Triple R Pets was there to help Pamela P. Caddick a decade ago when she thought her feral cat colony was doomed because a neighbor complained about it.
Today, Caddick, of Richton Park, is a true believer like dozens of other volunteers for this nonprofit dedicated to spaying and neutering feral cats to stem the population in Cook County.
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“I found out through Triple R Pets about the Cook County Managed Feral Cat Ordinance, so was able to go to court and have the complaint waived,” said Caddick.
She said the 2007 ordinance allows residents to keep colonies on their property if they spay and neuter them and provide them with shelter and food.
“It meant the world to me because I was afraid when this originally happened I was going to lose my colonies, they were going to trap my cats and kill them,” she said.
Caddick pushed for her village to pass an ordinance for added protection. She said as early as four months cats can have kittens. In a year, an unspayed cat can have up to 18 kittens and when they start breeding, the population explodes.
Collette Walker, who does community outreach for the Triple R Pets, will lead a workshop from 10-11:30 a.m. outside 17940 Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park, on how to help a trap, neuter and return feral cats. Caddick will help with the workshop, which will give tips on setting traps and transporting cats, a list of low-cost clinics and offer a cat food pantry.
Volunteers donate $50 to Triple R Pets and in return receive spay/neuter, rabies, distemper and parasite treatment and microchip at one of the clinics, as well as registration through the nonprofit.
Walker, who was one of the founding members of Triple R Pets after seeing swarms of homeless pets in Biloxi, Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina, cautioned there is a waiting list at clinics because of the pandemic.
Participants can sign a loan agreement and make a deposit for a trap and the organization will coordinate a pickup.
There are as many as 50 volunteers at a time and roughly 8,000 feral cats registered in its database.
“A lot of people join our group because they have feral cats in their backyard and don’t know what to do,” said Walker, who lives in Willow Springs and helps feral cats outside her home. “They join the group to help the cats in the backyards but ultimately they are helping all the cats nationwide.”
Walker said feral cats typically are only happy outside and don’t want human interaction, whereas strays once had indoor homes and can be content there again.
“So many people think they’re being kind to a feral cat and bring it into their homes,” said Walker, who cautioned a home can be like a prison for the cats.
The group’s long-term mission is to reduce the feral cat population, because otherwise they end up in shelters and contribute to the high rate of killing. The short-term mission is “simply to help the cat that is standing in front of you.”
“All my life, all I wanted to do was help animals,” said Walker.
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.