In June 2009 TCR trappers stumbled upon a huge cat colony in the Vaughan/Oakwood neighbourhood. About a dozen cats were sitting on the front lawn of a house, and when a can of cat food was opened even more cats and kittens came darting out from inside some thick bushes. The trappers knocked on the door of the house and found out that the homeowner had been living there for twenty years and that the cat colony had been there, in various generations, the whole time. Its size seemed to always stay at around twenty to thirty cats because many of the litters of kittens would die or neighbours would give them away, and adult cats frequently would get hit by cars. Trap-Neuter-Return began immediately.

Meanwhile, another colony of cats down the street from this site, who slept and ate under a large tarp in an apartment building parking lot, were TNR’d as well and all of the females were soon fixed.

From June 2009-2010 a total of over seventy-eight cats and kittens were trapped (including newborn kittens)! These included cats from the original front lawn, as well as from behind the apartment building, and from a third location on another front porch about ten minutes from the original colony. Of that number, thirty-one cats were TNR’d and forty-seven were adopted through TCR’s foster program. The difference is truly incredible – the colony is calm and well-fed and feeders are no longer overwhelmed by starving cats rushing them when they walk on the property.

Although the original colony site is mostly controlled, new kitties continue to occasionally show up and trapping must continue to continue to manage the colony. Insulated shelters have been set up and daily feeders care for the cats. TCR trappers have also started trapping at three different houses not far from the original site, and from June 2010-February 2011, 27 cats have been trapped. Of those 27 cats, 14 have been admitted into the foster system. These three houses have many more cats left to be trapped, and TCR is committed to continuing our TNR program until the overpopulation in this area is controlled. Finances are always an issue however, as each cat costs us at least $100 to spay/neuter, fully vaccinate, ear tip, and treat for parasites and medical problems. It is estimated that we have spent at least $10,000 on this colony since we started. If you are able to donate towards our efforts via CanadaHelps, please don’t hold back!