Many people have the misconception that community cat feeding is an easy job, they just need to go around when they are free, feed cats and go home.
Many people have the misconception that community cat feeding is an easy job, they just need to go around when they are free, feed cats and go home. How many people actually realised the dedication, the sacrifice the community cat feeders have to go through?
When we started feeding the cats in NTU, there were just the few of us. However, the fast expanding cat population required us to open up quite a few feeding sites. Feeders often have to forgo their chance to meet up with friends in the evening, just so the kitties have their proper meals and not mess up the place or tear the place down. Evening is when most of their friends and family are free, yet they have to take out previous time to feed the cats. Furthermore, do you know that all cats have at least one internal clock in them? When the alarm rings, they would be waiting at their allocated site. Be late often and the cats could just disappear to find a new feeding site and you could lose the cat forever. You can only hope its new site has nothing which spell "A.V.A.".
Other than that, some cats can be elusive and come only at a very late time, causing feeders to wait for them. Feeders cannot come late for the elusive ones as the earlier cats would get real angry and start to harass passers-by and thus invite complains to Town Council. Leaving food at that place may not be conducive too as the ever industrious giant ants would be scavenging for food and cat food is one of their fave too.
Very often, a round of feeding would take an hour or two, including Saturday and Sunday. We would also take the opportunity to observe to see if any cat is injured or not feeling well and that would mean more time would be required to trap them to send for check up at the vet.
So in all, community cat feeding is not merely a past time but a full-time job which only the real cat lovers would undertake. Therefore, when you next see them, cheer them, thank them and not chide them. Respect them for their dedication and love for our feline friends. Thank you, community cat feeders.
