Goal reached in effort to save cats left abandoned after rooming house slaying
Readers have responded generously to a volunteer effort to save and find homes for a colony of stray cats in Chinatown.
Jonathan Hammell, 42, a resident of Eccles Street, had been one of the main caregivers for the animals until he was killed in a fight at his rooming house on Nov. 11. Another tenant has been charged in the homicide.
A group of neighbours and animal lovers stepped forward to first help feed the dozen or so cats, then begin finding permanent homes for them.
A GoFundMe campaign was attempting to raise $6,000 for food, supplies and veterinary care and, by Friday afternoon, it had surpassed $5,900.
One of the organizers, Marna Nightingale, a neighbour and acquaintance of Hammell's, said the group was thrilled with the response.
“Oh gosh, I wish I could name a cat after every single one of them,” she said Friday. “It's amazing, absolutely mind-blowing and we are so, so grateful.”
Should there be any funds left over, organizers say the money will be directed to neighbouring St. Luke's Table, which provides meals to the poor and also has a “paw pantry” that supplies pet food to those in need.
Nightingale trapped two more cats on Thursday and Friday and believes almost all the strays have now been caught. She and partner Lorayne Katz follow a process to gradually socialize the animals, get them basic vet care, then find suitable homes.
The organizers also helped find a new home for a dog owned by the accused, charged with second-degree murder.