Coatesville resident Priscilla Hinckley has rescued 25 stray cats and plans on helping more
By Stephanie Weaver, Correspondent, CoatesvilleTimes.com
Priscilla Hinckley and her granddaughter Christina with just a couple of the cats she and her family have rescued.
COATESVILLE — Most people would consider themselves animal lovers. But when confronted with the problem of numerous stray cats inhabiting their street, they would probably call the ASPCA or ignore the predicament all together.
Priscilla Hinckley and her family did just the opposite. She decided to start saving the lives of the stray cats on her block.
“This problem with strays has been going on for years,” said Priscilla. “We have lived on Chestnut Street for 42 years and nobody has ever tried to help out and do what we’re doing.”
Priscilla started her mission in April, 2010.
“We started by putting food out for them and trying to get them used to us so we could start some kind of friendship with them,” she said.
To date, Priscilla has rescued 25 cats and has found permanent homes for four of them.
“We made a booklet of all of the cats including pictures and information about each one and distributed them to people who could display them to the public, including vets,” stated Priscilla.
According to Priscilla, the task of saving so many animals has been financially and mentally taxing on her and her family. They have spent over $800 on cages, food, kitty litter, medicine and other essentials for the cats.
The city of Coatesville has agreed to help Priscilla. After she gets all of the animals spayed or neutered, she will be able to send one bill to the city that they will cover.
Priscilla’s granddaughter, Christina, enjoys helping the strays just as much as her grandmother does.
“I’ve helped the cats give birth to kittens and have been through the whole process, said Christina, a junior at Coatesville High School. “It’s made me want to continue helping cats when I am older. I enjoy socializing with them because they all have such different personalities.
Priscilla and her family have no plans to stop helping the cats on their block.
“I just wish people who took on the obligation of a pet saw it through,” said Priscilla. “Don’t just set them loose if you don’t want them.”
