Are we nearly there yet?: 16 June And then there were none

We’ve been visiting Ilet Cabrit for the last three years and during that time we’ve been accustomed to seeing the feral cats hanging around the picnic table area. They are the same colours as the cats on the big island so we think they will have been dumped here.

When we first saw them there were 4 cats. Earlier this year there were 2; a cream female we called Snowy and a ginger female we named Ginger. In the evening we would feed them and fill up their water bowl.

Snowy & Ginger

Within a couple of days of arriving this time we saw a group of people grouped at the picnic table with small animal carriers and catch nets. They had come to remove the feral cats, chickens and goats. Invasive species that are not good for the native bird population or the native plants.

Because we haven’t seen Snowy or Ginger for three weeks we assumed that they had been captured and removed. That was until four days before we were due to leave when we spotted Snowy alone on the beach. Of course we immediately went ashore with wet food, nibbles and water. She was thin, but she did recognise us as her feeders. Over the next couple of days we visited her late afternoon to feed and to build up some trust.

If we didn’t already have Polly we would have been tempted to adopt her, but Polly would never accept another cat so the best we can do is to find Snowy a new home off the island.

For this I reached out to a contact on Terre Haut to ask if there was an animal shelter or cat rescue that would accept her if we caught her and brought her over. There was. An organisation called Z’animo Les Saintes agreed if we could bring her in they would take her and thus Operation Rescue Snowy began – better for her to go to a place where there would be other cats, regular food and where she could be spayed, better for the island ecosystem too.

Early this morning we arrived on the beach with food, a large zipped holdall (not Polly’s carry case to avoid possible cross contamination), a big towel and a pair of long protective gloves. The plan was to tempt Snowy onto the table with food, throw the towel over her and ease her into the bag. Reality was not as smooth; she fought like a wild cat, bit David’s finger through the glove but we did get her in the bag.

Before dinghying over to Haut Terre we went back to the big boat to disinfect and dress David’s wound while Snowy lay quietly in the bottom of the dinghy.

On the big island we found the shelter in the old police station on the main road. The staff were welcoming and very helpful. She now has a clean and safe cage while she settles in and there are many wild cats who come in for a feed each morning so she won’t be lonely. A vet is coming over from Guadeloupe this weekend and will spay her then for which we made a donation to cover the cost.

We were both teary saying goodbye but hope some kind person will see her pretty face and offer her a forever home.