In this touching story from The Dodo, a man who once had no hope met a few stray felines that helped changed his life forever. A man named Gregory Brandt (nicknamed Mr.G) lived in Hawaii without a home to call his own for three years.
During this time he befriended two stray cats he called Moses and Keanu. They were his companions and provided joy in the direst of circumstances.
The act of befriending two strays gave him the will and motivation to hope for a better future. That day arrived when Mr. G finally got his own apartment.
Then, he met a new mild-mannered stray feline and he began to feed her and eventually took her in as his own.
Mr. G later named her Meow-Meow, but Meow Meow did not come alone.
Every time she returned for feeding time, she brought a few new friends, fast forward two years and a few friends have turned into one hundred.
Now Gregory wakes up before dawn every day to feed 100 homeless cats, some may think it’s a burden, but he sees it as a joy.
He lives in downtown Hawaii and provides fresh food and water daily, he has not missed a day in two years.
The cats are part of the community.
A big problem for Hawaii
Hawaii has one of the largest populations of feral cats in the world. Approximately two million feral and stray cats occupy the state.
Feral cat colonies are a result, in part, of human behavior. According to Mr. G, most of the stray cats in his colony were once pets with owners.
The act of abandoning pets or refusing to get pets spayed or neutered are contributing factors.
Recently, the Hawaii state legislature proposed a bill called HB1987 designed to actively reduce the feral cat population by inhumane means of lethal injection or live capture.
Mr. G created a petition to halt this bill with 12,000 signatures collected from locals and people from all walks of life.
TNR as an alternative solution
In contrast to inhumane measures, TNR has proven to be an effective alternative. TNR, also known as Trap Neuter Return, is a humane and highly effective method for managing feral and stray cats and reducing population numbers.
The TNR process begins with trapping the stray cats. Then, the cats go to a clinic to be spayed or neutered.
At the clinic, the cats receive vaccinations as required and afterward, they get ear-tipped and returned to the community.
In some cases, they are placed for adoption.
Future plans
This formerly homeless man was able to rescue a dozen cats from the colony. However, his ultimate wish is to have a cat sanctuary where the feral cat colony can reside safely.
A cat sanctuary can help preserve cats’ lives and provide a place for them to live peacefully. Mr. G feels feral cats’ lives have value and they deserve to live in peace.
They are a part of the community and are not disposable.
Final thoughts
Befriending two feral cats helped give this man hope when he was homeless. Now as the tables have turned, he’s been able to pay it forward and return the favor to help support the strays that supported him.
You can support and follow Gregory “Mr. G” Brandt on his morning routine feeding 100 cats in Hawaii, on his TikTok page at Mr.GHawaii.
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