The Cat's Eye Story

A copy of the text of "The Cat's Eye Story" is included in every order of Cat's Eye Notecards

The cats on the Cat's Eye Notecards were from a group of 18 descendants of one stray, tame female who was never spayed. I became involved when I took a job as caretaker on a property where they lived. When I first saw them they were scrawny, in poor health, and most were wild. Some had died. These were the survivors.

The property would be sold. The cats were not wanted. Touched by their desperate plight, I began feeding them regularly, trapping them, and taking them to a local spay/neuter clinic. Their health and appearance improved dramatically. Gradually I began to gain their trust and was impressed by their incredible alertness, spirit and charm. Through the veil of extreme timidity, hints of their affectionate nature began to show.

It took about six months of intense work with these cats before the bolder ones were tame enough to be considered for adoption. Only then did the photography begin, with the hope that pictures would help find homes. At first they were terrified by the soft click of the camera, but soon grew accustomed to it, and enjoyed following along on “photographic field trips,” chasing after each other and racing up and down trees excitedly as we walked along.

It takes an enormous investment of time, money and caring concern to deal humanely with cat populations such as these. Of the many unwanted cats who end up in shelters, a small percentage are adopted. Many others are destroyed. A tame, affectionate cat may have a chance to be adopted . Untame or poorly socialized cats seldom do. Of the many unwanted cats who are not sheltered, all too often they live short, stressful lives in a hostile environment. Many succumb to disease, to traffic, to other predatory animals, or to human cruelty. This particular group of cats was fortunate. Most were eventually placed in homes, and a few remained with me.
Many compassionate people have stories of animals they have rescued from untenable situations, and, likewise, a large number of organizations dedicate themselves to helping stray, abandoned or abused animals. Despite often heroic efforts, pet overpopulation continues to cause suffering to unwanted animals, and places a large burden both on those who care enough to get involved and on public agencies responsible for animal control.

The only solution is a more aggressive effort at spaying or neutering domestic cats before they reproduce. Please be aware that many who take a kitten home on impulse have no concept of what is involved in responsible long-term care. Thus easily adopted kittens may become easily abandoned cats when responsibility becomes inconvenient, and the cycle of unwanted animals begins anew.
Please consider the distressing plight of a huge multitude
of unwanted animals, and remember to spay and neuter
your pets before they reproduce.

Susan Younker

Cat's Eye Notecards are designed to raise awareness of the serious problems caused by pet overpopulation.

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Susan Younker
Cats Eye Photography
September, 2001

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