If you didn’t see Andrew and I at Cat & Craft this past week, it’s because we stepped away for some much needed rest and relaxation.
This would not have been possible if not for our super staff and rescue partner keeping everything running like clockwork while we were away.
During our travels we got to spend time with family on the Big Island of Hawaii. As some of you know, the majority of our family resides on the east coast (where we moved here from). However Andrew’s cousin moved his wife and kids to Big Island a few years ago, and as you can imagine that’s a longer flight than most Georgia and Tennessee residents choose to make.
But now that we are in California (and thanks to Southwest causing all the Hawaii bound flight prices to drop) we decided to go say aloha!
Here’s the cool part and why I’m even getting into this on the blog
Long story short – we arrive to meet cousins that Andrew hasn’t seen in years (and that I’ve never even met) and quickly discover that cat obsessions run in our family more than we knew!
“Are they ‘cat people’… or are they just people who have cats?”
We learned that the Hawaiian islands have a disproportionate number of feral and stray cat colonies given there are very few natural predators, and cats are not a native species (I’m intentionally avoiding the “invasive species” debate here though I can see and understand both sides of the argument in this regard).
Add to the equation large areas without access to affordable spay/neutering programs and it’s easy to understand why there are so many cats.
Much like here on the mainland, many folks don’t understand how feral and stray cat communities operate and deem them to be a nuisance.
Without education, the default solution too often involves the topic of extermination. But thanks to dedicated non-profit organizations and volunteers (like our family members) some really pawsitive changes are being made – such as enrolling area resorts into TNR programs and cat colony monitoring programs.
Along for the ride
Our cousin loads the back of the family minivan with 4 large bags of dry food and 8 reusable plastic tubs of pre-portioned wet food the evening before his 6AM volunteer feeding round.
We rode along with him to meet the three colonies he cares for at a golf resort on the western side of the island, and got to see a lot of very well-cared for ear-tipped stray and feral kitties, as well as a few mongoose – the equivalent of what us mainland caretakers encounter when it comes to racoons!
He explained to use that these three specific colonies now have a team of monitoring volunteers in place solely because of one awesome woman who has been caring for them for YEARS.
She started TNR on her own – as many do – and later recruited volunteers to help her with feedings. All cats in the colonies are now spayed/neutered, and if a new cat shows up or one falls ill, she traps them and gets them to the vet.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to meet her, but if you follow any cat rescue account on Instagram (@the_original_trapking, @catmanofwestoakland, @kittenxlady, @paulthecatguy, @catmanchrispoole) then you’ll quickly discover a small army of individuals all over the world who chose to get involved and be the change they want to see in the world, rather than stand idly by to let animals suffer – or worst be exterminated.
So how is this relevant to Cat & Craft?
My hope is by sharing this story and photos with you, it might open your eyes to another way you too can help cats.
Andrew and I initially met our rescue partner because we chose to volunteer as community cat caretakers in Carlsbad long before we opened Cat & Craft.
While we paused on our community feedings in order to open the cat cafe, it’s most certainly work we will return to. Most non-profits – including our partner LYFF – provide all the food and supplies.
All it requires from you is a little bit of your time on a regular basis… and you’ll soon be rewarded by cats who recognize you, wait for you, and live a happier and healthier existence because of you.
If you’re interested in getting started with volunteering, click here to visit LYFF Rescue’s volunteer page. They have lots of different ways that you can help – even being a temporary foster for cats who will end up at C&C!