Stray & Feral Cat Rescue

One of Tasha's first babies

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One of Tasha's first babies

One of Tasha's first babies Baby Paris

Good morning readers. I've found a really remarkable lady in Eugene, Oregon who operates Stray & Feral Cat Rescue. Her name is Tasha. I'd love to tell you her story. She offers a lot of advice, as well as love, on how to run a private rescue.

I love doing stories showing how one person can make a difference in the lives of the abandoned and unwanted. I hope my stories encourage each person to do more and think positively because a single person is all it takes to help a cat.

I found Tasha thru a page on Furby's site and had to get in touch with her for an interview. (Tasha's Rescue)

What she's doing for the ferals is so GREAT!! Here is her mission statement from that page.

"I run an in-home stray and feral cat rescue. I take in cats that no one wants or cares about, the cats that are sick, beaten and abused, the cats that are hurt and starving to death, the cats that could die today and no one would know they even existed.

I devote my life to rescuing "throw away" cats and making sure they know that at least one person in this whole world does care and love them. I get them all fixed, vaccinated, tested for FIV/FeLV and find them loving forever homes."

TASHA

Tasha began Stray and Feral Cat Rescue on July 4, 2009. Since that time, she has TNR'ed 350 stray and feral cats. Tasha works mostly in the Springfield, Oregon area as they are overrun with stray and feral cats. She traps them, has them spay/neutered, vaccines, tests, vet care, and purchases food and litter all out of pocket. This is amazing and a lot of work. But Tasha doesn't stop there.

Once a cat has been spay/neutered thru the Trap, Neuter, Release program, which she works for, her work is really just beginning. Tasha takes in as many as she has room for (and if you look at her page of photos she has a LOT) and socializes and tames as many as possible. This can take months and even then some are never ready for another home. They are either too feral or have health problems that keep them from making good adoptable pets.

For the cats that are too sick to live (some die within hours) they die with her holding them. For a short time they know the love of a human. Tasha takes in the throw aways, the ferals, the strays, and the dying. Sometimes even the vet can't save them. I'm glad Tasha has the heart to be with these poor babies at the end. It must be devastating. And yet, she continues her work.

I was curious about her work with the feral and stray cats in her area and asked her several questions since she doesn't have a large nationally recognized rescue where I could have found the answers.

One of the questions I put to her was how to start a home rescue. She recommended talking to others who run feral rescues. Tasha told me there's always something to learn and the only way to learn is to ask questions. Volunteering for a TNR program is another way to self educate yourself. Get a hands-on feel and go from there.

Tasha is a big believer in going above and beyond the call of duty. Not only does she care for the cats through their surgery and in taming them, she does much more. Networking is a big part of her rehoming program. She stays in touch with other rescues, offers the reformed ferals on Craigslist and through adoption events, and networks through her MySpace page (opens in a new window or tab).

Instead of immediately returning the feral cats to the wild, she goes above and beyond what is expected of a TNR advocate.

This story just gets better and better, Whenever Tasha finds a feral that can't be trained or adopted out for health reasons, she keeps it herself. Here's a quote from her as to how the cats in permanent residence live.

"For the cats that are special needs or considered "unadoptable" due to behavior issues or if they are unable to be tamed, I keep them. They live a cats dream as a barn cat on our property where they have numerous cat houses, beds and toys in different areas of the property. And of course food and water 🙂 We currently have about 35 permanent residents that live on the property and they couldn't be happier. They have everything they could ever want and need."

I hope all of the cat lovers will check out her page and help her out if you can.

I know I'll never find all of the individual rescuers out there and do a story on each. There are simply too many. That's not to say those who run a similar rescue can't write their own story and submit it to pictures-of-cats.org. I'd love to hear more about how different rescuers operate.

Please feel free to leave comments and let Tasha know she's appreciated. And Tasha, please comment and inform the readers here of anything I may have missed.

Elisa

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Mar 11, 2012
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I am so greatful for all of the support NEW
by: Tasha

I just wanted to personally thank you all for your support. It is such a great feeling to read the comments from people all over the world that care as much as I do. Everyone has the power to make a big impact. Just fixing ONE cat will prevent more suffering than you could ever imagine.

I have changed the name of my rescue to Life 9 Rescue and I am now a 501c3 Non-Profit organization which means all donations are tax deductable. I am not paid for what I do so 100% of every donation is directly used for spay/neuter, veterinary services, food, etc. As of 2009 I have rescued and fixed over 600 stray and feral cats in Lane County. I would like to invite you all to visit my new website at www.life9rescue.com Please be warned that some of the pictures are very graphic.

