From the T-Town TNR  Mewsletter (May 2022) - Vista Shadow Mountain Caregiver Story
Click here to read the entire May Mewsletter!

Celebrating Caretakers . . . One story of compassion

It was a chilly evening in early January 2021 when a T-Town TNR team member responded to a request for assistance regarding the community cats at Vista Shadow Mountain.  Cindy, a former resident, had been looking after the cats in this large, sprawling apartment complex with 593 units. She fed them, loved them, and continued to care for them even after she had moved elsewhere. She wanted help in getting them spayed/neutered to stop the reproduction and the constant birth of kittens.

When the T-Town TNR Team member initially visited, she met a friendly mama cat, her four kittens, and an orange tom cat who briefly took in the scene before wandering away.  

Five cats? The Team member thought. That’s not too bad. We can get them taken care of in no time!
It was a nice and short-lived fantasy. Further visits to the complex revealed new feline faces. Five cats suddenly became eight and eight turned into twelve. Other families of cats were discovered at different parts of the complex. Soon as many as thirty cats had been identified and it was likely there were others who were staying out of sight, not to mention those yet to be born to already pregnant young mothers.

If you have ever lived in an apartment complex, you have most likely seen the occasional cat passing by. Some may be friendly while others prefer to keep their distance. The origin story for these cats likely starts with people who move out of an apartment and, for a variety of reasons, do not take their furry family members with them. If these cats are not spayed or neutered, then they start families of their own. Without human interaction at a young age, many of these kittens grow up to be feral, or unsocialized and afraid of humans. The cycle of kittens continues until a very large group of cats has manifested in a rather short time. Such is the story of the cats at Vista Shadow Mountain.

This is where trap, neuter, vaccinate and return (TNVR) comes into the picture. These unsocialized cats do not acclimate to being indoor house cat companions and, without intervention, will continue to have kittens. When well-meaning people bring these healthy animals to their local shelters, their feral nature makes them unadoptable, and they will not leave the shelter alive. TNVR is the process of humanely trapping these community cats, getting them spayed and neutered, vaccinated, and returning them to the outside home that they know. The endless cycle of kitten births is broken, these cats are healthier than before, and they can live out the rest of their nine lives in peace with their human neighbors. These cats are not homeless or uncared for; rather the opposite is likely true. This location is the only home they have ever known, and many of these cat families have dedicated caregivers who love them and want the best for them. If you’ve ever seen a cat sporting a tipped left ear, you’ve seen a cat who has gone through a TNVR program.

So, the work of trapping, spaying, vaccinating, and returning the apartment complex cats continued throughout the spring and into the summer. There had been rumors of damages to some of the units from the extreme cold in February with burst pipes, indicating the possibility that the residents would have to relocate for their safety.  Then one day those rumors turned into reality. Everyone would have to leave, and the complex would have to undergo extensive renovation before re-opening. As people packed and prepared to leave, several residents wondered what would happen to the cats who also lived there and had nowhere else to go.

Enter T-Town TNR which, with financial support from many of you and cooperation from the Vista Shadow Mountain property owner and staff, rallied and rose to meet the challenge. There were still many cats that needed to be trapped and fixed, including a large group that was just identified. Plans would need to be made for volunteers to feed the cats daily now that their resident caregivers were gone, and any kittens that were under eight weeks of age could be placed into foster homes until they found loving forever families. The first step involved identifying scared, friendly pet cats that had been left behind. These cats would not have the skills or the cat family to help them survive. Six cats were found who were determined to be displaced pets; some of them underfed and all of them scared.

Once these kitties were safely in foster homes, the hard work of trapping the remaining community cats began. Over the month that followed the residents moving out, approximately thirty community cats were trapped, sterilized, vaccinated, and returned. Feeding stations were set up at popular feline hangouts throughout the complex, and dedicated cat lovers set up a schedule for making sure they were fed daily. To date, 61 cats have been touched by T-Town TNR across Vista Shadow Mountain. Twenty of these kitties were placed into foster homes and have moved on to forever families.  Many of the cats that were roaming there for breeding activity were fixed and have gone back to their home neighborhoods.

The cats who remain at Vista Shadow Mountain have fallen into a comfortable rhythm with their caregiving team. They eagerly await a volunteer’s arrival with breakfast each morning, often running up when the car when it approaches, some meowing expectantly. Others hide in background until the humans are moving away before they enter the area to eat.  The feeding stations have been upgraded to covered wooden platforms that keep their food dry and give the cats and clean place to eat. During the winter months, the cats were protected from the cold in dry safe hideaways in the complex.  There is constant security on the property and with both cameras and staff. 

These dedicated cat caretakers have never missed a day in feeding these cats, rain or shine, heat or cold, for almost a year now.

Thanks to TNVR and the volunteers and community supporters who make it possible, the cats of Vista Shadow Mountain have a bright future. They are healthy, loved (even if they can’t be touched), and no new kittens have been discovered at the apartments. However, there are still hundreds of community cats in Tulsa and the surrounding areas who do not have as cheerful of an outlook. Without intervention, kittens will continue to be born and too many cats will enter our shelters each year.

Fortunately, Vista Shadow Mountain is an example that there is hope and that TNVR does indeed work.

In a world and city with many challenges, T-Town TNR will continue to strive to make Tulsa a kinder place for the community cats who live here, and all who love animals are welcome to join them. This work can only be done with the generous support of Tulsa residents and the volunteers who put their hearts into these difficult efforts. When a city comes together to work towards a common cause, a better life is possible for all who call it home, people and cats alike.

The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.  – Coretta Scott King
 
A special fund has been set up to feed the cats of Vista Shadow Mountain.  We have been doing it for almost a year now and there will likely be another year of feeding.  If you would like to support this effort, please consider a donation or even a monthly donation.  If you are available to help feed in the morning hours, we would welcome you to the team.
Before...
The cats are fed at 5 separate stations once a day.  Donate to the Food Fund and consider a monthly donation to keep these kitties happy and healthy!
The food used is Purina Cat Chow (approx $20 per 20 lb bag) and canned Friskies Pate (40 cans for $27), though any pate canned food is acceptable. 
After...