Cat Tales
Cat Tales
Success Stories
Success Stories 
Some kitties are dealt a bad hand, whether it is disease, predators or birth defects. Our Colony Managers identify kitties that need our help. Here are a few of the success stories.
Leala – Reunited with her family thanks to a microchip
It was the end of August when a friendly but emaciated cat showed up at Marilyn’s house in Hawaiian Paradise Park (HPP), hanging out around her carport. “The patched tabby calico was as skinny as a rail and all wet,” said Marilyn, who’s outdoor male cat had just passed away. “I still had his food in a container and the stray cat gobbled up the food I gave her.” After Marilyn checked the Facebook online missing pet sites to see if anyone had reported the little one missing and came up empty, she took the cat to a spay and neuter clinic, and made an interesting discovery. “I found out that the cat had already been spayed and had [...]
TNRM Benefits for Healthy Cats and a Healthier Island
Did you know that on Hawai’i Island, free-roaming cats outnumber humans? Although no one knows the real number, estimates say there are 500,000 cats to 210,000 humans! More free-roaming cats means an increased burden on rescues and fosters trying to find a home for them, as well as those who care for communities of cats that can’t be placed in a home. Illness, attacks from other animals, and being hit by cars can often cut the lives of these cats short. What’s more, free-roaming cats can have negative implications on Hawaii’s native wildlife, including endangered species. Fortunately, there is a humane and effective way to substantially shrink the Big Island’s free-roaming cat population, and it starts with TNRM. Trap-Neuter-Return-Manage, [...]
What it Takes to Be a Neighborhood “Trap King”
After moving into her neighborhood in Kona, Hawai’i a couple years back, Srimoyee Chakraborty discovered something peculiar on walks with her two dogs. Every few months, kittens would emerge from the woods nearby. “I noticed that the kittens were multiplying like crazy! So I tried to see if they were adoptable and find homes for them,” said Srimoyee, who soon realized that most people weren’t interested in adopting the kittens because Hawai’i Island is already over capacity, so to speak. “I shifted my focus from finding homes for all the kittens to helping reduce the island’s free-roaming cat population. The first step was to get a trap from Aloha Animal Oasis,” Srimoyee shared. Aloha Animal Oasis walked Srimoyee [...]
What to do if you find a free-roaming cat in Hawaii
Found a cat in your Big Island neighborhood? Here’s what to do if you find a free-roaming cat in Hawaii With estimates exceeding the human population of the Big Island, it is possible that you will come across a free-roaming cat outside your home or in your neighborhood. A free-roaming cat, or community cat, is any cat that doesn’t have a home. If you find a free-roaming cat, there are some steps you can take that are best for the feline, your neighborhood, and ultimately our island. Keep reading to find out how to best help a found kitten or cat in Hawaii. Help, I Found a Cat! If you find a cat or kitten that is sick, injured, [...]
Going the Distance for Iron Kitty
Animal rescuers come from all walks of life. Some even swim, bike, and run 140.6 miles for fun! And many of these triathletes visited our island this past October to compete in the Ironman World Championships, including Kerri Thomas of New York. The week of the race, Kerri contacted Aloha Animal Oasis about a kitten living in the bushes near the pool of the condo where she was staying while preparing for Ironman. Worried about the tiny kitten, she asked if we could take it in and sent us a picture of the sweet kitten, curled up on her neck. We then sent the photo to one of our fosters, who fortunately had room for it. The following night, [...]
One Person Can Make a Difference
No Kitten Left Behind! After a successful yet exhausting day of volunteering at a feline spay and neuter clinic, Kat H. drove down to feed and care for her cat community. Through the darkened pouring rain Kat heard a muffled, “Mew”. She reached under a bush and pulled out a drenched and shivering tiny kitten. As she held the kitten close to her body, she spotted another set of wet whiskers peeking out. Two kittens! However, the kitten count did not stop there. Out came not just three kittens, but eleven young and malnourished kittens. It was a daunting task but with the help of another compassionate person she was able to round up the kits. Kat didn't think twice [...]
Scrappy – Yet to meet a human he doesn’t like
We don't know Scrappy's origin story or how he ended up at the park but we're glad that he did. His face was injured and we discovered that it was probably from attempting to eat mongoose to survive, which must have gotten the better of him at some point. With a little coaxing and offering of wet food he began trusting us and treating us to his cute little trilling meows. He didn't seem to enjoy the company of the other cats at the park as he roamed from spot to spot. However, he has yet to meet a human he doesn't like. Larry was able to gain his trust and put him into a carrier to transport him to [...]
Oreo – Couldn’t have found a more perfect cat
Oreo was born a community cat and had been a community cat all her life (8) years. She lived in one of our more popular colonies that has many visitors that come just to see the cats. One evening while feeding my colonies, a couple of regular cat visitors (Irene and Dale) approached me and told me there was something wrong with one of the cats. I followed them to find Oreo with an abscess so large on her head it forced one of her eyes closed. I was able to get her in to the vet the next day. Dale and Irene agreed to keep her at their home while she recovered. She was with them for about [...]
Peanut’s Story – One look & she fell in love
One evening while one of our feeders was visiting her colony she found a tiny kitten that had been dumped. She couldn’t leave her there but didn’t have a carrier on her. She broke the number one rule in rescue, never let a cat or kitten be loose in your car. She put the little nugget on her lap and drove 20 minutes to a foster’s home. She purred the entire way and didn’t move at all. After being spayed, vaccinated, and chipped, we brought her to one of our adoption events. A woman and her daughter walked in with suitcases. They were on their way to the airport but had some time to kill and saw our [...]
Murphy – Stealing hearts with cat purrs
After responding to a sick cat post on Facebook, I set out to meet up with strangers to see how I could help. My husband's response was “you can’t save them all” to which I replied “but maybe I can save this one”! Out the door I went not knowing what I would find this time. Nothing prepared me for the sad, skinny, half dead kitty that was curled up behind a dumpster. Without hesitation I scooped him up and put him in the cat carrier I had brought (just in case). Off we went to a friend's house for a breathing treatment, subcutaneous fluids and antibiotics. In cat rescue, you are lucky to have such friends to go to [...]