues for cats at the time of their TNR surgery, it is impossible for us to provide continued vet care for all the cats we've helped in the past. But this cat did not even go through our TNR program! She and her 20+ kitten mates are on a waiting list to get into rescue to find their forever homes (we TNRed the adults). Although we often have to say "no", we couldn't say no to this suffering sweetheart.

She had her vet appointment this morning and she was found to have a fractured pelvis!! Imagine the pain this girl has endured. She is slated for surgery tomorrow, 7/23, and the estimate is $800-$1,000.

The sad reality is that life and death often comes down to resources - money more often than not. When a cat is suffering, and there aren't enough resources to save them, we always find the resources to humanely end their suffering. I KNOW our supporters won't force us to make that decision. Please help us help this baby. Any amount is a commitment to saving her life.

06/07/2025

It is with the greatest sadness that we have to report our dear, sweet Hatra crossed the rainbow bridge. She took a turn for the worse on Wednesday, and appeared to be struggling to breathe. She passed on the way to the emergency vet.

We want to thank each and every one of you that provided support for Hatra. And most importantly, to Kate, George, and Cindy with Give Purrs A Chance, who moved mountains to give Hatra a chance at her happy ending. Hatra fought hard, as cats do. But it wasn’t meant to be.

Although her story has a sad ending, we can take comfort in that Hatra didn’t die outside and alone. Most outdoor cats aren’t as lucky.

To Hatra - may we strive to show love even during our lowest points, just like her 💔❤️

05/28/2025

HELP! We desperately need your support to keep working to help Hatra!

Although we haven't been very active on social media lately, we've been tirelessly working to improve the lives of outdoor cats through TNR. But it's not our TNR efforts we're writing about today, rather we're asking for help to fight to save the life of one special kitty who has both inspired us with her will to live and love, and who has challenged us with stubborn viral and bacterial infections.

We first met Hatra (then called Daphne) in January. She was trapped for TNR on 1/19/25, where we took 50 cats for spay/neuter - the most we had ever taken in a single trip. It was also the same clinic that we trapped and took the Great Cacapon burn colony cats. Hatra was from another colony in Capon Bridge. A SICK colony. We've never seen cats so sick (despite the love and care of one of the most committed caretakers we've ever worked with). One kitten was found to be so ill that his chest cavity was filled with pus (he was helped to cross the rainbow bridge), one cat needed an eye removed, another had pyometra (AND was in-heat at the same time!), Hatra and another cat had laryngeal polyps removed, one cat we had to hold for almost 2.5 months for medical care, and one cat passed away in post-op. This doesn't include the 13 cats with upper respiratory infections and 2 cats that needed dentals. We have spayed/neutered 45 cats at this location (with 2 still to trap), and it is a perfect representation of how uncontrolled breeding, and inbreeding at that, causes viruses to run rampant. Kittens are born at a genetic disadvantage and subjected to infection-causing viruses with an immune system not yet developed to fight them. It's heartbreaking to witness.

After Hatra was spayed and had her polyp removed, we held her for about 4 weeks in an effort to get her healthy enough to be returned home. She turned out to be an absolute doll baby who captured out hearts! It was during the time of Hatra's medical hold that we had an amazing offer from Give Purrs A Chance to help us find homes for the socialized burn colony cats. With the blessing of Hatra's caretaker, we asked GPAC if they would be willing to take Hatra as well, once she was better. Happily, they agreed!

Hatra recovered well, allowing us to surrender her to GPAC in mid-February. However, since then, she has had setback after setback. It started with recurring ear infections. They would get better for a while, but quickly return after finishing the antibiotics. Then, out of nowhere, she had an abscess form on her right front leg. The emergency vet diagnosed it as a symptom of the calici virus. About 6 weeks later, she had another random abscess form on her neck behind her left ear. It burst and tore the skin, requiring staples to repair the wound. She recently returned to GPAC from a foster home bloated and running a fever. All signs are now pointing to Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). If you have never heard of FIP, it is caused by a mutation of the feline coronavirus, which most cats contract without severe issue. Until recently, it was almost always deadly, but a new (expensive) medication has been saving cats infected with FIP. Hatra started on this medication and has been doing well! However, her ear infection has remained stubborn.

In four short months, Hatra has been to half a dozen appointments, seen 4 different vets, and racked up $2,000 in vet bills. The only option at this point is a costly CT scan to determine the source of the painful ear infection. It is very likely she will need a Total Ear Canal Ablation and Bulla Osteotomy, a procedure that removes the ear canal and middle ear, leaving her deaf but healthy.

Cacapon TNR and Give Purrs A Chance are determined to do everything we can to ensure Hatra can get healthy and find her forever home. This girl has been through SO much, and she deserves the world! Can you help us raise $4,000 so we can get her the CT scan and surgery she so desperately needs?

05/11/2025

Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at Cacapon TNR! 💐 Today we honor all moms, feline and human, who nurture, protect, and love. Thank you for supporting our mission to give every cat a safer, healthier life through Trap-Neuter-Return. 🐾❤️

Say hello to Grace, whose kittens were a surprise to her human mama! She thought Grace (who belonged to HER mother) was already spayed. Grace’s sister, Sadie, spoons her while she nurses and stays in the nest with the whole family to help mother them❤️ We are all celebrating with Grace as she will be spayed next month and this will be her last Mother’s Day nursing littles.

