Craig Street Cats' largest project in 2018 was the River Bank Cats.  A large colony, estimated to hold over 100 cats and kittens.  Our work with this colony was featured on an episode of Dr. Keri: Prairie Vet, but a half hour television program can't really give you an idea of what goes into the management of a colony this size.

Since CSC took over management of the colony, many important things have happened.  First and foremost, volunteer community trappers have committed to feeding the cats every day, regardless of weather, hardship, or confrontation.  Bitter cold, torrential downpour, blazing heat, driving snow, icy trail, slippery mud, illness, injury, threats from irate people -- none of these obstacles have stopped these heroes from making sure the cats are fed.

These same community trappers have given up a considerable chunk of their personal time to trap the cats, bring them in for surgery and vaccinations, and then return the cats to the river bank.  In total, 63 cats and kittens have been pulled from the colony.  32 adult cats spayed or neutered, and vaccinated; 31 kittens placed in our adoption program.

So far this year, only 2 kittens have been sighted.  With any luck, they will be trapped and placed for adoption soon, and their mother spayed, vaccinated and returned to the colony.
Let's stop and think about that for a moment. 

If CSC had not stepped in to manage this colony, those 32 adult cats and 31 kittens would have continued to reproduce.  Statistically, only 8 of the kittens would have survived long enough to mate, but that would make a total of 40 breeding adults, producing at least 2 litters of kittens this year.  If half of the cats were female, that would be at least 200 kittens born to the colony this year.  150 of them would have died before 3 months of age.  50 breeding adults might have been added to the colony.  Next year, over 400 kittens would have been born to the colony, with 100 of them joining the breeding population.  With no vaccinations, all of the cats would have been subject to viral infections like distemper and rabies.  The numbers would have continued to climb, until the natural food supply was exhausted.  Then starvation would have set in.  The cats, being territorial, would have remained at the colony site, and continued to breed.  It would not have been pretty.

Nona arrived at CSC in the spring of 2013.  She was brought in by a very distressed person who had found her in an abandoned live trap.  Although he couldn't be certain, he said he had seen an official looking group setting traps in the neighbourhood a couple of weeks earlier.  He thought that the trap he found Nona in was one of theirs.
 
It was easy to believe that Nona had been in that trap for 2 weeks, without food or water.  She was absolutely emaciated.  Her eyes were sunken.  She was listless. Her fur was dull and matted.  Nona was waiting to die.
 
For the first few weeks, Nona would not eat on her own.  She ignored food put in front of her.  We had to feed her from a spoon held up to her mouth.  This had to be done several times each day, until she started to eat on her own.
 
Once she started to eat, the challenge was to get Nona to respond to people.  Her experience had left her emotionally shut down.  She didn't hiss or swat at anyone, but no one could touch her.  For months, Nona would stay in her bed except to eat and use her litter box.  She wouldn't come out of her cage, even if the door was left open.
 
Slowly, after many months, Nona started to allow a few people to touch her.  Gentle stroking, at first, then ear scratches, then belly rubs.  She still wouldn't come out of her cage, but would purr when a select few spent time with her.
 
Now, after almost 4 years in our care, Nona is in a foster home, learning to live as a pet.  Not because there wasn't a foster home available, rather, because she was not ready for one.  Sending her too soon would have stalled her progress, and meant a longer journey. 
 
At some point Nona will be ready for adoption.  When that day comes, we will find the right home for her.  Until then, she has the best we can give her.  The timeline is hers, not ours.
 
Over the past 10 years CSC has cared for hundreds of special cats like Nona.  Each has a story that might break your heart.  Some of those stories don't end happily, but all of our special cats get all the time they need to give them a chance at a happy ending.
 
Care like this is expensive -- not because the cats are sick, but because they are with us for as long as they need to be.  In Nona's case, the cost of 4 years of care is almost $5,000.  That's a lot of money to put out for one cat, but we think she's worth it.  The question is, do you?  You can help provide care for Nona and cats like her, by participating in our Whisker Walk -- sign up to walk and raise pledges, join a team, sponsor one of our walkers, or make a donation to the cause. However you choose to help, it will make a difference for Nona and many other cats.