An initial effort to capture feral cats in Waikoloa and find homes for them has been deemed a success by the volunteers doing the work.
Last month, volunteers with local rescue agencies Aloha Animal Oasis and Hawaii Animal Kuleana Alliance teamed up May 19 to May 22 to capture 64 cats from the Queens’ Marketplace in Waikoloa.
After being captured, the cats were spayed and neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped before being delivered to their new homes across Hawaii Island.
The relocation project was created in response to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ prohibition of cat feedings and the removal of feeding stations at the mall due to the increased presence of nene.
Volunteers and an area animal rescue group had for years regularly fed the cats around the mall, owned by Alexander &Baldwin, as the cat population grew.
The number of nene, which is a protected species, began to rise at Queens’ Marketplace throughout 2022, with the birds becoming noticeably more interested in the cat-feeding stations in the months leading up to the ban, which was initiated on April 21.
With DLNR offering relocation as the only option for the homeless cats, the local rescue organizations worked together to find a solution.
“There was a team of people capturing and spaying and neutering all of the cats on the west side, and then teams working on both sides of the island to deliver cats and kennels to adopters,” said Laurie Lyons-Makaimoku, spokeswoman for the two rescue groups. “People from all over the island volunteered to take the cats, with most people taking two, three or four cats.”
Alexander &Baldwin agreed to allow volunteers to capture the cats on their property and are working with HAKA and AAO for a long-term solution.
For the first round of adoptions, the team found 17 homes for 64 cats and kittens, stretching from Ocean View to Honokaa, Hawaiian Paradise Park to Captain Cook.
AAO and HAKA used donations to buy large kennels for adopters, so the cats could get used to their new environments and life. Most of them will need to be kenneled for four weeks.
Adopters were also provided with food, litter and other supplies to get the cats off to a good start in their new homes.
“What we’re finding is that with some attention and love, they aren’t all the wild cats people expect them to be,” Lyons-Makaimoku said. “We have adopters loving on them already, and they are turning out to pets. There isn’t a guarantee for every personality, but everything seems to be going well so far.”
All cats were spayed or neutered at a private clinic by partner organization PetFix Spay &Neuter. They also were tested for viruses, vaccinated, and microchipped.
In a couple weeks, volunteers will begin capturing more cats, although not as many as the first round. The kennels will be reused in different homes.
“Everything we do is dependent on the number of adopters. We can keep raising funds and doing the work as long as we have adopters,” Lyons-Makaimoku said. “We’re encouraging people to take in at least two, because the cats are used to having a colony around, and it’s a lot of work to transport just one cat at a time.”
The relocation project is the first of several events the organizations anticipate hosting. AAO and HAKA are still looking for adopters, volunteers and donors to assist with future relocation projects that likely will stretch through the summer.
“Although numbers are very difficult to determine, we estimate around 100 cats remain in the Queens’ Marketplace area. Our first trapping weekend was very successful, and we are overjoyed that these 64 kitties will be finding their forever homes in safe places where they can be lovingly cared for,” said John Hopf, president of AAO. “We could’ve easily trapped more, but were limited by the amount of homes that we were able to secure for the cats.”
After making a small dent to the feral cat population in Waikoloa, AAO and HAKA plan to keep finding homes for cats from Queens’ Marketplace as well as several other feral cat colonies across the island.
“Many people have predicted that more property owners may decide to stop allowing feedings, which could leave more cats without food across the island,” Lyons-Makaimoku said.
For more information on adopting, donating or volunteering to this effort, visit linktr.ee/808haka or hawaiiaao.org.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.