Starlit's Strays TNR

17/04/2025

Tuesday evening we were contacted by a colony caretaker on our TNR(trap, neuter, return) waitlist. A young 7 month old kitten had given birth and she wasn't caring her kittens, they were crying in a bush when the caretaker found them. She brought the kittens on the porch to the young mama, but she still wouldn't care for her babies. She seemed to not know what to do and it had been over 12 hours since they had been born.
The caretaker brought us the babies and immediately when we took them out of the carrier knew something was very wrong. She had thought they were clinging to each other because they were scared, but they were actually tangled! Their young mama, who is just a kitten herself, had missed chewing off at least one of the placentas that is attached to each kitten when born, and they had become tangled in umbilical cords and placenta. It must have happened hours previous because there was a rotten smell coming from the tissue connecting them.
The kittens were frantic and so tightly wound that we were afraid trying to cut them free would hurt them. First we bottle fed all of them and that helped calm them down a bit.
We could see if we looked in-between that all their bellies were pulled close from each umbilical cord but one of them had a whole leg/foot twisted in the jumble as well. We started slow and cut each umbilical, it was difficult because of how tightly pulled together they were. Finally we just had the one leg tangled in tissue, so we soaked it in warm water so we could make sure not to hurt her more trying to remove it. We freed her leg but the damage has been done, she will not have a normal leg, it was mangled from being twisted for so long. We aren't sure if the leg will need to be amputated when she gets older, it will depend on how she grows. We're so glad we were able to separate them safely! They're all bottle feeding now and doing well, considering what they have been through! It's difficult to get a photo of them together now since they wiggle and crawl all over now that they're able! These babies are very lucky but this is just one of the many complications cats have where the babies suffer. Please spay and neuter!!

01/04/2025

Kitten update! These little chunks are 11 days old now. Their feral mama was too scared to care for them so we bottle fed. Mama was TNR'd and happy to go home to her colony & caretaker. These three are doing great, eating like piggies and growing like weeds!

01/04/2025

We TNR'd 15 community cats in March, despite the horrible weather and a tornado! They've all been returned to their colonies and are on their way to healthier, happier days, despite the crazy weather! Thank you Best Friends Animal Society for the grant that's making our TNR possible right now!

29/03/2025

Why we RETURN!
Also, some people don't realize that many colony cats consider where they live outdoors with their caretaker as HOME. We return them to their home because they are fed, have other cats that are their family, and this is what they know and love. Relocating feral/colony cats is something we almost always discourage because of this! Taking them from what they know and placing them in a random barn(that YOU think is better) is overwhelming and dangerous. Many times they will die trying to find their previous home. RETURNING cats to where they came from is a very important part of TNR, that's why we have the R in there!!

Some folks are uncomfortable with the RETURN part of T-N-R (trap neuter return). Here's an explanation of why we do what we do to help others understand.

There are an estimated 50-80 million homeless cats in the United States alone. Kitten season has begun and millions more will be born this spring. 🌷😔

It's heartbreaking. 💔 But, here is the fact:
👉 There are not enough homes for all of the cats and kittens. 👈

Well-intentioned followers will ask, "Why don't you find that cat a home?". Because there is no space available. 😞 There are THOUSANDS of adoptable cats at all of our local shelters who could potentially die without a home. But people want us to keep pulling any and every cat from outdoors to find it a home. Current population numbers make this an impossible task. But there is hope through spay and neuter‼️

We are grateful our shelter accepts ✅ young kittens. They also do wonderful work for ✅ sick and injured community cats. We are blessed they provide space for those who need it most ❤️‍🩹 and we utilize this resource to the fullest! They have the largest foster program in the area, but even they have limits. Space is not unlimited. Fosters are not unlimited. Funds are not unlimited.

If you are an individual who comes across a homeless cat (or even a whole litter) and you are willing and able to take them in (socialize them, if needed), we encourage you and applaud you! We WANT you to do that, as long as you are able to get those kitties fixed. But if you are that person who was fortunate enough to be able to do that and CHOSE to do that, please don't pass judgment on those who are not able to do the same.

