PALATKA, Fla. — A First Coast animal rescue says volunteers have found that feral mother cats being cared for in its community cat program are appearing to have died from poisoning in two separate counties.
Charise Mauldin is a volunteer in Putnam County with Feline Canopy of Care, a non-profit organization helping abandoned cats and kittens.
“I’m heartbroken. I’ve been crying all week," Mauldin said.
Mauldin says she believes the mothers she's found dead in the colonies in her Palatka neighborhood have been poisoned.
“Now I’m having to trap the kittens hopefully before they starve to death," Mauldin said. "It’s awful. It’s cruel.”
The rescue has taken in around 50 kittens over the past week, and many of them were left to fend for themselves without their moms.
“They find them dead for no apparent reason. They haven’t been hit by a car. There’s no injuries. They become violently sick, and they die," said Sharon Barfield, a volunteer with Feline Canopy of Care.
A volunteer feeding the community cats in the San Jose area of Duval County reports also finding mother cats apparently poisoned. She says she even found rat poison in their food.
“From this one colony, we believe there have been five mother cats that have been poisoned," Barfield said. "It’s very illegal to harm an animal. It comes with a stiff penalty of up to five years in jail and a $10,000 fine.”
The non-profit needs foster homes for the kittens, donations to continue its program, and help trapping cats for its trap, neuter, return program.
“It’s what’s right and what’s wrong," Barfield said. "There’s no reason to harm a poor animal.”
Click here for more information on how you can help Feline Canopy of Care. They're also looking for donations to install security cameras in the areas volunteers are finding dead cats in hopes of finding the culprits.
They're also having a clinic and adoption event (they have around 50 kittens looking for homes) this & every Saturday from 1:30-5 p.m. at 230 W. King Street in St. Augustine, FL.