When rescuers came to a Brooklyn neighborhood to care for the local cats, one of them ran up to them, begging for love.
Will Zweigart, founder of Flatbush Cats, a TNR-focused Cat Rescue in Brooklyn, New York, joined a volunteer to feed 7-8 colonies of spayed and neutered feral cats in the area, as they do this on a daily basis to care for the community cats.
"If we run into any friendly cats while feeding, we're then able to help get them off the streets and try to get them adopted into a loving home," Will told Love Meow.
A new cat had shown up to the neighborhood not too long ago. As they arrived at her usual spot, the cat was already there, waiting for them. She immediately came running towards the caretakers, meowing and head bumping them for pets and love.
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"I could see her fur was dirty, which you usually see with abandoned or stray cats as they tend to groom less when very stressed. She had no collar and was starving, and it's currently below freezing in New York so I wanted to get her out of the January cold," Will added.
According to neighbors, this friendly stray had been outside for several weeks, braving the cold, scrounging for food and shelter.
"Unfortunately it's very common in this area for cats to be dumped or abandoned outside. She ran up to our volunteer and was very talkative, and clearly wanted back inside."
Will decided to rescue her by using a humane trap to help with the process.
"Cats can often be very scared and may not want to go into a carrier right away. Many have bad associations with carriers from vet trips, or if that's the last thing that happened when they were abandoned. Traps are a safe way to rescue and transport cats even if they're friendly," Will told Love Meow.
The kitty was happy from the moment she met Will and the volunteer. She walked right into the trap as if she was ready to be taken somewhere safe and warm.
After weeks of wandering the streets, she was thrilled to be in a home again. They named her Bun and she quickly settled in.
Watch Bun as she ran up to her rescuers in this video:
"She is a little shy of new people, but immediately begins purring loudly once she feels secure. She started making biscuits, rolling around and playing with a catnip toy that we had sitting nearby," Will told Love Meow.
"She's currently relaxing with one of our foster volunteers. Our next step is to get her medical care including spay, vaccination and deworming treatment. Once she's all set there, we'll be listing her for adoption!"
"Our goal is to make sure every cat in our neighborhood is spayed or neutered, which helps to prevent more cats from showing up at the city's overcrowded shelters," Will said.
"We do that by fixing all of the community cats through trap, neuter, return (TNR), and then working with local volunteers to make sure the feral and street cats that we've fixed are fed."
Bun is purring up a storm in the comfort of her foster home, away from the streets and the cold.
Follow updates on Bun and Flatbush Cats on Instagram @flatbushcats and Facebook. If you would like to support their rescue efforts, click here to see how you can help.
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