It started as nothing more than an innocent gathering of a few furry friends in an empty house.
But word spreads quickly in a remote island community – and soon the handful of cats had become a feral horde that threatened to decimate local wildlife.
Now a ‘monumental’ operation has been launched to rescue Barra’s birds from the freelance felines – as well as saving the cats themselves.
The moggies began ‘congregating’ in the vacant property on the Hebridean isle several months ago.
With numbers quickly swelling to more than 20, they have since been joined by even more homeless barn cats following the death of two local owners.
Now, with kitten season looming, the home’s absent owners have drafted in outside help to trap, neuter and rehome the colony before it overruns the entire island. The empty property’s owners had been trying to feed the cats but as they live on the mainland, it was proving a struggle to keep up with the expanding population.
A ‘monumental’ operation has been launched to rescue Barra’s birds from the freelance felines
![The moggies began 'congregating' in the vacant property on the Hebridean isle several months ago](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/12/00/82342007-13184745-image-a-7_1710203579605.jpg)
The moggies began ‘congregating’ in the vacant property on the Hebridean isle several months ago
![With numbers quickly swelling to more than 20, they have since been joined by even more homeless barn cats following the death of two local owners](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/12/00/82341997-13184745-image-a-14_1710204349783.jpg)
With numbers quickly swelling to more than 20, they have since been joined by even more homeless barn cats following the death of two local owners
However, amid concerns for the cats – many of whom have never had to hunt for food – and the island’s limited bird population which would be the colony’s main prey, they decided something had to be done. They have now drafted in Western Isles Support for Cats and Kittens (WISCK) to deal with the problem inhabitants.
In a statement, WISCK claimed the owners were told by a national animal charity to ‘just stop feeding them’. But it said: ‘This is a problem caused by humans, therefore we have to step in to help.’
A spokesman for the charity said yesterday that the intervention was vital for the cats’ well-being and the protection of the island’s wildlife.
She said: ‘The lack of natural prey and the cats’ reliance on human provision have escalated the need for intervention to prevent the colony from growing uncontrollably.
‘WISCK is undertaking the monumental task of trapping the cats, transporting them to Cat Central in Stornoway for health checks, neutering, and ultimately finding them suitable barn or stable homes across the islands.
![The home's absent owners have drafted in outside help to trap, neuter and rehome the colony before it overruns the entire island](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/12/00/82341157-13184745-image-a-13_1710204347651.jpg)
The home’s absent owners have drafted in outside help to trap, neuter and rehome the colony before it overruns the entire island
![In a statement, WISCK claimed the owners were told by a national animal charity to 'just stop feeding them'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/12/00/82335811-13184745-Some_of_the_multiplying_Barra_moggies-a-11_1710203618784.jpg)
In a statement, WISCK claimed the owners were told by a national animal charity to ‘just stop feeding them’
![The charity said: 'Any help will be invaluable to ensuring the health and survival of these cats and the scarce wildlife on Barra'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/12/00/82341161-13184745-image-a-9_1710203597344.jpg)
The charity said: ‘Any help will be invaluable to ensuring the health and survival of these cats and the scarce wildlife on Barra’
‘This intervention is imperative for the welfare of both the cats and the island’s ecosystem, especially with kitten season looming.’ The charity said the island has ‘too few’ birds to risk an ‘out of control colony decimating them’. Also, with no rabbits having been seen locally for years, the cats – most of which are used to being fed – are unable to survive by hunting alone.
It added: ‘We know some of these females may already be pregnant so kittens born in care will be cared for until they can find loving pet homes.’
The charity is now looking for donations to support its efforts.
It said: ‘Any help will be invaluable to ensuring the health and survival of these cats and the scarce wildlife on Barra.’