LASALLE (WWJ) - When a family member went to check up on a relative with health issues in Monroe County's LaSalle Township, the last thing they expected to find was a furry feline family taking up residence -- let alone seven families of little kittens.
According to the Friends of Companion Animals rescue project in Monroe, 35 cats, including seven litters of young kittens ranging from 3 days old to 4-weeks-old, were rescued from the property
“We’ve done TNR (trap, neuter, return) on over 70 cats in the last few months alone. In this case, what began as yet another TNR project turned into something much larger, but we couldn’t turn our backs after what we found," said shelter director Penny Bly.
The latest project began when a family member of a homeowner with health issues – including onset of dementia – started hearing kittens crying in the LaSalle home. Thinking it was a litter of kittens, they did some exploring, only to find the seven litters, their moms and other cats, totaling nearly three dozen.
Now that FOCA has taken in the cats, they’re hoping the community will help step up with donations of money for spay/neuter, medications for the sickly cats and supplies like food and litter.
“Then once everyone is old enough or healthy enough, they’ll make their way to loving, dependable homes so adopters will be needed too,” Bly said.
FOCA has a program where if people in their neighborhood want to tackle their problem, they offer tips and training since FOCA “can’t be everywhere at once.” Fixed cats are often returned since, as a rescue, FOCA isn’t able to keep feral cats because they pose a threat to visitors and the volunteers.
In this latest case, most of the cats in this project are friendly or small enough to be acclimated to humans.
“It’s one of those situations where people will either help or walk away. Once we saw the situation, we knew we had to act. In addition to supplies, we’re in need of fosters who have a spare private room where cats and kittens can crash until they come of age, which is usually around two months. So, we’re asking anyone within 40 minutes of FOCA with a space room to reach out at our website and submit a volunteer application for consideration.”
Anyone who would like to help out financially can visit the FOCA website.
Related
