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Breaking the Cycle Part 2: Rachel with the Jefferson SPCA
Episode 12 • 18th April 2025 • Animal Posse • Unwanted Feline Organization
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Dixie:

Welcome to Animal Posse, the podcast dedicated to the

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people and rescues making a

difference in the lives of animals.

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Welcome everybody, and we are back

to finish up our conversation with

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Rachel from the Jefferson SPCA.

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Rachel: So yes, I have 15 dogs that's

the weird thing about whenever I go

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places and I bring my dachshunds places,

they're like, oh, do you breed 'em?

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No.

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Like why?

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Just 'cause I have a lot of them.

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I don't wanna say you should have a

license to own a pet, but sometimes I

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feel like you should have to go through

animal shelter training to own a pet.

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So you realize what's happening in

your own backyard that you don't know.

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The people that were at the rabies

drive, the majority of people

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that had intact animals were pit

bulls and they were breeding 'em.

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And I was like, there are dogs

that look exactly like your dog

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in the shelter homeless right now.

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And they're like, nuh.

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I was like, oh yeah.

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And they're like, there's no way.

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I'm like, yes way.

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There's beautiful colors blue.

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The tri colors that they're liking now.

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Everything that you want from an

animal is probably in the shelter.

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Dixie: I seen in one of my groups,

somebody post Maine coon cats.

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Rachel: Ugh.

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Dixie: And I didn't know if she

was a breeder, and so I asked

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her, Hey, are you a breeder?

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Oh, of course.

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She's very proud about that.

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She's a breeder.

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And so I'm like I hope you're spaying

and neutering 'em, before they go out.

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And she's oh, these are pedigree.

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And I'm like, they're a

dime a dozen in the shelter.

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They're all over the shelter.

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Rachel: Yeah.

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I just don't care.

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But even if the ones that are

like mixes that's like the hard

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thing with the adoptions, if you

put like a certain breed, people

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come and they fight over him.

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We had a kitten so cute one

time he wasn't maine coon, but

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he was just like long hair.

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And one lady was like, I will adopt six

cats plus him if you let me have him.

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Like it didn't matter.

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Like she would've done

anything and everything.

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I wanted just to get that long

hair cat and like it blew my mind.

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People come in all the time like asking

us, do you have this, but I feel like

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those cats usually end up getting

turned in because there's some like

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medical issue the person can't afford.

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Anyway, I feel you've had a lot of

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pure bred

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things lately.

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I try to stay away from 'em.

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I had the one bengal because of

one of our connection of one of our

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volunteers, but the frenzy that's

around them and then, but they're so

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high maintenance and I just don't know.

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I'd rather just the low

maintenance, domestic short-haired

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cat if I was gonna have one,

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Dixie: Definitely the ones that

I just had, I can't imagine the

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amount of brushing and grooming

that those two would require.

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His hair on his tail was probably

about six to eight inches long.

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It was insane.

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Rachel: Yeah.

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And that's why, I feel like

you have to go through classes.

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Some of ours, like whenever we

do adoptions, like we like to do

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sleepovers, especially if they're

like, with the bunnies and stuff,

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we'd like to do foster to adopt.

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And so I like to give you like, four to

six weeks to make sure, and then you're

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like, Hey, is this really what you want?

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Do you want to scoop a

litter box every day?

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Do you want to brush the hair every day?

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Do you want to make sure this is gross?

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But rabbits, if their poop's not a certain

way or consistency something's wrong.

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Red flags.

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And are you okay that if there's

an emergency, you're driving

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the LSU or you're paying $500,

you don't have any options.

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Like you have like for an emergency.

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I'd rather people be like,

okay, this is not what I really

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wanted and give it back to me.

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Versus me adopt and be like, return

it and hide it, or, oops, sorry.

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Hide it or dump it somewhere else.

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That's my fear.

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I'd rather you try it out and be,

and come to me and say, no, I'm

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sorry, this is not what I wanted.

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Because it's just, you just don't

know what you're getting into.

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But like the longhaired thing

I have two long hair, three

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longhaired dogs and I hate it.

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It's not that the hair

in the house bothers me.

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Vacuuming, sweeping that is nothing.

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Keeping up with grooming and

longhaired animal is awful.

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Like I just, I don't know why people

just go absolutely haywire over it.

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And I'm like, I would rather, sit

in a playroom somewhere and have 50

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cats running around and the one that

like bonds to me, no matter what it

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looks like, is the one I would want,

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Dixie: yeah.

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And it's a shame because people

are always attracted to the more

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pretty ones, with the longer hair.

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Rachel: Yeah.

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' Dixie: cause I'm the same way, I.

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I like the one that's gonna come to me.

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Rachel: Yeah.

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And maybe it is fluffy.

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Occasionally, maybe it is like the most

gorgeous thing ever, but for the majority

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of the time it's a brown tabby for me.

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Dixie: I've got the

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tuxedos.

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Rachel: You're like one of our volunteers,

Julie, she loves a black and white cat.

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Can't pass it up.

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Dixie: I'm not even that much

of a fan of tuxedos, but it just

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seems like all I get are tuxedos.

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Yeah, that's it.

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All the ones that love me are tuxedos

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Rachel: I have two tuxedos

right now with FIV.

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You know what?

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Anybody that wants 'em,

they're a bonded pair.

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I took them from a vet that rescued them.

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. That's another thing I wanna talk about.

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FIV You ever really think about that?

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I saw a meme shared the other day or

like a graphic and it said if your

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vet tells you if you have a FIV

cat, it can't be around other cats

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or anything like that, or you have to

euthanize it, fire your vet immediately.

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I agree with that because I guess like

they have to tell you like the risk of

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it, but so many vet cats have been cheered

around recently about being FIV positive

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and everyone is pushing that they have

to be the only cat and they don't, and

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it's just so frustrating and infuriating.

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We have so many like that we

take, I wanna take 'em all

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because I wanna break that stigma.

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So I think it's something we need

to talk about like more frequently.

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Or like Cole and marmalade.

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I dunno if you ever follow

them on social media.

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Dixie: Yeah, I'm

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familiar with them.

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Rachel: Marmalade was FIV positive.

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So frustrating.

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Like the things we deal

with in rescue all the time.

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Like I, I'm counting down

the days till I can retire.

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Like I just go work at

Michael's and Craft.

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Dixie: So how do you think the community

could get more involved to help?

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Rachel: Spaying neuter is like the only

way that we're ever gonna get out of this.

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The only way.

