A holiday miracle occurred early this month, when a feral mama cat, now named Brenda, was reunited with one of her kittens, Brandon, after being hundreds of miles away from each other for weeks. From heart-wrenching to heartwarming, this story serves as a reminder that the lives of all animals’ matter and that every person in this world can make a difference.
Previously referred to as “the desert cats,” the feral cats’ harrowing adventure began after being found on the construction site of a new solar project that was being built in Daggett, California, a small 200-resident town 10 miles east of Barstow. Teresita Araujo, the company’s electrical foreman, began caring for the cats, feeding them, and having her compassionate crew make them a house out of an old ice chest. There were some problems as expected in a situation like this, but the most immanent one was that as the holidays were approaching, everyone would be leaving, except for the feral cat family.
After being trapped and relocated separately within a period of three weeks, the cats are now settling into their new forever home more than 200 miles away at The Cat House on the Kings. Home to more than 700 felines, the rescue is California’s largest no-cage, no-kill, lifetime cat sanctuary and adoption center.
Los Angeles-based animal activist Simone Reyes was instrumental in coordinating and facilitating the rescue and rehoming Brenda and Brandon after being altered to the situation. The first attempt to trap both cats resulted in only securing the kitten as the mama cat ran away before eventually being trapped herself weeks later. While the chances of trapping feral cats and relocating them somewhere where they could live with one another safely for the balance of the lives seemed nearly impossible, miraculously, it happened. This is a tremendous win in an increasing battle to save the lives of feral cats.
“It is estimated that in the United States there are over seventy million feral cats. There are kind citizens who do their best to Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), feed, and provide shelter for many. Sadly, when there is no long-term caregiver to provide for them, as in this case, options to help feral cats are unfortunately abysmal,” Reyes told WAN, calling The Cat House on the Kings ‘true heroes for felines in need.’ “Saving this mom and son may be small in the big picture, but for these two souls, it is everything.”
While the number of feral cats in California remains unknown, the fact that there are an estimated one to three million in Los Angeles alone, demonstrates the severity of this issue and the need for it to be handled in a way that saves the lives of these animals. Sadly, due to numerous reasons ranging from lack of laws to protect them to misinformation about how to best handle them, feral cats remain a sensitive topic for many.
After following the story as it has unfolded, WAN is thrilled to share this exclusive update on mama feral cat Brenda and her kitten Brandon. Brenda and Brandon, who is estimated to be about seven months old, have since been spayed and neutered respectively.
