It all started when Betty Buffone’s cat, Bacardi, ran away in 2013.
Bacardi led Buffone to a feral colony of cats, which spurred her to join L&F TNR Feral Cats — TNR stands for Trap, Neuter and Release.
Twenty cats and kittens are now in her care, which includes seven of her own and five foster cats. Unsurprisingly, she urges the community to spay or neuter their cats to help control the feral feline population.
“We go through a lot feeding several feral colonies in Innisfil,” Buffone said, noting members of the community and Pet Valu donate food and toys.
“We need to give a big shout-out to Pet Valu Innisfil, and Barrie and Wellington stores and their customers.”
Since she and her husband, Peter, care for so many cats in their home, laundry detergent, paper towels and other essentials are always in short supply.
“We still provide emergency care if one of our feral (cats) is sick or injured,” Buffone explained. “We had many seriously injured cats and feral cats with dental work needed and we paid out $1,600 a cat several times.”
One of her surrendered cats has required so many veterinarian check-ups, and surgery, that she estimates spending close to $5,000 on his care alone.
In 2023, Buffone and Carol Griffith from Innisfil Pride told Village Media that although there are often budgets and bylaws to control canines in municipalities, it is not uncommon for feral cat colonies to roam the streets. Buffone said that nothing has changed in the past year.
The town does not licence cats, which can make identifying found ones a tad tricky.
“Innisfil’s bylaw team do their best to reunite lost pets with their owners and we post this information on our social-media channels,” town community standards leader Mitchel Harris said. “We do appreciate community organizations who are focused in their work on taking care of all animals.”
Two people used to help Buffone and her husband humanely trap feral felines, but they retired. Still, Buffone and her husband refuse to give up.
“'All cats matter' is our motto and we sincerely thank the community for their support, and Aldergrove Animal Clinic for the wonderful care they give our feral cats and rescue cats,” Buffone said.
Donations and an ongoing bottle drive help TNR stay in operation. They earn 10 cents for every can, 15 cents for each bottle and 20 cents for every wine cooler or liquor bottle.
Buffone also raises money by organizing garage sales and running online auctions. Her hard work inspired Innisfil resident, Dixie Roach, to donate a bag of jewellery to Buffone that she can sell to raise funds.
"I didn't know about all the problems that feral cats face until I spoke to Betty," Roach said. "When it comes to important causes, some people give money and some people give their time; Betty gives both. When I was young, all animals ran free, and there didn't seem to be the problems that Betty faces with feral cats every day. Betty told me about cats and dogs being abandoned, which is terribly sad. People should care about all animals."
Bottles and cans can be dropped off at 990 Garden Ave. in Alcona, and 1054 Emily St. in Belle Ewart (beside the shed in the driveway).
Donations can be sent via money transfer to [email protected], or dropped off at Aldergrove (495 Yonge St.) in Barrie under the "Cats Innisfil L and F TNR FERAL" account. The contact name is Betty Buffone and the account number is 15615.
“We could never do all we do for feral cats without the wonderful generosity of our followers and community. We would never be able to afford it,” Buffone said.
Learn more about TNR and its fundraising efforts by checking out its Facebook page.
