Solano Cats Package

by Yesenia Zuniga

ANCHOR LEAD-IN

A SMALL NORTHBAY CITY LETS CATS ROAM-FREE OUTSIDE A BIG BOX STORE, BUT NOT EVERYONE THINKS IT’S THE CATS MEOW.

STATE OF EVENTS’ YESENIA ZUNIGA HAS THE STORY FOR US.

B ROLL:

Parking lot, wetlands sign, Cats wandering

A WETLANDS PATCH OUTSIDE A SOLANO COUNTY STORE IS HOME TO A CAT COLONY.

MULTIPLE STRAY CATS OCCUPY THE AREA.

COLONY CARETAKERS REQUEST THE AREA LOCATION REMAIN ANONYMOUS FOR THE CATS’ SAFETY.

B ROLL: CATS IN WETLANDS, FAR VIEW OF COLONY, RUTH (INTERVIEWEE) PREPPING CAT SHELTER

SOLANO RESIDENT RUTH VOLKS-SWEATT TOOK THE COLONY UNDER HER WING IN TWENTY SIXTEEN.

SHE AND OTHER VOLUNTEERS ASKED STORE MANAGEMENT TO ADOPT THE COLONY.

THEY AGREED SINCE FERAL CATS ARE KNOWN FOR LOWERING RODENT INFESTATIONS.

THE ANIMAL EXPENSES ARE PAID BY VOLKS-SWEATT’S PERSONAL BUDGET.

SOT — RUTH VOLKS-SWEATT, COLONY FOUNDER

“I explained to them what we were doing with the cats and that we were trapping them and getting them spayed and neutered and that they were getting vaccinated also and that the animals will help keep the rodent population down so the store itself doesn’t have as big of a rodent problem then… even if you get rid of all the cats, new cats are going to come into the place anyway… cats that have been abandoned in a neighborhood.”

B ROLL — CATS AND KIDS

SOLANO OFFICIALS CREATED THE TRAP, NEUTER RELEASE TECHNIQUE TO LOWER CAT BIRTH RATES. RESIDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CAPTURE, FIX AND RELEASE STRAYS.

HOWEVER, SOME HOMEOWNERS BELIEVE RELEASED CATS DAMAGE NEIGHBORHOODS.

SOT — CHUCK SIEVERS, SOLANO RESIDENT

“They uh can be I won’t say destructive of landscaping but invasive shall we say as far as um well using yards as latrines. I suppose there’s a secondary concern about maybe the feral population attacking domestic cats.”

INTERVIEW STAND-IN:

THE SOLANO COMMUNITY CAT PROGRAM REPORTS THAT NON-NEUTERED CATS PRODUCE UP TO TWELVE KITTENS IN ONE YEAR. THAT’S WHY RESIDENTS SAY MANY CATS ROAM THE AREA.

SOT — SANDY SIEVERS, SOLANO COUNTY RESIDENT AND CITY EMPLOYEE

“Anyone who helps out just trapping, spaying, and neutering, you know, they have a huge impact. that will help reduce the colony numbers”

OUTRO

B ROLL: WETLANDS AND CATS

VOLKS-SWEAT HOPES PEOPLE WILL SUPPORT LOCAL COLONIES AND TAKE IN STRAYS.

YOU CAN CALL SEVEN ZERO SEVEN FOUR NINETEEN FIFTY-EIGHT SIXTY-NINE TO DONATE SUPPLIES TO THE COLONY.