Weasel the kitten was rescued from a cat colony a number of months in the past and now enjoys snuggling within the arms of his rescuer and foster mom, Heather Suhadolnik of Binghamton.
A black and white charmer, Weasel is one among greater than 150 stray cats and kittens who’re rescued yearly by Lava’s Lost & Forgotten Felines, a non-profit organization based and headed by Suhadolnik and now in its third 12 months of operation.
“We focus primarily on trap, neuter and release and community outreach,” Suhadolnik mentioned. “The mission is to stop the breeding and stop the overpopulation on the city streets.”
A lifelong animal lover, Suhadolnik grew up on a farm on Long Island the place she found her ardour for serving to animals. If she discovered an injured child fox or turtle, she would nurse the creature again to well being after which launch it again into the wild, she mentioned.
A Binghamton resident for greater than 30 years, Suhadolnik turned involved concerning the variety of stray cats roaming the streets and wished to assist them.
Suhadolnik does a lot of the trapping herself. Most of the cat trapping is completed in or round town of Binghamton however she has additionally trapped cats as far-off as Owego and Norwich, she mentioned.
More: Meet the duo giving again on the Nearly New Shop in Binghamton
Cats are then spayed or neutered. Cats which can be very feral and wild are launched. Kittens, young cats and extra pleasant cats are socialized in 4 foster houses run by Lava’s volunteers. Suhadolnik’s personal home is among the foster houses. Approximately 30 kittens and ten grownup cats are being fostered proper now with plans for later adoption, she mentioned.
Every cat and kitten will get a reputation. Some are named after well-liked films. Weasel was a part of the Dead Pool litter, named after the film, “Dead Pool.” His littermates embody Vanessa and Jackson, characters within the film. Suhadolnik has additionally named litters after the Hobbit and Harry Potter films.
They’ve confronted some powerful instances. Many of the cats roaming the streets used to have homeowners however have been deserted, Suhadolnik mentioned.
More: This ‘open arms’ farm stand in Harpursville is growing access to natural produce
“People move and just leave them behind,” she mentioned of the cats.
People assume the cats can fend for themselves on the streets. But they don’t notice {that a} single feminine cat can have 4 litters per 12 months or roughly 20 kittens, she mentioned.
“It’s amazing how fast they can multiply,” she mentioned of the cats.
Some folks feed the strays but when the cats aren’t spayed or neutered, they’ll simply preserve having extra kittens. One or two cats shortly turns into 20 or 40 cats. That leads to a cat colony — a big group of cats dwelling outdoors.
“It’s a vicious cycle,” Suhadolnik mentioned.
Rescuing the cats is a variety of work, she mentioned.
“It’s very time-consuming, very frustrating at times,” she mentioned. “The end result is rewarding.”
Sometimes, individuals who have adopted the cats ship her footage, she mentioned. The identical cat that was all “hiss and spit” earlier than it was fostered and socialized is now cuddling of their proprietor’s lap. That makes all of the arduous work worthwhile.
More about Heather Suhadolnik
Hometown: Center Moriches in Long Island
Home: Binghamton
Family: Husband, Paul; one daughter, three stepchildren and 6 grandchildren
Career: Real property agent and paralegal
How to Help: The rescue is at all times in want of cat meals, provides equivalent to kitty litter, financial donations for vet payments and volunteers keen to foster cats. The rescue runs solely on donations and doesn’t obtain any outdoors funding.
Donations for vet payments could be made at Dickin Memorial Animal Hospital, 2001 East Main St., Endicott; by means of Venmo below the identify of Heather Suhadolnik or by contacting the rescue on Facebook below Lava’s Lost & Forgotten Felines. There can also be an Amazon want listing for wanted objects on the Facebook web page.
