05/19/2026
This weekend, Cacapon TNR trapped and transported THIRTY cats all the way to Mount Airy, Maryland for lifesaving TNR care.
For many people in our area, doing the “right thing” for outdoor cats is not as simple as scheduling a vet appointment. We live in a low-income rural community, and even caregivers feeding just one or two stray cats often cannot afford the hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars it would cost to fully sterilize a colony through private veterinary care.
That’s why Cacapon TNR exists.
We volunteer our own time to teach caretakers how to safely self-trap, and for larger colonies we do the trapping ourselves. We transport cats for hours to clinic appointments, and through grants and fundraising we help subsidize medical care for low-income caregivers who truly want to help the cats depending on them.
This clinic weekend reminded us once again that TNR is about so much more than population control.
Be aware this post will be long, as we had quite a few notable events.
Saturday morning in Savilla Vale, Romney:
**We trapped young Mary - pregnant, scared, and living outdoors. Without TNR, Mary would have been forced to endure pregnancy and birth outside, only to watch most of her kittens suffer from illness, exposure, starvation, parasites, predators, or injury. Studies estimate that the majority of kittens born outdoors do not survive their first months of life. TNR stopped the cycle of suffering before it began.
At this same location, we trapped two other cats - both turned out to be already altered.
**”Baby Girl” is a sweet, tame middle aged panther who was not only spayed, but microchipped and (very unfortunately) front declawed. After investigating, it turns out her previous owner was the elderly former neighbor of our caretaker. Her owner suffered memory loss and moved to another state, leaving Baby Girl in the care of her grandson, who has apparently been incarcerated since 2023. Baby Girl has been outside, declawed, likely suffering from the absence of her family, and definitely going to need a dental in her future. We are in the process of deciding the best course of action for Baby Girl.
**The 2nd Savilla Vale cat that was already neutered was a tame & very vocal long haired tabby. He didn’t have a microchip, so we chipped him, tipped him, vaccinated him, and administered Revolution for parasites. Now that he’s tipped, he won’t be unnecessarily trapped again. PSA to owners who have indoor/outdoor cats, consider ear tipping them so they can avoid an excursion with well-intentioned trappers!
From Green Spring we took 7 cats, including Tiger Lily, who turned out to be an already neutered male. His caretaker had concerns regarding his claws growing into his feet. In addition to a claw wrapping around and growing into the flesh between 2 toes (which you can see in his picture), Dr. K found he had two dew claws instead of one on both front paws. He will need ongoing care to keep his nails clipped so he doesn’t develop painful infections. We educated his caretaker about how best to do that considering he’s semi-feral. They will have to put in effort and time to socialize Tiger Lily enough that he allows them to contain him for nail clipping. I see a lot of Churu squeeze treats in his future
Then there was Snowball, from a Berkeley Springs trailer park. During her exam, our veterinarian discovered that Snowball had painful cancer affecting both of her back feet. Her caretaker made the heartbreaking but compassionate decision to help Snowball cross the rainbow bridge peacefully instead of continuing to suffer in pain outdoors. Because of TNR, Snowball was finally seen by a veterinarian and given dignity, comfort, and mercy.
**Sadly, Snowball was not the only humane euthanasia this clinic. Tiny Eloise was only about 6 months old but weighed closer to what a healthy 3-month-old kitten should weigh. During surgery prep, the veterinarian discovered she had a severe cleft palate - a birth defect where there is an opening in the roof of the mouth connecting the mouth and nasal cavity. In cats, this can cause food and liquid to enter the nose and lungs, leading to chronic infections, difficulty eating, aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, and ongoing suffering.
For a colony cat living outdoors, especially one already dangerously underweight, there was no realistic path to recovery or long-term management. The kindest and most humane option was to let Eloise go peacefully before her condition caused even more pain and distress. Eloise was *literally* the 100th cat trapped in this neighborhood.
We also want to mention a cat that went through TNR at Metro Ferals while our Director was there volunteering prepping cats for surgery. This white & brown tabby male cat was in such bad shape with deep infected lacerations on his neck and paws, his belly matted with pus. This is a big reason we are so adamant that neutering the males is just as important as the females. Thankfully he was treated and should heal, and now that he’s neutered he won’t fight and roam and end up in situations that lead to such severe injuries.
We also encountered numerous other pregnancies, wounds, infections, definite future dentals and injuries requiring treatment — expenses we help cover for caregivers who simply cannot afford emergency veterinary bills on their own.
Because TNR is not just about preventing more kittens.
It is about ending suffering.
It is about giving outdoor cats a chance at healthier, safer lives.
It is about helping the people in our community who care deeply but cannot do this alone.
If you would like to help support transport costs, surgeries, medical treatments, recovery supplies, and emergency care for colony cats like Mary, Snowball, Eloise, Baby Girl, and Tiger Lily please consider donating to Cacapon TNR.
Every dollar helps us continue this work in our rural communities — one cat at a time. ❤️🐾
