Success Stories

Melinda's Story
"My name is Melinda and I am desperate for help. For two days now, I have been hearing what sounds like a baby kitten crying nonstop in the crawl space under my house. I called Animal Control and a couple of other organizations, but they all keep telling me that I have to bring the kitten to them. Well, I am 83 years old and there is no way I can crawl underneath my house to get that baby. If nobody helps me, I think its going to die."

When Melinda left this message for RMACA, we did not waste any time. Within one hour RMACA Rescue Coordinator Jen was on the scene. With flashlight and cat carrier in tow, Jen braved the muck and cobwebs, crawling army-style toward the sound of pitiful mewling. What she discovered made us all glad that she had responded so quickly. Somehow, a 5-week-old kitten had crawled into an old metal exhaust fan and was firmly stuck. The situation became even more desperate when Jen realized that every time the kitten flailed, the sharp fan blades rotated and scraped deeper into her already bleeding legs. Jen borrowed a screwdriver from Melinda and was able to get the poor kitten out without any further injuries. She immediately took the kitten to one of our veterinarians, who kindly admitted the kitten without delay. Though cut, bruised, and badly dehydrated, the tiny grey tabby pulled through and grew into a sweet, playful kitten.

Over the next couple of weeks, our volunteers trapped, neutered, and returned the 8 ferals that Melinda had been feeding, and placed the littermates of the stuck kitten into foster care. Melinda was thrilled to find out that such a service existed; she admitted that she had not told Animal Control about the other cats because she was afraid that they would be put to sleep. Melinda continues to care for her beloved cats and is happy to report that no new kittens have been born in her area.

Gracie
It was one hundred degrees and a black cat had been stranded for two days on top of the East Lawn Cemetery Mausoleum, apparently having reached her destination by tree. RMACA Director Marcy arrived with a ladder that proved too short, so, sporting thongs, she scaled the tree until she realized that she herself might become stranded! By the time she was able to return with a longer ladder, the cat was back on the ground, moving from tree to ravine . . . alarmingly close to I-70. What ensued next was a very long game of "cat and Marcy," but Marcy's patience and skill prevailed at last. Later, the woman who alerted us about this situation gave a donation because "no one else would help." The cat we now call Gracie is still a little "spooky" with strangers, but is otherwise loving and hoping for a new life as someones beloved pet.

I Am a Foster Parent to Feral Cats
[RMACA volunteer] Tearach taught me everything I know about trapping ferals and taking care of them. My young daughter and I are very grateful for all her help and for RMACA support. We live in the Curtis Park area, and last spring (May 2004), a grey female lodged herself in our back yard--she had three kittens. After many phone calls, we placed the entire family with [another rescue organization]. The female was returned to me but the organization promised that they would spay her.

Since I started feeding the female (probably abandoned when young herself and now a feral), other ferals started coming to our yard. Tearach loaned me two traps and walked me through the process. She provided me with the van schedule and I was able to trap and neuter three males that spring. In the fall, the female disappeared for two weeks or so but when she returned she had two kittens with her. I gather that [the other organization] did not fix her as they had promised. Tearach suggested that I trap the female and get her to Harrison; she came over one rainy night and helped me set the traps. After we caught the female, Tearach took her to Harrison.

Next, we had to get the kittens, which were found after a brief search in the yard. Tearach loaned me a cage and helped me and my daughter "foster" the kittens. We did so for nearly three weeks: feeding them, playing with them, handling them, and getting them used to humans. Tearach also helped us with shots for the kittens as well as gave us great advice about diet and hints for socialization. A woman with three young children agreed to adopt them. This all happened in October 2004. The kittens were recently neutered by their private vet and they are in a happy home.

The female feral continues to come for regular feedings, as does another male feral that we trapped last spring. The other two we trapped have not been seen but we know that they will not be able to reproduce. Another of our friends in this neighborhood has trapped a number of ferals with RMACA help; recently, she adopted one of the cats herself.

This past summer, my daughter got together a carload of toys, various knick knacks, and books to donate for rummage sales sponsored by RMACA; we also attended the book sale and try to attend as many fundraisers as we can. We tell as many people as we can about trapping and fixing feral cats. We believe that RMACA and its volunteers are doing very important work for some of the most helpless members of our community.

Thank you for teaching us to take care of the ferals who come to our lives.

- Cynthia
- Grace (age 8)

P.S.: we're including a brief photo essay that my daughter wrote to commemorate our foster care of ferals.

