Carlos Jos茅 P茅rez S谩mano watched a small kitten walk around his apartment complex. He saw it a few more times and even tried to approach it, but it ran off. At the time, he didn鈥檛 know that kitten would soon be his.
鈥淭here was something about her that attracted me a lot. I guess the way that she was moving. I love her colors, too. I was already thinking of adopting an animal,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 wasn’t sure if I wanted a dog or a cat. This is my first cat.
鈥淓ven though she’s very shy, she also feels very confident. I think she’s very divine. She has some kind of spiritual aura, and I think she’s very majestic, too.鈥�
P茅rez S谩mano, now a proud cat dad, had a pretty typical experience. Ask any cat owner and many have stories of their pet being rescued from outdoor living. Plus, anyone who takes a drive around Weld County can often see cats running around outdoors.
Leslie Vogt from said the stray and feral cat population in Weld County is a huge issue.
One reason is income. The median household income in 欧美巨乳色情片 is $60,601, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That鈥檚 $12,000 per year less than Fort Collins and roughly $10,000 less than the overall median income in Weld and Larimer Counties.
Secondly, Vogt said, the rural nature of the county leads some people to view animals as disposable. They let animals roam outside without ensuring they cannot reproduce or have proper vaccinations.
The combination of those two things has resulted in community cats living outdoors and overrun organizations.
鈥淯ltimately, it’s not good to have cats running around eating out of garbage cans and getting sick and dying in the streets,鈥� Vogt said.
Many people, however, may not have the resources or know how to help when they see a cat. That鈥檚 where your local cat people and organizations come in.
P茅rez S谩mano lives in the same apartment complex as my family, and I first spotted the kitten 鈥� whom I鈥檇 dubbed S鈥檓ore 鈥� on May 1. She was skittish and ran off, but I found the storm drain where she鈥檇 been hiding. I began feeding her.
If anyone saw a little Chinese lady running around a field near center place鈥hat was me. You鈥檙e not crazy. I was trying to get near a stray cat to see if it belongs to anyone.
欧美巨乳色情片 reporter on certain days of the week, amateur cat rescuer on the others.
— Jadyn Watson-Fisher (@jwatsonfisher)
Stray cat update No. 3
It was waiting for me to bring dinner tonight 馃槶
— Jadyn Watson-Fisher (@jwatsonfisher)
After a few days, I posted on Nextdoor to see if S鈥檓ore belonged to anyone. No one claimed her, but another neighbor contacted me about feeding S鈥檓ore for a couple of months. My neighbor also fed the mother cat when she showed up.
The three of us devised a plan to trap S鈥檓ore and have her evaluated by a rescue. I wanted to see if she was microchipped and, if she did not have an owner, have her spayed.
It鈥檚 currently 鈥� usually April through early October 鈥� which means our feline friends are busy reproducing. Feline fertility increases in warmer months, and with an average gestational period of 65 days, the height of kitten season takes place in June and July. At the time, I didn鈥檛 know if S鈥檓ore was male or female, but I wanted to ensure it was impossible for a litter of kittens to be born.
Many rescues in the area rent humane traps to residents, but I decided to purchase my own. A close friend of mine owns a in Arkansas, and we often talk about her work. Our relationship gave me confidence in my ability to safely trap S鈥檓ore and get her help.
I trapped S鈥檓ore on May 25 and took her to in Fort Collins a few days later for evaluation. She was spayed and received her first round of vaccinations.
THE STRAY CAT UPDATE Y鈥橝LL HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR
I caught S鈥檓ore tonight!!! I heard the trap go off while I was working. A neighbor (and employee) is fostering her until I take her to a rescue for care. She鈥檚 made herself at home 馃樆
— Jadyn Watson-Fisher (@jwatsonfisher)
P茅rez S谩mano served as a foster 鈥� I鈥檓 already a cat mom 鈥� then decided to adopt S鈥檓ore.
renamed her Santa, meaning 鈥渉oly鈥� or 鈥渟aint鈥� in Spanish. She鈥檚 done some typical cat things 鈥� she knocked over some plants, though nothing broke 鈥� but uses her litter box, eats, drinks and behaves.
THE FINAL STRAY CAT UPDATE NO. 11:
S鈥檓ore got fixed today! I was right, she鈥檚 a girl! She鈥檚 no longer a stray, either, bc my neighbor is adopting her 馃枻
(Zoom in to see her before surgery face and then her post surgery face 馃樄)
— Jadyn Watson-Fisher (@jwatsonfisher)
‘We have to start on the front end’
There are conflicting statistics about how many kittens are born from one cat, but it鈥檚 estimated that one cat and her offspring can produce anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000 kittens in about seven years.
The estimates there are 30 million to 40 million community, or outdoor, cats nationwide. There are also about 3.2 million cats in U.S. shelters. More than half a million cats in shelters are euthanized annually, .
How can an average resident help? It starts at home.
Like Bob Barker used to say at the end of every 鈥淭he Price is Right鈥� episode, Vogt said people need to have their animals spayed or neutered. If they鈥檙e feeding community cats, those felines also need to be altered. Many clinics in northern Colorado provide free and low-cost procedures.
For example, AFA has a program to help residents pay for services. The organization has specific resources for pet parents and those looking to help barn cats and ferals. It provides extensive free education online about community cats.
Friends of Ferals focuses on outdoor cats through the trap, neuter and return (TNR) process. TNR fixes community cats and gets them vaccines. They are 鈥渆ar-tipped,鈥� so they can be distinguished from non-altered cats, and returned to their outdoor homes.
鈥淵ou cannot warehouse or adopt your way out of this problem. Spay/neuter is the only answer,鈥� Vogt said, citing . 鈥淭he more of that we have, the better. You can’t control it on the other end without killing animals en masse.
鈥淲e have to start on the front end. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in this area.鈥�
Residents can provide financial support or donate supplies, which Vogt said is always necessary. They can foster animals until they鈥檙e healthy enough to be adopted or go into a shelter.
P茅rez S谩mano said people should think about their living situation before bringing a pet into their home, whether as a foster or permanent member, though. They need to ensure it鈥檚 a safe environment for everyone. If it is, don鈥檛 be scared to take the leap.
鈥淭hink of the benefit that they’re bringing to the creature. The animals need homes,鈥� P茅rez S谩mano said. 鈥淲e used to think about our benefit, 鈥楧o I want it? Do I need it?鈥� but we have to do it for them, otherwise they’re going to be sacrificed. Humane societies, the rescue places 鈥� they tell us constantly, 鈥榃e need places for animals.鈥欌��
There are volunteer opportunities, as well.
Vogt needs more people to operate traps during her monthly trapping events. She currently has two to operate traps in Weld, despite the large number of feral cats.
has volunteer positions for various skills, including animal photography, enrichment, client services, fundraising, community outreach and transportation. Weld County Humane Society will dissolve later this year, and local efforts will be led by the Larimer nonprofit, but Weld still accepts donations and is working through volunteer applications.
AFA has similar needs. Volunteers help care for adoptable animals, others can be part of the community events and outreach work, and it welcomes service projects.
Vogt encourages local veterinarians to donate their time and services, too. She鈥檚 the one getting phone calls about assistance, but she鈥檇 like to see Weld County vets chip in as well.
If people feel comfortable trapping cats on their own like I did, that鈥檚 always an option.
Regardless of your situation, there are plenty of ways to help stray cats in northern Colorado this kitten season.
鈥淚t’s a matter of generosity. It’s a matter of compassion,鈥� P茅rez S谩mano said. 鈥淚 would invite people that are hesitant to think that the animals need you.鈥�
