Once upon a time there was a working cattle farm with a barn full of cats. There for the purpose of hunting mice, they did their best to survive, foraging for food from the dumpster and burrowing in hay bales to keep warm in the winter. Then one day in the summer of 2023, the farm was sold and the barn was destroyed. The new owners made it clear that they did not want the cats and would eliminate them. And so we stepped in, requesting permission to trap all the cats.
Barn Manager Brenda Izzo set up humane traps… and the floodgates opened with cats arriving daily. Founder Susan Bandy set up a quarantine space and began the process of vetting before integrating them one by one into the cat house: spay/neuter, vaccinations, flea and worm medication, as well as antibiotics for many with eye and respiratory infections. Seymour needed surgery to remove a growth from his head; little Joonbug began having seizures and was diagnosed with epilepsy.
One tiny kitten arrived very sick with a horrible eye infection. We worked diligently with our vet and were able to successfully save her eye. We named her Giselle and fell head over boots in love with her sweet personality. Speaking of boots, one of the kittens was adopted by volunteer Bill O’Neill, who named him… Boots! The numbers were growing… and then a baby kitten appeared.
Unbeknownst to us, Coconut was pregnant at the time we trapped her and gave birth to the cutest little floof in the quarantine room. Quelle surprise! But our work was not yet done. Missy kitty was too smart for the trap and we puzzled over how to bring her to the sanctuary before she produced a thousand more kittens. And then her little kitten solved the dilemma. Seeking safe harbor in our barn, the kitten got scared one morning and ran under the foundation of the house and got trapped in the wall. We could hear her crying from inside the tack room wall… she was stuck. So we called in help: Glen Welch and Tim Christian were immediately on the scene and began drilling holes and ripping out boards. Still no sign of the kitten other than her persistent cries. Time was ticking and after 24 hours of effort, Glen and our friend Manny Duarte were finally able to pull her out through a hole drilled in the floor.
What a relief! That afternoon, her mother Missy walked into the trap and we were able to reunite them! We named the baby Mirabelle the Miracle. Special thanks to Glen, Tim and Manny for saving a life!
We’ve actually named all 19 of the cats from this huge rescue project: O’Malley, Fleet, Boots, Giselle, Joonbug, Wink, Wellington, Earl Grey, Floof, Fiona, Topaz, Seymour, Dahlia, Snickers, Oreo, Missy, Mirabelle, Coconut and her kitten, who we’ve been calling Lil’ Toot until we figure out a name. We love them all and would be happy to host any visitors who would like to meet them!
We are grateful for all our donors who helped support this incredible rescue project, with special thanks to James Stone, Elianna Campese-Korman, Kinderhook Toyota and the We4 Four Felines Family Philanthropic Fund.