Grace's Story
Zena is with her kittens in my back yard. We thought that she couldnt have any more kittens, but we were surprised that she wasnt "fixed," like the organization told us. We trapped her a few days later and got her fixed. My mom found the kittens behind our house, and we spent over two weeks "fostering" them. We wanted them to get used to humans so that they can be adopted.

Here is Pluto posing pretty by the window.





Pluto and Kiki are resting in the upstairs bathroom, where we are "fostering" them.




We played with them for a few hours each day. They liked our company. When we werent home, we turned on the radio so that they could get used to hearing human voices. I usually did my homework in the same room with them. Once I read them some poems.

They liked to play with crumpled balls of newspaper, they liked to play catch with a wire cat toy, and they liked to chase each other around my moms room. But, they also liked to be hugged and petted; plus, they liked to climb on the back of our shoulders.

Finally, on October 30th, a Saturday morning, we placed the kittens in a pet carrier and drove them to their new home. They will have three young children and their mom as companions, as well as a two-year old housecat to play with. Their new owners have a huge house and backyard. I think that they will be very happy in their home. They may even get a little tired from all the playing around!

After they were adopted, their new family named Pluto "Tom" and Kiki "Becky." When they took the cats to the vet, it turned out that Becky is a boy! "Her" name is now "Huckleberry."

Little Lady
We trapped and neutered a 3 month old kitten. I was told she could not be socialized. Then I learned that a neighbor down the street had picked her up and cleaned her eyes when they were just opening. I believe that that was all it took to imprint a human touch so "Little Lady" is now a fourth member of our cat family. It is very gratifying to know that the cats living in the three blocks near me are being cared for by wonderful neighbors since I have begun TNR. We even have an alley cat living in our garage now.

- Fran

The Hole in the Wall
Two RMACA volunteers heard about a colony of ferals living under a loading dock (the "Hole in the Wall") belonging to a pet food processing plant. Our intrepid volunteers went to check it out and figured there were 5 or 6 cats hanging around.

The volunteers talked to the assistant manager, who was more than thrilled to let RMACA feed and trap and spay and neuter. All the guys working there liked the cats and were very proud that they had never had a mouse problem, but really didn't want any more cats. So the volunteers set a date to go trapping. On the day, the trappers were all set, armed with stinky tuna and 5 traps. They set the traps and sat in their cars waiting for someone to take the bait.

All of a sudden, there were cats coming from the east, cats coming from the west, cats coming from the north, cats coming from the south! Cats everywhere! The cats were converging on the warehouse for the scraps from the frozen pet food preparation! "5 or 6 cats" had turned into 50ish cats!

The volunteers trapped 5 cats that night and decided they needed a new plan - they garnered more volunteers and went trapping again, this time capturing 6 kittens who were young enough to be tamed and adopted out and about 8 adults to be spayed or neutered. Since then, RMACA has continued to trap at the "Hole in the Wall" and has spayed or neutered approximately 25 to 30 cats and pulled out 15 kittens. We're still working on this site, but there will be a lot fewer kittens this spring thanks to all who helped.

Griffin and Oprah
We adopted Oprah and Griffin about a year ago and we love them. We can't imagine being without them. They are doing very well. Griffy found a best friend with our other cat, Sam. They love to cuddle while napping. And Oprah (we renamed her "o") she is our kitty princess. She sure loves attention! When I get my bigger house soon, we'll be back to get one more kitty from your organization. Thanks for all you do. Your work is so important to our community.

- Best, Jeanette

A Phone Message From a Caregiver
". . . Things did work out. I carried the box trap with the mom and 7 kittens to [RMACA Rescue Coordinator] Jens, and she very meticulously and I must applaud her she was so cool, she undid the umbilical cords and snipped and did all kinds of things. It was so wonderful, such an education and I really appreciate all of you. You must know that sometimes I get a little anxious . . . but everything is OK. Thing that blew me away, the kittens umbilical cords were all tangled in the weeds, the roots of the weeds and vines its unbelievable the vines had tangled all up into their umbilical cords! So I spent all this time breaking the vines away from their bellies and then I saw that they were wrapped around their feet and . . . oh my God I never saw anything like it before . . . . Anyway, Jen handled it so perfectly, it was just really great, I wish wed have had a video camera. Im learning all the time, and I appreciate all your patience when I get some kind of excited and everything. Thank you so much . . . .>

