If you have a conversation with me at any point, there is about a 90% chance I will pull up at least one photo of my cats. Cats are great. Not to sound like the trope of angry queer feminist writer, but I love my cats and will sing to them on a bi-hourly basis. Cat rescue is something near and dear to my heart, so when a tweet about the upcoming documentary The Cat Rescuers popped up on my timeline, it was a sign that I was going to cry on this fine Friday.
The Cat Rescuers follows four Brooklyn-based volunteers trying to help the city’s stray and feral cats. If that doesn’t promise both tears and joy, I don’t know what will. A short, minute-long clip released already had me sniffling and needing to go hug my own feline friends.
#TheCatRescuers follows four volunteers working in Brooklyn to save as many felines in need as possible, no matter the personal sacrifices they must make. It will have its premiere on Nov 10 at @DOCNYCfest: https://t.co/kOdS0SmClg @CatRescuersFilm pic.twitter.com/TaXkmrECGJ
— IndieWire (@IndieWire) November 9, 2018
The official press release reads: “More than half a million feral cats prowl the streets of New York City, struggling to survive each day. With no official policies in place to aid the abandoned animals or curb their growing population, animal welfare activists enter the breach. The Cat Rescuers follows four dedicated, street-smart volunteers working tirelessly in Brooklyn to help save as many felines in need as possible, no matter the personal sacrifices they must make.”
A piece previewing the film on Untapped Cities talks more about the four humans at the heart of this story: “Sassee, a rapper turned legal investigator, Claire, an award-wining painter and graphic designer, Tara, a nurse and health care administrator, and Stu, an electronics engineer, all started out with little experience in the field of felines and soon learned the tricks of the trade while discovering the large scale of problem. There are no official policies in place to aid the abandoned animals or curb their growing population. The film follows these four animal welfare activists night and day as they hit the streets, backyards and alleys of Brooklyn to save the city’s cats.”
The official website for the film showcases several clips of the rescuers at work. One, that does contain some graphic imagery, shows Sassee coming to the aid of a cat with an injured tail. When she approaches the cat with a can of food, the skittish animal immediately comes running to her; when we later see her with the cat, it is basking in attention and demanding pets. Another focuses on Claire tending to a mama cat and her kittens, who are all immensely sweet animals; the tears start coming when Claire speculates that someone threw the mother out when she was pregnant.
Cats are misunderstood creatures. They need different things than dogs do, but that doesn’t mean they’re heartless. There is a problem with stray cats: too many are out there, and there isn’t enough room at shelters and there are simply not enough people like the rescuers highlighted in this film. Hopefully, this film will help raise awareness for ways we can help stray cats and kittens. The official Twitter for the film promotes articles about rescues, and why their work is important.
For more information on the film, check out their official site and their Twitter account. I personally cannot wait to cry myself into oblivion when this film goes into wide release, and I’m sure my fellow cat lovers will agree.
(via IndieWire;Â Image: Rob Fruchtman and Steven Lawrence)
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Published: Nov 9, 2018 12:49 pm