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So that is talking to your neighbors,

that is learning to trap cats.

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Even if you're not even a cat

person, like some people will come

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in and say, I'm not a cat person.

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Neither am I really?

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I have 15 dogs.

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I don't have a cat.

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I have a porch cat, but he broke up with

me for the neighbor across the street.

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But I did get him fixed.

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But trapping cats is the greatest need.

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If we could just have a

kitten season that wasn't so

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overwhelming, that would be amazing.

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I remember when I first started

olunteering at the shelter in:

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and that was just like when I was

at the West Bank, 42 cats would

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come in the front door every day.

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And you could only pop so many cans.

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There are times when we get frustrated

and our cat caretakers are like

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breaking down and it's so sad.

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And they're babies and they're so little.

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And then, sometimes they're born,

like I see some of the colonies.

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They're born with deformities.

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If like you would've fixed that

mama Cat five litters ago wouldn't

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have this problem, wouldn't have cat

suffering, wouldn't have like endless

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Door opening of

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Hey, I need someone to take these kittens.

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Dixie: And another thing about that

is when you see baby kittens, do not

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take 'em unless you know that the mama

is absolutely not coming back for 'em.

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Rachel: Yep.

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Definitely don't catnap.

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Definitely.

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But I wish people would

just reach out before then.

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It's talking about spay neuter,

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Dixie: right

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Rachel: like even if you're not a

person that wants to trap cats, then

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tell your neighbors like, Hey, do you

know that there's a TNR program in

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Jefferson Parish and like it's free

to get your cats fixed Or, I had a

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person reach out to me last week.

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They have 28 cats that they

feed, that they have tracked

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and logged on their cameras.

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They're so proud of

only one is ear tipped.

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Dixie: Nice.

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Rachel: But I wanted to reach

out because one is injured.

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You couldn't reach out

to me like 26 cats ago.

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No.

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So it's just.

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I don't know how to change that.

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So it's more about just education,

talking to your neighbors, maybe

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your neighbor's not on social media.

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Maybe they don't, listen to podcasts.

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Maybe they don't know.

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Like they live under a rock.

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They love cats, but they just

never thought to get 'em fixed.

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It doesn't make sense to me.

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Like, how can you see a mama cat?

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Just give birth over and over

and you not want to like, fix it.

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Dixie: Yeah.

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I know once I was talking to somebody

and she was telling me she feeds cats.

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And so whenever somebody tells me that,

I'm like, oh, are they spayed or neutered?

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And she said, no, they are not.

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And I'm like don't feed 'em unless

you're gonna spay or neuter 'em.

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And her response was I can't not feed 'em.

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And I'm like, just take 'em to

get 'em spayed and neutered.

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I'm like, it's free.

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But it's no interest there.

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None.

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Rachel: Yeah.

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It's gonna come out the sky and

someone else is gonna fix it for me.

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And that's the part, like our

wellbeing matters too like we matter.

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And so like I can teach

you how to do something.

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It's like the teach the man

how to fish kind of thing.

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Like that whole theory, like you can

trap and you can save endless lives.

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We had a trapper that went with a lady.

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She's I don't want you trapping 'em.

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But the neighbor called because she was

tired of her dog killing the kittens.

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That was the problem.

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She's I don't mind the cats.

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I really don't.

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But I have a German shorthair

pointer, and he's very active.

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He was killing kittens.

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She's like picking up dead kittens

in my backyard all the time.

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It's just weighing on me

and I can't keep doing it.

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And so the neighbors agreed.

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All the different neighbors were

like, Hey, you can trap in my

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yard, you can trap in my yard.

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So we got 'em all fixed.

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Unfortunately one of the mama cats died.

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The lady's response was, she's had

litter after litter for many years

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and she'd never had a problem.

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Now you just killed her.

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You were so worried about her passing

away, but you weren't worried about

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the 20 kittens that she had next

door that your neighbor's dog killed.

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Like how does that mass?

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Dixie: Yeah,

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Rachel: like she passed away.

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And that's super unfortunate, but

it's probably 'cause she's inbred

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and she's allergic to anesthesia.

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It happens.

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There are so many cats and you

just don't know what's going on.

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We can't do pre-op

blood work on every cat.

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It just,

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Dixie: And it's rare

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too.

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Rachel: Yeah, it's rare.

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It's not very often that we lose one.

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It's not, we try very hard not to.

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We've had some have allergic reactions

and we've caught it and reversed 'em

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and then try, there's another anesthesia

method they can do, but I just can't see

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how you can keep feeding cats and then

knowing that they're out there not fixed.

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I can't imagine like it's just.

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Not having healthcare

and like having babies.

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That's how I feel about it.

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I guess like some people like have it in

their mind with their animals and they can

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have babies, but they can get babies stuck

in their birth canal and they can die,

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Dixie: I don't think people

think of that at all.

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Rachel: Yeah.

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Or people got really mad at us when

we removed most of the bunnies from

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all the parks, but they didn't know,

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so we had five babies and a mom and

one of the babies was getting sick.

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And so they came and got me

and they're like, Hey, can you

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rush this bunny to Avian vet?

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And I said, sure, I can do that.

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Not a problem.

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And one of our employees came around

and she's Hey, there's a, something's

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wrong with the babies in the cage.

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And I'm like, I know I'm about to come.

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I'm just grabbing my purse and my keys

to get, she's no, there are fetuses in.

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Like little tiny fetuses in the same cage.

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And I was like, what do you mean?

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Her babies are in the cage and

they're like four weeks old.

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And she's no, like more of them

are coming out of her right now.

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So that's when I had to look up

like rabbit gestation period.

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So it was like 30 days.

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Dixie: Yeah.

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I learned that from,

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From James.

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Yeah.

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With Lola and friends.

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He actually told me about that, that

they trapped the mom with the babies

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and then the mom had more babies.

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And I was like mind blown.

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Rachel: And they all died.

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Dixie: I

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did not

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know

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Rachel: that they all died.

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Then that makes me think like, how

long was she in that Kenner park under

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that shed just having dead fetuses,

like dead babies all the time, where

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is like her suffering ending?

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I wouldn't mind like bunnies in

the park if they were fixed and

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microchipped and like we could ear

tip 'em in some kind of fashion.

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Or tattoo their ear or something.

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And I knew that they were safe.

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Like they weren't gonna be

like, attacked by coyotes,

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that'd be different, they

shouldn't be out there anyway.

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They're prey animals.