- Bob

Melissa's Story
Hi my name is Melissa, about 19 yrs ago someone dropped off a litter of kittens, one female moved into our barn she had 3 litters of kittens before we could trap her and most of her kids, her first litter had 3 kittens, the next had four, and the last had six. Also the female from the first litter had three, one died shortly after birth (I didn't know she was already pregnant when I brought her into the house). So in 2 yrs we had 17 cats including mama cat...dad was a traveling salesman. I still have 2 of those kitties ages 18.5 & 17yrs I just lost the one in between these two. Being a vet tech I have worked with several of the RMACA cats as well as other feral cats. I have had to contact RMACA once again to help me spay & neuter stray cats. We had a pair of cats dumped once again & now we have mom, dad, 2 daughters and I think a baby brother but I can't tell and he won't let us handle him/her yet. We need to get mom & the two girls in ASAP because they are approx. 7 months old & kitten seasons coming up.... we'll have 17 cats again in no time. They can't take care of this situation themselves so we must step in & stop their breeding & get them vaccinated, even though we don't own them they need our help, we feed them and they live here and I would like to see them live here for a very long time.

- Thanks for your help RMACA (from the kitties too).

Fred and Ethel
As RMACA volunteer Jane was caring for a feral colony in her neighborhood, she started noticing a new tomcat at her feeding station. She asked around and was told of a man on the next block over who had "a lot of cats." She went to the house and saw the cat in the window huddled together with five kittens! On the street she saw the mother with one kitten licking smashed food off the pavement. Jane knocked on the door and offered help with neutering and finding homes, but the man firmly resisted. Jane pleaded, persisted, persuaded, threatened, and finally got the man to agree to relinquish them. When she returned to pick up the cats, she found horrible conditions inside the home. Jane later learned that the man had suffered from a head injury and people had taken advantage of him by dumping their cats on him. In the end, Evergreen Animal Protective League agreed to take the kittens, and RMACA located homes for "Fred" and "Ethel."

The Strength of Collaboration
In honor of Feral Cat Day 2003, in only six days between October 13 and October 18, 2003, 138 feral cats were handled through the collaborative efforts of RMACA, Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital, Divine Felines mobile medical unit, and many dedicated citizens! As if things couldnt get any better, the Animal Assistance Foundation and American Humane Associations Joan Casey topped off the week by helping us purchase 37 traps in anticipation of future events.

In September 2004, in collaboration with Tender Touch Animal Hospital, RMACA handled 55 cats in one day!

With the assistance of these and other dedicated organizations, we hope to expand our collaborative efforts to reach even more cats in the coming months and years.

Little Angel
I have always been one of those people that "find" stray animals and work to try and get them back to their owners or find new homes for them. I have always found spots to put out food in any neighborhood I have lived in as the thought of any poor little kitty going hungry just breaks my heart.

My experience has always been to fairly easily coax an animal to come to me. I'd pick him up, take him in and work on getting him cleaned up and finding a home for him.

If I wasn't able to coax an animal into my arms then he would go his way and I went mine. I had never even heard of the idea of trapping animals other than wild ones. Until last March when I began seeing a little black and white kitty that I could tell wasn't very old. Every morning when I went out to go to work and every night when I came home she would be there outside my apartment building, seemingly waiting for me to talk to. She would meow and meow, just talking up a storm. She would stay just out of arm's reach but would make eye contact and never stop talking to me.

I made many attempts to get her into my arms, often using food as a coaxing tool. This went on for about 7 months. Sometimes a week would go by where I wouldn't see her at all and I would hope she had found a home, but she would always show back up.

I started looking on-line in search of some ideas on how to reach this precious little kitty. I came across Rocky Mountain Alley Cat Alliance and the Feral Cat Network. I learned about how the TNR program works and requested my first "orange card" to get feral cats spayed and neutered at Harrison. I met some new friends that allowed me to borrow a trap and helped me gain the confidence in using it for the first time.

Suddenly I was trapping cats left and right in my neighborhood. My little black and white kitty seemed to be too smart for this though and continued to elude me. In the meantime I noticed that she seemed to be getting a big round belly and was afraid she was already pregnant. Then one day around the first of October I came outside on my way to work and there she was with another kitty friend in tow. She started talking to me and amazingly I was able to reach down and pick her up. I calmly walked her into my apartment and set her up in her own room with all the necessary equipment and went to work.

That night I found that she was indeed very pregnant. She gave birth within a few days and I was there through the entire proceeding. I felt like a proud new grandmother immediately contacting all my friends. I was able to find great homes for the kittens through all my newly formed animal group contacts and friends.

I am now knee deep into TNR wherever I am needed. I have even found a little group that I trap with. We jokingly refer to ourselves as the "Rapid Response Trapping Team". And I have to thank my little Mommy Kitty for it all. A little ironic that I ended up just picking her up after all, but if it hadn't been for her I may not have ever found my way into this new life of helping to better so many kitty lives.

