A small group of Vinton volunteers has been caring for a colony of stray cats living around a vacant home off Hardy Road for roughly two months, according to reporting by WDBJ. Caitlyn Wright and Haley Saunders, both Vinton residents, said they and a handful of others have been making near-daily trips to supply the animals with food and water.
The two women said they first traced the cats to the property in June after Wright noticed them near a Bee Quick gas station and was told by a worker that the animals were coming from a nearby address. When they first arrived, they estimated at least 50 cats on the property. That number has fallen to between 20 and 25 as some animals have died, disappeared, or been placed in foster care.
Health Conditions Are Deteriorating
The cats’ health is a serious concern. Saunders told WDBJ that many of the animals are losing their eyesight, often starting with one eye before spreading to both, and that all of them are sneezing. She described primarily respiratory illness along with visible cuts and fur loss across much of the colony. Wright said she found one cat eating scraps off the ground, including lettuce, tomato, and bread, on a nighttime visit.
Three kittens were discovered during the first visit. One had an eye protruding from its face. The volunteers have given several cats informal names based on their appearance or condition, including Garfield, Wobbles, One Eye Joe, and Bugsy.
Calls to Animal Control Went Unanswered
After calls to animal control produced no results, Saunders created a Facebook group to raise community awareness and seek medical assistance for the cats. She also contacted the property owner directly, through a connection to a nearby daycare, and secured permission to continue feeding the animals on condition that placement options were found…