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday 😻💖

04/23/2025

As spring unfolds, a shift occurs in the behavior and activity of feral cats. This time of year marks a significant period in their life cycle, primarily due to mating and the subsequent birth of kittens. Understanding what happens during this season—and knowing how you can assist feral cat populations—can significantly impact their welfare. Here are some key behaviors you may notice:

Increased Mating Activity:
Spring is the breeding season for many feral cats. Female cats come into heat, which can lead to an uptick in mating behaviors. You may notice more vocalization as males compete for mates and females become more visible as they seek partners.

Kittens are Born:
After a gestation period of about 63-65 days, feral cats will begin to give birth to litters of kittens, typically ranging from 1 to 6 (or more) per litter. This results in a significant population increase if these kittens are not spayed or neutered.

Territory Expansion:
Male cats may expand their territories during the spring to find mates, leading to increased skirmishes between males and potentially more visible cat activity in your area.

Social Structures:
Feral cats live in colonies, and springtime can sometimes lead to changes in these social structures as new kittens join the ranks and adult cats establish their positions in the community.

Understanding these patterns allows you to take action that supports their welfare. By participating in or supporting TNR programs, providing food and shelter, and educating others, you can make a meaningful difference in the lives of feral cats in your community. Every small action counts towards healthier, more sustainable populations of feral cats.

04/13/2025

Today is a glorious day for spay and neuter! We had 20 cats at Metro Ferals getting surgery, vaccinations, microchips, eartips, and parasite treatments.

As the sun shines, and the ephemerals emerge, spring harkens a more difficult reality for those working in Trap-Neuter-Return: kittens. We'd like to take this opportunity to highlight a difficult part of any TNR program - spay/abort.

There's no denying we are in the eye of the hurricane that is kitten season. Of the 20 cats we took today, 17 were females. Of those 17 females, 8 were pregnant. Two weeks ago, 7 of the females we spayed were pregnant. If we estimate conservatively that each female was pregnant with 3 kittens, 45 more cats would have been born into outdoor colonies if we had not gotten these females spayed. More than we took to both TNR clinics combined! With over 500 cats on our waiting list already, and only being able to spay/neuter about 45 cats per month, we wouldn't have been able to alter these kittens until next year. Female kittens can go into heat at 4 months old, and have their first litter at 6 months. This means those female kittens would have given birth to their own litters before we could have gotten them spayed.

As much as none of us want to do spay/abort, there is no alternative if we truly want to make a dent in the cat overpopulation crisis. There is an undeniable lack of resources for cat spay/neuter in our area, especially for community cats. We are the only organization in Morgan and Hampshire Counties solely dedicated to TNR (that we know of). There are no high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter clinics in the Eastern Panhandle. We have to travel almost 3.5 hours roundtrip to Mt. Airy, MD to utilize a clinic dedicated to TNR. (There are other low-cost clinics closer, but they are not high-volume.) Trapping for these clinics is physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting. We couldn't do more than 45 cats/month, even if we wanted to - we don't have enough volunteers to trap, hold, care for, and transport these cats. Given all of these factors, our high-volume spay/neuter efforts twice a month aren't enough. These cats are breeding faster than we can get to them.

Let's talk about the reality of kittens being born outside. It is estimated that only 25-50% of kittens born outside survive. Those that don't survive succumb to predators (including other cats), parasites, disease, weather, or moms too sick to care for them. And of those that do survive, many are sick from disease and inbreeding. The larger a colony of cats is, the sicker the cats are. Spay/neuter is the absolute best way to improve the health of a colony. But the fact remains that, even after getting altered, many of these cats will suffer from chronic illness, like upper respiratory infections. Being out in the field, witnessing the reality of these kittens being born outside, has given us all some level of PTSD. Kittens crawling with fleas, eyes crusted shut or worse, burst, riddled with internal parasites causing extended bellies and skeletal frames. I will never forget a scene I came upon that was too horrible to share on social media. That alone has made me a spay/abort advocate.

Why can't these pregnant females go to a rescue where their kittens can get adopted out? Let's talk about that, too! At the very basic level, there aren't enough homes for the cats already in rescues, shelters, and foster homes. Rescues and limited admission shelters ("no kill") are always full and say no far more than they say yes. And when they do say yes, they are often stretching themselves even more thin than they already are to accommodate a cat in dire straits. It is very easy to get overwhelmed as a rescue, because it can be hard to say no. On the flip side of the coin, open admission shelters, who HAVE to take an animal being surrendered, are often forced to make the difficult decision of euthanizing one cat to make room for another. And they only do so when they have exhausted all options, including pleading for rescues (who are already full) to pull cats. Each and every individual involved in these organizations are heroes, who have their heart torn out every time they have to say no, or have to euthanize for space. But they have to play by the real rules of cat rescue, which is that there isn't enough time, energy, money, space, volunteers, veterinarians, and homes to save cats without making really, really hard decisions. WE CANNOT ADOPT OUR WAY OUT OF THIS! We must spay/abort until this reality changes.

If you still can't bear the thought of spay/abort, we implore you to get out and do something! Don't condemn those who are already doing something and demand they do more. There are too few of us out here in the trenches. Be more than a keyboard warrior, and make a direct impact on cats' lives...TNR! Be willing to make the tough choices, because no matter what choice you make, it will impact a cat you've never met.

Today's surgery total was over $1,350. Please contribute through the Donate button below to help us help more cats!

04/01/2025

In January when there was a fire where a colony of cats were living, Purrs shared our post and is currently working to help adopt out the tame survivors from that fire colony. Now a tragic fire has occurred at another WV location Aaron's Hope For Paws where 9 cats adopted from Purrs, 6 dogs and over 20 rescue cats perished. We encourage anyone who has the means to help in any way you can. Donation links and info are in the second photo of their post.

Cacapon TNR

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