Cat Rodeo
Shortly after Joshua and I settled in at ʻĀina Iki Ranch, Val noticed a new visitor showing up at dinnertime in the feed barn. With her regular evening appearances, Val named her Apricot—and it didn’t take long to realize she might be a mama.
As trust grew between them, Apricot did something pretty remarkable.
One day, she meowed at Val as if asking her to follow. Val listened. Together, they walked out past the ranch, all the way to where the 2018 lava flow stops—where Apricot continued on to check on her hidden litter.
Not long after, Apricot began bringing her little family closer to home.
First along the edge of the cane grass field bordering our mini goat fence line. Then slowly—one by one, day by day—six kittens made their way into the safety of our feed barn, eventually settling beneath the hay bales.
That’s when we knew it was time to act.
Last week, I saw that PetFix Spay & Neuter was hosting a free spay and neuter weekend—and immediately signed us up.
Because while we had six kittens, one mama, and two very determined male courters…catching them was a whole different story.
Thanks to your April kōkua, we were able to purchase two additional traps—and thanks to our ʻohana, we were able to borrow a few more. And Joshua…well, Joshua revealed himself to be a bit of a feral cat whisperer. With patience, persistence, and a whole lot of strategy, we successfully trapped the entire family.
While we waited for clinic day, Marley’s aviary became a temporary kitten jungle gym—full of climbing, leaping, and total kitten chaos (you’ll see in the video).
Getting them into carriers? Just as much of a rodeo.
Val brought out her trusty fishing net and demonstrated her technique on the first two kittens before handing things off to Joshua. One by one, we got them secured…well, almost. Two mischievous little ones pulled off a full Houdini and made their escape—but we’re hopeful they’ll circle back now that mama is returning to the group.
Today at noon, we dropped everyone off at PetFix in Keaʻau and are now waiting for the call to let us know they’re ready for pickup.
We’re so grateful for organizations like PetFix Spay & Neuter. Here on Hawaiʻi Island, there are many feral cats and not always the resources to care for them. PetFix provides free clinics that help reduce overpopulation—supporting both our communities and the ʻāina in a really meaningful way.
Back at the ranch, we’ve been preparing for what comes next.
We already had a small enclosed space that we’d been using to house our cricket bins (duck snack central), and it turned out to be the perfect foundation for a kitten transition area. We cleared it out, evicted the crickets, and reimagined the space for this next chapter.
Joshua then built a beautiful double-door entry system onto the enclosure—simple, sturdy, and incredibly important.
With kittens this quick (and already proven escape artists), that second door creates a buffer zone so we can move in and out safely. It allows us to spend time with them consistently—feeding, sitting, letting them get used to our presence—without risking a full jailbreak.
This is the in-between space.
Where wild begins to soften.
Where fear turns into curiosity.
Where these little ones start to realize that humans can be safe.
It’s not instant—but it’s everything.
And this part—the trapping, the transport, the materials, the time—it’s all made possible because of you.
If you feel called to continue supporting this work, your donations help us say “yes” in moments like this—when a mama shows up, when kittens need a chance, when timing lines up with something like a PetFix weekend and we’re able to act.
Mahalo nui for being part of this circle of care. Truly. 💛
