PHOENIX (3TV / CBS 5) – A wild cat colony made Phoenix Day School their home for the deaf and now neighbors are raising money to catch, neuter and release the cats to control the population. “The wildcat issue has caught our eye over the past few months,” said Maria Murphy of the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf. “Some of the neighbors, who I thought were very well-meaning and well-meaning, left out food for these animals and placed them next to the fence adjacent to the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf campus.” Murphy says that because of this, the cats tend to roam the campus on 19th Avenue between Hayward and Morton Avenues. “The wild cat population is not something that everyone comes to on campus where we fight children’s cats with brooms. That’s not the case, ”Murphy explained. “Cats use the area more as a litter box, so sometimes you find ditches on campus and then of course they try to bury their trash.” Murphy says the school’s landscaping and gardening contract was able to take care of this problem, but they hope the problem doesn’t get any worse. (Source: 3TV / CBS 5) Murphy says the school’s landscaping and gardening contract was able to address this issue, but they hope the problem doesn’t get any worse. This is where neighbor Felicity Short comes in. She created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for buying traps and making veterinary appointments to have the wildcats neutered / neutered. “We are of course grateful for every attempt to get the wild cat population under control. Not only is it good for the students, it’s good for the neighborhood and, ultimately, the cats themselves, ”Murphy said. “It takes a village when you have a colony this size and a problem this size, it takes a slightly different approach,” said Cassidy Porter-Whistman, founder of Barn House Rescue AZ. Barn House Rescue AZ is now joining forces with Short running a successful TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) in the neighborhood. You recently started a TNR center called Help With Cats. “One of the things we love to do and try to focus on is teaching feeders how to feed to keep colonies from growing and how to feed to keep colonies,” Porter-Whistman said. By donating on GoFundMe, says Short, they have reached 17 cats at TNR so far. (Source: 3TV / CBS 5) People who want to feed the wild cats should only omit the food for a limited time per day. “All in all, most colony feeders tend to overfeed. There is a way to direct the feed to where you put whatever the colony can eat within the next hour, rather than free feed,” Porter explained -Whistman.Porter-Whistman plans to come to the neighborhood near PDSD by the end of the month to educate the area about TNR. “We actually go out and try to educate the whole neighborhood, ask them who is feeding, when someone is feeding, tell them about the project and then we catch every night for three to five days until no more cats return to the feeding station,” said Porter Whistman. “If we couldn’t systematically stabilize these colonies one at a time, we would literally do so for the rest of our lives and never catch up with the number of cats. They outnumber us by a lot, ”says Porter-Whistman.“ Tunnel feeding ”is another option for neighborhoods dealing with feral cat colonies. By donating on GoFundMe, says Short, they have reached 17 cats at TNR so far. They estimate there are 30-35 in the neighborhood. “You see the same cats, there are obviously no new cats and it’s all about balance because you need some of them – I mean, I don’t see mice or rats or other annoying things,” said a neighbor If you have a problem with wild cats in your neighborhood, the Help With Cats hotline will answer calls and text messages at 602-755-9585. Write “KOLONY” to report a colony in need of help or write “VOLUNTEER” to help Barn House Rescue AZ. Copyright 2021 KPHO / KTVK (KPHO Rundfunkgesellschaft). All rights reserved.
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