The Animal Friends Project in Florida was started by the amazing Carmen Weinberg. While working on a trap-neuter-return program, she came across a scruffy tabby kitten wandering alone in the middle of the road.
This area had a large population of feral cats, but Carmen didn’t recognize this particular kitten. As she tried to approach him, he started to run away, leading her to an apartment block where she noticed more cats hanging around in the yard.
There were about six or eight cats there, and Carmen had never seen this colony before. She felt that they needed her help, especially since many of them had similar markings to the kitten she found.
Determined to assist them, Carmen went back to her car to grab some food and a humane trap. She hoped to catch some of the cats and provide them with the necessary care.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t trap the mother cat even after her kitten walked into the trap to eat the food. So, Carmen decided to take the little one back to her car, knowing that finding a foster home for him would be the best solution.
The poor kitten was covered in fleas and needed treatment for worms. Once they arrived at the rescue, Carmen gave him a bath to clean him up and used a comb to remove all the fleas. Surprisingly, he purred throughout the process, showing how friendly and relaxed he could be.
To Carmen’s surprise, she noticed that the kitten was a polydactyl, meaning he had extra toes resembling jelly beans!
Carmen and a local caregiver plan to return to the same yard in hopes of trapping the mother cat and the rest of the feline family. Their goal is to get them all spayed and neutered, breaking the cycle of reproduction.
Finding a suitable foster family for the kitten didn’t take long. He settled in quickly, and they named him Santiago. After spending most of his life on the streets, he is now a cherished member of a loving and comfortable home, where he receives constant attention.
Carmen continues her efforts to help community cats in her area. While she wishes she could do more trap-neuter-return work, there simply aren’t enough people available to assist. However, she encourages others to reach out to shelters, organizations, or social media platforms to connect with individuals or groups involved in TNR programs.
Although the challenge is great, Carmen feels proud to have rescued the little kitten she found on the road and to have made a positive impact on his family’s life on the streets.
