Holy black cats Batman!

Charles and Charlotte Pépin of Astorville have had an unexpected population explosion in their family this weekend.

Charlotte Pépin explains that on Friday afternoon her children arrived home to inform her that while riding home on the bus they had seen a bunch of cats sitting together on the side of the road.

“Their bus driver said she counted 20 on her way back from her run that morning. Obviously they were all dumped there in the morning since they were all sticking around together,” she notes.

“The fact that they are all black means they most likely are all related in some way. Did someone empty their barn or their house before winter? Guess they haven't heard of spaying or neutering! Argh!”

Pépin says on that note they loaded up the van and went to the site with a couple of other moms whose children came home with the same story to round up the kittens. She explains that the boys caught four cats, but it was hard since they were all skittish and fast. Pépin also agreed to keep the heard since she had room and a number of cages.

“I almost regret it now.”

Pépin also promised to go back and try and get more of them, which they did with the help of two live traps and some food. The process was easy, but Pépin quickly found out that help was not forthcoming.

“The cats were incredibly hungry so it was fairly easy. It took 24 hours to catch a total of 22. One was hit by a car earlier on Friday, so a total of 23 altogether.”

“I thought the local animal control would be able to help or even the humane society, but neither could accommodate any extra cats. I didn't contact Kathy Jenault because I know she is always full with cats.”

Pépin says that she is angry and frustrated that her family is dealing with someone else's lack of responsibility and animal compassion.

“These cats would have gone wild and reproduce only to end up in the backyards of everyone on our road.”

“So we have 21 cats here...one was adopted generously by a neighbour. There are 3 adults, a bunch looking like 6 to 4 months old, another bunch look 3 to 4 months old and another bunch are around 2 months old. Some are a little
sacred still but they are slowly relaxing and they are all eating and drinking and using a litter box.”

Pépin says her family cannot afford much more than food, litter, and deworming medication, although, she admits that will add up quickly and will be a strain on the budget.

“As I said, I can't keep them more than a week or two...I don't have the funds or the time to take care of that many cats. I really am hoping for the community find room for them. If not...I just don't know what to do, but I know I can't keep them,” she says.

Pépin says she will be contacting All Heart on Monday but in the meantime hopes that there are number of homes looking to adopt a Halloween cat...as long as they keep it past Halloween.

To adopt a cat or help out with the care of the kittens, people can contact Charles and Charlotte Pépin at 724-9177 and if they are not at home please leave a message with a return phone number.