Newspapers / Brevard College Student Newspaper / May 6, 2020, edition 1 / Page 5
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May 6, 2020 | The Clarion Campus News Page 5 Kittens found on campus ByAia Andonovska Arts & Life Editor Last week on campus, some kittens were found near the kayaks that are kept next to Jones Hall at Stamey Wellness Center. The kittens and their mama were found by the logistics manager for the WLEE department, Greg Rich. They were taken to Pisgah Paws here in Brevard where owner and cat lover Erica Erickson kindly took them in. The mama cat has been named Misty, and luckily all her kittens are spoken for already. Out of the litter there are two gray boys, one gray girl and one smokey black kitten that is also a girl. They have begun to wean and are eating wet food and in about a week or two they will go to their forever homes. Once Misty is spayed, she will come back to live on the campus. Misty was part of a trap neuter release process, or TNP for short. This process involves catching a feral or stray cat, getting them neutered or spayed as well as vaccinated and then putting them back where they are found or in a safer location. “In certain areas, especially in the rural South, there are lots of unaltered cats that are living outside and reproducing, causing major overpopulation issues,” Erickson said. “Cats can give birth to several litters each year and they can get pregnant as young as four months old, so if they are not spayed or neutered, you can easily end up with hundreds of cats in an area, which can lead to illness, starvation, and other tragic outcomes. Studies have shown that the best way to deal with colonies of outdoor cats is to get them spayed/neutered and to put them back where they came from.” “If we trap cats that are friendly or kittens young enough to socialize, we keep them in the rescue and find them good indoor homes as family pets,” Erickson said. “If they are truly feral and not able to be pets, we get them spayed/neutered and either put them back or find safe farms for them to live on. We get a lot of requests for people wanting bam cats to help control the rodent and snake populations on their rural properties. So, it’s a great opportunity to save these cats and give them a new chance at life, while reducing the overpopulation problem.” In 2017, Erickson founded the Pisgah Animal Welfare Society after moving to Brevard from Minnesota. She was shocked to see the amount of healthy and friendly cats being killed at the local shelter, as well as kittens and pregnant cats. “As only one person, I started by rescuing the feral kittens that would otherwise be killed,” Erickson said. “Feral kittens can be socialized and turned into friendly, adoptable kitties, usually within a week or two, depending on their age. As they get older, they are harder to socialize and take more time to become friendly and tmsting.” But Erickson didn’t stop there. Still heartbroken over other adult ferals being killed, she started her Bam Cat Program to rescue all feral cats, and that’s where the trap neuter release process comes into play. After some time. Erica realized that most feral cats aren’t actually feral, but scared pet cats that are just stressed from losing their homes, as one can imagine. With time, patience and love these cats can become lovable and adoptable pets for families. She heard about cat cafes and decided this would be a good route to take to rescue kittens. In spring of 2019, Erickson was teaching nonprofit management at Brevard College when she found the perfect place to house these rescues, which is next to the ABC store in the old Sears building right next to campus. Erica would like Brevard College students to know that she offers many volunteer opportunities as well. Some opportunities might include cleaning the cat lounge twice a day, doing data entry, working in the cat room and assisting customers and various other projects and duties that come along with operating a cat rescue. To help support the cause, there is a five dollar fee to enter the cat room at the cafe. Coffee, beverages, t-shirts, cat supplies and cat collectibles are also available for purchase. Pisgah Paws also relies heavily on donations from the community. Donations of cat food, kitten food and formula, dog food, puppy pads, bleach, OdoBan cleaner, towels, blankets, litter, copy paper and stamps are also greatly appreciated. If not open, donations can be left at the front door. Pisgah Paws also takes donations in person, over the phone and through Paypal. The email address for the Paypal is pisgahpaws@ gmail.com The mission of Pisgah Paws is: “To promote the welfare and well-being of domestic animals andwildlife in and around Transylvania County, North Carolina through compassion, care and community involvement.” The mission of the Cat Cafe, which is part of Pisgah Paws is: “Finding forever homes for cats through coffee, community and compassion.” Misty and her babies.
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May 6, 2020, edition 1
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