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But I just can't imagine thinking about

that bunny every night and you're so mad

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you took that bunny away from my park.

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It's so cute.

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And I'm like, it's so cute that she's

just giving birth to dead fetuses,

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like over and over every 30 days.

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How is that okay?

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If you don't see the animal suffering,

like in the front lines in your face,

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like, why do you think they're not right?

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Like, why would you want a cat

to just give birth over and over?

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Dixie: And

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people don't wanna see it too.

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'cause I've been brought kittens

that have been practically dead.

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Rachel: Yeah.

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That happens

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Dixie: People just don't wanna see it.

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So it's like they'll see something

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going on and they're like, here,

you take it, you deal with it.

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Rachel: Yeah, there, there was a guy that

ran in the store yesterday in Jefferson

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Feed, and he was on a jog and saw a

squirrel fall out of a tree came like in

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his tiny short snow shirt and everything

with the squirrel in a box help.

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It's like, why is there a guy

without a shirt in the stool?

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He was on a jog with a squirrel.

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But it's just awful.

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I know that on for April Fools, we

played the joke for the fix a raccoon.

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I really wish we could it'd

be so awesome if we could spay

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new possums and raccoons too.

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But who knows, like maybe in 10, 15

years we'll be that advanced and we will.

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But I just can't think about like, all

those animals, like out there, over

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and over just making babies and, on the

way to drop so we have the van and we

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do the mass appointments every week.

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You can drop 'em off to, get

on the party bus as we call it.

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And one of 'em was giving

birth as I was driving.

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Like I heard it like the baby crying

I've always seen baby kittens, no big

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deal, but the sack the baby came out of.

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I'm sorry, I know I'm an animal welfare.

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I see gross things.

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I scoop my dogs poop every day, but ugh.

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I texted Rebecca she's the

trapper that trapped the cat.

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And the sad thing is it's a baby.

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Like she's probably four and

a half months at the most.

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She's a young mother.

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She was terrified.

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Like thankfully she's calmed

down, made it very quiet.

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Our volunteers came and played some noise

and she delivered two more overnight.

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She's okay now, but just to

see that thing like loose.

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And then I was like, okay.

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So I didn't wanna move her in

the van because I know they're

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supposed to eat it or whatever.

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Oh.

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I was like, ah, this is

why I don't have children.

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I can't, this is gross.

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I felt so bad.

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I was like, Rebecca, it's all your fault.

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But she was out there trapping.

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She's trying, it's not like she wasn't

trying, but that, yeah, that was that.

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That's what stinks.

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We have 20 appointments on Tuesday,

and I only had six cats, so that's

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14 appointments that went to waste.

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And I can't, I need more trappers.

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Yeah,

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if a person that was feeding every single

day could just set a trap and get me one

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and bring it in, like it's not that hard.

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Dixie: I have a male that keeps coming

around here and I swear he knows

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when Tuesdays and Wednesdays are.

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Rachel: Okay.

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The male's easy.

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You can give me that any day.

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If you catch it Sunday through

Thursday, I will buy coffee or

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lunch or donuts for somebody.

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I will get it fixed.

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A male is easy peasy.

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I can beg, borrow and steal that.

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I can please stay late.

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I'll bring you more coffee.

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I can get that fixed.

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So Sunday through Thursday I

can get it as a pregnant female.

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It's a little harder sometimes, but I'll

still beg, borrow and steal for that.

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But I mean they're tricky, but

Popeye's Chicken works, Cane's

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chicken, like I'll know that.

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One of my board members,

the vice president.

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If I'm like out trapping, like she doesn't

wanna get involved 'cause she feels bad.

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'cause it's hard for her to watch the

suffering and then like to know that

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they go back out there and they're

like just cats out in the street.

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She's if they're not in a

safe colony, I can't do it.

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But she'll go get me Popeye's and

bring it to me wherever I'm trapping

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if I'm struggling so I appreciate it.

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It works,

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Dixie: yeah, it

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does.

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I like Popeyes and I like Jack mackerel.

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Rachel: Jack mackerel, huh?

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Dixie: Oh, it's disgusting.

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Yeah.

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You go buy it in a can.

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Rachel: Yeah.

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Dixie: And it's like the whole fish.

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But it's it's one of those things, like

I find if I can't trap a cat, I always

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resort to Popeye's or Jack Mackerel.

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Yeah.

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And always get 'em after that.

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Rachel: Yeah.

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It's just the different things I like.

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Lately I've been do the tuna fish and oil.

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Because that's the one that like the

kitten lady recommends in her video.

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And I've been like, I'll keep that one.

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And I was like, I use fancy feast food

pate most, but I keep that and I'm

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like, oh, this is getting frustrating.

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And I usually get 'em with that.

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But I was having the patience.

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:

I don't know trapping used

to be so relaxing for me.

404

:

I miss doing it sometimes, but

at the same time, I feel like I

405

:

wanna teach more people how to

do it versus just me doing it.

406

:

But it's such a great thing

if you're a book reader.

407

:

Like you can read a book

while you're cat dropping.

408

:

I could sit in my car on a spring

day and you hear that little

409

:

noise whenever the trap closes.

410

:

It's just like you won the lottery.

411

:

But it's just so nice.

412

:

So trap cat, cat p,

why can't I talk today?

413

:

Trapping cats can be relaxing in a sense.

414

:

So I think people need to get over

the stigma and the fear and like

415

:

to say you're not a cat person.

416

:

Like you don't have to be a cat person.

417

:

But I guess Rebecca was a cat person.

418

:

She like with JPRD, like she's

the one that's doing our, the

419

:

TNR training class right now.

420

:

She does it once a month on Saturdays.

421

:

The first Saturday of the month,

and, she now has six cats.

422

:

She's not a good foster.

423

:

She's not allowed to foster anymore.

424

:

She had two cats when she started

volunteering, but now she's like a

425

:

little cat trapping machine, once

you learn it, just the bug bites you.

426

:

Dixie: That's what I hear.

427

:

A lot of people say that.

428

:

Rachel: Yeah.

429

:

Beth Cooney's, one of the trappers

I've, I trained and I like, love,

430

:

her passion, and she'll go scary

places at night and get so many cats.

431

:

So it's just really, I wanna teach more

people to do it because I think it's

432

:

just so easy and people have that fear.

433

:

And I don't want anybody to

say the age thing like that.

434

:

You can't there's like an 80-year-old

disabled woman, like there's a.

435

:

Some of our other trappers

like have bad back problems.

