Kettleman Supercharger Cats Getting Spayed And Neutered Thanks To Tesla Drivers

By: Kelli Brinegar
For more than five years, Kelli Brinegar has been using her ability to write and her passion for research to tell the tale of what cats are thinking and why. She has provided care to more than 30 cats in her lifetime.Read more
| October 13, 2020

When Tesla constructed the Kettleman City Supercharger station in California, their purpose was charging electric cars. But cats, being the ever-clever creatures they are, have found a good use for the charging station too.

There are currently 60 cats calling the Kettleman City Supercharger station home. While charging their cars, Tesla owners can grab a coffee and watch the kitties.

Tesla owner Eddie Serrano told Fox News 26, “It’s always a great excuse to come check out some kitties, charge up the car. I just got two kittens myself, so I was like, you know, I felt like a cat Dad. I wanted to see the little kitties.”


Help for Kettleman City Tesla Supercharger cats/GoFundMe

But there’s something they’ve noticed about the feral colony lately.

The Supercharger cat population is on the rise.

The community cats that call the Supercharger station home mostly rely on themselves to live. But that means medical issues can ravage the group and get them stuck in the breeding cycle. More kittens mean more hungry mouths and chances for devastating illness.

All those cats need some TNR love.

Hearts Charged for Giving

But trapping, neutering, and returning feral cats can be an expensive process. Friends of Kings County Animal Services reports the cost is roughly $60 per cat for spay/neuter surgery. With 60 cats and growing, good care gets expensive.


Help for Kettleman City Tesla Supercharger cats/GoFundMe

The Tesla owners who’ve taken notice of these cats and enjoyed watching them wanted to do something to help them live life as a healthy colony. So, organizers set up a GoFundMe page with the hopes of raising $3,600 dollars for the purpose of having the Kettleman cats spayed and neutered.

Tesla drivers across the country came big, pouring over $5,500 into the fund so far!

Wendi Weidner, one of the organizers, shared, “I am so overwhelmed with gratitude to all of you that stepped in to help these 60 cats living at the Kettleman superchargers. I cannot thank you enough, and I am blown away by your generosity!”

“Every cat at that site now has hope. They will be vetted, spayed, neutered and given medical treatment.”

Hopefully, some of these cats will go onto find forever homes, but those too wild for the indoors can at least live a life outside the kitten breeding cycle.


Help for Kettleman City Tesla Supercharger cats/GoFundMe

Forever Homes Around the Corner?

Stopping in for a charge and a visit with some of the cats, Danielle Fouty told Fox 26 she hopes the felines on site can find homes. And she believes they can after an experience with a kitten at Kettleman was a positive and friendly one.

“The kitten was all over me it was like climbing up me,” she shared, happy the baby had already learned to enjoy human company.


@lovemesomemusk/Twitter

That some of the cats and kittens are so friendly means forever homes could be just around the corner. But for those Kettleman cats just a little too wild for human hands, now they’ll be happy and cared for thanks to concerned Telsa owners and the dedicated rescuers of Friends of Kings County Animal Services.


Help for Kettleman City Tesla Supercharger cats/GoFundMe

H/T: www.techtimes.com
Feature Image: Help for Kettleman City Tesla Supercharger cats/GoFundMe