Dr. John P. Ruffing VMD Pet Food Pantry · July 3, 2026

We’ve learned about a young family living in an abandoned house in the Central Northside. It appears to be Mama, Papa, and two kittens. Someone has been feeding them – sort of. We left a note for the feeder and began to craft a plan.

L noticed the kitten when she was on her regular walk. She contacted me, I put out a call, and now we have a committee of eight. Two are feeding/watering, one is providing the rescue slots, two are other neighbors monitoring the situation, one is a experienced TNR trapper, one is me, and the last is Marie. More on that.

We have to trap the kittens first, then use kitten cries (from YouTube, not actual kittens) to lure Mama and Papa into the adult traps. But find a time to be over there safely is a challenge. Safe because of the weather and fireworks, not the neighborhood.

L and C have been going daily to freshen water and put out food. L2 puts out ice water at his nearby home and sees Mama drinking every day. But I think the prize for cat folx excellence goes to Marie – yesterday, someone put an entire roasted turkey in a pan at the location. Like an offering. By the time C found it, the turkey was pretty gross from the bugs and the heat. C was on her way to work so could not deal with the mess.

So Marie paid for an Uber to take her over, cleaned it up with contractor bags, put dry food out in fresh bowls, and deposited the double bagged turkey in a City trash can before catching a bus back home.

That’s hardcore cat folx commitment.

We believe the feeder means well and is trying, but doesn’t have some basic facts. Slicing that cooked turkey up and putting out small amounts of the meat would have been okay – but it was awful hot to do that. Dry food is best for now. Or a small amount of canned food that won’t get crusty and gross.

Tonight two trappers are trying to get the four cats