Page 4 - MidWeek Leeward - Sep 22 2021

4 SEPTEMBER 22, 2021
Pearl City Nonprofit Has Dedication To Saving Hawai‘i’s Cats
BY MARIA KANAI
There’s a cat problem in Hawai‘i. As of 2020 stats, there are more than 2 mil- lion feral cats that roam the islands. KAT Charities, a nonprofit in Pearl City run by Dr. Karen Tyson, addresses the cat crisis by laying traps throughout the island. Staff and volunteers go out to find the felines at each trap loca- tion. There, they will spay or neuter the cats and, if the ani- mals are friendly, find homes for them or donate them to Pōpoki + Tea, a cat café on Wai‘alae Avenue.
have any medical needs such as worms. Our cut off to bring them back to us is when the cat reaches 2 pounds. We make sure their vaccinations are up to date and make sure they find a family or put them directly to Pōpoki + Tea.”
It’s like a version of fish- ing, Ongolea explains.
Heather Kalua of Pearl City-based nonprofit KAT Charities kisses a kitty.
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Volunteers can also come with KAT staff and trap cats together.
For more information, visit facebook.com/katchar- itiespage, linktr.ee/katchari- ties or call 808-650-1234.
“You literally go out to trap and you set the trap. We’ll teach you everything there is to know and it’s so much fun to be a part of the rescue.”
rescuing cats, but also the not-so-fun part of cleaning and scooping a litter box,” Ongolea notes. “We also would love to have volun- teers just come and social- ize with the cats. It helps to have a friendly face there for babies who might be really scared.”
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Kalia Ongolea, foster coor- dinator, joined KAT Charities last year during the pandemic and says it’s been a hard, yet fulfilling job.
KAT Charities president and founder Dr. Karen Tyson, with a few cats the Pearl City-based group has spayed and neutered. PHOTOS COURTESY KAT CHARITIES
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“She’s the apple of my eye,” Ongolea shares.
would not make it. Now, the cat is happy and well.
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“You never rest in rescue, there’s always something to save,” Ongolea says.
If you don’t have time to volunteer, you could also donate money for a good cause. Keiki can volunteer for school hours as well.
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The gray cat was rescued in Waimānalo at about 3 days old and had a severe upper respiratory infection. A few months later, they discov- ered she had a serious dis- ease called feline infectious peritonitis. It required an ex- pensive medicine that wasn’t sold in the United States and Ongolea thought Flower
“She comes with me ev- erywhere. Her favorite store is Target and she rides in her little stroller with me,” Ongo- lea says.
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It is also heartbreaking, as sometimes she ends up losing kittens no matter how hard she tries to save them.
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“It can be emotionally taxing as these babies are so helpless.”
If volunteers want to get involved, Ongolea invites them to call to participate. There’s plenty for volunteers to do.
Fostering is another im- portant job for volunteers.
One of her favorite cats is Flower, who is now a year old.
“There’s the fun part of
“When we say fostering, we mean you take the cat home with you,” Ongolea says. “You help socialize it and make sure they don’t
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