An preliminary effort to record feral cats in Waikoloa and discover houses for them has actually been considered a success by the volunteers doing the work.
Last month, volunteers with regional rescue companies Aloha Animal Oasis and Hawaii Animal Kuleana Alliance collaborated May 19 to May 22 to record 64 cats from the Queens’ Marketplace in Waikoloa.
After being caught, the cats were made sterile and sterilized, immunized, and microchipped prior to being provided to their brand-new houses throughout Hawaii Island.
The moving task was produced in action to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ restriction of cat feedings and the elimination of feeding stations at the shopping center due to the increased existence of nene.
Volunteers and a location animal rescue group had for years frequently fed the cats around the shopping center, owned by Alexander &Baldwin, as the cat population grew.
The variety of nene, which is a secured types, started to increase at Queens’ Marketplace throughout 2022, with the birds ending up being visibly more thinking about the cat-feeding stations in the months leading up to the restriction, which was started on April 21.
With DLNR offering moving as the only choice for the homeless cats, the regional rescue companies interacted to discover an option.
“There was a team of people capturing and spaying and neutering all of the cats on the west side, and then teams working on both sides of the island to deliver cats and kennels to adopters,” said Laurie Lyons-Makaimoku, spokesperson for the 2 rescue groups. “People from all over the island volunteered to take the cats, with most people taking two, three or four cats.”
Alexander &Baldwin consented to permit volunteers to record the cats on their property and are dealing with HAKA and AAO for a long-lasting option.
For the preliminary of adoptions, the group discovered 17 houses for 64 cats and kittens, extending from Ocean View to Honokaa, Hawaiian Paradise Park to Captain Cook.
AAO and HAKA utilized contributions to purchase big kennels for adopters, so the cats might get utilized to their brand-new environments and life. Most of them will require to be kenneled for 4 weeks.
Adopters were likewise supplied with food, litter and other products to get the cats off to a good start in their brand-new houses.
“What we’re finding is that with some attention and love, they aren’t all the wild cats people expect them to be,” Lyons-Makaimoku said. “We have adopters loving on them already, and they are turning out to pets. There isn’t a guarantee for every personality, but everything seems to be going well so far.”
All cats were made sterile or sterilized at a personal center by partner organization PetFix Spay &Neuter. They likewise were evaluated for infections, immunized, and microchipped.
In a couple weeks, volunteers will begin recording more cats, although not as lots of as the preliminary. The kennels will be recycled in various houses.
“Everything we do is dependent on the number of adopters. We can keep raising funds and doing the work as long as we have adopters,” Lyons-Makaimoku said. “We’re encouraging people to take in at least two, because the cats are used to having a colony around, and it’s a lot of work to transport just one cat at a time.”
The moving task is the very first of a number of occasions the companies prepare for hosting. AAO and HAKA are still searching for adopters, volunteers and donors to help with future moving jobs that likely will extend through the summertime.
“Although numbers are very difficult to determine, we estimate around 100 cats remain in the Queens’ Marketplace area. Our first trapping weekend was very successful, and we are overjoyed that these 64 kitties will be finding their forever homes in safe places where they can be lovingly cared for,” said John Hopf, president of AAO. “We could’ve easily trapped more, but were limited by the amount of homes that we were able to secure for the cats.”
After making a little damage to the feral cat population in Waikoloa, AAO and HAKA strategy to keep discovering houses for cats from Queens’ Marketplace in addition to a number of other feral cat nests throughout the island.
“Many people have predicted that more property owners may decide to stop allowing feedings, which could leave more cats without food across the island,” Lyons-Makaimoku said.
For more details on embracing, contributing or offering to this effort, go to linktr.ee/808haka or hawaiiaao.org.
Email Kelsey Walling at [email protected].