436

:

They're like, I can set it,

I just can't pick it up.

437

:

And now I'm like, that's fine.

438

:

Because if she can set it and just

throw a towel over it so it's not

439

:

freaking out, I can go pick it up.

440

:

That's not a problem.

441

:

We can find someone to come pick it

up, but there's no reason that we

442

:

could not place a trap on your porch

and you couldn't set it and watch it.

443

:

There's no reason.

444

:

Dixie: Now I know with the TNR too,

there's always cat haters out there.

445

:

So you might be trying to trap in

your neighborhood and you might have

446

:

that neighbor that's oh, the cats

are using my garden as a litter box.

447

:

Or the cats are coming up on my porch.

448

:

And so do you have any

detterants that people

449

:

could use?

450

:

Rachel: I

451

:

find the motion activated

water sprinklers work the best.

452

:

There is a video floating around on

Facebook of me getting sprayed with one.

453

:

I do have a new video I have not

posted yet where I tortured some

454

:

of the employees at Jefferson Feed.

455

:

I put one in a potted plant on the

patio and then we got our store

456

:

Cat Giuseppe to run in front of

it and like it sprayed all of us.

457

:

It was very entertaining.

458

:

They are cheaper in price,

like I get 'em on Amazon.

459

:

They used to be $75.

460

:

I think they were down to 45 or 50.

461

:

I find that they're the best.

462

:

Some people will argue that they work at

first and they don't continue to work.

463

:

If you read the instructions, you're

supposed to move it every seven days.

464

:

So the cats don't learn the pattern,

465

:

And then you have to make sure

the motion activated sprinkler,

466

:

it's the one I'm talking about,

I think it's called the enforcer.

467

:

You can put the sprinkler head at the

top or you can put it at the bottom.

468

:

You wanna consider a cat, a small animal.

469

:

So you want to at the bottom and

some people are installing it

470

:

and putting it at the top, and

they're not doing it properly.

471

:

The one lady that her and her husband

that took my advice on it, they set it

472

:

up and she was like, it's miraculous.

473

:

The raccoons are gone.

474

:

The possums are gone.

475

:

I love it.

476

:

She even bought a cat trap to trap 'em

herself to like at least get 'em fixed.

477

:

She donated her trap to me.

478

:

She said, thank you.

479

:

They don't come in my

yard anymore, so Oh great.

480

:

Yeah.

481

:

Motion activated sprinklers

are the only thing that worked.

482

:

Like the coffee and the forks and

the, I know like on cars, I do

483

:

think the what do you call 'em?

484

:

Like the plastic spikes?

485

:

Dixie: Yeah, I know what you're talking

486

:

about.

487

:

Rachel: Scat mats.

488

:

Yeah.

489

:

Those work, like I actually

have a feeder who traps, but she

490

:

just didn't want 'em on her car.

491

:

She's I feed 'em, I love 'em.

492

:

I just don't want them

on my brand new car.

493

:

So she uses scat mats to train

'em not to jump on her car.

494

:

So there are cat lovers that

still use those same, tools

495

:

that they want 'em out of 'em.

496

:

I think that's the one

thing as being a feeder.

497

:

If you love cats and you don't

want to upset your neighbors.

498

:

Whenever you start feeding

that one, like I fed the one

499

:

and I trapped him immediately.

500

:

I still only have the one, but he actually

lives across the street with Kiki.

501

:

He likes Kiki more.

502

:

He wanted a girlfriend.

503

:

I get it, but I only have the one.

504

:

So that's the importance.

505

:

Like you need to think

Hey, I'm feeding this cat.

506

:

Maybe I should get it fixed.

507

:

Like it needs to before

it becomes a problem.

508

:

Before you upset the neighbors, before

you ruin all the gardens on the street.

509

:

Our neighborhood's full of cats, but

it's only one or two here and there.

510

:

Like my entire street, there's,

everyone has just a couple.

511

:

It doesn't get outta hand.

512

:

And no, I didn't trap all of 'em.

513

:

I've only trapped like three of them.

514

:

So like the people were doing it just

being responsible along that street.

515

:

Or along my street before

I even got involved.

516

:

I was only becoming the

craziest cat trapping lady.

517

:

I guess I knew about TNR 2000 16, 17, 18,

maybe like maybe when best friends like

518

:

first came here and like my friend Lisa

used to release a lot at the shelter.

519

:

But I didn't actually do it myself

until:

520

:

things and the ear tips and the tell.

521

:

But I hate the cat haters or I dislike

them very much, but I also understand it.

522

:

But the motion activate

sprinklers work the best.

523

:

I think you have an obligation

if you're a feeder, you have the

524

:

obligation of being a good neighbor.

525

:

I think if my, if I had a cats and if

I was feeding 'em and it was my fault, I

526

:

would probably wanna say, Hey neighbor,

can I come scoop your yard here and there?

527

:

I'd wanna be a good neighbor.

528

:

Like whenever you have your elderly

neighbor, like you pick up their recycle

529

:

bin or you pick up their trash can I feel

like if you're a cat feeder and you're

530

:

causing the problem and they're gonna

go in other people's yards, you have

531

:

to be the good neighbor and scoop it.

532

:

I feel it's like whenever you put

all the signs for you to scoop your

533

:

dog's poop, like people say, it's

not really my cat, I just feed it.

534

:

If you feed it.

535

:

It's yours.

536

:

Sorry for you.

537

:

If you like had a child and you

fed it, you know it is yours.

538

:

So I think that being a cat feeder,

you have a responsibility one to trap

539

:

them, have the population under control.

540

:

You're the easiest person to trap them.

541

:

They're gonna trust you, they

love you, they know you, and

542

:

you wanna be a good neighbor.

543

:

So if you can corral 'em to stay in your

yard, if you could create a litter box.

544

:

Pine pellets are very cheap.

545

:

It's not like the best thing for

litter, but the cats will go in it.

546

:

You can get like an oversized

plastic bin from like Home Depot

547

:

and put the pine pellets in it.

548

:

I think it's maybe five or $6

a bag for the pine pellets.

549

:

They sell 'em at Jefferson

Feed or different feed stores.

550

:

And that's so much cheaper.

551

:

And then at least give your cats a

place to go to the bathroom so they

552

:

don't wanna go to your neighbor's yard.

553

:

So I just feel like

you have an obligation.

554

:

I have my 15 dogs.

555

:

I try to get 'em in at night.

556

:

If I listen for 'em, I have cameras

in my backyard to make sure they're

557

:

not disturbing my neighbors.

