Guest Post with Cat Scout Felix

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Felixsitting2Hi everyone! We are lucky to have a guest post by our good friend, Cat Scout Felix.

Howdy, everyone!  Last time, Maggie shared some information with you from the Humane Society of the U.S. Taking Action for the Animals conference held in Washington DC a few weeks ago.  Today, I’m going to tell you about an amazing young woman who has single-handedly taken on the huge project of rescuing cats who have chosen  Norfolk VA Naval Station as their “home.”   straycatonmilitarybase

Stray/feral animals on military bases here and abroad create a huge challenge. Luckily, our President has made it easier now for returning Service Personnel to adopt the animals they’ve worked side by side with (dogs performing impawtant duties like guarding, bomb detection and other tasks).  So far, cats on overseas bases have served as companions and morale boosters.  They haven’t been trained to do other “work.”

On our State-side bases, there are usually stray dogs and cats who wander onto a base and start to think of it as their home.  We’re featuring Norfolk today, because it is one of our largest Naval bases, and at last count, it had 120 stray cats.

Our mom met a dynamic young woman who saw this crisis and decided to do something about it.  She had inside knowledge about the number of cats on the base, and she and some like-minded good samaritans started “rescuing” cats one by one and finding them new homes.  They operated “under the radar,” but with the tacit approval of certain base personnel who sympathized with their mission.

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This fabulous cat rescue lady partnered with the Norfolk SPCA and finally with the Naval Station’s powers that be to get purrmission to start removing, rehabbing and re-homing the cats on the base, one by one.  As of mid-June, over 20 had been successfully adopted out.  This shows that determination and teamwork can address and help solve a “problem” that could have turned out unfavorably for our compatriots.  Now, everyone on the Base knows about the rescue/rehab program and is helping with the effort.

If you live near a military base, try to see if they, too, have a stray animal situation and see what YOU CAN DO to help!  If you know someone who’s serving overseas where there are “stray/feral” animals on base, see if you can help that person get permission to bring the animal home, adopt it out in country or otherwise guarantee its safety and well-being.

For further information about Norfolk Naval Station’s program: ca*************@gm***.com         If you write, just say you were referred by our mom, who met her at the TAFA conference in June 2016.

This is the first program of its kind here in the States, but YOU can help it spread and do good work all around our country.  GO!

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66 comments

  10. What a great program. So many wonderful people doing great things for kitties who need it. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

  11. waves two ewe cat scout felix ~~~~~~~~

    thanx for sharin thiz awesum post; & high paws two de ladee & her crew for helpin out all theeze kittehz; we hope next ree port tellz bout each N everee on findin ther for everz……..happee gotcha day two de otherz ~~ ♥♥♥

  12. Such a wonderful project!

    When our dad was deployed overseas, they had cats who had a very important duty: catching mice to keep them out of the kitchens! They were local/feral cats that were neutered/spayed and given vaccinations, and then allowed to remain on the base to work as rodent exterminators.

  14. I am in (joyful) tears reading this! Thank you so much for all of the wonderful support for Cat Team 7. It is amazing and overwhelming. Thank you to Felix for featuring us, and to all those rooting for us!!

    2. Dear Caitlyn, Our mom was very happy to have met you and we wish you great continued success!

  16. Wow, I see an ad for Castelli Romani on your site and that’s where WE are right now…In Rome and the castelli are just a few kilometres away. Lovely post. And love from Loulou in her Italian persona.

    1. I think google adsense knows what you have looked at online and tries to tempt you. XO

  17. Amazing program and lovely pictures you’ve included! It makes me so happy to know these cats are making a difference too.

    1. You should inquire, I was thinking of doing the same at Westover ( 1/2 hour from here).

  21. I think that this can be a great thing, but what about the bases where the folks do want the strays? I know folks serving overseas that had kitties on their base. These kitties became family to the military boys and then were removed from the base, leaving quite a few heartbroken service people behind. The kitties may technically be “stray”, but at least on the this particular base, they were loved and cared for by the servicemen. They wanted them, even needed them, but they were taken from them.

    1. That is so sad, if I lived there, I would have fought for them to stay and get involved with TNR.

      1. Thank you. It would be great if someone could be there to fight for the boys to be allowed to keep the kitties there. They need this sense of comfort, of being able to take care of a living thing, especially when their jobs are so focused on being able to kill. 🙁

        1. That is a very good point. I am not sure who needs to be contacted about this. When they remove the cats, are they being euthanized? That would be even worst.

        2. We are in fact working on a policy change that could include language for this! The cats we are currently trapping and removing don’t live on ships/in buildings. They live on a rock line and do not generally engage people. In order to get them fixed and vetted, they have to come off base, and per the policy they are not allowed to return. Also, it is a felony misdemeanor to feed/care for them. With overpopulation a problem and litters of kittens dying at a rate of 50%, we are trying to do what we are allowed for now while changing the policy to allow for better. PLEASE keep in touch! Ca*************@gm***.com

          1. That is awful that it is against the law to feed them- that needs to be changed.

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