About Us
Granger Dr. Cats was started in 2012 by Terry and Cindy and their daughter. After watching the cat population grow season after season they decided to take matters into their hands & begin a TNVR operation.
Terry worked as an independent contractor. Whenever he had the hours to spare, he would set up & maintain the traps. Cindy & their daughter stayed plenty busy caring for newborns & kittens until they were old enough to get to the vet. Once they were old enough Terry would travel about 50 miles each way to get them there & back.
As many as 18 strays were fixed & cared for over the next 3 years.
Most of the cats stayed in or around their backyard when they returned from the vet. Of course it was a food source, but it was also the only area they had known. And animals have a keen instinct & know when they are around good humans who care about them. Several have now made their way across the proverbial Rainbow Bridge and are laid to rest in the backyard along with some family pets.
Granger Dr. Cats are registered with the county & are exempt from the county ordinances prohibiting cats from roaming outdoors and from the ordinance concerning abandonment. They are also exempt from the normal county animal licensing requirement.
Sadly, Terry & Cindy are no longer with us. Terry passed away in 2015 and Cindy followed in 2018. I often refer to them as a couple of the very best people I’ve never met. If their daughter is any indication of the type of people they were, they must have been extraordinary folks, because she is nothing short of an amazing human being.
But their TNVR efforts were not in vain & have certainly not gone unnoticed. The colony that once contained as many as 18 cats has 4 survivors. 2 are inside with me – 2 outside in the backyard. And perhaps most importantly, so far, I can honestly say there just aren’t that many strays wandering around here.
My first interaction with the Granger Dr. Cats was in June 2017. I had just become a neighbor of theirs & our backyards were kitty-korner to one another. No pun intended, of course. I knew nothing whatsoever about the cats. I only knew they had arrived. The cats. In the backyard. Usually sitting in some shade on the xeriscape outside the pool. The little black one on top of the screen enclosure or on top of the shed. I only had to feed them a couple times before they made my backyard their ‘home away from home’ (little did I know at the time!).
After a while I noticed that they would all head off in the same direction much of the time…toward the yard kitty-korner from mine. Terry & Cindy’s yard. I peeked over my fence, but they had a shed in that corner of their yard that I wasn’t able to see past. I was pretty certain by this time this was another one of their hangouts. I was still completely unaware it was where Terry & Cindy lived & home for the crew.
In May 2022 I was blindsided by the homeowner of the house I had been leasing that they would be putting it up for sale. This was after being assured only 5 weeks earlier that there was no reason to be concerned whatsoever about it.
After checking on the vacant properties on my street & Granger Dr., I decided to try knocking on the door where Terry & Cindy lived. Of course there was no answer, but I was able to chat a bit with a next-door neighbor who offered a very abbreviated story of the cats, Terry & Cindy. I also learned that a gentleman across the street, Bill, was leaving food & water out for them in the backyard. After meeting him, I was able to contact their daughter & eventually move into the home she grew up in with the Granger Dr. Cats…caring for the last survivors of a community two of the best people I’ve never met (& one I have) started fourteen years ago.
Since then they have somehow made it through nine named tropical systems whose centers passed within roughly 120 miles, including five hurricanes that reached major-hurricane strength during their lifetimes.
During 2024 alone, the hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton all blew over us within 100 miles in just 67 days.
True survivors. Weathered & hurricane certified.
This site is intended to be not only a tribute to the surviving members of the colony itself, but even more so, a heartfelt tribute to the memory of Terry & Cindy as well. Some years have passed now, but each survivor that remains is a testament to their efforts and care. Every cat that ever found safety, care, and a full belly in their backyard carries forth their legacy of compassion and kindness.
Me? I’m just a lucky guy who was blessed to cross paths with these furry friends and become the ultimate beneficiary of that legacy. And for that, I will be forever grateful.
If you’re interested in learning more about their story & following their journey, please feel free to check the Colony Notes from time to time where their stories & updates will be posted. You can also learn more about The Cast…errr, The Cats over here. Your comments & questions are always welcome, as well.