558

:

Like you have obligations as a pet

parent to not disturb your neighbors.

559

:

Yeah, I can agree with that.

560

:

Yeah.

561

:

So I just, I see both sides.

562

:

I had a person reach out to me

yesterday that they think someone

563

:

in the neighborhood's trapping.

564

:

'cause he said the cats are disappearing.

565

:

He said, I'm not really like one of

the, I think maybe he was a feeder,

566

:

but he doesn't feed that much.

567

:

And he knows that most of 'em

have the eart tips, but he said

568

:

now he's not seeing them at all.

569

:

And I said, look for our traps

have labels that say we're

570

:

trapping or humane or whatever.

571

:

And I said, usually like other

official cat trappers usually put

572

:

their name on their traps and they

label 'em and stuff like that.

573

:

And I said, go get a picture of the trap.

574

:

If it doesn't have a label on it,

or like a name or like a cover.

575

:

If it's not lined with newspaper,

like looking like someone humanely

576

:

cares about what they're doing.

577

:

It probably is someone

not doing it properly.

578

:

So if you see someone doing that, you need

to record it and have video because it is

579

:

against law to trap a cat and relocate it.

580

:

Like you can bring it to J Paws, like

technically in the ordinances, you can

581

:

bring it to the parish, but most likely

they're going to fix it and bring it back.

582

:

And your tip it, so like you're

gonna have it back at your house.

583

:

But those are your only options.

584

:

You TNR it yourself or you bring it

to J Paws and they bring it back.

585

:

You can't relocate it.

586

:

It's just not fair for us to just

wanna keep euthanizing animals.

587

:

'cause you don't like them.

588

:

But

589

:

if you think someone is trapping and

they're not doing it, if it's not labeled,

590

:

if it's not, it doesn't have a trap cover.

591

:

Like the people that don't use newspaper,

it, ugh, it like hurts my heart.

592

:

I'm like, think about walking

on those bars yourself.

593

:

They're probably not

doing the right thing.

594

:

So definitely put your spidey

senses up, video it, make

595

:

conversation, ask what they're doing.

596

:

Get someone involved, like

it is against the law.

597

:

You can, if you have video proof

and evidence, I remember being

598

:

a kid following my neighbor.

599

:

My mom was like, get in the car.

600

:

We're following him.

601

:

I was probably 13 or 14 and he

was doing something with puppies

602

:

and my mom's get in the car.

603

:

That was before smartphones,

but we were going.

604

:

Like you wanna have the evidence and you

wanna, like you're protecting animals.

605

:

That's, there's something wrong with that.

606

:

Dixie: I see that a lot when people will

say, oh, I saw somebody trapping cats.

607

:

I think they're trapping them and dumping

them, but they don't get any evidence.

608

:

Rachel: Yeah.

609

:

Dixie: And I'm like, but you go

complain about it, but you're

610

:

not getting any evidence.

611

:

And with smartphones, there's no excuse

612

:

for it.

613

:

Rachel: I get fascinated every

day with the project NOLA cameras,

614

:

like the stuff they do every day.

615

:

I'm like, that's so awesome.

616

:

And like the facial

recognition, everything.

617

:

It's just like cameras are so

important and they can do so much,

618

:

but in every crime committed,

you have to have evidence.

619

:

We've all watched, legally

blonde a million times.

620

:

Like you have to have evidence.

621

:

If you're accusing someone of

that, you need to record it.

622

:

You need to, put it in your pocket

and record the conversation or

623

:

whatever and get the camera out

or, say that you're recording 'em.

624

:

If you're out there protecting an

animal, you're not doing anything wrong.

625

:

Dixie: When it comes to your biggest need

for volunteers, would it be cat trappers?

626

:

Rachel: Yes, definitely.

627

:

We love volunteers in our adoption center

at Jefferson Feed, we do, but it's also

628

:

hard, like I, I prefer adults that are

CAT ladies that know what they're doing.

629

:

So they can just jump in there,

start scooping litter boxes

630

:

and know what's going on.

631

:

Because sometimes, like it's a lot,

we do have a lot of animals to take

632

:

care of and, a short day and we

don't have that many employees, so

633

:

volunteers that would be needed.

634

:

Either, cat trappers, it's just endless.

635

:

That's what I want, like more

than anything in the world.

636

:

If I could my dream would be to

have a map of Jefferson Parish

637

:

and every a five mile square.

638

:

Maybe think about I dunno how

far is too far for you as like

639

:

where you live to go trap.

640

:

Like I could trap in my neighborhood

and it's okay and I can check on it,

641

:

but if I like sent you an address and

you're like, okay, I'll go set a trap.

642

:

So like you could have, two to

three traps or up to five traps

643

:

that you kept at your house.

644

:

And I could just say, Hey, this

address just sent in a request.

645

:

And you go out there and you set the traps

and then you're like, Hey, this is done.

646

:

And then it could be like, we could

come in the van and pick 'em all up.

647

:

So if we had the entire parish mapped

out where like we had the one person

648

:

in like that, two to three mile radius

or whatever that knew how to do it and

649

:

they could just jump in on it and go.

650

:

Dixie: Have you thought about

trying to do something like that?

651

:

Rachel: Yes and no.

652

:

The goal, Rebecca came up with the goal

this year, Jefferson Parish turns 200.

653

:

And that's why she

wanted to the TNR class.

654

:

She's what if we could train 200

people how to trap cats next year?

655

:

But no one signed up last month at all.

656

:

Dixie: Oh that's sad.

657

:

Rachel: Yeah.

658

:

The first,

659

:

The first month, I think there was three.

660

:

The second month there may have been five.

661

:

And then for March there was zero.

662

:

Dixie: Yeah.

663

:

I, thought about doing, trying to do

something just to raise awareness..

664

:

So we thought it'd be cool for like

cat trappers to see how many you trap.,

665

:

you take a photo of every

single one that you trap.

666

:

And keep track of it and see at the

end of the year who gets the most.

667

:

Rachel: Yeah.

668

:

Dixie: Just to see,

what everybody's doing.

669

:

Rachel: Yeah.

670

:

I know.

671

:

I wish I had kept better notes.

672

:

We keep a spreadsheet, we have a Google

sheet that I invite like all of our

673

:

trappers to if they wanna be part of it.

674

:

And like you can see the addresses

and the request as we get 'em.

675

:

Most of the time they'll come

from the shelter or like I

676

:

said, I have that Google form.

