MICHAEL'S STORY
Michael Willinsky - Founder
Every evening, Mike makes over 60 stops to bring food and fresh water to nearly 300 of Maui's starving, neglected cats. He can't stand to see an animal suffer and has rescued countless cats and kittens from unimaginable conditions. Mike commits to getting them healthy, fixed, and fed. The kitties LOVE seeing him every night and he's made some great friends along the way.
Check out Mike's video here. You'll be amazed.
SILVINA'S STORY
Silvina Nussbaum
Silvina is our humane trapper extraordinaire! Working closely with Mike and Linda, Silvina coordinates and oversees the humane trapping, fixing, recovery, and return of Maui's homeless cats. These lucky cats are treated with love and compassion, returning to their colonies with full bellies but without the ability to produce unwanted kittens. Click here to watch Silvina release a couple of recently fixed cats back to their colony
LINDA'S STORY
Linda Banziger
Linda is the driving force of Save Maui Cats! Not only is she heavily involved with our humane trapping, neuter, return, manage program (TNRM), she creates opportunities to share our mission. She has already been interviewed on TV and will be heading up our Community Outreach Program. Be sure to say hello as she helps get the word out at Farmer's Markets and Friday Town Parties!
From Linda:
My concern for the feral/community cats of Maui started in 2011 when I took some healthy kittens to the humane society to be adopted. These kittens were already spayed and neutered and even had their shots. Unfortunately the Humane Society didn’t have the space or resources to adopt them out and had no choice but to euthanize them. Devastated, I cried all the way home (with the kittens of course) and decided then and there to become part of the solution. I volunteered with the SPCA and the (monthly?) Spay and Neuter clinics at the Humane Society. I grew to understand just how much of a crisis Maui’s homeless cats faced. The problem of the feral cat overpopulation had as much to do with the community as it did a funding policy. Fortunately, I discovered that there was a simple solution -TNRM (Trap, Neuter, Return, Manage). After cats are fixed, they are returned to their outdoor colonies and fed daily. They are free to live out their lives, without creating more kittens.
We know what the answer is, but we need community involvement. Let’s work together and get those cats fixed!
I am committed to doing whatever I can to help save cats’ lives and promote TNRM in the community. I offer free help with TNR of unfixed cats throughout the island of Maui. My dream is to have a no-kill shelter on Maui and welcome any volunteers who want to help make this dream become a reality.
Thank you for your Kokua.