After weeks of taking care of three abandoned young cats, feeding them, getting them spayed and neutered, micro chipped and loving them, two of the Porch Babies have been adopted into one family. The boy and one of the girls. The other girl is staying with me as I couldn't bear to adopt her out.
My stress level was high. Was I doing the right thing? Was this family the right one? Would the split of the Porch Babies be even more traumatic?
So many doubts went through my head. My neighbor, MM, who helped immensely on getting the kitties sterilized and chipped, said the letting go of foster animals is always difficult. Always heartbreaking.
MM and I started out as strangers brought together by the abandoned kittens. She and her husband recently bought the house next to mine. We've greeted each other each time they walk their four dogs and have slowly become friends. Friends who can rely on each other.
I rely on her knowledge of fostering. Not sure I could have gotten through adoption day without her support. Letting go of two of the three kitties just tore at my heart.
To adopt out the third one, a girl I call Honey, would have sent me to bed crying. So I kept Honey and she hasn't really left my side.
Part of the adoption agreement was for the family to keep in touch and send photos every now and then. So far I've gotten one photo and it almost made me cry. Little Fluffy and Rascal were together in their room and not hiding under the bed. It tugged at my heart. Guess I miss them.
When I adopted out two of the Oodles (pandemic babies, Noodle was the mother), they went to Portland, Oregon. I haven't heard from their adoptive mom in over two years. Breaks my heart not to know how they are doing.
Some people say, "Get over it." I'd like to but I'm just not made that way. How can you see little beings be born, take care of them and then forget them? Not me.
I admit that my house is calmer with only four cats rather than six. Midnight zoomies are usually Honey chasing Noodle, instead of three cats zooming around, knocking things over.
The free-roaming feline population in Lake County was supposedly over 11,000 10 years ago. At one point there were spaying and neutering clinics held in the county periodically. Now it's impossible to find such clinics. Vets to run them are scarce.
In an article in the Record-Bee, (Aug. 4, 2022), it states "Among the recommendations to the Board of Supervisors (by the Lake County Civil Grand Jury report of 2021-2022) are committing a portion of its cannabis income to underwrite a voucher system for low-income residents to assist with community cat management; and designating reserve funds over a period of three years to purchase a mobile van to be used by Animal Care & Control staff and trained volunteers to provide vaccinations and sterilization procedures."
The Grand Jury found that neighborhood cats, our community cats, reproduce at an alarming rate, averaging three litters per year and six kittens per litter. Their average life expectancy is about three years, compared with 14 years for a domestic cat.
Among several findings, the watchdog citizen organization noted that shelter professionals concur that TNRM (Trap, Neuter, Return, and Monitor) is the most effective management strategy for community cats and that restrictions, due to the pandemic, greatly reduced the two shelters' provision of low-cost or free spay/neuter surgeries for community cats in Lake County. Among recommendations they suggested that the Director of Lake County Animal Care and Control reconvene the Department's Advisory Committee.
Has that happened? When I called Animal Control they said the mobile unit never happened and even if it had they would have not been able to find a vet for it. "There's a nation-wide shortage," they said.
In my neighborhood, there's no sign of county help to control the cat population. Animal Control was called about the abandoned Porch Babies. They came out and apparently said there was nothing they could do because the young cats looked healthy.
An elderly woman down the street feeds many cats and neuters what she can afford, yet I see new ones all the time. Another woman I know feeds nine feral cats. The list goes on.
What's a girl to do? I have no clue except to help where I can. How about you, readers?
Lucy Llewellyn Byard is currently a columnist for the Record-Bee. To contact her, email lucywgtd@gmail.com
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