Columbus Dog Connection Efforts Show Promise in Managing Trailer Park Feral Cat Colony
Loving on animals and helping cats and dogs live their best lives is part of what the Columbus Dog Connection does best. Recently, they needed an extra hand in helping make sure a feral cat colony got the humane care it deserved.
The Columbus Dog Connection (CDC) is a nonprofit dog and cat rescue organization. They primarily serve the community by offering low-cost spay and neuter surgeries and a monthly vaccine clinic.
Through our annual grant program, Ohio Animal Foundation (OAF) recently assisted CDC by providing necessary funds for veterinary costs related to the trap/neuter/release of community cats at a trailer park.
“When we were asked in March of 2021 to assist a (cat) colony caretaker … we never anticipated this would turn into such an overwhelming project. (This caretaker) had been taking care of these colonies, which consisted of feral and abandoned cats, for the last 15 years, but she needed assistance. She was feeding four colonies, with an average of 10 – 15 cats per colony. Our first objective was to continue feeding the cats and do TNR (trap/neuter/release). We recruited volunteers to assist with the feeding; appealed for food donations, humane and drop traps to trap feral and shy cats; and solicited for funds to cover the veterinary expenses. Our supporters quickly stepped up to the plate,” shared Mirna Bowman, the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Columbus Dog Connection.
The efforts at the trailer park consisted of three phases:
- TNR, re-home strays; recruit caregivers for the main part of the trailer park with the highest concentration of cats.
- Establish a presence with trailer park management and residents to form a partnership to better serve the cats. CDC built feeding stations and provided shelters to protect cats from the elements, and collaborated with other organizations to address cruelty and neglect situations.
- This year, the plan is to begin the same efforts in the south side of the park where cats from the surrounding neighborhood and apartment buildings make their way into the park, and to continue efforts to educate residents about responsible pet care.
Though TNR was the priority, it quickly became apparent to Mirna and the other caregivers that attention needed to be paid to elderly cats in dire need of medical attention, as well as adults and kittens that kept popping up. Although they could not save every cat and needed to humanely euthanize some of the cats because of disease or serious injuries, they did the best they could and did not make these decisions lightly.
“We had come to know and love these cats and some had been there for years. Many tears were shed, but we were honored to have the ability to help them transition from their failing bodies. And we also wanted to prevent further transmission of disease. Life for colony cats is difficult, and living in pain even more so,” Mirna said.
Despite these heart wrenching losses, CDC was able to help many kittens/cats in this colony afflicted with everything from upper respiratory infections to ear mites to flea infestations. The volunteers set up feeding stations so that those who were not present at feeding time could still eat or snack when they felt comfortable enough to do so.
“We were able to trap or catch all of the kittens that we laid eyes on. We climbed under trailers; laid on the ground; hid behind cars for hours; scoured hiding places at all hours of the day, rain or shine; and once we caught them, the real work began. Of course nothing is simple, and many of the kittens were sick,” Mirna said.
Shelter for colony cats is an important element to improve their living conditions. With the help of volunteers and donors, CDC was able to set up insulated wood and plastic cat houses for cats to find shelter from the cold.
“We would like to thank the volunteers that feed (the cats) daily; the vets and staff that take care of them at our office; the foster families that have them in their home(s) until adoption; the volunteers that constructed or purchased the shelters and feeding stations; and of course the donors that supported us with much needed supplies and funds,” Mirna said.
Other successes that resulted from this program, according to literature provided by CDC, included not having any additional litters in any of the colonies in 2023; the number of colonies decreased from 5 to 3, and the number of cats have decreased by 80 percent. Additionally, following pressure from this organization, management from the trailer park said residents can only have two pets that must be spayed/neutered and cannot roam outside.
In addition to providing TNR and other caretaking duties for the cats at the trailer park, the group also aims to care for other animals at this location in need of some TLC, such as dogs living in squalor.
To learn more about Columbus Dog Connection, visit: www.columbusdogconnection.com.