I do believe in fate and sometimes a little Angel shows up on the scene to help us find the way. My little Angel was a black and white kitty.

- Dawne

Amos' New Life
I am sure you do not remember me, but I am the woman that was sweating bullets, hoping that a little boy didn't care for the kitty his mother had put on hold for him. I am speaking of the kitty you rescued named Pongo. I adopted him from the PetsMart in Glendale on August 2, 2003. He had the little black dot on his chin. You said he was a real lap kitty.

I renamed Pongo to Amos. He definitely knows his name, and he is a real talker. His tail is as long as his body and it has a mind of its own. Amos has broken a few things with his exuberance, but he was so funny while doing it, that I almost didn't care. I just wanted to tell you what a joy, and how much humor he brought with him to his new home. I absolutely love him to death. I wanted to send you some pictures of Amos interacting with the other animals in our household.

Thanks for saving this bundle of joy!!

- Linda

Late Night Call
What if you got a late night call saying an eight week old kitten was found half frozen? The temperature was near zero in February when a kind man found a small orange tabby kitten very near death under a bush and brought him to Barnes Veterinary Service. He was filthy, sad, extremely emaciated and, according to Dr. Barnes, having a great deal of trouble walking. Foster mom Linda Bell picked "Kismit" up early the next morning, bathed him, and nursed him slowly back to life. As the frostbite on his feet began to heal, he became much more friendly and mobile, though part of his tail that had frozen beyond repair was later amputated at South Penn Animal Hospital. Kismit has a new, warm, and wonderful home with adopter Carmen Young.

"He is doing wonderful and is a completely different cat from the one that came home with me. He is a total lap cat and follows me around the house like a dog. We renamed him crybaby because if he finds himself alone in a room he cries till he finds someone. He likes to attack my Chihuahua and playing with his fellow cat friend betty spaghetti ("Sadie" was her adopted name from RMACA). We love him very much and he is a special cat."

- Carmen and Eric

Zoom and the Hampster Ball
Early in September 2004, RMACA received one of the strangest rescue requests to date. A volunteer from one of our rescue allies, Angels with Paws, called to ask for help catching a cat who had gotten herself into quite a predicament. Apparently, a feral cat had somehow managed to get her head stuck inside a hamster exercise ball. "A hamster exercise ball!!??" our rescue coordinator exclaimed. "Ill have to see this one to believe it!"

Unfortunately, the cat had a litter of 1-week-old kittens outside that she was unable to care for. Angels with Paws agreed to take the litter if RMACA could somehow deal with catching mama cat, aka "Zoom" (affectionately named by her feeder and caretaker, Laurie Leal). RMACA called Laurie, and after being told that Zooms entire head had been stuck inside the ball for at least 2-3 days, immediately sent someone to help.

Armed with a humane trap, a fishing net, and a lot of patience, RMACA Rescue Coordinator, Jen, arrived not knowing what to expect. Jen was astounded - imagine a beautiful, longhaired, black and white kitty, with a tiny purple ball firmly attached to her head! Had the situation not been so dire, Jen might have burst out laughing! Zoom was sitting atop a fence when Jen set to work, but she soon proved that a little ole ball on her head was not going to slow her down. Again and again, Zoom thwarted Jen and Lauries efforts to catch her. At one point, Jen even found herself atop one of the neighbors sheds, hoping desperately that it would not cave under her weight! Subsequently, Zoom crawled onto a roof and planted herself there firmly. Jen and Laurie were worried about whether they would ever catch the poor kitty. Finally, Laurie grabbed a can of cat food and started to open it. Poor Zoom was so hungry; she immediately came over and began climbing off the roof. Jen realized that the kitty would never approach if she were standing there, so she handed the net to Laurie, gave her a quick intro to netting a cat, and backed away. Amazingly, Zoom came quite close and in an instant, Laurie managed to snag her in the net. Both Jen and Laurie were incredulous that it had turned out to be so easy!

Jen immediately covered Zoom with a towel and felt to see whether she could get the ball off herself. It was so snugly in place that Jen could not even get a finger underneath. How the cat got that ball on her head so tightly is truly a mystery to this day. Jen then managed to get the kitty into a trap and transported her to the nearest vet clinic, Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital. While chuckling to themselves, the staff took Zoom to the back to see what could be done. After determining that there was nothing physically wrong with Zoom (other than having a purple ball on her head!) they gave her subcutaneous fluids and then used wire clippers to loosen the ball and remove it. Furthermore, they graciously provided these services at no charge.

