Need help in taking care of 5 feral colonies on Maui

Hi, My name is Helen and I live on a small island in the middle of the Pacific ocean and unfortunately there are many feral cats on the island. About 20 years ago I started feeding a colony, then it was two and now I feed 5 colonies. ....they are either on vacant lands or on the edge of the lava flow, or in parking lots so I feed late at night when no one is around. I also have 5 - 8 cats at my home and try to find homes for the tamer ones but it is hard as the cat population is quite large here on Maui.

I now realize that I need financial assistance in feeding these homeless cats and paying for vet fees...recently I had to take an old cat to the vet as his nail had grown into his pads...$315 later but he now doesn't limp.... I have not asked for help before but I now need to ask the world to help me, as I am getting older (young 60's and fit). I love these cats and go out every night to the different locations to feed them (usually after work and sometimes at 12 or 1 am so don't get much sleep). I do work full time but the cost of living on Maui is very high and I am doing all this alone and my rent just went up an extra $150 and there is no option to move as not many places here are willing to rent to people with pets....my wish is to get an acre so that I can take care of the cats and have a home as well (but the islands is becoming a place for the very wealthy)..,,,,I feed about 45 cats or so...maybe more as on my nightly trips as I will stop at spots where I see a lone cat far from anywhere. There used to be more in my colony but because of the culling of the deer, the gun shots have scared some of the cats away...(just heard gunshots tonight as I fed) and in the last month I came across another colony that isn't being fed on a regular basis so feed there every other day. Since I have been doing this for so long some of the cats are getting old and need to see the vet due to kidney disease or just to be put down due to no longer being able to eat. The Humane Society assists with the spay and neutering of the cats (for a small fee though lately it was free) but not the feeding or if the cats get sick. It is up to us colony caretakers....no one pays us, we do it out of the kindness of our hearts.

I have not left the island or taken a vacation as there is no one else to take care of my cats or the colonies though I can't complain as Maui is a beautiful island.

Please donate any amount you can as it all goes to take care of the cats and some of my expenses of driving back and forth every night. I even go when it is raining or if the weather is bad as the cats are always waiting for me... not matter how late I go.... so I can never miss a day... it breaks my heart to see them waiting for me even when it is raining hard or a hurricane might be approaching....my friends think I am mad but I feel animals have got a bad rap on this planet and we need to assist them as we share this planet with them. The only time I missed feeding was when I was too ill to get out of bed ( I had a staph infection with high fever and when I got a bad case of food poisoning)...but I try and go every night....

Please help me continue doing this selfless deed, as there is no way I can stop taking care of them but I may not be financially able to soon. I know all of you have compassion in your hearts for these beautiful animals and there are kind people in the world who love animals as much as I do. I also feed the birds and the deer (yes, we have deer on Maui) so they don't eat all the cat food (in two spots) and have recused injured animals I come across. Thank you for your help and kindness...May God and the angels bless you always.

Any amount is appreciated….For those donating more than $100 I am happy to take you snorkeling when you visit Maui and show you a little of the south side of the island and maybe you can come help me feed the cats.