It's Meow or Never Animal Sanctuary

Hello. I am an active cat-rescuer in Miami-Dade county and have been doing cat rescue for five years now. I have successfully trapped, altered, and released hundreds of cats in the time I have been rescuing. I have cat colonies that I take care of every night that consist of many stray and feral cats. Cat rescue is not a hobby, it is a responsibility that is not to be taken lightly. These cats depend on me to take care of them, make sure they are fed and kept as healthy as they can be. I do not have anyone helping me with feeding and taking care of the cats so I must go every night no matter what.

I have dedicated much of my spare time to them and have taken care of these same growing colonies for several years. I have watched them live and even die in my arms, I have had kittens abandoned in the colonies by some uncaring person and watched them grow up into adult cats. I have on more than a few occasions sacrificed my own needs because one of the cats needed to go to the vet because I have to pay for this out of my own pocket. I live in a very small apartment and with four cats of my own and numerous cats ready for adoption, I do not have the room to take in more strays.

As you can see from the photos above, these cats all live in the streets. Every night, I begin my rounds in prayer as I go to four separate locations to take care of these feral/stray colonies in Dade County, hoping to God that they will all be there and alive when I arrive. I feed and water them, trap them for neutering/spaying and medicate them when they are sick. Many of these cats I have taken care of for several years now, and it breaks my heart every evening as I go to care for them in the environment that has been forced upon them as "home". When you feed these cats everyday and take care of them medically, they become your family, your children. You become attached to them, knowing that they have only you to depend on for survival. You get to know them, their personalities, and no two are ever the same. Until you look into their innocent eyes, one could never imagine how much you feel for them. And the nights that I arrive to find a new kitten that someone has abandoned, so small and full of life, or find one of my cats dead in the street hit by a car, or taken by disease, the pain becomes all too real and unbearable. I find myself thinking "why didn't I do something more for them? Take them off the street, find a home for them...?" It is heartbreaking, but in reality I know that right now I am doing everything I can for them without having a safer place for them to live. I know each of these cats personally. Mommy kitty (my first rescue) sits right in the middle of the street and slowly moves out of the way when a car comes. It breaks my heart everytime I see her in the middle of the road. She has become too trusting of cars. Last night I saw a little kitten, about 5 weeks old, that someone has abandoned there. I couldn't sleep knowing it was out there. The only comforting thought is that it has made friends with three of the older cats. But that kitten cannot stay there, it is much too small to survive. It is gray and white and very cute. This situation affects so much more than your heart when you get involved in rescuing cats. It affects your health, worrying every moment about the cats you take care of everyday, and then thinking of the new ones that keep showing up and what will happen to them. Springer, a 6 month old black kitten I had taken care of in an apartment complex was killed by a car on December 20th, right before Christmas. It broke my heart tremendously and completely ruined the spirit of the holidays. Amazing how it can affect you isn't it?! I really cannot comprehend how anyone can take a living creature that they have loved, their pet perhaps, and leave them to face such a harsh world alone.

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