After waking from a late night spent rescuing a dumped mother cat and her litter, Brittney McCarthy was shocked to find three of her humane traps missing.

Three traps used for Maricopa-based Little Whiskers Animal Rescue’s trap-neuter-return program were stolen from McCarthy’s Acacia Crossing home May 12.

“They were in front of my garage after a rescue call and someone stole them,” she told InMaricopa.

It’s poor timing as Little Whiskers will host a massive TNR clinic Friday. The rescue and a dozen volunteers will set up 60 traps around the city to catch feral cats for up to 72 hours as they are spayed or neutered and monitored before they are released.

A drive to help

Province resident and acrylic artist Pamela Thielen hopes to brush off the burglary and use her artistic inclinations to make sure this weekend goes off without a hitch.

“I heard their traps were stolen and I wanted to help. This was something I could do,” she said.

Thielen, who has been painting for four years, whipped up three 16-by-20-inch whimsical cat paintings and donated them to the rescue. The funds generated from the sales will help fund the purchase of replacement traps, which can cost up to $150 each.

So far, Facebook bidding for the paintings has topped $155, according to Thielen. A third painting was donated to Little Whiskers for a raffle sale at an adoption event Saturday at 21071 N. Leona Blvd., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Raffle tickets are available for $10 each for one of the three paintings.

About Little Whiskers

Little Whiskers began in 2017 after McCarthy found a tiny kitten alone in an alley behind Bashas.

“I love animals,” she said. “When I found the kitten, no one in town was around to help. That’s when we started the rescue.”

Since then, the rescue has been on a mission to help reduce the feral cat population in Maricopa, which McCarthy said tops around 4,000.

Why?

“TNR helps prevent unnecessary litters, plus it’s beneficial for the health and safety of people and animals,” she said. “Feral cats are a big nuisance for people and they tend to call us and the city’s non-emergency lines nonstop. But a lot of ferals carry diseases that can transfer to pets.”

For more information, visit Little Whiskers’ website or Facebook page.