It is believed the colony originated after an unneutered male pet cat, which had left home, then met a feminine cat and kicked off the reproducing
The colony, which was situated on Nutfield Road in Lisnaskea, is made up of wholesome two-day-old and 10-week-old kittens, pregnant cats and totally grown grownup male cats.
Some of the 80+ Cats in Lisnaskea
Katelyn Mannion is a neighborhood volunteer for Lost Paws NI, which tries to reunite misplaced and located pets.
Ms Mannion, who lives within the space, described an unprecedented scenario because of the variety of cats concerned.
“The lady who had been feeding the cats opened her back door and there were 20 cats looking back at me,” she defined.
“I have never experienced something like that before.
“That was our first introduction to the cats; we instantly knew it wasn’t going to be an easy job.”
Some of the 80+ Cats in Lisnaskea
Lost Paws NI tasked volunteers from Newtownards, Lisburn and Antrim with beginning the method of securing the cats.
According to Lost Paws NI, it’s believed the colony originated after an unneutered male pet cat, which had left home, then met a feminine cat and kicked off the reproducing.
Katelyn defined the stray cat colony first appeared two years in the past, and it was identified to have round 30 cats final yr.
However, attributable to steady breeding among the many animals, the quantity is estimated to have soared to round 80.
Some of the 80-plus cats in Lisnaskea
Last week, volunteers started rounding up the cats utilizing traps containing meals to safe the animals.
The TNR (entice, neuter, launch) operation was a hit, which means the volunteers had been in a position to catch the kittens of the colony, the moms of the litters and the alpha male cat.
Lost Paws NI was shocked by the outstanding state of well being among the many cats, with the care of households dwelling within the space, feeding the strays, thought to have helped.
“Usually, colonies are riddled with untreatable cat diseases, but, uniquely, these cats were in amazing conditions and that was quite surprising,” Katelyn added.
According to Lost Paws NI, the principle concern for the cats proper now’s guaranteeing they’re all neutered and medically checked.
“If we miss even one cat, that leaves it open for the colony to continue on. We need to neuter every cat that we can — catch them and treat them. Our concern right now is their health. There are kittens having kittens and it’s not good for their bodies,” Katelyn added.
One of the 80-plus cats in Lisnaskea
The younger kittens of the colony are being despatched to Rescue Cats NI in Lisburn and can finally discover endlessly properties.
For the older cats, nonetheless, the one resolution is to be neutered and placed again within the location the place they had been found.
“Unfortunately, once feral cats hit six months old, they can’t be rehabilitated, because they are so frightened. They will never be house cats. So, where they’re living now, they know their area and know that it is safe, so it’s the best option for them.”
Once placed again of their location, the neutered feral cats won’t be able to breed and can proceed to be fed by close by residents.
Lost Paws NI stated it would proceed to examine in with the colony each two weeks and monitor the remaining cats.
One of the 80-plus cats in Lisnaskea
