A couple from Rotenburg (Wümme) have a special task every night: They feed cats living in the wild and save them from starvation – they have already been insulted for this.
Rotenburg (Wümme) – Free-living cats have it especially good in Rotenburg an der Wümme in Lower Saxony. Because there are people there who take care of them outside – every night and in wind and weather. Exactly at midnight, an elderly couple sets out every day to feed the four-legged friends in the city.
According to a report by marktzeitung.de, a total of eight places are visited where they regularly come across hungry cats that are already waiting. The couple have been doing this for 20 years. “If the cats don’t get enough food, their immune system suffers. They get sick and then possibly infect the house cats. To prevent them from reproducing any further, we catch cats that come to the feeding station for the first time and have them neutered. We have a live trap in the trunk for this, ”they report.
Rotenburg (Wümme): Retired couple have been looking after cats living in the wild for 20 years
However, the 78-year-old man and his 79-year-old wife want to remain anonymous for self-protection and the protection of the cats. “Unfortunately there are many cat haters in Rotenburg who don’t understand what we’re doing,” the man regrets. They have already been verbally abused a few times. In addition, their fear of becoming a victim of burglars again is too great. “That was a big shock for us at the time. We have also been followed at night. It was a game of cat and mouse, we have since become very cautious, ”says the pensioner couple, who are also members of Tierhilfe Rotenburg.
It all started around 1990. At that time there was a problem with cats living in the wild in an allotment association. Within two weeks, the couple captured 17 animals and then castrated them. They were then released again. “These animals cannot be taught and do not get along in captivity. Because some of the cats were very emaciated, we fed them for the first time, ”said the woman.
“The cats need us”: The couple from Rotenburg (Wümme) feed the animals every night
From then on it became clear to both of them relatively quickly that they wanted to help the cats every night. There were times when twelve places were approached and more than 30 outdoor animals were fed. “Our work shows success: Today we only meet 14 cats on our nightly tour.” Many of them would sit and wait in the appropriate place beforehand. “We always have three different varieties with us. We know exactly which cat likes to eat what – and what not, ”explains the animal rights activist. After feeding, everything is put away again, because the couple does not want to leave any traces. Every now and then they were stopped and checked by the police at night, but today most of the officers are already familiar with them.
Your nocturnal tour ends at around 3:30 in the morning. Then they catch up on their sleep by morning. “Our friends and acquaintances know this and take it into account. Nobody calls us before eleven o’clock, ”they say. Sometimes the couple think about giving up the task due to their age – but finding a successor is not easy. “So we keep going until we fall over at some point,” the couple explains. “The cats need us.” (Alina Schröder)
An animal shelter in the Schwalm-Eder district captured more than 60 free-living cats *. * hna.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
