Cat Stories + Caregiver Comments
More than 7,000 cats came through FCCO’s doors last year.
Each one has their own story, but they all share one thing in common: someone took action to help them. It’s your support that makes our services possible for them. Thank you!
Meet our 140,000th Cat Helped!
Our milesetone kitty is named "Minnie Winnie". He came with his sister, Oreo, from Battle Ground, WA, on December 4, 2024. They were spayed/neutered along with 72 other cats at our clinic.
Minnie Winnie's Story as told by his caregiver, Jaime:
We have a very large feral cat population in our neighborhood. We had four generations at one point. Minnie Winnie and his sister, Oreo, came from a litter in the summer of 2023.
Oreo was pretty easy to name but we struggled with the little orange one so we called him "Minnie Winnie" because he looked like a smaller version of another cat we named Winston. It was supposed to be a temporary name until we could come up with a better one, but here we are! While we’ve lost other cats, Oreo and Minnie Winnie have held on. They have been very apprehensive about human contact which has made it very difficult to domesticate them, but they live on our back porch.
Minnie Winnie is definitely no longer mini, weighing more than 11 pounds on our scale, but he and Oreo are now both vaccinated, treated for parasites, and spayed/neutered. And they are among 140,000 cats helped at FCCO because of compassionate caregivers, as well as volunteers and donors who make our services possible.
"You guys are so important to our cat community and I'm so grateful you exist. Thank you all for helping our feral cats have the best possible life and prevent more wild kitties." ~ Shannon, feral cat caregiver
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"You guys are so important to our cat community and I'm so grateful you exist. Thank you all for helping our feral cats have the best possible life and prevent more wild kitties." ~ Shannon, feral cat caregiver |
Alice, who recently brought 13 cats to be spayed/neutered, said of FCCO’s services: “So helpful for the community. I can't say enough good things about how wonderful this group was during the tough times trying to get vet apts. I trapped several feral/barn cats and they were over the top with their treatments and surgeries for prevention of adding to the overpopulation!
Thank you so much to all the staff and the donors!”
Alice brought Mama Cat into her home this summer to have her litter then socialized the kittens so she could find them homes. She brought them all to FCCO to be spayed/neutered and vaccinated to make sure they would never add to cat overpopulation. Mama Cat and her kittens are pictured here.
“Thanks for taking such good care of my new found friend and giving her the Bob Barker treatment that my disability budget can’t afford.”
“I am so grateful for your help – helping me give Keek a better life,” Leslie told us. It was a bad situation when Keek showed up in Leslie’s cow barn during the fire evacuations in in the Fall of 2020. “I suspect she belonged to someone who had to evacuate because I was at one point able to touch her but then, after trying to hold her, I was no longer allowed near her,” she said. Leslie made sure Keek had food and water. Keek, in turn, presented two litters of kittens.
Leslie was able to get the kittens adopted out with help from friends and local rescues but then when she heard about FCCO’s services she made an appointment. It took three attempts but Leslie was finally able to trap Keek and bring her in to FCCO to be spayed.
“I wanted to prevent having to deal with 2 to 3 litters of kittens a year,” Leslie said. “Now she is waiting for me on the haystack every morning with a smile on her face - and I have a big smile on my face, too.”
“I can’t thank you enough for being there to take care of our ferals. We can tell you really care about what you do and it is such a needed service. You are true heroes!”
Bini L. of Portland didn't set out to be a Kitten Lady, but perhaps the young mama cat who chose her yard for shelter sensed that a caring person lived there. Then one mama and her kittens grew to a colony of ten cats during the early stages of the pandemic.
Watch this touching video of Bini telling her story. Included is some heartwarming footage of mama cat moving a tiny kitten. You'll want to play this one a few times!
“I love these people! We got all the feral cats around our home spayed and neutered and it was so inexpensive. They make it super easy by providing live traps too. They’re incredibly nice and helpful. We captured and re-homed 17 feral kittens last year. This year, not one single litter!!”
“We really enjoy their company, even if they're not cuddly like our indoor kitties,” said Arron, a feral cat caregiver.
Arron found litter of kittens born under his in Hillsboro, OR, house. He put out food for them, but wanted to make sure that no more litters of kittens appeared so he searched the internet and found FCCO. All five of his feral cats are now spayed/neutered and vaccinated - and well fed.
