PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Manuela Senatore, Brooklyn Resident
4:16:35
·
103 sec
Manuela Senatore, a Brooklyn resident, shares her personal experience caring for stray cats in her neighborhood since 2014. She describes how her initial act of kindness in feeding a few cats led to a significant commitment involving spaying/neutering, adoption efforts, and ongoing care for numerous strays.
- Started with feeding a few stray cats in her backyard, which eventually grew to caring for 15 outdoor cats and 3 indoor cats
- Invested time and money in spaying/neutering efforts since 2016 to prevent overpopulation
- Expresses concern about the future of these cats if she has to move, highlighting the challenges of rehoming feral or semi-feral cats
Manuela Senatore
4:16:35
Hi.
4:16:35
My name is Manuela Sinatore, and I'm a Brooklyn resident.
4:16:38
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
4:16:41
This is simply a personal experience.
4:16:44
Since moving to Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn in 2014, I was surprised by the number of stray cats wandering the streets, and I wasn't long before a few curious cats, some were friendly, and some were born on the streets.
4:16:58
Made their way into my backyard.
4:17:00
Compassion got the best of me and I began feeding them, and word must have spread out in the fling flaring community because more cats showed up, and some even were born there.
4:17:11
Realizing the scope of the stray cat problem.
4:17:13
I became actively involved in addressing it.
4:17:15
In 2016, I took on the responsibility of getting these cats paid and neutered to prevent further overpopulation, and I couldn't even done without some of the people that are here that help me.
4:17:27
Over time, I managed to have some of them adopted into log in homes, but I now find myself with 3 indoor cats and a routine that includes feeding 15 strays in my backyard.
4:17:38
This effort, which started as act of kindness is done in 2 years long commitment.
4:17:44
And when I think about it, the money was spent caring for these cats could have easily gone towards purchasing a commercial vehicle for my video business.
4:17:52
But instead, here I am without a vehicle and with 18 cats under my care still dedicated to making sure they're safe and healthy.
4:17:59
The problem now is if I have to move, which is probably happening soon, this is I don't know what to do because, you know, cats like these that are already there, they're not really belong to the wild and nobody will want to adopt them.
4:18:13
So it will take, like, some major effort to try to solve the problem.
4:18:17
Thank you.
UNKNOWN
4:18:18
Thank you so much.
