Cocoa and Lulu's Flight to Safety 

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Cocoa and Lulu safe at Purrhaven after we finally captured them in July after a long frustrating 2 months of tracking. They had fled the Hagerstown train museum at City Park area after a dog killed one of Cocoa's kittens. We found both Cocoa and Lulu 1/2 mile away behind the train museum near Burhans Boulevard in Hagerstown.
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Cocoa had to help tiny LuLu flee the train museum area by crossing the rail road tracks where trains run fast and frequently and then traveled down a long lane. It was by sheer luck that we saw them crossing this lane one late June afternoon. We trapped Cocoa with a net when she wouldn't go into the trap. Cocoa had lost a tremendous amount of weight in a few short weeks since we had last seen her at the train museum. We took her to the vet right away and a stool sample revealed she had life threatening hook worms. Both she and LuLu were treated right away. 10 days later Cocoa surprised everyone by giving birth to 6 kittens. This story while having a good outcome overall, ended sadly for LuLu who passed after from FIP in her foster home. All in all we removed to safety: Mittens who had 6 kittens 2 days later, Inky, Magic, Twinkles and Tipsy who also passed from FIP 2 months later while in foster care. Mittens, like Lulu passed away from FIP several months later at her foster home. Mittens kittens appeared healthy lived happy lives for the first few months in a foster home but sadly most passed away from FIP.
PictureWe noticed Tipsy had a slight head tilt when we saw him in City Park. This may have been the first sign of a neurological symptom of FIP.
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Cocoa, had been living in the neighborhood near City Park for 5 years and had never been spayed. She gave birth to many litters of kittens in the train museum yard. This is where she gave birth to Lulu and another black kitten. The black kitten was killed by a dog who lived nearby.
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In the photo above is one of the 4 neighborhood cat's that lived near Hagerstown City Park near the Manor House that was caught after a trap was set by Leggetts Wildlife Removal Service as part of a contract with Hagerstown City Park, late one cold March night in 2021 at Hagerstown City Park. The photo was taken by the person who had come to feed the cats that night and discovered them. The person who had been feeding the cats called us for help. We contacted City Park officials and they confirmed that they had engaged and paid "Leggetts" to remove the stray cats who were being fed in the park near the Train Museum. Our next thought was to locate the cats to ensure they were in fact under the care of someone and offer to get them spayed and neutered. We were concerned that a few of the cats were female and were either pregnant or had given birth and were now separated from their kittens! We called the local animal shelter in Washington County and were told that they never received any cats from Leggetts. After speaking with Leggetts Wildlife Removal Service in Boonsboro, we were told that "these cats were wild and mean and had no collars" and "were given the to a farmer in Boonsboro". We asked if we could contact the would either share the contact the "farmer" and provide free spay neuter and vaccination services and were refused that information. We assume the worst, which is that he killed the cats. When we asked the local animal shelter to help us get that information and check on the welfare of the cats, they stated "they could not make the trapper tell them where he took the cats, but that they would "counsel"him not to do it again". When we asked the Leggetts representative why he didn't take the trapped cats to the Humane Society so they could be scanned for microchips, he said" The shelter charges money to accept cats, and why should I do that? "We were also told by the local animal shelter that they never pressed charges against Leggetts.
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Here is Mittens, the night we trapped her in City Park 2 days away from giving birth to six kittens. We are thankful that she was not caught by Leggetts Wildlife Removal Service.
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Shasta (long hair orange) Sprout, Sherbert and Grandpa need full mouth dental surgery. Each kitty has what is called stomatitis and it is very painful. Each surgery costs $1,500.



 
ABOUT US 

PurrHaven, Inc. is a stray and feral cat rescue and rehabilitation organization. Our purpose is to promote spaying and neutering and the humane treatment of feral cats through funding of low cost spay/neuter and humane education.  We are a 501(c)3 who started offering Trap-Neuter-Return(TNR) in Washington County Maryland in 2010 when South Washington County was overrun with strays as a result of dairy farms closing and not feeding or spaying and neutering their barn cats. These cats began to roam to look for food elsewhere in the community. Our facility has a number of rescue cats who were endangered at their original location or have immune system issues and will have forever homes with us. They are aging and need consistent and on-going medical treatment to stay healthy and live out their days with us. They are now primary focus.  




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