Again, thank you all for your continued support!

Tasha


Feb 15, 2012
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GOD BLESS YOU TASHA AND OTHERS LIKE YOU NEW
by: Lindy Fellober

Tasha,

Once again it's me. We are now back home since we had a fire just over a year ago, Dec. 11/10 and lost all our pets. We moved back last May and now have two 6 month old girls, Bootsey with 7 claws on each foot and Snickers, whose mom was abandoned outside and my friend across the street has the mom and she is now fixed and their brother lives there also. Also we have Little Joe who was found at a week and a half and we bottle fed him and cared for him and now at almost 10 months he is a big boy and handsome, black and white and plays with the girls. He is fixed and has needles. The girls will be next to be done. Our oldest cat Simba is 12 and was also abandoned by his family and he is here for his forever home, bless him and such a sweetie. We also have a little shih tzu who plays with the kittens and they have fun together. We have two birds, now, to, a conure who was found and nobody claimed him and a lovebird given to us as a baby. Last of all there are 6 fish in our tank. Thats our family at this time. We also feed five dear sweeties that come outside. We have a few carriers outside for them. It is such a sad situation for these ones that are abandoned through no fault of their own and many are born outside what a shame. Once again bless you Tasha, dear lady.


Feb 15, 2012
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GOD BLESS YOU TASHA AND OTHERS LIKE YOU NEW
by: Lindy Fellober

Tasha,

Once again it's me. We are now back home since we had a fire just over a year ago, Dec. 11/10 and lost all our pets. We moved back last May and now have two 6 month old girls, Bootsey with 7 claws on each foot and Snickers, whose mom was abandoned outside and my friend across the street has the mom and she is now fixed and their brother lives there also. Also we have Little Joe who was found at a week and a half and we bottle fed him and cared for him and now at almost 10 months he is a big boy and handsome, black and white and plays with the girls. He is fixed and has needles. The girls will be next to be done. Our oldest cat Simba is 12 and was also abandoned by his family and he is here for his forever home, bless him and such a sweetie. We also have a little shih tzu who plays with the kittens and they have fun together. We have two birds, now, to, a conure who was found and nobody claimed him and a lovebird given to us as a baby. Last of all there are 6 fish in our tank. Thats our family at this time. We also feed five dear sweeties that come outside. We have a few carriers outside for them. It is such a sad situation for these ones that are abandoned through no fault of their own and many are born outside what a shame. Once again bless you Tasha, dear lady.


Feb 15, 2012
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GOD BLESS YOU TASHA AND OTHERS LIKE YOU NEW
by: Lindy Fellober

Tasha,

Once again it's me. We are now back home since we had a fire just over a year ago, Dec. 11/10 and lost all our pets. We moved back last May and now have two 6 month old girls, Bootsey with 7 claws on each foot and Snickers, whose mom was abandoned outside and my friend across the street has the mom and she is now fixed and their brother lives there also. Also we have Little Joe who was found at a week and a half and we bottle fed him and cared for him and now at almost 10 months he is a big boy and handsome, black and white and plays with the girls. He is fixed and has needles. The girls will be next to be done. Our oldest cat Simba is 12 and was also abandoned by his family and he is here for his forever home, bless him and such a sweetie. We also have a little shih tzu who plays with the kittens and they have fun together. We have two birds, now, to, a conure who was found and nobody claimed him and a lovebird given to us as a baby. Last of all there are 6 fish in our tank. Thats our family at this time. We also feed five dear sweeties that come outside. We have a few carriers outside for them. It is such a sad situation for these ones that are abandoned through no fault of their own and many are born outside what a shame. Once again bless you Tasha, dear lady.


Feb 14, 2012
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Angel Of Animals. NEW
by: Anonymous

OMG. What do you say to a wonderful reason this person exists upon this earth. Tasha I have only just stumbled across you site. I sit here in Australia on the Gold Coast with tears streaming down my face about your wonderful work. I have four very spoilt cats and a dog that live in my massive big yard, & that yard is totally enclosed in what we call in Australia a catmax enclosure. My greatest joy is listening to my cats going in & out of their cat door to wander around in the moonlight in the safety of their own yard where they can't get out & hurt wildlife & nothing can get in to hurt them. I work with a wonderful lady & fork out our own expenses on working with feral cats. Your story has touched me so much I want to save my money to come to America & meet u.
God Bless you you wonderful Angel from God & keep up the good work.


Nov 01, 2011
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An incredible young girl
by: Tammy

I had the gift of meeting Tasha through her work. Her passion speaks for her character as a person. I do not believe there is a person like Tasha out there.

