You can make a huge difference to the lives in a colony of nearly 100 community cats in rural Shullsburg, WI that has gotten out of control. Working with the owner of the property the cats reside on, other family members, and The Fix Is In, Angel’s Wish has pledged financial help to spay and neuter these cats to improve the lives of these cats. In addition, we can prevent more generations of cats from overrunning the property and causing issues for neighbors, other cats, local wildlife, and themselves. We hope you will join us in giving what you can to support this project.
A portion of the cat colony that are relying on our help!
This colony of cats is made up of abandoned cats or strays that have come on to the property. Although the property owner has been able to get some spayed/neutered, new cats mated, creating new generations of kittens and grandkittens. If nothing is done to further contain this cat population, the numbers will exponentially grow beyond the 100 it is now. A female cat can get pregnant at the age of four months and can birth several litters of kittens per year. With between two and six kittens per litter, one female cat can add 10-15 kittens to a colony in one year. Multiple that by 10, 20 or even more female cats and it’s easy to see how this
situation got unmanageable quickly and will get
worse.
Some of the adult cats in this colony have never known a human being and are fearful of them; they are considered feral and the best course of action for them is to catch them, fix them, and release them back to the area they consider home. Angel’s Wish is hoping to be able to take in some of the kittens or younger cats, socialize them, and find them loving forever homes in order to help reduce the cat population. Some cats in the colony have tested positive for FIV, but contrary to population opinion, FIV+ cats can live long, happy lives even with other cats who are FIV-.
The family who owns the property currently feeds the cats and allows them to shelter in an outbuilding. The expense to feed almost 100 cats is astronomical and, even with economical options for trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs, the expenses of spaying & neutering all of these cats are out of the reach for most people.
It takes a lot of food to feed almost 100 cats!
The Fix Is In provides low-cost spaying and neutering throughout Wisconsin in their mobile spay/neuter unit. They offer TNR services for outdoor, feral, and community cats for $40 per cat. On June 30, they plan to “fix” as many cats at this colony—they estimate between 30 and 40 cats can be done in one day! With the potential of 80 cats eventually needing altering, the cost will be over $3,000.
Angel’s Wish will be accepting donations that will go directly to this project and other spay/neuter projects. A gift of any size will help us control the overpopulation of cats (and other animals) in the South Central region of Wisconsin we serve, as well as produce the educational resources that can help reduce the number of outdoor cats. To help, please use this secure form to give whatever you can.
Additionally, over the next few weeks, Angel’s Wish has committed to an educational campaign that will include topics such as spay/neuter information and resources, explanations & benefits of TNR programs, details about feral and community cats and cat colonies, debunking myths about FIV+ cats, videos from veterinarians and celebrities, and much more. This information will be posted on our Facebook, Instagram, and right here on our blog. We hope that you’ll join us and share our information with your community of friends and followers.
Only through TNR programs, careful education, and reaching out to our neighbors in need can we continue to make sure we’re being the best caretakers for the animals who rely on us. Angel’s Wish, The Fix Is In, the property owners, and, of course, the cats thank you for your help in securing a brighter future.
Please give what you can today!