For several years, Rochelle has been trapping stray cats to have them spayed or neutered and given rabies shots at the Austin Animal Center and Austin Humane Society. Being a cat owner herself, Rochelle has always had a love for animals and cannot stand to see the number of stray cats around Austin. She started out trapping at her home by the Colorado river. There were people dumping cats out by her land and she didn’t want them to start having kittens, so she began trapping the cats to take them in to get spayed and neutered. She built a relationship with the Humane Society and began volunteering in their laundry room and helps elsewhere in shelters around the city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to trapping, Rochelle also feeds colonies of cats every day. She sustains the community at Frontier Valley Mobile Home Park and another at the Montopolis Apartment Complex.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each of these colonies of cats are 20-30 in size and many of them have been taken in by families in the two communities.

 

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With feeding and trapping, as well as volunteer work with the shelters and Humane Society, Rochelle keeps a busy schedule.

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Frequently, Rochelle receives calls from residents in Austin with concerns about stray cats in their community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Often, people are concerned about cats reproducing and their kittens not getting the care they need. Without prevention, more kittens would be born and suffer in extreme weather conditions, threatened by coyotes and separated from their moms. This is unhealthy and unsafe for both the kittens and their mothers.

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There are advantages and disadvantages to stray cats. The biggest asset is rodent control, but a common complaint is that the cats also kill birds. Trapping, spaying or neutering, and releasing the current population keeps them around for rodent control, but limits their population size to limit bird capture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The work that Rochelle does improves the safety of the existing cat population and limits potential overpopulation.

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In 2018, Rochelle met her goal of 400 trapped and released cats for the year. Though she met that goal in November, she continued trapping throughout December and plans to continue for as long as she is physically able.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rochelle works tirelessly to take care of the existing stray cat population and prevents the proliferation of stray animals in and around the city.

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Hannah Simon Photography 2018