Local Sanctuary Takes in San Nicolas Cats

An animal sanctuary in Ramona has added 31 feral cats to its list of residents, cats rescued from San Nicolas Island and transported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The island is the outermost of the Channel Islands and has been the home of a large population of feral cats since at least the 1950s. The U.S. government owns the island and has recently been working to remove the cats because they threaten the eco system on the island.

So far just the first batch of 31 cats has been delivered to Ramona, where Cindy Traisi is taking them in. She is expecting the possibility of dozens more.

β€œThey are continuing to trap and as they get a plane load they bring them to us,” said Cindy Traisi, one of the resident managers of the sanctuary. β€œThe trapping is going slowly. They really have no idea how many cats are on the island.”

Extra help will be needed to care for the feral cats. Not only that, but the staff is in the process of building a special 4000-square foot fence with special netting over the top to prevent escapes.

When asked if they needed donations for the project, Traisi immediately said β€œOh my gosh, yes!”

Ramona’s Fund for Animals Wildlife Rehabilitation Center keeps not only big cats like lions and mountain lions but also birds and a pygmy hippopotamus.

The cats will live on the sanctuary for the foreseeable future. At this point, U. S. Fish and Wildlife has mandated none are to be put up for adoption.

Read more about the transfer of the cats and how it is a special case, in the full article on the Ramona Sentinel website.

For information on how to donate, check out Fund for Animals and the Humane Society of the United States.

Contact Us