To us, a healthy fixed cat who is returning to a caretaker outdoors is not a failure. We are in rural Virginia 🌳, so when we return, it's not exactly "to the streets". We return to *caretakers* with farms, yards with sheds or porches, houses with trees, etc. They have a home in their familiar outdoor space. They have a caretaker to monitor for sickness and injuries and we are always there should those caretakers need us. ❤️

The RETURN part of T-N-R is necessary for combating the overpopulation problem. Right now, they can't all have an indoor home, but if more people understood the importance of spay and neuter, it could definitely be a goal for the future. 🎉

22/03/2025

I feel like it's arrived a little early this year, but arrived it has! Kitten season is here and with that, our first set of bottle babies and one of many nights with very little sleep! A feral mama gave birth overnight in her trap and after attempting for over 12 hours to get her to care for her babies, we had to start bottle feeding to keep them alive. She's just too scared to care for them. They're all doing ok, it's far too soon to know if they will survive, but we are hopeful! We'll need a lot of formula and supplies in the coming weeks, our amazon wishlist has some added items for neonates if you can help! 💜

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/GIWLXVB2V6EH?ref_=wl_share

16/03/2025

15/03/2025

"Bitey" says I hate tornadoes but why you so late feeding me?!?! Our Rolla colonies are ok. We had some blown away bowls/feeding stations, and some problems navigating around town with roads closed for down power lines/trees. Many of the cats were ok and waiting for breakfast! Some are missing but that's to be expected, hopefully they are just spooked.

Deb, our fearless foster and Secretary of the board, had the tornado go right over her home. They hunkered down with the cats in the basement and are safe; their yard, not so much. If anyone local would like to help Debbie and Lee with debris cleanup in their yard, please contact her! The pictures don't even show how bad the damage is. She lives directly above Big Lots and Southside shopping area where the tornado came through.

11/03/2025

‼️DRUM ROLL‼️...AND THE WINNER OF THE LOTTERY BOUQUET RAFFLE IS...

11/03/2025

Just a few more hours! You have until 1pm to get your entries and at 5pm today we will draw for a winner!

THE RAFFLE IS CLOSED NOW, WE WILL DRAW FOR THE WINNER AT 5PM TONIGHT!
****COLLEEN ORR IS THE WINNER OF THE RAFFLE!!

Today is World Spay Day and since our mission is spay/neuter, what a purrfect day to open up the raffle for our lottery bouquet!

We were generously donated $150 of lottery tickets and are raffling them to help with community cat colony care, cat/kitten food, medical costs, and all the expenses that come with TNR (trap, neuter, return).

Included in the bouquet is $150 worth of lottery scratchers, some cute kitty kicker toys, a spay/neuter magnet, and a TNR decal! The raffle closes at 1:00pm Tuesday, March 11th and we will draw for a winner at 5pm Tuesday, March 11th!

$10 donation = 1 entry
$15 donation = 5 entries
$20 donation = 10 entries

Please make sure your name for the drawing is noted however you choose to donate. Facebook donations always come through as anonymous so make sure to let us know if you donate that way. If you want to mail a check, send us a message and we can give you our mailing address! If you win the raffle, we can ship to you, in Missouri only.

Paypal:
https://www.paypal.me/StarlitsStraysTNR

Venmo:
https://venmo.com/code?user_id=2577434855604224619&created=1740523808

09/03/2025

⏰️‼️LAST FEW DAYS TO GET IN YOUR ENTRIES FOR OUR LOTTERY BOUQUET DRAWING‼️ We will be drawing for the winner this Tuesday, March 11th at 5pm!

THE RAFFLE IS CLOSED NOW, WE WILL DRAW FOR THE WINNER AT 5PM TONIGHT!
****COLLEEN ORR IS THE WINNER OF THE RAFFLE!!

Today is World Spay Day and since our mission is spay/neuter, what a purrfect day to open up the raffle for our lottery bouquet!

We were generously donated $150 of lottery tickets and are raffling them to help with community cat colony care, cat/kitten food, medical costs, and all the expenses that come with TNR (trap, neuter, return).

Included in the bouquet is $150 worth of lottery scratchers, some cute kitty kicker toys, a spay/neuter magnet, and a TNR decal! The raffle closes at 1:00pm Tuesday, March 11th and we will draw for a winner at 5pm Tuesday, March 11th!

