Moving on up – ferals find paradise!
The Best Friends feral cat program relocates six true feral cats from hell to heaven.
By Denise LeBeau, photos by Troy SnowIn the perimeter of the rescue facility, where the “ferals” are housed, it was hard to imagine there were six cats tagged for relocation. But they weren’t really tagged in the traditional sense, with some kind of visible marker, no this was a name, a microchip number and a description on a piece of paper. Each bush sprang to life as they were rustled in the hopes of finding Matilde, Chachi, Siam, Captain, Rescue and Grover, the cats that were slated to go to their new feral cat country club.
Brent Kotter, feral enthusiast and volunteer said, ”Every time you tried to catch one cat by a shrub, ten cats would shoot out!” Looking for two black and white kitties, three grey and white kitties and one snoeshoe at the Nye County rescue operation (Operation Area 51) is like looking for biscuits at a bread factory! But after some stealth Laurel and Hardy maneuvers, the proper kitties were gently placed in their travel crates and loaded onto the transport van ready for the ultimate destination: a bucolic farm in Southern Utah.
The feral cats chosen to leave first from the facility are some of the hardest luck cases. Captain, whose image is being used as evidence in the neglect case, was woefully close to hanging on for dear life when Best Friends first arrived. As Best Friends staff patiently nursed him back to health, he quickly stole their hearts.
“All these guys are special to the staff, and have all had major medical issues. Many have had teeth pulled or have had ongoing treatment like Captain. These kitties were picked because of what they have endured and recovered from. They have all been medically cleared by the veterinarian and they were ready to go!” Shelly Kotter, manager of the Best Friends Feral Cat Program tells me. This means that while their new home is housing cats that were once considered special needs, their new caregivers will not have any additional responsibilities beyond the usual necessities of plenty of food, water and shelter!
These cats don’t know how lucky they have it! The Best Friends Feral Cat Program is a total package to the cats and the caregivers, and these six cats have gone to the crème de la crème of feral cat environments. Their new permanent address is the farm of Lemuel and Connie Burnett, in the scenic and rural Johnson Canyon area of Kanab, UT. The Burnett’s have converted a previous chicken coop that has both safe and secured indoor/outdoor access, complete with comfy beds on the shelves and plenty of room to explore.
For the first six weeks these cats will have to be confined to this spacious enclosure, during this time they will acclimate to the area, and when the window is opened to allow them freedom they should be considering their new environment their new home. Guiding them through every step of the process is the Best Friends Feral Cat Program. Shelly will be bringing by food and litter regularly as part of the program, and when the time comes to open the hatch, she’ll be right there making sure things go smoothly!
To learn more about the Best Friends Feral Cat Program go to http://network.bestfriends.org/feralcatprogram/news/