Mom and Kittens Now Safe, Eating, Resting
Regulars at Dirty Don’s on the Boardwalk had been watching a small family for a while — a wary mother cat and her five kittens, sticking close together and close to the shadows, darting for cover the moment anyone got too close. Laurie and Ron Peterson had their eye on them too, and they knew exactly what needed to happen next: get mom spayed before another litter came along, and get those kittens somewhere safe while they were still young enough to be easily socialized.
Easier said than done. The first two attempts to trap the family didn’t go well — community cats are smart, and a mother protecting kittens is smarter still. Traps were approached, sniffed, and calmly avoided. An evening of careful setup would end in an empty cage and a lot of patience tested. But Laurie and Ron aren’t the type to give up on a colony, and night after night, they kept coming back, adjusting their approach each time.
On the morning of July 23, 2026, an early check finally paid off. Mini Mama and all five of her kittens were safely trapped — the whole family, together, on the first try that actually worked. It was the kind of quiet victory that makes every late night and every empty trap along the way feel worth it. The kittens were brought straight to the Grand Strand Animal Shelter, warm, fed, and on their way toward finding homes of their own, while Mini Mama was given a clean bill of health, spayed, and returned to the boardwalk at Dirty Don’s — right back to the spot she calls home, just without the worry of another litter ever again.
Laurie and Ron didn’t hold back their relief on Facebook once it was all over — and honestly, neither could we. Mom and kittens are safe, eating, resting, and this is exactly why the early mornings and the failed attempts are always worth it in the end.
