HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Dozens of homeless cats congregate in one Hollywood park while one man has taken it upon himself to feed and care for them every single day.
Thomas Kaiser said he took his dog for a walk at Charles Vollman Park in 2019.
“I noticed there were some cats,” said Kaiser. “I went home and got a couple of cans of cat food and came back and then I realized, there’s a lot of cats here,” he said. He’s been feeding the cats every day for the last four years.
“The cats just really touched me. They were in such bad shape when I first found them. They have skin problems, they all have worms, they are skinny.”
In his 70s and already retired, Thomas took on the second career of becoming a cat whisperer of sorts.
“I give them tuna fish on top because they really like it,” confided Kaiser.
He takes care of each furry face one by one and has names for them.
“That’s Mister Kitty Cat, that’s Honey Bun, that’s Blue and that’s Scruffy.”
He also takes them to a local veterinarian for their medical needs while also adopting out the non-feral felines he is able to find homes for.
“Every cat in this park is neutered. In the four years I have been doing this, there have been no kittens born in this park.”
Kaiser said the cats don’t bother anyone, but there is an overpopulation of them.
“I keep them clean, they hide, they are so scared of people, they won’t go near anybody, it took me years to gain their trust.”
Kaiser has a few problems to contend with including other animals eating the food he puts out for the felines.
“People think the park is really a safe, idyllic place for cats but there is a duck problem here. I can’t put food on the ground and walk away because the ducks chase the cats away and eat it all.”
And another issue. Now that many people know there are a few dozen cats being fed and cared for, Kaiser said people are dumping their unwanted pets assuming someone else will care for an animal they no longer want.
“I have seen people come into the park and throw cats out the window of their car,” said Kaiser.
Kaiser asks the question: “Do we have a cat problem or do we have a people problem? You know it starts with people not neutering cats.”
If you’d like to donate to help Kaiser care for the abandoned cats, visit his GoFundMe page.