Cat Rescue Maritimes seeks volunteers, food, donations to help control Metro's feral cat population

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By Eric Lewis
Times & Transcript Staff

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The co-director of CA-R-MA.org Moncton (Cat Rescue Maritimes) isn't surprised that the organization has reached the milestone of trapping, fixing and releasing 500 cats.

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GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT

Gail Goulette plays with some of many cats the volunteer charity organization is hoping to domesticate and find a good home for.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

April Barnes (left) and Gail Goulette pose with a feral cat they trapped just recently in Metro Moncton. It was CA-R-MA.org Moncton's 500th cat trapped. The cat was fixed and returned to its home the next day.

Marlah Hoganson is just surprised it took the organization less than two years to do so.

That they've captured 500 feral cats around Moncton may seem astonishing to the rest of us, but Hoganson and the 40 or so CA-R-MA volunteers in the area are well aware that the feral cat problem in Metro Moncton is a huge one.

"It didn't take us very long after we started this to realize how many cats there are around that need our help," she says. "It was actually kind of overwhelming."

CA-R-MA's Moncton branch formed in January of last year with the goal of cutting down on the feral cat population in the area so that fewer cats would be found as roadkill in rural areas and so fewer would perish in Atlantic Canada's harsh winter weather.

It's amazing how far fixing only one cat can go.

According to CA-R-MA statistics, spaying one female cat can prevent the birth of 36,000 kittens within just five years and neutering one male can prevent hundreds of females from being impregnated each year. Within seven years, the offspring of one pair of cats can produce as many as 420,000 cats.

A feral cat colony usually forms near a home in rural areas where the homeowner has generously fed the cats and sometimes even provided shelter for them in a barn or shed.

But a good deed sometimes can lead to more than the good samaritan bargained for, and that's often when people contact CA-R-MA.

"We trapped (a cat) on Sunday night," Hoganson says of one colony. "They started off with one little female cat three years ago and now they have 19. We just got involved with them this year and we have started to trap and neuter and spay."

Gail Goulette, a volunteer who traps and fosters cats for CA-R-MA, was one of the trappers who caught CA-R-MA's 500th cat just over a week ago.

She says trapping can be difficult. Typically, trappers will set out traps with food in them around 8 p.m. in the area the cats have been located. Sometimes it can take a few hours of waiting in a nearby vehicle, but when the cat gets caught in the trap, the trappers move in to collect it.

Goulette says there is only a small metal handle to carry the cat cage with, "and you're praying it doesn't stick out its paw because if it does, you know you're going to get hurt."

Feral cats, many of whom have never had close contact with humans, can be ferocious, but she says they will often calm down if the trapper places a blanket over the cage. Like domestic cats, feral cats feel safe when they're out of sight.

The cats are brought to the vet clinic first thing in the morning so they can be fixed. Male cats can be returned to their natural habitat only hours after surgery, while females are normally held overnight.

If a cat shows signs that it can be domesticated, CA-R-MA will seek out a home for it, especially with kittens who can adjust a little easier to human contact.

Goulette says it is a tough process to get a frightened kitten, taken from its home when it's only a few weeks old, to trust humans. Some have taken two to three months for her to domesticate.

"But it's so rewarding when that little kitten crawls up and snuggles with you," she says. "You know, you got it."

This week, there are seven outings planned to trap cats in various areas around the city.

Two local veterinary clinics offer their services to CA-R-MA at a discounted price: Elmwood Veterinary Hospital on MacAleese Lane and Maritime Animal Hospital on Main Street. Oulton's College veterinary technician students also help out during the school year.

Hoganson and Goulette both stress that the clinics are doing all they can, but they can always use more help. CA-R-MA recently presented both clinics with cakes in appreciation for their help in reaching the 500-cat milestone.

"They work very hard, and I think they deserve recognition," Goulette says. "Without the vets, there is no CA-R-MA."

A small fundraiser planned for CA-R-MA will take place on July 16, 17 and 18 when tickets will be sold on a blanket at the Northwest Centre Sobeys.

CA-R-MA's foster homes are full right now with 18 cats, many of whom will be put up for adoption. Hoganson says the group is always looking for volunteers, donations of food or money to help the cause.

n To volunteer or inquire about donations or adopting a cat, contact Marlah Hoganson at 855-9532 or 866-3570. For more information on CA-R-MA.org Moncton, visit www.ca-r-ma.org/moncton.html