$10 donation = 1 entry
$15 donation = 5 entries
$20 donation = 10 entries

Please make sure your name for the drawing is noted however you choose to donate. Facebook donations always come through as anonymous so make sure to let us know if you donate that way. If you want to mail a check, send us a message and we can give you our mailing address! If you win the raffle, we can ship to you, in Missouri only.

Paypal:
https://www.paypal.me/StarlitsStraysTNR

Venmo:
https://venmo.com/code?user_id=2577434855604224619&created=1740523808

07/03/2025

Slow and steady wins the race! Often we have people contact us, overwhelmed with how many community cats they have that need to be TNR'd (trap, neuter, returned). Cats reproduce quickly and before you know it, the stray/feral cat that you started feeding, has had babies. Very quickly you can have 20+ cats that need to be spayed & neutered.
We always tell people to take small steps, make just 1 or 2 appointments, borrow a couple traps, and before you know it, they will all be done!
We have been taking our own advice since we started back up with TNR in February. Because of work constraints, we are doing 4-5 cats a week. It may not sound like a lot, but it adds up quickly!

You eventually get them all fixed, but don't discount the quality of life that has improved for each individual cat! Every single female we spay will be able to live without the constant breeding cycle, fighting for her and her offsprings survival. Every male neutered will no longer be driven to roam, fight and sustain serious injuries from the breeding frenzy! Here are the faces of the cats that will be healthier, happier and safer because they were TNR'd this month!

We are so grateful to be included in Barc's 2025 grant from Best Friends Animal Society Rachel Ray Save Them All Grant covering all our TNR surgeries currently! Also so thankful for Carol House Quick Fix Pet Clinic. They care for these kitties during their surgeries like they were their own, all these cats deserve that!

07/03/2025

A couple of you have asked about Ditto so we thought we would update you! Ditto is the kitten we trapped by the interstate, who was stuck out in the big snow storm/subzero temps and trying to eat out of a dumpster at a business. She was most likely a feral kitten that climbed up into a car, survived the ride somehow, and jumped off in this unfamiliar place with no food source. She had a burn on her face, possibly from the vehicle, and was starved.

In less than a day she was very much ready for love. She wasn't sure what pets were initially but very quickly started purring and wants to be pet constantly now! She is still a little nervous when being picked up, but returns snuggles with lots of purrs and biscuits making.
Her burn has healed on her face but she may not have hair grow back on that side of her face. She has also almost doubled in weight, a sure sign of how close to starvation she was when we trapped her. We know she will go on to rescue and find the purrfect forever home because she is so incredibly sweet and loving! 💜

01/03/2025

Don't forget to get your entries in for our Lottery Bouquet! Your donations will go directly to helping Starlit's Strays TNR kitties!

THE RAFFLE IS CLOSED NOW, WE WILL DRAW FOR THE WINNER AT 5PM TONIGHT!
****COLLEEN ORR IS THE WINNER OF THE RAFFLE!!

Today is World Spay Day and since our mission is spay/neuter, what a purrfect day to open up the raffle for our lottery bouquet!

We were generously donated $150 of lottery tickets and are raffling them to help with community cat colony care, cat/kitten food, medical costs, and all the expenses that come with TNR (trap, neuter, return).

Included in the bouquet is $150 worth of lottery scratchers, some cute kitty kicker toys, a spay/neuter magnet, and a TNR decal! The raffle closes at 1:00pm Tuesday, March 11th and we will draw for a winner at 5pm Tuesday, March 11th!

$10 donation = 1 entry
$15 donation = 5 entries
$20 donation = 10 entries

Please make sure your name for the drawing is noted however you choose to donate. Facebook donations always come through as anonymous so make sure to let us know if you donate that way. If you want to mail a check, send us a message and we can give you our mailing address! If you win the raffle, we can ship to you, in Missouri only.

Paypal:
https://www.paypal.me/StarlitsStraysTNR

Venmo:
https://venmo.com/code?user_id=2577434855604224619&created=1740523808

25/02/2025

THE RAFFLE IS CLOSED NOW, WE WILL DRAW FOR THE WINNER AT 5PM TONIGHT!
****COLLEEN ORR IS THE WINNER OF THE RAFFLE!!

