Today is
National Feral Cat Day, a day dedicated to helping feral cats in communities from coast to coast. I love all cats, but feral cats, as many of you know, have an extra-special place in my heart.
I am one of three proud mommies to a colony of feral cats in my office parking lot. They are fed every single day (breakfast, lunch and dinner on workdays even!), are spayed and neutered, get all the vet care they need and all the love they'll let us give them.
We have found homes for several of them through the years, and also rescued more than a few kittens and other cats who were "dumped" in the parking lot by others who see cats and figure, "Hey, I can leave a cat here and they'll be fine."
They are fine, luckily, because of people like us.
Bully, Sweet Pea, Lilo, Stitch, Crybaby, Daisy, Petunia, Westin and Orange Guy are our kids.
Little Meow, Westin Junior and J.T. are three cats who we've happily found homes for, who all hailed from our parking lot.
Sal, who we rescued from the engine of a Mustang, is
at Cats Exclusive and (fingers crossed!) has already picked out his future daddy, a man who works there.
Stubbie, a beautiful dilute tortie girl with no tail, is our latest project. She is gorgeous, timid, friendly to those she trusts... and FIV+. She is currently in a foster home with a friend of ours, and
we're hoping someone will step up and give her a permanent place to live and be safe. Yes, she is FIV+, but that's not the end of the world. She can live as an only cat, with other FIV+ cats or with other cats like her, who are non-aggressive and soft-mannered.
Read more about Stubbie here.To some people who work in our offices, these cats are a nuisance, and we've had our share of run-ins and threats from people who wanted them out of there. We've defended our kitties tirelessly, and won every time. The parking lot is their home, and they're not hurting anyone!
Feral kitties deserve love and protection, and I'll always do anything to help them. Today, for Feral Cat Day, I'm going to head to the parking lot with some extra special treats, maybe some turkey or tuna and a bag of Temptations. I'll spend a few extra minutes petting those that let me and talking to those who don't.
They deserve love just like inside kitties, and I'm going to give it to them!How are you celebrating Feral Cat Day? Do you have feral kitties you care for? Share in the comments!