by Beverly Blackman of Paige
Have you ever had a neighbor that was not able to take care of their animals, and, because of that neglect, ended up causing you much grief?
Having moved to Bastrop county from Clifton, Texas right before Covid, I’m still learning the lay of the land when it comes to whom I can trust and whom I shouldn’t trust.
During the freezes this past winter, an emaciated cat came to my porch. I found out later it was from a neighbor a few doors down from me. I couldn’t turn away from the suffering, so I fed the too-thin cat.
This spring, I was “blessed” with four kittens. But I am a senior citizen with some mobility challenges, so I knew I couldn’t keep caring for them or keep allowing new litters to be born.
In seeking help, I ran into dead end after dead end. I have a friend in Bosque county who knew someone who took feral cats to Waco where they could be spayed/neutered. She offered to help me, even though I was in another county, and told me that I was welcome to bring my kittens to her house in Clifton. Unfortunately, it was too far for me to try to take four feral kittens in my car. Besides, I didn’t even know if I could catch them.
I started researching for help closer to home in Bastrop county. I reached out to my indoor cat’s veterinarian at Bastrop Veterinary Hospital. She was helpful, but when she quoted the charge for fixing a cat ($400 a cat and up), I balked. She suggested Emancipet and Save the Angels as more affordable caring solutions for community cats.
When I contacted Emancipet, it was a bunch of dead ends. Their mobile outreach was no longer available due to covid and, because they are Pflugerville-based and -limited, I was not eligible for their assistance. I wasn’t ready to give up yet!
Next, my daughter helped me reach out to Bastrop County Animal Services. There, the girl who opened the receiving door wouldn’t let us in and told us that they don’t take feral cats. Sometimes, she explained, they take young kittens, but don’t like to do that either.
When I called Save an Angel, they said it was $95 per cat plus other expenses– and if the cat were pregnant, it was $30 more. There was Shelter Pet Safety Net they said, and a voucher from them could bring it down to $45+ a cat. However, I wasn’t able to get a hold of those who offered vouchers, and besides, I was told that due to the prolific kitten season, they probably didn’t have any more vouchers.
In all my calling around, I found that organizations won’t help a person who doesn’t live in town. The options I was told, in lieu of humane spay and neutering, by well-meaning friends and family was: catch the feral cats and drop them behind a restaurant or feed store, use them for target practice, trap them and shoot them in the trap, and take them to a shelter who will try to adopt them out but then kill them if no one wants to take them home.
By this time, I was feeling rejected in more ways than one– and very concerned that I would end up like the neighbor who “blesses” the neighborhood with cats.
Finally, after countless, futile attempts, I found Bastrop C.A.T.S. and emailed them. I was finally going to get some help! The TNR –Trap Neuter Release– program in Bastrop County is a life saver.
Bastrop C.A.T.S. showed me the humane way with TNR. Bastrop C.A.T.S. chooses only the clinics in the area that treat the community cats and humans with dignity and respect. Plus, for those of us uninitiated with community cats, a C.A.T.S. representative will walk you through everything!
Ashley was my representative, and she became like a teacher to me, helping me to understand the journey of TNR for each animal. Each cat is different and so requires a different approach. Ashley taught me the procedures for getting the cats into a trap. Then, she came on site and checked out the environment of the kittens around and under my porch, after which, she was able to offer a variety of solutions to the kittens’ care and trapping. Next, she brought me traps to use. The four kittens were in their traps and being picked up by Ashley at the very time we had agreed upon. Cats, it turns out, can be herded!
I cannot say enough good things about Bastrop C.A.T.S. I have lost a lot of sleep ever since the mama cat came to my house for help. Hopefully, she doesn’t have another litter before I can focus on catching her.
I’m so glad I didn’t give up on finding a solution. Thank you so much to Bastrop C.A.T.S.!