The real estate market may be taking a dive right now for humans, but for feral cats in Randolph, Iowa, the market is definitely red-hot! Case in point: Feral cats Mother Trucker and her baby, Truckee, are living the high life in Sandra and Jim Gregory's spacious barn.The cats' new digs features cathedral ceilings, rustic wood construction and wall-to-wall hay covering. Outside, Trucker and Truckee have hundreds of acres to roam and play. They were recently relocated from the more cramped surroundings of urban Randolph, a town of 260 people. Now they're out in the country with plenty of room to explore and plenty of other feral felines to befriend.
Mother Trucker and Truckee were living in town in Cindy and Frank Fritz's garage, where they competed for space with cars, gardening equipment and other cat-unfriendly objects. Thanks to Best Friends staff, Cindy and all the other Randolph residents had recently learned all about trap/neuter/return (TNR) and maintain for feral cats, so Cindy knew the best thing for the kitties would be to relocate them.
Six months ago, feral cats in Randolph had a $5 bounty on their heads. Feral cat overpopulation had become a problem and Mayor Vance Trively was looking for a solution. When Best Friends heard about the bounty, they offered to introduce the good people of Randolph to TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return), a much better way to deal with their feral population.
Best Friends' Feral Cat Program manager Shelly Kotter has visited the town four times over the past few months to work with the townspeople. She also presented a well-attended TNR workshop to the locals and people from neighboring communities.
Shelly notes, "Everyone in town came on board immediately. They just didn't know about TNR. It was simply a matter of giving them the tools and education they needed".
The Fritzes were among the most affected by the feral cat problem in town. "We had about 20 cats in our yard", Cindy explains. "They were eating all of my cat's food. I mean, my cat was nearly starving. And there'd be cat fights all day and all night long. It was really a problem".
But since Best Friends came on board, nearly 30 feral "inner city" cats have been relocated just outside of town to luxury living in large farming communities. When Cindy found the cats in her garage, she immediately asked the Gregorys if they'd take Trucker and Truckee.
"They were tickled to take more cats", says Cindy. "They help with their rodent problem but I think mostly they really like having them there". Cindy says Jim goes out to feed his ferals twice a day. "I know they're all really well cared for there and are living a good life", says Cindy.
Story by Amy Abern. Photos by Shannon Riddle. Above photo (clockwise from top left): Brandi Fritz (with cat), Bill and Shelly Kotter; Mayor Trively trapping at the Fritzes'; Truckee in trap: Truckee ouside; Mrs. gregory and Shelly; Shelly releasing Trucker and Truckee near Gregory barn. Video by Jason Watt, Best Friends video department.
Click here to visit the Best Friends Animal Society website