
SAFER
Seacoast Area Feline Education & Rescue




Rescues can take more than a year! December 2017, SAFER got a call from a man with 7 kittens & a mama cat he was feeding outside. Apparently, Mama had 3 kittens that were now 7 months old and a second litter of 4 kittens, now 4 months old! Jeff found it interesting watching and feeding mama and 3 kittens; but 4 new ones, well, that was a bit much! It’s December and getting cold. Crafting a huge box with a heating pad, he was taking really good care of them but knew this was becoming a problem.
Jeff called SAFER for help who managed to trap all 7 kittens, vet them and send them for adoption. Unfortunately, we were unable to trap Mama.
Almost a year later, August 2018, another call - Mama is back with 2 more kittens. SAFER trapped these little ones, but Mama eluded us once again...wily little lady!
Fast forward to November 2018, Jeff says Mama returned with 6 more kittens in tow! It took about 2 weeks to get her acclimated to the presence of our traps (she had become VERY trap-savvy). FINALLY, we got MAMA and her “mini me” kitten! Then, one by one, we caught 4 more kittens.
The 6th kitten (a short-hair orange & white male, just like Dad) hadn't been around for days! Had something happened to him? SAFER was not giving up. Eventually Junior appears, With Dad! He was caught…but Not Dad.
It took an entire year to catch 15 kittens from ONE mama (4 separate litters). THEY will never reproduce! (Cats can get pregnant as early as FIVE months!! Having 2 litters each year with an average of 4 kittens per litter…well, you can to the math!!)
We still have Mama who is very feral. Spayed & vetted, we are looking for a nice barn for her to live the rest of her life in peace – and no more kittens!!
Despite our success, we still have more work to do at Jeff’s…one Elusive DAD! Look out Papa, we are coming! You have procreated enough!!
14 kittens have been adopted. Junior has pus in his eyes and blisters in his mouth (probably Feline calicivirus). His recovery will take time, especially considering he didn’t get the best start in life.
THIS is how SAFER manages to control Community Cat populations. Returning as many times as needed to get them all! The social and semi-social ones are neutered/vetted and placed for adoption. The feral (non-social) ones are TNR’d (Trap/Neutered/Returned) to their original location when possible, then fed/watered/provided shelter Every Day for the rest of their life.
Feeding does not take that much time (and we need new volunteers to do this) and SAFER is committed to caring for these community cats. In this way, they are not hungry or looking for shelter and making a nuisance of themselves for the public. A typical community/feral cat lives 3-5 years, lucky ones live up to 10; and because of SAFER, they are NOT reproducing.
As long as people spay/neuter and don’t dump unwanted cats, the cycle will end. Let’s make our community Litter Free! If you have a cat you can no longer care for, please take it to a shelter to be rehomed.
SAFER is run entirely by donations. We are all unpaid volunteers. EVERY penny goes directly to the care for these cats. Thank you for your support. Please Volunteer & Donate.