Licking County TNR

17/12/2024

Did someone lose this kitten? This 10 week (approximately) old floofy kitten turned up at a colony feeding station in the area of Lake Dr near Cheltenham in Hebron.

He's friendly, so he's been around people but no microchip. He had a pretty messed up eye which was what drew the caregiver's attention (plus the lack of an eartip since all of hers are TNR).

If nobody is looking for him, we'll get him all fixed up (and fixed) and he'll be available for adoption in the very near future.

15/12/2024

Are you out Christmas'ing todayand need a break and power-up?
Looking for some a great night out to start the Holiday Spirit?

Stop by the Chef Shack & Buckeye Lake Brewery in Buckeye Lake for great food and brew! Bring a donation of paper towels, Swiffer Wetjet refills or trash bags for the LCTNR Giving Tree or pick up a donation slip to return. Check out the adorable hand crocheted cat ornaments, free with a $10 or more donation! While supplies last(we can only crochet so fast😹). Get one soon!

14/12/2024

UPDATE: ADOPTED! A nice couple saw them, left and came back a couple hours later to adopt both of them together ❤️

Cake and Marzipan are all set up at Tractor Supply in Newark on Deo Dr looking for a home.

13/12/2024

ADOPTION EVENT tomorrow, Saturday, December 14th at the Tractor Supply in Newark on Deo Dr.

We may not have a lot of foster spaces, but we try to not let them go to waste. These two 3 month old boys are from a colony where we were trying to trap a cat with a prolapse for medical care (unfortunately, the prolapse was too bad to treat and the cat had to be euthanized). 4 kittens in all ended up under the drop trap--the little girl at the colony had been playing with them so they were friendly enough to come into our program. The other two still need to gain some weight, but Cake and Marzipan are ready to find their furever home (FIV/FELV negative, first vaccines, neutered and dewormed). Stop by and meet these two.

12/12/2024

Turbo and Melon have debuted at the Licking County Humane Society through our partnership with them. They are super sweet and loving. Stop by and say hello.

11/12/2024

The story of Shmoo

Shmoo came to our program back on October 6th by way of a Good Samaritan. He followed her kids home and she thought he looked in bad condition. He was in very poor condition. He tested FIV/FELV negative and was super sweet, so he went to a medical foster for treatment of his bacterial infections, malnourishment and severe dehydration to give him a chance. Unfortunately, despite two months of fluids and care with brief improvements in his condition, his kidney function never stabilized and we were recently forced to euthanize Shmoo due to kidney failure.

Shmoo is an example of one of the most common myths about cats: 'they can just fend for themselves'.

NO! Cats are predators, but they learn to hunt and 'fend for themselves' as kittens being taught by their mama. Cats who are born indoors and spend their entire life indoors only learn how to beg (or steal) food from their people, to open cabinets, create mayhem or to enjoy scritches. If they suddenly find themselves outside, they don't know how to survive. There are plenty of TV shows and movies of humans taken out of their comfort zone (city people in rural surroundings or country folk in the city) and how much of a learning curve they face. If it's a struggle for a human being with the capacity to think and reason, it's more of a struggle for animals.

Even cats in managed colonies learn to rely on their caregiver and will struggle to survive if they lose their person.

Shmoo obviously never lived outside in the majority of his life and was obviously well-loved throughout his life. All he wanted was to be loved on and belly rubs were his favorite. Somehow earlier this year, he ended up without a home and he just didn't know how to 'fend for himself.'

Better than anyone, we understand that there's no place to take cats when their person passes away or moves to assisted living and nobody in the family is in a position to take them or if someone loses their home and can't take their cat with them. If you have a cat that you can't keep inside for whatever reason, plan for the cat's well-being.

1. FIX THE CAT--if the cat has not been fixed (Shmoo was estimated at 8-10 years old and had never been neutered), it's harder to find placement for them and if it ends up outside, life is so much harder for a male who not only has to figure out how to survive but also has to fight every other unfixed Tom or a female who not only has to learn to survive herself but also care for litter after litter after litter of kittens--half of which will die in their first year.

2. Call every rescue in driving distance, post on social media--exhaust every option for surrendering an indoor cat. Surrendering a cat you know and have their history is a lot different than asking someone to take a chance on an unknown cat that was found outside.

3. Shelter. It doesn't have to be fancy, but if you're putting an indoor cat outside, provide somewhere safe for them to get out of the weather. *Please don't put any cats who have been living inside out during the winter months! Community cats grow thicker fur during the fall to prepare for the cold. If they haven't been living exclusively outside since at least October, they don't have winter fur to protect them from cold temperatures. They can't safely be put outside until spring.

4. Meals. At least once a day put food out for them. Just leave the food out for 20 to 30 minutes to avoid attracting other animals to the area, but just because cats are good at catching mice and rodents,that doesn't mean they understand that their 'toy' can also be food. They only know food they've been 'taught' to eat.

Shmoo's last two months of life were spent being loved on with a full belly and soft bed back in the world of 'inside' that he understood. We can't save all the Shmoos out there, but anyone can improve the quality of life in small ways for the Shmoos still out there. We are on hiatus for the winter, we have a limited ability to respond to critical situations, but we cannot take in cats/kittens under most circumstances. We are not able to provide rescue services, our program is focused on improving the quality of life for stray or feral, unowned community cats living outside in Licking County.

*Our first orientation training for new participants of 2025 is scheduled for Saturday, February 1st at the Newark public library downtown from noon to 2 p.m and our bi-monthly clinics will start up late February or early March depending on weather (don't want pipes bursting from cold).