677

:

People can submit it.

678

:

Or if they just know somebody

that's been trapping forever.

679

:

Some of our longtime residents or

some of our longtime trappers, they

680

:

just get, referrals from other people.

681

:

But, we keep track and like some of the

vet clinics will put how many if they

682

:

were pregnant, like some people just,

some of the vets just put pregnant.

683

:

Some of the clinics put like pregnant

times four, pregnant times five.

684

:

So we'll keep that like on the spreadsheet

sometimes, like, how many did we abort?

685

:

Like that's how many cats you

save from life on the streets.

686

:

That kind of thing.

687

:

And keep track of some

of that just to like.

688

:

Keep the statistics.

689

:

But the list, it's just endless.

690

:

It's rare whenever you can highlight one

green to say that it's done and clean

691

:

because, they're just, they show up.

692

:

That's my I just want

feeders to like trap more.

693

:

So much you're the one there,

when the new one shows up.

694

:

If you're just learning about it and

you need me to come help you trap 15

695

:

to 20 to get caught up, totally fine.

696

:

I'm there for you.

697

:

But like the one off, I need

you to trap that one off.

698

:

So yeah, trappers endlessly like

donations are great that we use every day.

699

:

Like food, litter.

700

:

But like trappers hardcore always,

like if there was a shortage

701

:

of kittens, best feeling in the

world, like I just, oh my goodness.

702

:

If you had to like.

703

:

Just settle.

704

:

Like people had to have

the best application.

705

:

Like it would just, I

dream of that all the time.

706

:

Dixie: Yeah.

707

:

And kittens are overrated.

708

:

Rachel: Yeah.

709

:

Oh, gimme old animals.

710

:

All day ah, no puppies, no kittens.

711

:

Dixie: They're

712

:

cute for five minutes.

713

:

Rachel: No, yeah.

714

:

And the kitten poop is

the worst smell ever.

715

:

I don't understand why

people love some ugh.

716

:

Like I remember like when I first

started volunteering, my friend Anita

717

:

was fostering kittens and she's Hey,

since you go to the West Bank shelter

718

:

every day, 'cause you're addicted, can

you bring my foster kittens to get fixed?

719

:

And they like pooped in the car, like

in the carrier raining on the way there.

720

:

So couldn't roll the windows down.

721

:

I thought I was gonna die.

722

:

I was like, Ugh.

723

:

Kitten poop is the worst smell ever.

724

:

Old animals all day, every day.

725

:

Big old giant cats.

726

:

I don't have a tuxedo right now,

but I have this black and white cat.

727

:

He looks like a small

Jaguar, I'll tell you that.

728

:

Like he's bigger than a normal house cat.

729

:

I don't know what he is.

730

:

He's white and black, but he's huge.

731

:

Like he barely fits in a cage.

732

:

I feel so bad.

733

:

He was adopted through our Petco

partnership and apparently he

734

:

had like maybe five or six cats.

735

:

'cause I think Spaymart took some back.

736

:

He died and his family put all

his cats outside in November.

737

:

. And so the neighbors were taking

care of him and slowly trapping

738

:

him and scanning their chips and

figuring out, so we got two back.

739

:

And I just, I remember adopting

this cat out, or bringing him

740

:

from the shelter to Petco.

741

:

They usually don't come

from us at, the shelter.

742

:

We go to J Paws, pick him up,

bring him straight to Petco.

743

:

And I remember the name of

him, but I don't remember

744

:

him being this big of a cat.

745

:

He's not fat.

746

:

He's not overweight.

747

:

He is big boned.

748

:

I have no clue what he is.

749

:

He's just huge.

750

:

Dixie: Yeah.

751

:

Cats, I think they reach their full

size actually at five years old.

752

:

Especially like your bigger breeds.

753

:

'cause I had a Norwegian Forest cat mix

that was a rescue, and when he was like a

754

:

year old, he might've been like 10 pounds.

755

:

And by the time he was five years

old, he could steal stuff off of the

756

:

counter without jumping on the counter.

757

:

Rachel: Oh man.

758

:

Dixie: So yeah, 26 pounds.

759

:

Oh.

760

:

And he was a little runt kitten that was

found right before Hurricane Katrina.

761

:

Rachel: Oh my goodness.

762

:

Dixie: Like in, in New Orleans East.

763

:

Rachel: Yeah.

764

:

It's just funny the things that

you get you find people like

765

:

want the purebred everything.

766

:

But some of the best street things we

find are like the sweetest babies ever.

767

:

Like my mom's ditch dogs.

768

:

I love them to death.

769

:

I don't know what they are.

770

:

But my mom went into assisted

living, and so now I have her dogs.

771

:

And she wasn't the best mother of them.

772

:

And like, whenever I knew her dogs.

773

:

I feel like I saw 'em, I took care of 'em.

774

:

I dropped off flea prevention

and, heartworm prevention

775

:

here and there for her.

776

:

But I saw a video from like Mother's

Day, like four years ago and Kenzie's,

777

:

like walking in the background.

778

:

And now that I have him and I

feed a fish diet, I'm very like a

779

:

strict mom, feed all good things.

780

:

He looks like a full

blown golden retriever.

781

:

He's huge.

782

:

And the hair is just like luscious.

783

:

And mom found him in a ditch.

784

:

Yeah.

785

:

And I'm just like, I

love this dog so much.

786

:

I don't know what he is.

787

:

He looks like a golden retriever.

788

:

His nose is black, so I don't think he is.

789

:

I have to DNA test him, but I'm like,

this ditch dog is the best dog ever.

790

:

Dixie: So where can people find

more information about getting

791

:

involved with the Jefferson SPCA?

792

:

Rachel: The best thing

right now is to email me.

793

:

You can go to our website,

jeffersonspca.org.

794

:

Or email me Rachel, R-A-C-H-E-L,

at jefferson spca.org,

795

:

and I will put you in touch with

Rebecca to learn to trap, or I'll

796

:

find one of our trappers that's

gonna trap so you can ride along.

797

:

Yeah, we'll find you a ride along.

798

:

Dixie: Yeah I like the

idea of a ride along.

799

:

That's cool.

800

:

Rachel: Oh, definitely.

801

:

Uhhuh.

802

:

You can ride in the undercover van.

803

:

, our van's not wrapped.

804

:

It's just white, so we

always make jokes about it.

805

:

But I do have a license plate that

says most likely a van full of

806

:

cats on the way for snip and tip.

807

:

Dixie: Okay.

