Hey there! I'm writing today because I am concerned about one of the local stray cat colonies that I have been caring for and feeding for the last few years.
I live in a tiny town in western Maryland and we have a large recycling center where people can drop off recyclables.
There are two large buildings that are a part of this facility. There are two expanding groups of cats that live in two separate little areas. Honestly not sure if they interact but I feed them both separately. These cats are not fixed. Babies are often born and die from exposure and just the horrible conditions of the place. New adults are discovered often that are most definitely dropped off. Most of these cats do not come up to me directly, but they are friendly enough that they approach me with happy meows when I bring them food. They circle my feet and around my legs, so I would not particularly class them as "feral."
One colony lives primarily under a little porch and both in the sewer pipe and up in the building itself:
And the other lives way back in the back near this one tree and inside of the sewer pipe:
I have done my best in recent years to feed them, and I am not the only one who does so. I have also tried my best to rescue and trap when I can. I did end up rescuing two kittens who were in horrible health. Unfortunately, the two did not make it and I was paying off a $1400 vet bill at the age of 22. My main issue is of course the money of it all. I have my own place and have rescued before (not from this location) and adopted out plenty of cats I was able to keep just in a separate room of my house. Keeping the cats until they are rehomed is not the problem. Catching the cats is no longer a problem either as I have come into a large trap rather than just the net I have been using. The main and only problem is the funds to get them the veterinary care they will 100% need. Back when rescuing the two kittens who did not make it, I was constantly asking for donations via GoFundMe or just directly to the vet or my PayPal from sharing on Facebook. I did not gather much funds, but eventually paid off the large bill nearly a year later.
(One of the rescue kittens who did not make it)
(Orange cat in the front has been there forever with a horrible eye issue. If caught, he will most definitely have to have that eye removed)
Now, in that large, empty field you see in the picture, an expansion of my local medical marijuana plant is being constructed (which is a fantastic use of the space, don't get me wrong). In the article that I linked in the above text or just from hearsay in general, I do not know of any mention of the cats. However, I do not foresee the cats being welcomed for much longer after the construction. There are at the very least 20 cats roaming the place. If they get up into the walls of the recycling center building, I do not think they would have a problem seeking solace in the greenhouse that will be built with the building next door.
So, in conclusion, I am feeling the urgent need now more than ever to get these cats out of here. My local animal control and animal shelters know about these cats and cannot and will not do anything to assist. The animal control is basically useless and the animal shelter is already so overwhelmed with cats that they are not willing to help. A trap, neuter/spay, and release operation is not an option here. These cats have been considered a nuisance and are not welcome. They are "tolerated," but for how much longer I do not know.
If I had the money to do this myself, I absolutely would. Crowd funding locally did not work in my previous experiences. I do not know where to turn for help. Does anybody have any experience with large scale rescue operations such as this? What resources would you recommend? I am desperate to get these babies out of there before the building is finished.
I live in a tiny town in western Maryland and we have a large recycling center where people can drop off recyclables.
There are two large buildings that are a part of this facility. There are two expanding groups of cats that live in two separate little areas. Honestly not sure if they interact but I feed them both separately. These cats are not fixed. Babies are often born and die from exposure and just the horrible conditions of the place. New adults are discovered often that are most definitely dropped off. Most of these cats do not come up to me directly, but they are friendly enough that they approach me with happy meows when I bring them food. They circle my feet and around my legs, so I would not particularly class them as "feral."
One colony lives primarily under a little porch and both in the sewer pipe and up in the building itself:
And the other lives way back in the back near this one tree and inside of the sewer pipe:
I have done my best in recent years to feed them, and I am not the only one who does so. I have also tried my best to rescue and trap when I can. I did end up rescuing two kittens who were in horrible health. Unfortunately, the two did not make it and I was paying off a $1400 vet bill at the age of 22. My main issue is of course the money of it all. I have my own place and have rescued before (not from this location) and adopted out plenty of cats I was able to keep just in a separate room of my house. Keeping the cats until they are rehomed is not the problem. Catching the cats is no longer a problem either as I have come into a large trap rather than just the net I have been using. The main and only problem is the funds to get them the veterinary care they will 100% need. Back when rescuing the two kittens who did not make it, I was constantly asking for donations via GoFundMe or just directly to the vet or my PayPal from sharing on Facebook. I did not gather much funds, but eventually paid off the large bill nearly a year later.
(One of the rescue kittens who did not make it)
(Orange cat in the front has been there forever with a horrible eye issue. If caught, he will most definitely have to have that eye removed)
Now, in that large, empty field you see in the picture, an expansion of my local medical marijuana plant is being constructed (which is a fantastic use of the space, don't get me wrong). In the article that I linked in the above text or just from hearsay in general, I do not know of any mention of the cats. However, I do not foresee the cats being welcomed for much longer after the construction. There are at the very least 20 cats roaming the place. If they get up into the walls of the recycling center building, I do not think they would have a problem seeking solace in the greenhouse that will be built with the building next door.
So, in conclusion, I am feeling the urgent need now more than ever to get these cats out of here. My local animal control and animal shelters know about these cats and cannot and will not do anything to assist. The animal control is basically useless and the animal shelter is already so overwhelmed with cats that they are not willing to help. A trap, neuter/spay, and release operation is not an option here. These cats have been considered a nuisance and are not welcome. They are "tolerated," but for how much longer I do not know.
If I had the money to do this myself, I absolutely would. Crowd funding locally did not work in my previous experiences. I do not know where to turn for help. Does anybody have any experience with large scale rescue operations such as this? What resources would you recommend? I am desperate to get these babies out of there before the building is finished.