The story of a struggling feline family has a furry tail ending thanks to the patience and dedication of some local cat-lovers.
Andrea Chapman saw a post in the ‘Life in Agassiz’ Facebook page on Sunday that a cat and four kittens had been spotted seeking shelter in the brambles under the Agassiz Rosedale Bridge.
“Somebody had posted a video of the kittens crawling around in the brambles under the bridge, and nobody seemed to be stepping up to say they would try and get them,” said Chapman. “It’s just a tangle of blackberries out there.”
She headed to the scene with some cat food, where she says she was joined by Jaimie and Bill Gilroy, also on mission to rescue the furry family.
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Chapman says Bill waited patiently at one entrance to the bushes where the cats were hiding.
“The three of us sat there for three or three and a half hours until the kittens finally just relaxed enough and got confident enough around him,” she said. “I had taken food on a paper plate, they kind of licked and sniffed at it.”
Eventually the kittens came out and their rescuers quickly placed them in the waiting crate. The mom was less willing, said Chapman, so they came back for her the next day.
“We left the food and the mom was scarfing it down. She wasn’t just hungry she was starving. You wouldn’t believe how skinny she is.”
Chapman believes the cat was likely left there before her kittens were born. She said the cat is too sociable too be feral.
“It’s hard for me to accept that someone would dump a cat and kittens,” said Chapman.
After catching the mother cat with a live trap, the family was happily reunited and is enjoying a regular feeding schedule at Chapman’s house.
“They are doing really well, they’re running around and playing and nursing like nobody’s business,” she said.
The cat and kittens are being taken to the vet on Thursday before heading to Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven. The black kitten – the runt of the litter – has already been claimed for adoption.
To report animal abuse, neglect or an animal in distress, contact the BC SPCA at 1-855-622-7722.
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nina.grossman@ahobserver.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