She has kept me motivated to help the poor, hungry and homeless cats. It is downright disgusting how people who own animals can let them go hungry, unfixed and leave it to the people with the big hearts to mend their broken lives.

Tasha, you have been my mentor. Do not ever give up.


Jun 28, 2011
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Thank you!
by: Gayle J. Brown

All I can say is Tasha is truely an angel for all the work she does...using her own funds time and time again for the rescue and care of ferals and strays. Thank you so much for your love and devotion to this cause!


May 27, 2011
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Re: wanting a kitten
by: Tasha

Thank you for your interest in wanting to adopt a kitten!

My website: www.strayandferalcatrescue.com
My Email: st********************@ym***.com

If you visit my website it will show you what is included in the adoption fee as well as who I have available, although I do not always post pictures of the kittens since they go so quickly.

Thank you,

Tasha


May 27, 2011
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Contact info
by: Adriana

I would love to adapt a kitten but your page does not include any contact information.


Mar 26, 2011
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I rescue too now
by: Elisa

Tasha, don't let any negative remarks get to you. I started a sanctuary in late November and I wouldn't let anyone adopt if a cat would be outside. I've had to scrape what was left of my cat out of the road or bury what's left after a neighbors dog pulled my baby into 10 pieces in my own yard. I would also require a vet reference and make sure its checked. None of my cats go outside. I, too, lost many to FeLV in the late 1980's. It's a horrible death to watch a cat go from 18 lbs to 5 lbs and then die or be PTS. You're doing the right thing. For those who don't want to follow your restrictions there are plenty of freebie ads in the paper for people wanting to get rid of a cat rather than adopt one out.

The outdoor life is just too dangerous. I write about cat killers all the time and its happening everywhere. Tasha just wants the cats to be safe


Mar 26, 2011
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"playing god"
by: Tasha

I apologize if you felt that I thought you weren't "good enough" to adopt one of the cats. With EVERY cat, I require that they are strickly indoors only. The average life span of an out door cat is only 4 years compared to 16 years for an indoor cat. Talk to any vet and see how they feel about cats going outdoors. Do you know how many dead cats I have picked up off the side of the road? Once a beautiful loving cat, now nothing but a pile of blood and fur... Do you know how many cats I have seen rotting away from Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDS? So miserable the only opption for them is euthanasia? Or how many cats are trapped, dumped or killed by angery neghbors who are sick of the cats urinating in their flower beds? Or the many cats and are attacked and often killed by dogs because they wondered in to the wrong yard? I have see all of these things first hand time and time again. NONE of these things happen if the cats were kept inside. And those are just a few of the dangers that cats are exposed to when being outside. Am I wrong for not wanting any of these things to happen to these cats? No. And as a matter a fact many other rescues require cats to be indoors for those exact reasons. Again, I did not mean to offend you in anyway. My main priority is the safty and well being of these cats. If you do not agree with my requirments then you are welcome to adopt from someone else.

Tasha

www.StrayAndFeralCatRescue.com


Mar 26, 2011
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Im not good enough for Tasha
by: Anonymous

Yes Tasha does good work but she tries to play God with these animals! According to her, I am not good enough for one of her cats (I guess) because I cant guarantee the cat wont get outside and yet, in the description of this cat on her website it does not state that she HAS to be kept inside. What? Anyways, she does do good for the animals, and I wish her all the luck in the world with her lifes work.


Mar 26, 2011
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Im not good enough for Tasha
by: Anonymous

Yes Tasha does good work but she tries to play God with these animals! According to her, I am not good enough for one of her cats (I guess) because I cant guarantee the cat wont get outside and yet, in the description of this cat on her website it does not state that she HAS to be kept inside. What? Anyways, she does do good for the animals, and I wish her all the luck in the world with her lifes work.


Nov 02, 2010
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My HERO!!
by: Kittynovich

Tasha, you are my hero!! I care for a feral colony of about 17 cats. We have no TNR program here, so I am still working on that part. I am just a waitress and I don't make a lot of money... What I offer them is food and love. I build them "apartments" out of plastic tote boxes stuffed with straw topped with clean, fluffy towels. I want to do so much more for them and I dream someday of having a real home for them. A sanctuary where they can be feral in peace, safe from traffic, teenagers, and weather. I save all of my change from my tips all week to buy big bags of dry food. My boss lets me take home scraps from the meat he prepares, so they have a big plate of meat every night. They seem very happy and some of them really love me and let me pet them!! The first time they let me touch them makes it all worthwhile!! Bless you for what you do!!


