We believe we met Jackie about 8 years ago as an adolescent cat outside our house. She didn’t stay around—there is a barn not far away. Then last year we met a very pregnant community cat (same color and sweet temperament as Jackie) when she was hiding in our bushes. We gave her a place to be protected and food and water, and in a few short weeks we were able to watch her babies be born.

We learned through Alley Cat Allies how to build cat shelters and gave her, her babies, and 2 others from a previous litter a home on our deck. We learned what Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) was and promptly made it a goal to fix all we could catch. After the kittens were weaned we made the trip to spay Mama Jackie. She is old, and they said she’d had too many litters. I’m glad we were able to make her last years happier and safer.

The kitties either found homes or prefer the barn next door, and soon Jackie was all alone on the deck. So in an unforeseen turn, we invited her to live inside, joining two of her babies, where she has a warm bed and has actually learned how to play! She tells us how happy she is everyday with her love towards us. So glad we have the resources to help the community cats that cross our path. It’s great knowing that even though you may not see them anymore after TNR, you can know you helped their lives be sunnier.