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Hello fellow Rapidians. I’m Carol Manos of Carol's Ferals. You will be hearing a lot from me. Mostly about stray and feral cats and how I can help you to help them. With The Rapidian launching, I hope to better serve the cats of Grand Rapids by reaching out to all of you who read these words.
My journey began nearly 4 years ago, when I noticed some stray cats behind a Burger King in Cutlerville. I learned quickly these cats were not very friendly, and later discovered it was because they were feral. Feral cats are cats that are either born outside, have not lived with people, or are not socialized to be with us. In a sense, they are "wild" cats. Although these cats are no one's pets, they still need help from people to stay healthy and live their lives without causing problems for neighborhoods and to their own population. I decided to start trapping them for the purpose of spaying and neutering. I spay and neuter feral cats to reduce the population of struggling, outdoor cats that can spread disease. This quickly became my passion as I learned of the great impact it would have on the cat overpopulation problem. The breeding potential of one intact female cat and her mate and their offspring is estimated to be 11,000 cats over the course of 5 years. I decided there was no better way to help cats than to fix as many as I could.
In 2005, I started Carol’s Ferals, my 501c3 Non-Profit based out of Grand Rapids. I organize and guide people who are feeding stray and feral cats to do Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). Sanctioned by Alley Cat Allies and many other humane animal organizations worldwide, TNR is the best way to control the overpopulation of free-roaming cats. By spaying and neutering homeless cats and returning them where you found them, you can stabilize the population to a manageable level, eliminate problem behaviors that go along with mating (like yowling and fighting), and provide the best possible life to the cats themselves.
I am excited to use The Rapidian as a tool to educate and reach a whole new group of people. I can help you to help the cats in your neighborhood. If you love cats, you are going to love me; if you do not like cats, you are going to love me - because TNR makes for less cats! I vow to work hard and continue curbing the brimming population of stray and feral cats until they are considered an "endangered species"!
Carol's Ferals is here to help you change the lives of neighborhood cats for the better. For starters, Carol's Ferals offers traps to loan and we will teach you how to properly use them. For more information, please visit: www.carolsferals.com and keep checking back here at The Rapidian for tips and ideas and some success stories of other people just like you helping their neighborhood cats.
And remember, "Just because you can’t touch them….Doesn’t mean you can’t help them."
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Comments
I have been a resident of Heritage Hill for over ten years and face this issue yearly as a new batch of strays (some feral some not) come through my street. I may be taking you up on your trap loaners!
From someone who has been TNRing for years, it is REALLY easy to do and will save your neighborhood cats alot of pain and suffering. Cats that are born outside have alot of hardships to face- getting mauled by dogs, getting hit by cars, finding food, and avoiding disease (even fleas can kill a cat if left untreated), and that's just for starters. Stopping them from breeding is one of the easiest and kindest things you can do. Please contact Carol and get a trap! She'll guide you through the whole process and it won't cost you a dime, just a little bit of your time.