News About the Lydgate Kitties

Welcome to our Lydgate Kitties page! Here is the latest news about our sanctuary for the Lydgate cats.

Lydgate Update – March 2026

Thanks to many dedicated and talented trappers, we have relocated 138 cats from Lydgate County Park. This effort occurred before and during the Fall and Winter 2025-26 shearwater fledge season, when the County was going to remove “predators”. We proposed a humane solution, for saving both birds and cats.asd

Over 75 friendly cats were adopted locally or sent to the mainland. A few tourists took cats home as carry-ons! Almost 60 are at the sanctuary and a few have been adopted from there. All the cats from Lydgate were spayed or neutered (some previously), and given FVRCP vaccines and flea treatment.

Unfortunately, people continue to abandon cats and kittens, at Lydgate Park and throughout the island. We are now beyond capacity at the sanctuary, within our 1⁄8 of an acre fenced area. While the cats are robust and relaxed, we began to see signs of overcrowding, with a few upper respiratory infections (now treated and resolved).

We hope to expand this Spring. Our friends and mentors at the Lanai Cat Sanctuary generously gave us a very good deal to purchase some of their new fencing.

Our sanctuary volunteers continue to devote many hours feeding, scooping, cleaning, mowing, planting, constructing, shopping, vaxing, transporting for vet visits, and fostering. If you are interested in volunteering, please let us know.

The hours and costs of feeding and caring for 60 cats are significant and we are grateful to everyone who donates!

Please continue!

Mahalo!
Here are a few photos.

Lydgate kitties relaxing under a tent-type structure

All donations are tax deductible! Every dollar donated is used for our kitties. There are multiple ways you can donate.

You may donate directly to KCCP by one of three methods:
– Via PayPal: PayPal.Me/kauaicats
– Via our website
– Send a check in the mail, made out to KCCP, and address the envelope to KCCP, PO Box 143, Kekaha, HI 96752
– Or scan the QR Code

KCCP is a registered non-profit, 501(c)3, and. Thanks in advance for your continued support of Kauai’s cats!

Thanks in advance
Susan

Mahalo for your kokua of Kauai’s community cats!

3-14-26

Lydgate Sanctuary October 2025 News – Mary Ann

One of the best things about the sanctuary is how quickly the cats have adapted to their new home. Colony feeders who’ve taken care of the cats at Lydgate County Park for years, all say how happy and relaxed the cats are at the sanctuary. Cats we couldn’t even touch before now follow us around, wanting brushing and petting.

We’ve made sure the cats have space to roam and lots of private, shady places for solitude and resting. With just 1/8th of an acre at the fenced sanctuary and with 52 cats relocated from Lydgate, we are nearing full capacity. We have a few more cats to trap in the next couple of weeks. 56 friendly cats have been adopted, on and off island, for a total of 108 relocations!

As anticipated, the County and State have increased their trapping, with the beginning of fledge season for Newell’s Shearwaters. The fledge season runs from September 15 to December 15. They are supposed to return any microchipped cats to owners. One cat was returned to KCCP last week. It remains to be seen if that will continue. We believe non-chipped cats will be killed.

Please spread the word that Lydgate County Park is not a safe place to abandon cats. Lydgate is a high priority area for the County’s “predator” removal. For years, people have dumped cats at Lydgate because they think they’ll be fed and cared for. But colony caretakers are now caring for the Lydgate cats at the sanctuary, and not daily at the park.

We are grateful to our many volunteers and donors for their time and funding. 108 cats have been saved so far, thanks to your generosity. It costs a lot to feed, provide medical care and buy supplies for the sanctuary. Plus, we’d like to expand our fenced area.

We plan to trap the remaining cats at Lydgate, but we are already pushing the recommended ratio of cats to acreage. Our fenced area is less than 1/8th of an acre.

As we’ve said before, this sanctuary was founded to protect the Lydgate cats from trapping by the County, prior to the fledge season for endangered birds, which begins September 15. We do not have space for cats beyond Lydgate, and if people continue to abandon cats and kittens at Lydgate, we won’t currently have room for all of them. Many cats throughout the island need protection, and we are hoping the Lydgate sanctuary can serve as a model for additional sanctuaries.

As we projected, the costs to KCCP of running a sanctuary are significant. Beyond the cost for the fencing, we’ve purchased catios, sheds, sand boxes, tables, and plants and tents for shade.

And lots of wet and dry food, medicine and vet bills. We estimate that the cost per cat will be $1000 per year. We’re 100% volunteers, no paid staff!

We also hope to expand the existing sanctuary, to be sure we can accommodate all the Lydgate cats.

All donations are tax deductible! Every dollar donated is used on our kitties. There are multiple ways you can donate.

KCCP is a registered non-profit, 501(c)3, and. Thanks in advance for your continued support of Kauai’s cats!

Here are a couple of pictures of the new digs. The header picture is Casey surveying his digs from his favorite log.

Picture below is Brady, Betty, Dot, Lucky and in the way back is Marilyn (my kitties actual sister). Second picture shows our two small catios we use for isolation or other places to sleep and hide.

Thanks in advance
Susan

Mahalo for your kokua of Kauai’s community cats!

10-11-25

Exciting Lydgate Sanctuary News!

An Update on Lydgate Sanctuary from Mary Ann

We’re making great progress on the Lydgate Cat Sanctuary? Thanks to many amazing trappers (Kathy D, Majane, Tina, Traci, and Jakki), 41 cats from Lydgate have already settled in at the sanctuary. Our wonderful sanctuary volunteers include Marty, Mary Ann, Tina, Jakki, Carol, Ailene, Kevin, Chris, Bob, Olivia, Jon, Connie and Mike plus the fantastic help from Kim, Christine, Nicole and Sue to make sure all cats are current with FVRCP shots and flea treatments. Fence and catio builders are much appreciated, too: Sandy, Jon, Roman, Andi, Doug, Jake and Pam.

We’ve also placed 51 Lydgate cats for mainland and local adoptions and we are continuing to socialize friendly cats for adoption. So, with the 41 currently at the sanctuary, that makes a total of 92 relocated Lydgate cats so far!

We plan to trap the remaining cats at Lydgate, but we are already pushing the recommended ratio of cats to acreage. Our fenced area is less than 1/8th of an acre.

As we’ve said before, this sanctuary was founded to protect the Lydgate cats from trapping by the County, prior to the fledge season for endangered birds, which begins Sept. 15. We do not have space for cats beyond Lydgate, and if people continue to abandon cats and kittens at Lydgate, we won’t currently have room for all of them. Many cats throughout the island need protection, and we are hoping the Lydgate sanctuary can serve as a model for additional sanctuaries.

As we projected, the costs to KCCP of running a sanctuary are significant. Beyond the cost for the fencing, we’ve purchased catios, sheds, sand boxes, tables, and plants and tents for shade.

And lots of wet and dry food, medicine and vet bills. We estimate that the cost per cat will be $1000 per year. We’re 100% volunteers, no paid staff!

We also hope to expand the existing sanctuary, to be sure we can accommodate all the Lydgate cats.

All donations are tax deductible! Every dollar donated is used on our kitties. There are multiple ways you can donate.

KCCP is a registered non-profit, 501(c)3, and. Thanks in advance for your continued support of Kauai’s cats!
Thanks in advance
Susan

Mahalo for your kokua of Kauai’s community cats!

9-2-25