GUSTINE — As animal rescuers across Gustine face growing needs, Gustine Community Cattery founder Melodi Busch is urging residents to take a more active role in controlling the cat population and supporting families caring for cats in their neighborhoods.
Busch said rescue work has become increasingly difficult this year as illness, medical needs and rising costs have placed a heavy strain on volunteers.
“Please spay and neuter your cats,” Busch said. “Please take advantage of the Gustine Community Cattery page with all the information on how to do that low cost, and how to get free immunizations from the county and Merced TNR.”
Illness among local cats has been “devastating this year and very costly,” she said, with limited funds going toward medication and vet bills. The group is no longer able to take in additional animals but continues to serve as a resource for residents seeking guidance.
“We are no longer able to take animals in, but are more than able to give information on how to help your home and your community,” Busch said.
The cattery is currently caring for 15 cats that still need food and placement. Eight of those cats still need to be fixed, Busch said, and with no funds available, much of the work is being paid for out of pocket by volunteers.
For Busch, the message extends beyond rescue. She said prevention, education and shared responsibility are essential to improving conditions for community cats. Spaying and neutering, she said, remains one of the most effective ways to prevent kittens from being born into unsafe or unhealthy environments.
Once the current group of cats is placed, Busch hopes to expand the Gustine Community Cattery page into a broader support network where residents can ask for help, share extra supplies and assist one another with food, medication, litter or milk replacer.
“When we are finished with these 15, we would like to start a new project of using the cattery page to help each other,” Busch said. “If someone has food or meds to be able to share with their community, or if someone needs litter, food or milk replacer, the whole community knows that it is their page and their animals.”
She said the page could become more than a place for rescue updates — a community tool where neighbors help neighbors and where residents can find information before situations escalate into crises.
The need remains large, Busch said, but small acts of support can make a meaningful difference. Donations of supplies, help with food, assistance with vet costs and residents using low‑cost spay and neuter resources all contribute to improving conditions for cats across Gustine.
The work of the Gustine Cattery often happens quietly — through volunteers, late‑night messages, personal expenses and a deep concern for animals with nowhere else to go. While the group cannot take in more cats at this time, Busch hopes the community will continue working together to reduce the need for rescue in the first place.
“Spay and neuter your cats,” she said. “That is how we help our homes and our community.”
