Benjie's Angels rescuing Coshocton kittens

COSHOCTON − The love of her longtime feline companion has led Trista Shumaker to start a rescue for young kittens.

Benjie's Angels is named for her late cat who lived to be 15 years old.

"Benjie was the first cat I ever had. She was literally my soul cat. She passed away almost four years ago and I've really just been struggling hard with it. So, I decided maybe I can use all the love she left behind to help others," Shumaker said. "I see a little bit of Benjie in every kitten. I feel like everyone deserves to have their Benjie and I hope I'm raising these kittens to be someone's Benjie, because she was just beyond amazing."

Benjie's Angels is not a registered non-profit agency, but Shumaker is considering that route. She's also in the process of converting her finished basement into a specific cat room for the project.

Shumaker won't take a kitten more than 8 weeks old. She currently has nine kittens, which is about average for her. She has veterinary assistant and cat care certificates from Penn Foster online college and worked for a local veterinary hospital for about a year.

"I try to keep my herd kind of small, because I only take in the neonates. I specialize in the neonates and those are the ones you have to get up all through the night to take care of," she continued. "I try to keep it to a minimum so I can give each kitten the attention they need."

Shumaker previously worked with the Coshocton County Humane Society under former director Rachael Selders to take some of their overflow. Shumaker works with some small rescues in the region as well, including one in Cambridge.

She said most of the kittens she's had have come from random people finding them. After they're good to be adopted, Shumaker finds them homes and friends the owners on Facebook for regular updates on their progress. There is an application form for adoption. Kittens have been adopted across the area, including Zanesville and Newark.

Many of the kittens Shumaker gets in are near death because they've been out in the elements and without milk, she said. Once old enough, they will be de-wormed and vaccinated.

Shumaker doesn't keep the kittens in cages as she likes them to be socialized. She has 10 permanent cats, a Saint Bernard and two children, ages 4 and 10.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Benjie's Angels rescuing Coshocton kittens