A SHADOW CATS SUCCESS
STORY IN GEORGETOWN, TEXAS
The eyes speak volumes, don’t they? And if the eyes of
the cats of a recent Georgetown trapping project could
have said anything to us, it would have been, “You
almost came too late…”
Scrawny, hungry, and without adequate shelter, the cats
were in dire straights despite the good intentions of
the overwhelmed caretaker. Living on a meager income,
she struggled to feed the cats, dogs, goats, and
chickens that were there by happenstance - dumped on the
property or wandering up of their own accord. As the
cats multiplied and with food being scarce, few kittens
survived, most succumbing to inadequate nutrition, the
elements or predators. The continued breeding took its
toll on the female cats - they were literally fueling
their all too frequent pregnancies with their own
bodies, leaving no reserve for themselves. The males
fought and exhibited alpha behaviors for the right to
breed, leaving them with abscesses and wounds.
All in all, it was a situation that had become untenable
for everyone.
It was during this most desperate of times that Shadow
Cats was contacted. We responded quickly to assess the
situation and found several dozen cats roaming the
property. After devising our plan, we began trapping
the cats on a blustery winter afternoon with bone
chilling conditions, trapping 24 in just a few hours.
An additional three cats were trapped the next day. All
went through the
Austin Humane Society’s Feral Cat Program to be
spayed, neutered, ear tipped, and given their rabies
vaccine. Several in this group required longer term
medications and treatments and were kept under our care
while the rest were released back into their home turf
after a few days.
The story doesn’t stop there, though. If you sometimes
wonder just how Shadow Cats makes a difference, read on…
We wanted to make sure this would be a long term fix for
the caretaker and the cats, so we assessed what it would
take to truly make this a success story. And this is
where Shadow Cats’ volunteers stepped up and showed the
level of their dedication and commitment.
The most pressing needs were food and shelter.
Volunteers donated and collected several hundred pounds
of food for the animals and delivered it to the
caretaker. The dilapidated barn held some promise -
despite the shrieking wind coming in through the broken
windows and holes in the walls, it looked like it might
be possible to repair it to at least provide shelter
from the worst of the weather. Several volunteers
collected building materials and made some basic repairs
to the barn. One built several sturdy cat shelters,
complete with cozy bedding, that have been placed around
the property. Another donated covered litter pans that
could be used as nesting boxes by the chickens who also
occupied the barn. Shadow Cats is collecting empty egg
cartons for the caregiver who plans to sell fresh eggs
to help defray the cost of food. We still check back
with her periodically to see how things are going and to
ensure that there is adequate food for all the animals.
Is this the perfect answer for these cats?
We’d like to see all animals living the good life,
sleeping on someone’s linen pillow, but until every
single person spays and neuters their pets we’ll
continue to have stray, feral, and homeless cats. For
them, Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) is the only humane
option. Giving them the freedom of a life unburdened
from constant breeding, providing shelter, food and
basic veterinary care is about as perfect as life gets.
So the next time you look into the eyes of a homeless
cat that has been TNR’d, you will see in their eyes the
rest of the story… “Thank you for helping us…”
Feeding a feral or homeless cat? You can break the
cycle of constant breeding through TNR. Contact us for
more information or contact the Austin Humane Society to
find out how you can make a difference. Instruction,
traps, and
help is
only an email away…
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