Angel’s Wish was recently contacted by a farm family in rural Waunakee who had been noticing more and more cats appearing on their property. They estimated there might be around 40.
We now know it’s many more.
This isn’t always something we’re able to take on—but thanks to dedicated volunteers and strong partnerships, we knew this was a moment where stepping in could prevent something much bigger. With spring here, time matters. Without intervention, hundreds of kittens could be born in just weeks.
Soybean
On Tuesday, volunteers brought in the first 8 cats to have spay/neuter surgery through our Shelter Support Program with Dane County Humane Society today. Even then, we were seeing signs of illness—upper respiratory infections, and we noticed one cat, now named Soybean, is missing an eye.
Then everything accelerated.
When predicted ice storms up north led to a large spay/neuter Thursday appointment cancellation at Precision Veterinary, our team jumped into action Wednesday afternoon. Within just two hours of learning about the surgery openings, the farm family quickly loaded up 18 more cats in carriers. Volunteers performed intake well into the evening, including giving the cats names and assessing immediate needs. Precision staff made sure they were ready for them in the morning.
Carriers lined up at farm Wednesday afternoon
It was an incredible opportunity to get so many surgery slots—and an overwhelming amount of need all at once.
What we’re seeing is hard.
Upper respiratory infections.
Parasites.
Six-month-old kittens far smaller than they should be.
Multiple cats missing eyes, not just Soybean.
Hay
But let’s be clear: this farm family cares deeply about these cats. They didn’t ask for this. No one person can prevent something like this alone.
This is where our community can come together.
Today, 26 cats received critical veterinary care—those healthy enough had spay/neuter surgery, and everyone had vaccinations, parasite treatment, microchips, and FeLV/FIV testing.
Without this intervention, we were just weeks away from dozens and dozens of kittens—and that’s just from the cats we cared for today.
It was an exhausting day and we’ll be pushed for days to come caring for these cats.
And there are more still out there. We’re going to keep going, but we need you.
This is not a one-day effort. It will take weeks. We need a community response.
We need adopters ready to open their homes.
We need donors to help us continue this urgent work.
We need your help to stop the cycle before it grows even further.
Please join us. And if you’ve been putting it off—spay and neuter your pets and community cats you are caring for—now.
