North Fork Feral Colonies Destroyed: 'These Cats Will Die'

NORTH FORK, NY — On the North Fork, a group of cats who have lived at a feral colony for years found their houses and feeding stations destroyed this week.

According to Virginia Scudder, founder of the North Fork Country Kids: Rescue and Preservation Through Pedagogy rescue group, the destruction at the feral colony sites on the North Fork was discovered Wednesday.

"Now the cats have no place to sleep in rain and snow," she said. "These are colonies that have been around for years.These cats will die."

Without the houses and feeding stations, there is no safe place to put down food and water for the cats, who are confused and hungry, she said.

"One cat was circling around and just trying to figure out what was happening," Scudder said.

Scudder said she and others have been caring for several colonies on the North for years. Even before the North Fork Country Kids rescue group was created the colonies existed and were cared for by many older locals, she said.

"They were welcomed because they kept mice and rodents away," she said.

As time passed, Scudder and her volunteers took over the three main colonies, feeding the cats, providing shelter, and finding families for the homeless felines.

"We have trapped and neutered more than 100 cats," she said. "Some of these cats were friendly and went to loving homes. Many of the cats that were older have since died."

The work has not always been easy, Scudder said. Volunteers have been threatened in the past. "But we have to feed the cats," she said.

Unwanted cats are often "dumped" in the area, Scudder said, and she and other volunteers are always searching for new cats that need help.

A critical tenet of "Rescue 101" is that the locations of the colonies must be kept secret, so the cats are not threatened or killed, Scudder said.

All of the cats at the North Fork colonies have been trapped, neutered, and released, Scudder said. Recently, a new colony was found and must be cared for, she said.

"For many years, all of these cats have been vetted, cared for, and loved," Scudder said. "They keep the rodents away. Now the cats are scared and confused."

On Wednesday, some of the volunteers who feed the cats — those feeders go twice and sometimes three times a day – called Scudder with the news. Whoever ransacked the colonies "threw hundreds of dollars worth of cat housing away. First, they piled them in corners, and then they went back to cart them away," she said.

It is against the law to stop feeding cats that have been fed for 10 years as part of a TNR program because they could starve, Scudder said, adding that New York State does not consider feral cats wildlife but instead, companion animals that are protected by animal cruelty provisions.

If more houses are set up, Scudder said there is no certainty that they won't be removed, too. But for now, she said, cleaner and newer houses must be built, and food is needed for the cats. Volunteers are needed, too.

"It is a sacred trust they have in us, to look after them," she said.