A Message From Our Founder
Someone once asked me: "Why do you take care of feral cats?" My answer was, "Someone has to do it."
Many people cast community cats aside thinking they can survive on their own. They can, but it's a short life of suffering and starvation. These cats didn't ask to live outside. I feel like I was put on this earth to help the ones that no one else cares about, and sadly, feral cats fall in to that category.
If I can spend my free time trapping and feeding community cats, I can help mitigate that suffering. There are over 100,000 feral cats in the Denver Metro area and there are only about 12 people that do TNR (trap, neuter, return) in the entire state on a regular basis. (Read more about TNR here)
I have been involved in animal rescue since 2001 in Colorado, for both cats and dogs. There was a point in my life, that I couldn't foster, but I wanted to help. I thought that feeding a community cat colony once a week was definitely doable, I didn't have to bring them home to foster and it wouldn't take that much time. That was the beginning.
Then one day, the group of people I was feeding with put out a plea to have someone trap an injured cat in one of the colonies. No one stepped up to do it, so I felt obligated to help. We trapped the kitty, got him to the vet and he recovered for a week in my bathroom. And there went the "don't have to bring them home" situation! Now, years later, I am managing five groups of community cat feeders at different locations across Denver and trapping feral cats in any spare time that I have.
I have a regular corporate job, but spend most of my free time doing TNR (trap, neuter, return), as I believe this is the best long term solution to alleviate the suffering of these forgotten felines.
What's needed most are more volunteers (sign up here) to feed and trap (read more about how that works here), and funds to pay for medical care - mainly for spay/neuter, but also other urgent medical needs from time to time.
Please consider helping by volunteering, donate to our fund or donate via our Amazon Wish List, by clicking the button below.
-- Jennifer A. Ruzicka Bell, Founder - Simba's Pride