808

:

So before we end, is there anything

else you would like to add?

809

:

Rachel: I don't know.

810

:

I dream of a place where there was

just a shortage of animals and we had

811

:

stricter laws in and law enforcement,

like it would just be a dream.

812

:

I don't know that I wanna

be the person that does it.

813

:

'cause I'd probably be very

hotheaded, but I like helping people.

814

:

I like, helping people keep their pets.

815

:

If they wanna do right by

'em, that does make me happy.

816

:

If they can't afford 'em, I totally

understand it, but if they wanna

817

:

keep 'em, I wanna help 'em, keep 'em.

818

:

But if you don't like, truly love

your animal like family, or you

819

:

think of it as like a side hustle,

I don't have respect for you.

820

:

Animals are life.

821

:

I love them.

822

:

My husband knows what he got into.

823

:

I know that he knows he did we dated

seven years before we got married.

824

:

But did he really know He's

getting into, I don't know.

825

:

But animals are life.

826

:

They're just so loving.

827

:

And I love watching all the

transformations of all the animals

828

:

that I've rescued, especially old ones.

829

:

If you wanna change a life, like I, I

know everybody comes for the kittens.

830

:

I don't get it.

831

:

Love an old animal.

832

:

It'll be like the greatest love of your

life of just, you just gotta do it.

833

:

Don't get the whole

like, they're gonna die.

834

:

It's not like that.

835

:

It's the love you can give a senior

animal in the end, there's no better love.

836

:

Dixie: I had 2 17-year-old cats.

837

:

There was a lady that was

passing away from cancer and

838

:

she had no family to take 'em.

839

:

So this was about 10 years ago, but I

took in the two 17-year-old cats and they

840

:

lived in an additional two years.

841

:

Rachel: Yeah, it'll be like the

best two years of your life.

842

:

They're just like so loving and

I have one now that's blind.

843

:

I cannot believe he went blind,

but he had detached retinas.

844

:

We were doing all the medication.

845

:

We saw the eye specialist, all that.

846

:

But he just cracks me up.

847

:

He's a little character,

just like loud as can be.

848

:

He's blind, but he walks

around, gets around.

849

:

He's probably only eight pounds.

850

:

He had no hair when I got him,

and now he looks like cousin.

851

:

It.

852

:

He just like, whenever he knows that

it's like breakfast time, his bark, ugh.

853

:

It makes my heart so happy.

854

:

I'm just like, look at this little old

dog, like you had no food and you were

855

:

bald and you were covered in, fleas and

dirt and everything and just, I love it.

856

:

We call him the Charles

bark and he barks food.

857

:

It just, yeah.

858

:

Let go of the stigma of baby things.

859

:

There are kittens and kittens need

homes, but if we could spay and

860

:

neuter all of them there, maybe

there wouldn't be that many kittens.

861

:

But get an adult animal

862

:

Dixie: and don't pick up kittens

that are older than eight weeks old.

863

:

if they haven't been tamed because

they're not tamable at that point,

864

:

Rachel: no.

865

:

We have one that lives in our

playroom and none of us can pet him.

866

:

A certain volunteer that fostered,

like a connection of a connection

867

:

through a neighbor or something, her

husband can come in and pet this cat.

868

:

It's lived in our playroom for four years.

869

:

It was too late, but a

trapper picked him up and Yep.

870

:

I don't wanna let him go back.

871

:

To that trapper.

872

:

So he's uncle Rip.

873

:

He loves cats.

874

:

Does not like humans.

875

:

Yep.

876

:

So I you're nice.

877

:

I say five weeks, six weeks,

878

:

Dixie: Yeah.

879

:

I mean there's that point is if like

seven is like the breaking point.

880

:

If you don't get 'em

before then just you're

881

:

better off the TNR 'em.

882

:

Rachel: Yeah, definitely.

883

:

I mean we have some that we

had to ear tip 'em yesterday.

884

:

We've had 'em for six or seven months.

885

:

They've had no interest.

886

:

They're still very skittish.

887

:

We've tried.

888

:

So we sedated 'em yesterday and had

'em ear tipped and microchipped them

889

:

or they were microchipped 'cause

we're trying to adopt 'em out.

890

:

And I called the feeder and she's

absolutely they can come back.

891

:

So we're gonna do

exchange and put 'em back.

892

:

And it's unfortunate, but in my mind

I can't keep holding onto the three

893

:

of them taking up an entire cage.

894

:

When we're about to start kitten

season, we don't have Joan anymore.

895

:

Rightfully I don't blame her.

896

:

Retire.

897

:

Where's the next wave

of the younger people?

898

:

I don't blame you.

899

:

You have to have a life.

900

:

I wanna live my life at some point

I'm gonna have to hang my hat up.

901

:

I know people want me to do

this forever, but I can't.

902

:

But I have to be realistic.

903

:

If I can't get 'em adopted, like the

me we have that we had to celebrate

904

:

this week, Dottie and Violet, the

two cats we've had for 615 days

905

:

this week got adopted yesterday.

906

:

Dixie: Really?

907

:

Yes.

908

:

Oh wow.

909

:

Rachel: So I haven't posted yet.

910

:

We're gonna post it tomorrow

for some feel Good Friday, but,

911

:

Dixie: Oh wow.

912

:

Rachel: 615 days.

913

:

Dottie, no one wanted her because

she has herpes in her eye.

914

:

Uhhuh, and everybody's oh, herpes.

915

:

They're so grossed out by it.

916

:

Dixie: Wow.

917

:

That's wonderful.

918

:

Rachel: It's just that one

home that like changes a life.

919

:

It doesn't happen as

often as we want it to.

920

:

We have so many special adult cats

that like we are obsessed with and

921

:

the ones that we are so in love with,

922

:

we had a lady come a couple

weeks ago and was like, I don't

923

:

want your youngest kitten.

924

:

I don't want your smallest kitten.

925

:

I wanna help an adult.

926

:

I wanna be a good person.

927

:

She picked the two

smallest kittens we had.

928

:

Dixie: Yeah.

929

:

That's like yesterday a conversation

that I had was, somebody's looking

930

:

for a kitten to live outdoors.

931

:

And I'm like I might be able

to find they a nice adult cat.

932

:

Oh, we wanna experience a kitten.

933

:

And I'm like, how are you experiencing

a kitten if you're throwing it outside?

934

:

Rachel: Yep.

935

:

There was a guy yesterday, the

rats are eating my tomatoes.

936

:

I need another outside cat.

