Animal Rescue Connections (ARC), a local nonprofit dedicated to reducing community and feral cat overpopulation, hosts its first ‘There’s a Cat for That’ fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, June 14, at the Bulverde Spring Branch Activity Center, 30280 Cougar Bend, Bulverde.
Featured speakers include Cathy Rosenthal, author and pet advice columnist for the San Antonio Express-News, and Megan Hoffman, applied animal behaviorist at LOMA Behavior and Training in San Antonio.
ARC founder Jenny Burgess will share stories about her 20 years of advocating for the lives of all cats through humane control of numbers and the kind support of outdoor cats in Comal and northern Bexar counties.
Experienced cat trappers will demonstrate how to humanely catch street cats and share details on getting them fully vetted and returned to their original trapping location, since cats are territorial.
Kids and adults are invited to dress up in cat-themed gear, and children can enjoy other fun activities planned for them.
The public is invited to bid on silent auction items or shop for gifts at specialty tables.
Admission is $10 and free for children three and younger.
Proceeds will cover veterinary and other expenses incurred by trapping hundreds of cats each year. Many feral cats need surgery to fix wounds or treatment for other underlying medical issues.
Burgess said thousands of kittens are arriving in Comal County right now.
“It’s pretty much kitten season all year round in South Central Texas, but it is particularly bad in the spring,” she said. “So many kittens are being born, with no place to take them. The shelters are full.”
ARC is frequently contacted by family members whose loved ones started by feeding just “one stray cute kitten” that wasn’t spayed or neutered, and are quickly overwhelmed by subsequent litters.
In less than a year, one stray cat turns into 25.
Businesses that serve or sell food often find themselves overwhelmed by feral cat colonies that Animal Control lacks the resources to control.
“The biggest thing people need to understand is that this is a community problem and it has to be solved by the community,” she said. “Our little band of volunteers cannot solve the problem on our own. There are resources available that are affordable. The solution isn’t out of reach,” Burgess said.
Letting nature take its course leads to misery for the cats, she said. Most of these kittens don’t survive. They’re easy prey for predators and vulnerable to disease. And it’s not just kittens that suffer. Intact females are destined to spend many years of their lives bearing kittens and struggling to protect them, while intact males spend their lives fighting other males over territory.
“Community cats outside a window are no different than the fat indoor felines that purr on the back of a couch or drape themselves regally over their owners’ laps,” Burgess said. “They just aren’t so lucky. Thankfully, there are many people who care about them. As a community, the best thing we can do for community cats is to spay and neuter.”
For more information, email AnimalRescueConnections@gmail.com.