“I feel more relaxed knowing that you are taking care of feral cats!”
This litter of 8 kittens might still be feral, if not for the efforts of Sherri and her family.
Sherri H. of Longview, WA, sent us this photo taken by her granddaughter. She said, “these beautiful babies were the product of a stray cat who showed up at our home in June. Momma kitty was spayed in your clinic and is doing very well. We have had to work with her babies to make them a less skittish around humans. They are doing well, and will spayed/neutered and have their shots, and go to their forever homes with family members/friends who have claimed them.”
“Very, very great place! Very helpful and knowledgeable. If you have feral cats and want to help the cat population, give the FCCO a call!!!”
Watch Poppy and her four adorable kittens! Caregivers David and Jenn discovered the kittens when they were young, and then set up video cameras to watch them in action. As the kittens got older these caregivers realized they needed to get the cats spayed/neutered, and that's when they found FCCO.
It's your support that makes our services possible for caregivers who care deeply about their cats and want them to be healthy - and not breeding. Thank you.
“Amazing people here. They have been outstanding with helping me get a crazy amount of cats fixed...”
Ralph and his many friends
“We started feeding a stray cat who we named Ralph. He started living here and eventually brought a bunch of his friends. And then they decided to have a bunch of kittens,” said feral cat caregiver Judy B.
In this video Judy shares her story, which involved getting all 30 of the feral cats she feed - including Ralph - spayed/neutered at FCCO.
“We very much appreciate being able to bring the cats to FCCO - we would never have been able to have all 18 cats fixed otherwise! I know people think I am the crazy cat lady, but if people would be responsible for their cats and not move away and leave them behind, and/or have them fixed it would have prevented this from happening. I just can’t let them starve. The cats are all healthy and doing well now.”
Cheerio
Lori R., shared this update on Cheerio: “We trapped Cheerio and you spayed her a few years ago. At first she'd visit every night, often demanding some attention - either company while she eats or petting and head scratches. When she saw us looking at her out our window, she would meow and go stand by the door. She wouldn't come in and was very jumpy, but still wanted attention - as long as she made the rules.”
“It took lots of patience, but we eventually got her comfortable inside and she has become a much-loved member of our family, and the biggest snugglebug of our four cats.”
“I’m so grateful to have heard about FCCO. Totally worth the drive from Salem! Thanks for providing these services for stray and feral cats in our communities.”
Hekktor
"Hekktor followed my housemate home after a walk and we saw him nearly everyday after,” said Brody W. “He seems to know who the ‘cat people’ are. Over time he became more friendly but we cannot keep pets inside, so we made him as comfortable as we could outdoors. He brought a lot of joy, but after bringing him to you we found him a permanent home where he has settled in very well. Thank you for services.”
“FCCO is an amazing organization! The staff is friendly and professional. We have done trap, neuter, release (TNR) for lots of the feral kitties in our neighborhood. It really helped keep the numbers of cold, sad and sick kitties down!”
Three feral cats were living in Betsy’s Forest Grove neighborhood. She knew that wasn’t a safe option for them and decided that she could provide them shelter and food.
The cats are very comfortable now with Betsy being around them - though still at a distance (photographed with a telephoto lens).
“I’ve taken several stray/feral cats to FCCO and am very grateful for the services they provide, to help prevent new litters of homeless kittens, and to help improve the lives of all of the cats surviving out there on their own.”
Clyde
Clyde showed up in January with what looked like old injuries. He would not let me - or anyone - get close to him, but was hanging out during the day with my neighbors' cats. He began sleeping on my porch so I provided him a cat house and I put out food for him.
I was able to bring Clyde to FCCO to be neutered in May. He’s doing well and is hanging around. He still takes off when I open the door, but at least he has plenty to eat. Thank you for all you did for Clyde!
~ Laurie S.
“You really do a wonderful and needed service. Thank you so much!.”
After each clinic we share a "Cat of the Day" story on Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to follow us to see more photos and to read about feral and outdoor stray cats whose lives have been improved because someone cared. Thank you, also, to all who take a moment to leave thoughtful words about their experiences at our clinic. Your kindness is much appreciated.