Sep 06, 2010
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Thank you all!
by: Tasha

Joyce,
Thank you so much for taking interest in my rescue. Although I do not do this for credit, recognition or "fame", it does feel really good to feel appreciated for all of my work! I couldn't think of anything more meaningful to devote my life to.

I would like to clear of a couple things..
I do not pay for the spaying and neutering for feral cats. If they are feral they are fixed through the TNR program, which is free at the local Humane Society. I do however, pay for ALL of the after care; FIV/FeLV tests, vet bill, vaccines, food, litter etc. I work a full time job on top of running my rescue just to have the money to keep it going. I am grateful and fortunate to have a few very dedicated donors whose help I could not do this with out (so many thanks, you know who you are!) I also receive help from another local No Kill organization for cat food.

Joyce, you did a wonderful job writing this story! Thank you so much for all of your time and effort in highlighting my rescue. I just wanted to make sure I gave credit to all of my supporters.

Thank you all so much!

Sincerely,
Tasha


Sep 04, 2010
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Tasha's Rescues
by: Lindy Fellober

Bless you is my first two words. We do our best here but because we rent we are restricted. But we do make sure there is food put out and water in the better weather and shelter as best we can here in our area of Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. I am so proud of you Tasha for what you do and I believe God is looking down and saying the same thing. God bless you hon.


Sep 04, 2010
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Tasha's Rescues
by: Lindy Fellober

Bless you is my first two words. We do our best here but because we rent we are restricted. But we do make sure there is food put out and water in the better weather and shelter as best we can here in our area of Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. I am so proud of you Tasha for what you do and I believe God is looking down and saying the same thing. God bless you hon.


Sep 04, 2010
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Heroic Efforts
by: Anonymous

Very good! Good job stories all need told! Thanx!


Sep 04, 2010
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This is heroic stuff
by: Susie Bearder

This is the best tonic for someone who has such a cynical view of humans at present. It is clearly patronising to say thank you really but I do give thanks. Susie


Sep 04, 2010
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Stray Cats
by: Julia Milley

Tasha your amazing.
My friend and I do similar work in Queenstown, New Zealand.
People will often make the comment about getting the cats put down as they are wild.
We are also a no kill organization and many of the wild cats come home with me (48 so far lol).
I find wild kitties make great pets.
Independant and free.
Keep up the great work.


Sep 04, 2010
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Tasha
by: Elisa Black-Taylor

I sent her a message requesting a photo and gave her your email. There's one on the site with her photos but I'm not sure whether it's Tasha.

She makes the cutest pictures of her babies. I love the bath time photos. Most of the kittens are covered in fleas when she rescues them so she gets lots of bath practice.

I'm amazed at all she's done in a year.


Sep 04, 2010
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Impressed
by: Michael

I am very very impressed with Tasha's work. Thank you Elisa for bring her work to our notice.

There is one photo that is missing - a picture of the lady herself.

Can we see Tasha? I want to see what a beautiful person looks like.

Michael Avatar



Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.

Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

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21 Responses

  1. Connie says:

    Thank you for your reply. I’m in salem or. Connie

  2. Connie says:

    Hello, I’m email you because a feral cat showed up and is right now living under the porch.the cat has some problems with walking and a broken tail. I’m afraid she would be put to sleep in a shelter. With some work would be a good cat. I have two of my own and recent my neighbor I took in his feral that when he died they just left to fend on its own. I have to do something soon as my landlord does not allow this many cats. Please help in any way. Connie. I would make a donation to help out until he could be helped. Connie

    • Hi Connie. Where do you live? Is it Eugene, Oregon? This page does not connect directly with a feral cat rescue organization I am sorry to say so your message will not be picked up by a rescue organization.

      If you tell which town/city you live in I may be able to point you in the right direction.

  3. sue estling says:

    cat on center strip just outside Eugene looked like he had a dark head and white on his body….maybe dark grey/white or black and white. He’s not that far north from Eugene I have hope for a rescue as he has stayed in the same place for 6 days. Please someone help…..I would be more than glad to reimburse gas to drive there.

    • Michael says:

      Sue, I’ll contact Elisa Black-Taylor the person who interviewed Tasha and see if we can get contact details.

    • Dee (Florida) says:

      Sue, look in your Yellow Pages under “animals” and start calling shelters. As a last resort, you can try calling the fire department to see if they will help before he gets killed in the road.

      I don’t think I understand why you couldn’t stop your car. Pull into the center lane and put on yout flashers.

      • Michael says:

        Thanks Dee. I don’t know how busy this road is but at some stage it should be possible to stop the car and grab the cat. Anyway I would have thought that if Sue can’t do that neither can Tasha.