A day of observation and 3 cans of cat food later, Zoom was spayed and vaccinated. She is now happily living back outside in Lauries yard, and surely has a tremendous dislike for anything that smells like hamsters! Laurie herself is extremely grateful that, after calling numerous other agencies and being turned down, she was able to find someone willing to come out and help her beloved feral cat.

All Creatures Great and Small
Late in September 2000 we lost Cider, a heroic kitty companion, the kind legends are made of, to FIV and old age. He was 18 years old. My second daughter so loved this cat that it was very difficult for her to ever allow herself the joy of experiencing another feline relationship. However, cats were so much a part of her nature that after about a year she began to consider the idea and we thought about giving her a kitten for her October birthday.

These were tough times and while traveling to the East Coast my husband was unable to come home due to the September 11th bombing. We agreed that I would handle the arrangements to get a kitten, maybe two, for my daughter's present. Little did he know I would bring home three! We saw some pictures of kittens on the Rocky Mountain Alley Cat Alliance web page. Their sad story broke our hearts! We totally fell in love with them and couldn't wait to bring them home.

The kittens were found with their siblings, orphaned at six days old and it was believed a neighbor had killed the mother. They were being hand raised by first one, then two different RMACA volunteers. They needed to be bottle fed every few hours, so the job of caring for all seven of them quickly became too much for one person. When we went to see the three that hadn't been adopted yet, one immediately stood out as the apple of my eye and still is. He's become my daughter's favorite also. We brought home the other two, so they would not be separated. They were much tinier than Spunky. Spunky was a strapping specimen of a cat. Bigger-than-life in size and persona. Even now he is just over 15 pounds and the two girls are right at 7 pounds and don't look ever likely to get bigger.

But I digress, because this story is really about Cleopatra, Cleo for short. She's a not-so-fancy tiger kitty with lots of heavy eyeliner. Sometimes we call her the duchess, because she is quite regal and dainty in her attitudes. She has little white gloves and always crosses her paws at the ankles.

Cleo is the tiniest and scrawniest of the three. There was nothing particularly unique about her but recently her value has increased a notch in discovering she is the only one to even put a dent in our rodent population.

However, all of this merely serves for background information because this is where the story really begins.

It's a story about how something big can come from something little, how you can't judge a book by it's cover, and how God really knows our name and address and directs our path.

It was a really cold day in late November. I had decided to go visit my friend Allison who was in a convalescent home dying of MS. She was in her young 40's and leaving behind two young girls 12 and 14 years old. I decided I would bring her one of the new kitties to cheer her up and give us something to talk about so I wrapped Cleo up in a baby blanket, slipped her in my coat and took her to see Allison.

The visit went well. Allison loved Cleo. She charmed her immediately by walking up her bed ridden body, purring loudly. She nestled over her heart, and reached out her paw to rest on her cheek. Under this loving, Allison eventually fell asleep. I re-wrapped Cleo and quietly took my leave, thinking, "what a sweet, light-weight therapy cat Cleo might make, too bad she hates car rides!".

While I was in the hall I was stopped by a nurse who wanted to see Cleo, and eventually asked me if I would come with her to see another patient. She explained to me that she didn't work at the home, but that she was hired privately by a family. She had been working for 2 years as a private aide to an elderly gentleman named Thorton.

She then became very emotional and told me in a trembling voice that she was very worried about him. He had a stroke last night and hadn't woken up and she was afraid he was going to die. She really thought he might enjoy the cat so would I please bring her? I didn't know how I could refuse so I willingly brought Cleo wondering what she really expected.

We entered the room and it was very clear how much Thorton was loved and taken care of. His room wasn't like the other rooms I'd seen. It really had been turned into a home. It was full of his personal furniture, rugs, art and photographic memories. It was very cozy. I realized it was getting late and I had to pick up my children from school so I pulled myself back to why I was here and unwrapped Cleo and set her down on Thorton's bed. Cleo immediately walked up his body and settled down over his heart, purring furiously. She closed her eyes and stretched out one paw, resting it softly on Thorton's cheek.

Just as we were commenting on how sweet that was, the rise in the blanket that was Thorton's folded-hands rose up until he was cradling Cleo and Thorton's eyes fluttered open! The nurse's emotionally charged cries of "Thorton!, Thorton!", were all I could hear. I looked above his headboard and on the wall right over his head was a framed photograph of Thorton in his younger years surrounded by 6 Siamese cats! It was such an overwhelming moment!

Since then I have often wondered at just how awesome God is, that he would send a small kitten, so seemingly insignificant and abandoned by the world, from the streets, to a foster home, to my home, to a convalescent home, to Thorton's room just for that moment in time. I felt wonderfully blessed just to be a part of it. More About Us

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303-202-3516
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