Today is World Spay Day and since our mission is spay/neuter, what a purrfect day to open up the raffle for our lottery bouquet!

We were generously donated $150 of lottery tickets and are raffling them to help with community cat colony care, cat/kitten food, medical costs, and all the expenses that come with TNR (trap, neuter, return).

Included in the bouquet is $150 worth of lottery scratchers, some cute kitty kicker toys, a spay/neuter magnet, and a TNR decal! The raffle closes at 1:00pm Tuesday, March 11th and we will draw for a winner at 5pm Tuesday, March 11th!

$10 donation = 1 entry
$15 donation = 5 entries
$20 donation = 10 entries

Please make sure your name for the drawing is noted however you choose to donate. Facebook donations always come through as anonymous so make sure to let us know if you donate that way. If you want to mail a check, send us a message and we can give you our mailing address! If you win the raffle, we can ship to you, in Missouri only.

Paypal:
https://www.paypal.me/StarlitsStraysTNR

Venmo:
https://venmo.com/code?user_id=2577434855604224619&created=1740523808

22/02/2025

Thank you so much to everyone who sent kitten food, we are putting it to good use! Our newest kitten is Ditto!

We were contacted by a business where we'd found 2 juveniles a couple months ago, a kitten had showed up and was trying to get into the dumpster to find food. No one in that area feeds cats so we were very worried. We tried to trap her as the big storm approached but she she was hiding and didn't come back to the dumpster before it hit.

We left food out during the storm but there were no paw prints the following day, we were so worried she was buried in 8 inches of snow or frozen with the negative temps we had.

The day after the storm we were finally able to set a trap and catch her! Not only is she very small/starved, but likely got to the business by hitching a ride under a car. She has a burn on one side of her face/eye that luckily already looks to be healing.
She is a scaredy-cat and will take some time to get used to people but luckily seems to like gentle pets! We also think she prefers the warm puppy tent she is in vs. -6 degrees and snow she somehow survived in! She has horrible diarrhea we are tackling as well, so its amazing she survived out there at all. Thank you for supporting kittens like Ditto with food donations!!

13/02/2025

We lasted about a week and a half without kittens, that was the extent of non-kitten season for us I guess! With our new group of kittens, from a colony we are working to TNR, and our longterm/hospice kitties that eat kitten food, we have run out! If anyone can donate a bag of dry and/or box of wet kitten food, we would be so grateful! We have the kind we use on our Amazon and Chewy wishlist and also posted a photo below. Thank you!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/GIWLXVB2V6EH?ref_=wl_share

https://www.chewy.com/g/starlits-strays-tnr_b90163322

23/01/2025

We are so excited to be a part of this and to get even more cats in Phelps County TNR'd in 2025!!

2025 Grant Recipients We’re proud to announce this year’s winners of the Rachael Ray No-Kill Excellence Grants and the Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants. Once again, we had many phenomenal applications to review but our selection committee eventually settled on 51 projects to fund. This year’s ...

01/01/2025

Thank you so much for all your support in 2024! We couldn't have gotten so many cats fixed or cared for those in need from colonies, without your help!

We had some changes this year and weren't able to do as much TNR as previous years. We did get some TNR done and also worked on educating others on how to trap! We lent out our traps, gave tips, and helped others learn how to TNR community cats effectively. We TNR'd 89 cats in 2024, which brings our grand total in Phelps County to 743 TNR's since 2020!

In addition to TNR, we successfully re-trapped the Fire Colony, a colony of 25 cats, when they were being shot/killed, and relocated them all to safe barn homes. This was a massive undertaking, thank you to all of you involved that helped them. Some of them went to rescue since they were friendly! We also found 24 friendly/injured adult cats in colonies that we spayed/neutered and sent to licensed rescues to find homes.

Last, but never least, we rescued 87 kittens from colonies. We cared for them, got them healthy, spayed/neutered, vaccinated and sent them on their way to rescues to find homes as well! We had some heartache, but also many wonderful stories of survival and happy endings for so many!

All of this would not be possible for 3 of us to do without the help and support of all of you! We truly are so grateful for you. We hope that 2025 will bring even more spays, neuters and happy endings!

Just some of the kitties we TNR'd and rescued in 2024...