CommUNITY Champion: Woman making a difference for stray cats in Central Florida

BELIEVES THERE ARE AT LEAST 60 TO 100 MILLION HOMELESS, STRAY AND FERAL CATS ACROSS THE NATION, WHICH CAN BE CONCERNING FOR DISEASE SPREAD AND ALSO OTHER RISK FACTORS. YEAH, BUT THIS WEEK’S COMMUNITY CHAMPION IS DOING HER PART TO HELP THE SITUATION HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA BY GETTING CATS ADOPTED. KITTY KITTY KITTY CAT TRAPPING IS A PRETTY SOLITARY OPERATION. IT’S QUIET. IT’S SOMETHING YOU CAN DO ON YOUR OWN, WHICH MADE IT THE PERFECT ACTIVITY FOR WEDNESDAY. HUGO’S TO DO DURING THE PANDEMIC. FOUR YEARS AGO. AND HOW DID YOU GET INTERESTED AND GET INVOLVED DOING THIS DURING COVID? SOME FRIENDS AND I SAW A NEED. WE SAW HOMELESS CATS OUTSIDE AND I THOUGHT, OH, I CAN CLEAN UP SOME OF THE THE CATS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAVEN’T BEEN FIXED. SO WE GOT TOGETHER AND THOSE GRASSROOTS EFFORTS HAVE GROWN INTO WEDNESDAY’S COMMUNITY CATS AND KITTENS. WE ARE A 100% VOLUNTEER GROUP THAT LOOK TO GET COMMUNITY CATS, WHICH ARE CATS WITHOUT AN OWNER THAT USUALLY LIVE ON THE STREET. THEY COULD BE INDOOR OR OUTDOOR CATS, BUT NO ONE CLAIMS OWNERSHIP FOR THEM SPAYED AND NEUTERED. THAT WAY WE REDUCE DISEASES AND THE OVERALL PET POPULATION OF APPROXIMATELY 90,000 COMMUNITY CATS HERE IN ORANGE COUNTY ALONE. WEDNESDAY HAS A PARTNERSHIP WITH PET ALLIANCE, FOR EXAMPLE. I CAN SHOW YOU DOWN HERE, THE FACILITY JUST WEST OF DOWNTOWN ORLANDO TAKES IN SOME OF THE CATS AND GETS THEM TREATED. THIS IS ONE OF OUR ONE OF OUR GROUPS THAT WAS TRAPPED IN THE PARAMOUR AREA. ALL THESE BABIES WILL GET FIXED AND VACCINATED AND ADOPTED OUT, WHICH HELPS THE OVERALL CAT POPULATION. WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO FIX AND VACCINATE OVER 6000, APPROXIMATELY 6000, 6000. SO THAT’S INCREDIBLE. BUT YOU THINK ABOUT COMPARED TO 90,000, IT’S STILL A SMALL DROP IN THE BUCKET. BUT THAT DROP HAS CREATED A SPLASH. THAT DESIGNATED WEDNESDAY HAS A WESH 2 COMMUNITY CHAMPION. SHE IS A TOUR DE FORCE. SHE’S TAKING A COMMUNITY OF INDIVIDUAL CAT ADVOCATES AND TRAPPERS AND PULLED US TOGETHER AND REALLY TAKING A A GOOD EXAMPLE OF TAKING THE WHOLE BEING GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ALL THE INDIVIDUAL PARTS. WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK, YOU KNOW, DAY AFTER DAY TO DOING THIS? I THINK WHEN YOU HEAR FROM PEOPLE THAT WE’VE ADOPTED TO OR YOU SEE A CAT THAT WAS HORRIBLY WOUNDED, THAT WE WERE ABLE TO CATCH, GET MEDICAL TREATMENT AND NURSED BACK TO HEALTH, IT REMINDS YOU THAT THERE’S THINGS THAT ARE BIGGER THAN YOURSELF OUT THERE, AND IT REALLY HELPS TO GIVE YOU A PURPOSE AND A SENSE OF WELL-BEING. AND WEDNESDAY, HUGO’S IS HERE IN THE STUDIO WITH US THIS MORNING, WEDNESDAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US. WE APPRECIATE IT. UM, YOU’VE GOT A FULL TIME JOB. YOU’RE JUGGLING A BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF. HOW DO YOU MANAGE DOING ALL OF THIS? I THINK IT TAKES A VILLAGE AND WE’RE REALLY FORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL COMMUNITY GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS THAT MAKE THAT POSSIBLE FOR US. ONE PERSON CAN’T DO THIS BY THEMSELVES. SO I THINK WHAT WE REPRESENT IS, IS A COMMUNITY SPIRIT THAT RESIDES IN ALL OF US IF WE WANT IT. OKAY. AND HOW DO PEOPLE FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR SERVICES? BECAUSE, I MEAN, MY FIRST INSTINCT WOULD BE TO CALL 311 OR ANIMAL CONTROL, BUT LIKE, YEAH, HOW DO YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE MIX? SO WE ALSO HAVE A FACEBOOK AND AN INSTAGRAM THAT YOU CAN REACH OUT TO. WE HAVE RESOURCES. WE ALSO HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH PET ALLIANCE. SO DEPENDING ON YOUR COUNTY OR YOUR AREA WE CAN REFER FOR TNR SERVICES. WE HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOW COST SPAY AND NEUTER CLINICS THAT WE CAN REFER PEOPLE TO. SO COME AND FIND US AND WE’LL DO OUR BEST TO HELP YOU. OKAY. AND TNR TRAP NEUTER RELEASE. RIGHT? CORRECT. THERE’S A SILENT V IN THERE BUT IT’S FOR VACCINATE. SO WE LIKE TO PUT THEM BACK VACCINATED IF THEY’RE NOT, IF THEY’RE FERAL THAT WAY WE DON’T SPREAD DISEASE OKAY. A COUPLE QUESTIONS ON HOW ANYBODY WHO’S WATCHING RIGHT NOW MIGHT BE ABLE TO MAKE AN IMPACT IF WE HAVE A CAT AT HOME, WHAT CAN WE DO. AND THEN I’LL ASK YOU A FOLLOW UP QUESTION TO THAT. SO FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU FIND A CAT OUTSIDE, YOU THINK YOU’RE BEING KIND BY FEEDING IT. IF YOU CAN’T FIX IT, DON’T FEED IT. THEY CAN HAVE FOUR LITTERS A YEAR. THAT’S WHY WE HAVE 90,000 ESTIMATED COMMUNITY CATS IN ORANGE COUNTY ALONE. DO THE RIGHT THING AND GET THE CAT FIXED. THERE ARE LOW COST OPTIONS AVAILABLE. ALSO, IF YOU HAVE KITTENS, PLEASE DON’T GIVE THEM AWAY FOR FREE. THAT JUST PERPETUATES THE PROBLEM. AND THEN WE END UP RIGHT BACK IN THE SAME BOAT. WHEN THOSE PEOPLE DON’T FIX AND VACCINATE THOSE KITTENS. I MEAN, IT’S SOMETHING PEOPLE DON’T REALLY THINK ABOUT. THEY THINK THEY’RE HELPING OUT, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY IF SOMEONE’S GIVING AWAY KITTENS. THEY’RE THINKING THEY’RE GETTING THAT CAT OFF THE STREET, RIGHT? TAKING CARE OF IT. BUT IF YOU DON’T GET IT VACCINATED OR FIXED, THEN YOU’RE CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROBLEM TOO. CORRECT. AND ORANGE COUNTY HAS A GREAT LOW COST. IT’S A FREE PROGRAM CALLED WAIT TILL EIGHT. YOU CAN SIGN THOSE KITTENS UP THROUGH ORANGE COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES, AND THEY WILL TAKE THOSE, FIX THEM AND ADOPT THEM OUT. NO CHARGE. OKAY. PERFECT. AND THEN OTHER QUESTION I HAD FOR YOU, FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE CATS, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE’S ALWAYS THAT CAT THAT’S COMING AROUND THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD OR IF THEY’RE AT THE PARK, THEY MIGHT BE TEMPTED TO LIKE GIVE IT SOME FOOD. WE SHOULDN’T DO THAT. NO, NO, WE SAY DON’T BE A BREEDER FEEDER. THAT JUST PERPETUATES THE PROBLEM WHEN YOU FEED THEM. YOU’RE NOW CREATING AN ATMOSPHERE FOR FOR GROWTH AND BIRTH TO TAKE PLACE. SO IF YOU’RE NOT WILLING TO TO STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE AND GET THAT CAT FIXED, DON’T FEED IT BECAUSE IT JUST PERPETUATES OUR PROBLEM. OKAY, ALL GOOD THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND. WEDNESDAY. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. IT’S INCREDIBLE. I WAS SHOCKED BY THE NUMBERS 90,000 IN ORANGE COUNTY ALONE. THAT DOESN’T INCLUDE OUR SURROUNDING COUNTIES, BUT THAT’S CORRECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. ALL RIGHT. IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE ON LIKE, WEDNESDAY WHO’S GOT A HISTORY OF DOING GREAT WORK HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, WESH TWO WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT THEM. PLEASE NOMINATE THOSE FOLKS WHO HAVE A TRACK RECORD OF GIVING BACK FOR A WESH TWO COMMUNITY CHAMPION SPOTLIGHT. YOU CAN EMAIL US THE DETAILS ABOUT YOUR NOMINEE TO COMMUNITY CHAMPION AT WESH.COM, AND THEY COULD BE FEATURED RIGHT HERE ON WE