Help Neighbors Fund TNR Efforts For Over 100 Kensington Cats
If you’ve noticed fewer feral cats in your neighborhood lately, neighbors including Stu Siet and Jonlyn Freeman may be the ones to thank. Having trapped and fixed 120 animals in the area since April, the neighbors’ “Summer of 100 Feral Cats” Trap, Neuter and Release (TNR) campaign is a bit of a misnomer–but they’ve got more urgent things to do than keep changing the name as they help more homeless felines.
The group has started an Indiegogo campaign to help fund their mission and keep any one neighbor from taking on overwhelming vet and other bills. You can see from the number of cats found on different Kensington blocks and even the most basic care expenses how costs add up fast. The group says on their campaign page:
The average costs involved for each cat’s TNR include:
• food for 5 days (2 days before surgery & 2 days after): $20
• shelter during recovery (overhead on garage): $15
• discounted spay/neuter*: $15
• additional vet care (average): $20
• cleaning supplies and miscellaneous used by volunteers for cat care: $5
Total average cost per cat = $75
It’s not the first time Stu has saved needy cats–in fact, he was inspired to take on projects like the Summer of 100 Feral Cats after feeding and trapping a furry family during the blizzard of 2010 that shut much of NYC down for days.
The large brown cat above is named, appropriately, Mama–and her kittens now go by Inky, Blinky (who had an eye infection when first trapped, Stu says), and Stinky (who bit the vet during her first checkup).
“The temperature was hovering about ten degrees below freezing,” Stu says about feeding the group outside. “What food they didn’t eat in several minutes would freeze solid.”
The four are now a happy, toasty bunch of indoor cats, but Stu’s work is not yet finished. After saving the colony, he attended a TNR workshop, and he and neighbors have been scheduling blocks of low-cost spay and neuter time slots at the ASPCA and the Toby Project to help meet–and now surpass–their original summer goal.
“TNR is expensive, time-intensive and often thankless work,” Jonlyn says, “and the hours are terrible! But it’s hard to say no to cat caretakers who don’t know where else to turn.
“Stu is going to open up shop one more time this year with 15 slots at ASPCA on September 18. Look for the volunteer call from Neighborhood Cats and even if Boro Park is too far for you, Stu’s garage is where the real work of recovery care will take place and it’s only a walk, bike-ride or short drive from most parts of Kensington.”
The group has raised $1,200 of their $7,000 goal so far, and there are five days left to help Stu and the group cover expenses for the wonderful service they’re contributing to cats and humans alike.
In addition to contributing to the Indiegogo campaign, the group is looking for permanent and foster homes for over 20 kittens (including this sneaky sweetheart, these little muffins, and several of the cuties on here). Jonlyn asks you to ask everyone you know if he or she is interested in playing parent to a little furry bundle of joy.
You can also learn more at the Mayor’s Alliance, take a TNR workshop with Neighborhood Cats, and thank neighbors who’ve been working so hard to keep Kensington’s feral population under control. We’d like to thank them, too.