09/12/2024

Updated ways to support our program (added the option to donate through Square) as of December, 2024

09/12/2024

Turbo and Melon did really well at the adoption event this past Saturday. They even had an application filled out to adopt both of them together! Unfortunately, the adopter stopped responding so it seems like they've changed their mind (which is better than having second thoughts after the adoption).

If nobody requests an adoption application for either (or both) of them today, they'll likely be transferred to our condo at the Licking County Humane Society later this week.

*If you adopt them together, we'll give you a discount on the adoption fee 😉 They're not bonded, they've just become good friends over the past week in the same foster home. So they can go separately as well.

06/12/2024

As if hosting our Giving Tree wasn't enough!

Chef Shack is also running a Christmas Raffle to benefit LCTNR!

This $100 value basket has Chef Shack gift certificates, a Chef Shack/Buckeye Lake Brewery t-shirt, a BL Brewery 6 pack and great BL Brewery swag!(A baseball cap and candle).

Tickets are $5.00 each or 3 for $10.00.

Come on down to the Chef Shack and Buckeye Lake Brewery to eat, drink and be merry AND support Community Cats!!!

06/12/2024

Turbo and Melon are resting up for their adoption event tomorrow from noon to 5 pm at Rural King Supply .

*We will be taking adoption applications for either or both but adoptions will not be finalized tomorrow. The volunteers who will be helping at the event cannot process adoption applications onsite. Arrangements will be made to deliver the kittens in a few days.

03/12/2024

Community cats don't get to celebrate much for the holiday season, but you can make their lives better all year long by visiting Licking County TNR's Giving Tree at Chef Shack in Buckeye Lake!

Visit the tree to make a cash donation or take a donation slip off the tree and return the item to the donation box. Items such as puppy pads, paper towels, Swiffer wet jet refills, Sharpie markers and more all help us do our work throughout the year.

NEW THIS YEAR!!! A free cat christmas ornament, hand crocheted by one of our veterinary staff with any donation of $10.00 or more(while supplies last).

Thank you to Chef Shack for hosting our tree.

May everyone, cats and humans, have a blessed holiday season!

03/12/2024

Licking County TNR and the community cats of the Hazel Road area have lost a great friend in Mary Holmquest. Mary was LCTNR's very first registered colony! She loved her cats, took great care of them and TNR'ed everyone of them.

6 community cats remain in her colony and now find themselves without a caregiver. (A neighbor has been feeding but this is a temporary solution) If you are caring for community cats in the Hazel Rd area and would not mind migrating these kitties to your feeding station, please let us know. If you have space on your property for some working cats, we will be working with the realtor and family to relocate the cats, if necessary or possible.

If you are looking for a beautiful secluded home in the heart of Heath, complete with feline friends, reach out to Jamie Gilbert, Coldwell Banker Realty . How beautiful it would be if these kitties could stay in their home territory! They have already lost their caregiver, they don't want to lose their home too.😿

02/12/2024

Adoption Event this Saturday, December 7th at Rural King Supply from noon until 5 p.m.

Don't let the innocent-looking, sleepy kittens fool you, Turbo (the gray and white) and Melon (white with gray and a dapper bow tie) are high energy boys. Between 12-14 weeks old, they're not siblings but are currently in the same foster home. Both are fully vetted for their age (FIV/FELV negative, neutered, dewormed and age-appropriate vaccines).

Stop by to meet the boys. There will be adoption applications available at the event but arrangements will be made to complete the adoption later (Saturday evening or Sunday) as the wonderful volunteers giving up part of their Saturday to help our foster kittens are not able to process adoption applications at the event.

01/12/2024

Holly is the last of a litter of 5. Her siblings are all settling into their furever homes but she is still looking. Stop by and meet her, she was well-socialized by a caring 10 year old girl so Holly is great with kids.

**UPDATE: ADOPTED!!**

NEW ARRIVAL!! Holly is our newest resident through our partnership with Licking County TNR. This super sweet 11 week old girl absolutely loves cuddles! If you are interested in adopting just stop in during business hours to begin the process. We are open until 4 today, 12-6 Mon and 12-7 Tues.

29/11/2024

Holly and Melon are all set up and ready to find a home for Christmas.

Holly is 8-10 weeks old, female with dilute tortie coloring (and the tortitude to match).

Melon is a white with gray spots boy, also 8-10 weeks old. He's very high energy and playful. He roughhouses so he really needs a playmate who can keep up.

Both kittens are fully vetted.

28/11/2024

Shmoo wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. He's very grateful to be off the streets this holiday season. We are grateful for the support of the community, volunteers and caregivers who give so much of themselves to improve the quality of life for community cats in Licking County.

Turbo is photo bombing to remind people that he'll be at Tractor Supply in Newark on Deo Dr tomorrow from noon to 5 pm shopping for a home for Christmas along with a couple other kittens in our foster care.

Shmoo's kidney function is not good, so he is unlikely to be healthy enough for adoption but he will get to enjoy a comfortable life for however long he has.

26/11/2024

A couple of our foster kittens had a big morning.
We were contacted by someone with a family member in a memory care unit who just wanted to hold a kitten again. So, Frosty and Mistletoe spent time this morning being snuggled and loved on by several patients in the unit. A good time was had by all.

*Frosty and Mistletoe have already been adopted, but their sister, Holly and a couple other kittens in our foster care will be at the Tractor Supply in Newark on Deo Dr this Friday, November 29th from noon to 5 p.m looking for their own homes for Christmas.

24/11/2024

Last full clinic of the year. Numbers are unofficial, official totals will be posted for the year early next year which will also include cats fixed through vouchers and cats taken care of between clinics.

Dr. Fredley and a full crew of volunteers closed out the year strong.

Thank you to Jamie Gilbert, Coldwell Banker Realty for the lunch she brought to feed our clinic crew today.