CAMP MANY PAWS RESCUES KENSEY AND HER KITTENS

While taking a walk in our neighborhood at Kensington Golf and Country Club in early August, I saw a stray cat lying in the driveway of a home I knew was empty for the summer. She appeared to have a severe head injury. I went home and brought back some food and water. I fed her for several days, eventually realizing she only liked dry cat food. After about a week of my visits, I was surprised to find she had moved 4 young kittens near the food and water source. I knew she needed medical help, so I called the Humane Society. The Humane Society let me know that they could take the mother and the kittens if she was friendly –otherwise they would only take the kittens. Domestic services said they would trap and take the kittens to the Humane Society, but not the mother cat. After many phone calls to every animal rescue I could find, I spoke to Gwen at “Camp Many Paws.” Camp Many Paws is a 501c non-profit organization whose goal is to ultimately put kind and friendly cats into loving homes. They also help to reduce the feral cat population in Naples with a trap, neuter, and release program.

Gwen came out to assess the situation and set up a humane trap. We put food in it, but by nightfall, “Mama Cat” was still not trapped. I dismantled the trap once it was dark,for fear of trapping her during the night and leaving the kittens unguarded. The next morning Gwen came out again,and it was decided that it was best to take the kittens, who were about 3 weeks old, to a foster home and hope to catch Mama Cat while retrieving the kittens. We tried to use one of the kittens to lure Mama Cat into the trap, but had no luck. Gwen took the kittens home to feed them and I reset the trap with dry cat food. I then got into my car and prayed non-stop for about 20 minutes. Then I heard the trap spring shut and saw that Mama Cat was in the trap. I sat on the ground next to the trap for about an hour waiting for Gwen to return. I spoke quietly to Mama Cat and she remained calm. Gwen picked her up and took her to the vet for treatment of her wound. She was also given strong antibiotics. She was reunited with her kittens and, as the pictures show, she is improving and the kittens are doing well! Gwen named her “Kensey” since she was rescued at Kensington.The kittens will be available for adoption in a few weeks. We are hopeful that “Kensey” will be able to find a “fur-ever” home as well.

Camp Many Paws is a small organization that does a lot of great and humane work in our community and really needs financial support. Please consider a donation to help Kensey and her kittens as well as other deserving felines. If you can foster or adopt a cat please call them. Their website is campmanypaws-naples.com and their contact number is 239-438-2963.

Lee Pinto R.N. C.F.N.
President AVOW Women’s Board
Avow Board of Directors
239-821-6195