937

:

I was feeding them like occasionally with

treats and now my neighbor fell in love

938

:

with 'em and let 'em come in her house.

939

:

I'm like have you seen videos

of coyotes ripping cats apart?

940

:

It's not great for 'em to live outdoors.

941

:

I love TNR.

942

:

I'm okay with it, but at the same

time, I still don't want 'em outside.

943

:

If you're not gonna spoil the

cat and love it the way that our.

944

:

Caretakers, Amelie and Reesi

are, as we call her, Maly, you

945

:

can't have one of our cats.

946

:

Dixie: Yeah.

947

:

I want my babies to go indoors.

948

:

Rachel: Yeah.

949

:

My heart broke when I read that story the

other day on social media that A tail in

950

:

need posted where that cat got adopted

in January and then a good Samaritan

951

:

found it outside, beat up in March.

952

:

Like cuts on its nose, all blood,

953

:

Dixie: yeah.

954

:

It was horrible.

955

:

Rachel: And then the lady's

that's my outside cat.

956

:

Dixie: That did not look like an

outside cat that looked like a

957

:

cat that they didn't want anymore.

958

:

Rachel: Yeah.

959

:

That cat looked terrified and all beat up

and bloodied in the face, like injured.

960

:

It did not wanna be outside.

961

:

So I just, I don't How

do you sleep at night?

962

:

I don't get it.

963

:

And that's why I'm strict.

964

:

I know i's so hard.

965

:

But.

966

:

The Miracle Homes, like

they're far and few between.

967

:

And then not everybody could

be having, double digit animals.

968

:

I don't blame anybody, I don't

expect anybody to do that.

969

:

But eventually, like all the good

homes, like they're gonna run out.

970

:

There's just not enough.

971

:

If we keep at the pace that we're in

I never thought I would see French

972

:

Bulldogs in the shelter and there's

five or six a week posted stray.

973

:

Never thought that.

974

:

Golden doodles, they're euthanizing some

of them because they are just very evil.

975

:

Not just they're mutts essentially.

976

:

Some mutts are great, but it's a

purebred mutt that they're making.

977

:

It's not a good mix.

978

:

And like they've had one that

attacked like humans and animals.

979

:

It just, I don't know.

980

:

It's heartbreaking.

981

:

All the things that, I feel like

you need a class, like a permit.

982

:

Like you have a permit to like,

shoot guns or whatever, fishing or

983

:

whatever craft or hobby or whatever.

984

:

You have a license or a training class.

985

:

I think you should have to go to

the shelter and learn that before

986

:

you own a pet to see what happens.

987

:

Like the people that came to the

rabies drive so much and they're

988

:

like, oh no, we want puppies.

989

:

I'm like, why do you not know

how many homeless dogs are in the

990

:

shelter that look just like this?

991

:

No,

992

:

outta sight outta

993

:

mind.

994

:

. Dixie: Yeah.

995

:

I wish there was a way to change

that stigma because it's full of

996

:

pedigree animals in the shelter

and people just don't wanna go

997

:

accept that fact or go look even.

998

:

Rachel: Yeah, I'm the

crazy dachshund lady.

999

:

Every one of my dachshunds all rescues.

:

00:39:05,077 --> 00:39:05,827

Every single one of 'em.

:

00:39:06,607 --> 00:39:08,617

And that's why it's like people like,

oh, you're gonna breed 'em because

:

00:39:08,617 --> 00:39:12,667

I have long hair, I have dapples

and piebalds, all that, all rescues.

:

00:39:12,907 --> 00:39:13,237

Yeah.

:

00:39:13,747 --> 00:39:16,217

So it's, sometimes you

have to have patience,

:

00:39:16,847 --> 00:39:17,417

it's crazy.

:

00:39:17,417 --> 00:39:19,697

I don't know, like when I first

started volunteering, like it was,

:

00:39:19,887 --> 00:39:22,347

there are still a lot of pit bulls

in the shelter, don't get me wrong.

:

00:39:22,347 --> 00:39:23,937

That's still very common.

:

00:39:24,417 --> 00:39:26,967

But like the beagles are so

mistreated in our parish.

:

00:39:27,067 --> 00:39:30,907

Out of control with the ear, they

clip their ears to like tag 'em.

:

00:39:30,997 --> 00:39:32,407

Like whoever's that's their dog.

:

00:39:32,767 --> 00:39:34,777

Every single one of 'em

is heartworm positive.

:

00:39:35,077 --> 00:39:36,067

They're skinny.

:

00:39:36,157 --> 00:39:39,607

The worms, the parasites, they're

in like deplorable condition.

:

00:39:39,917 --> 00:39:42,310

I had one that fostered through

heartworm treatment and I got her

:

00:39:42,310 --> 00:39:45,670

adopted and she died nine months later

'cause of damage in her lungs from

:

00:39:45,670 --> 00:39:47,620

coughing from heartworms so long.

:

00:39:47,655 --> 00:39:48,175

Killed her.

:

00:39:48,275 --> 00:39:50,295

It's just don't get an animal

if you're not in it for life.

:

00:39:50,295 --> 00:39:52,605

Don't get one bottom line.

:

00:39:52,710 --> 00:39:53,430

Dixie: Absolutely.

:

00:39:53,830 --> 00:39:56,560

Thank you so much for

chatting with me today.

:

00:39:56,620 --> 00:39:57,460

Rachel: Oh, thanks for having me.

:

00:39:57,580 --> 00:39:57,970

It's fun.

:

00:39:57,970 --> 00:39:58,600

I can't wait to.

:

00:39:59,350 --> 00:40:00,400

Listen to more of them.

:

00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:03,020

Dixie: Hopefully I can

get you to come back too.

:

00:40:03,260 --> 00:40:03,920

Rachel: Oh, definitely.

:

00:40:03,970 --> 00:40:04,690

Thanks for having me.

:

00:40:04,720 --> 00:40:05,140

Dixie: All right.

:

00:40:07,718 --> 00:40:10,598

And that's all the time we

have for today's episode.

:

00:40:10,705 --> 00:40:14,715

If you are in animal rescue, or if

you know someone that has a story that

:

00:40:14,715 --> 00:40:16,895

should be told, please contact us.

:

00:40:16,965 --> 00:40:19,785

We would love to have

you or them on the show

:

00:40:20,015 --> 00:40:23,585

. Thanks for listening, and please

join us next week as we continue to

:

00:40:23,585 --> 00:40:25,885

explore the world of animal rescue.

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