08/28/2026
A Rain Barrel, a Mother's Instinct, and a Story About Showing Up for Each Other
This weekend, many an Austin area TNR volunteer lost sleep. They voluntarily spent their days and nights out in the heat, trapping community cats across the county so that Monday's spay and neuter event could do what it does best: stop the cycle before it starts. By Monday evening, 105 feral cats had been fixed and vaccinated. Our friend Michele, a Community Cat trapper, was responsible for bringing in 40 of them herself.
That number alone tells you something about her dedication and that bit of information could be the story all on its own- but it’s not, there’s much more. One of the properties Michele focused on this last weekend was up in Leander. She was able to successfully trap 27 adult cats and another 15 kittens over two days. The adult cats would head to the TNR spay and neuter clinic at the Austin Humane Society, and the kittens, would be sent to Austin Animal Center to placed in foster where they will be socialized, vaccinated, and fixed before being adopted out.
As Michele made a final sweep of the property, listening for anyone she might have missed, she heard faint crying from inside an old rain barrel. Three kittens were down at the bottom, so young their eyes had barely opened. There was no mother in sight, and no way to know whose babies they were or whether their mom had already been trapped or was still hiding somewhere nearby. By the look and sound of them, it could be assumed they had been alone for some time. Left on their own for another 24 to 36 hours in 109 degree heat, Michele was confident they would not have survived; and that wasn't a chance she was willing to take- so she scooped them up too.
Michele reached out to us Sunday night. Unlike the other kittens she'd caught that day, these three weren't weaned yet, they were tiny and hungry and she had 40 other cats plus older kittens to manage that night. As luck would have it, an Orphan Annie’s incubator had opened that morning and we were thrilled to be able to say yes. The efforts and lengths our community cat trappers go to for these felines makes us want to do all we can to pitch in where we are able.
As Michele went to release the adult cats back at their site on Monday evening, she did something quietly brilliant: she opened the crates, and she watched the rain barrel. Sure enough, one mother cat came running back to it, driven by the one instinct that doesn't stop for spay and neuter clinics or trapping schedules. Michele scooped her up gently and brought her to us too.
We don't often get to care for nursing mothers here at Orphan Annie's. We specialize in the orphaned and the injured, the ones who need extra time and care. Mama cats do almost all the work themselves, so we typically refer them to Austin Animal Services where they can help find a foster- just about anyone with a with a safe space and a willing heart can manage them with guidance just fine. But after two or more days away from her kittens, Mama cat's milk production had sowed. We knew she was going to need help getting back on track, and the babies would likely need some supplementing indefinitely- which mean they all get to stay.
Please meet Cha Cha and her three little ones, Tango, Foxtrot, and Do-si-do. Mama and babies are all stable, and we're already dreaming about finding this sweet family the homes they each deserve. Yes, feral cats can be friendly, they aren’t all scared. This sweet black kitty is just a kitten herself, with a purr bigger than she is. Her temperament tells us her outdoor days ought to be behind her even after she’s raised her litter.
Sometimes the difference between a happy ending and a tragedy is just one person willing to look a little closer, and listen a little longer. Michele, we are proud to know you and are thrilled we were able to join in to support you and this little family.