  4. sue estling says:

    Tasha………I am from Klamath Falls or. On tues I rode up to salem. Just outside Eugene, just past the mess of bridges and over passes and beltline rd there was a cat sitting in the narrow divider on the hwy 5. I came back yesterday and the cat was still standing upright looking at the traffic. It seemed that he sat facing the north side and then went under the wire and looked at the traffic going south to Eugene. I could not stop either way and have been trying to find someone to help him. I am not good at judging miles and should of gotten the nearest marker number. But, he’s not more than 15/20 miles north of Eugene. In a very narrow center strip with the low wire and posts. I can’t believe that he has been stuck there for 6 days. Can you help? Do you know of someone who can help. You really have to watch that center strip to see him. Both times he was almost sitting straight up watching the traffic. I have done this type of rescue before, but other people were driving. He was just before one of those center dividers that the State Police use to turn around. Please let me know if you can help.

    • Michael says:

      Hi Sue. I own the site. You show great concern which I love. I feel very anxious about this cat. I can’t help because I live in Europe. The chances of someone visiting this site and living near this cat are slim sadly and the post on this page was written some time ago I am afraid. I don’t understand why he is stuck in what we call the “central reservation”. At night it must be relatively quiet. He could cross then.

  5. Theresa Clark says:

    I have been feeding 5 feral cats that were starving when I moved into my apt. I have a cat an a dog. Last winter here was brutal. I would like to find a place in Lynchburg, VA that would take them before the cold sets in. They are really sweet. The city did come and spay and vaccinate them last year. I am the only one feeding them and it is getting expensive. Can you offer any suggestions please? Thank you.

    • Michael says:

      Hi Theresa, I have read your comment. Well done for feeding the cats. You are a good lady. Just give me a little time to try and work out a decent response.

      • Theresa Clark says:

        Thank you so much!
        I will look forward to hearing from you again. Much appreciated.

        • Dee (Florida) says:

          Theresa, if you are in the US, I suggest that you cook or make about a cup of oatmeal or rice every day, cool it, and mix it in with your wet food. It is nutritious and will stretch your food. You can also layer a bit of dry food over it.

          Outdoor sheltering is pretty easy to do. Follow what Michael has written about them. Big storage containers are cheapest at Walmart or Target. Shredded newspaper and stray (not hay because it is food and draws bugs) are the warmest to put on the bottom if you can’t afford outdoor heating pads (which are available on Amazon).

      • Dee (Florida) says:

        Michael, I hope you can give Theresa some direction. It’s hard to home ferals. In the interim, she may be able to create shelter for them and cut feeding costs with some nutritional “shortcuts” like adding oats and/or rice to stretch her wet cat food. Oats and rice are VERY cheap here and very good for cats.
        I think there is an article by you here about how to make cheap, homemade shelters.

    • Michael says:

      Hi Theresa, sorry for the delay in responding. I get too busy on other things.

      I think it will be all but impossible for me to find a shelter where feral cats will be homed. The barriers to that goal are too high.

      Inline with TNR programs feral cats are best left where they are. However, the cold makes leaving them where they are dangerous. And I feel bad about that.

      I can only suggest something rather feeble: building a winter shelter and feeding economically.

      There are two pages on feral cat shelters:

      https://pictures-of-cats.org/easytobuild-winter-shelter-for-feral-cats.html

      https://pictures-of-cats.org/care-for-feral-cats-in-cold-temperatures.html

      Are there any other people in the vicinity who do TNR? Can they help?

      Could a relocation to a farm environment be managed? What I mean is make them into barn cats. Some farmers take on feral cats although relocation does present problems.

      Sorry that this is rather feeble. Feral cats as you know are treated as third class citizens. It is difficult to get support for them.

  6. Sandra says:

    I have been looking for someone to help with the strays in my area I have adopted 2 cats plus one from before there are so many that need help and if I could I would help all I want to cry there are more cats and babies than I know what to do I have been searching things I can do but all tell me the same thing they can not help in Springfield Oregon area we have 2 month old kitties no home the neighbors all help trying to feed there is only so much we can do any advice will help and thanks for all you do!!

  7. Deborah Hamilton says:

    Tasha.I have to give up rescuing asap due to a heart issue.I have 3 kittens and 2 moms that need some where to go asap.Kittens are 14 weeks male and 2 -9 week kittens male and female.I have applied to spayship for vouchers but have not heard back yet.Tasha all this with my heart has us broke so I can not take care of them.Pleas help.
    541-606-8479

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