The (Boonie) Cat's Out of the Bag

Meet Saipan's Cat Man and our longest Boonie Babies resident

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Boonie Babies Saipan
August 02, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

The (Boonie) Cat’s Out of the Bag

Boonie Babies Saipan

The Cat Man

As we often say, boonies come in all kinds of shapes, colors, sizes…and species. In addition to the 20 or so thousand stray dogs on the island, Saipan is also home to many boonie cats. Saipan is not the only place in the world with a large stray cat population, but without resources like food, veterinary care, or a shelter, these cats are not able to survive on their own as they would elsewhere.

Meet Wayne De Bellonia, or as we like to call him at Boonie Babies, the Cat Man. Wayne runs the only cat rescue on the island, Saipan Kitten & Cat Rescue, all on his own. Just like Boonie Babies, Wayne never set out to start a rescue. It all started when he was volunteering with Saipan Humane Society one day.

They brought a kitten from the shelter and the kitten was very sick and lethargic—and actually died on location. I was heartbroken and angry. A two-month-old kitten should not be dying. And I saw this and I saw the other kittens that they were bringing, the condition that they were in, and I just couldn’t handle it.

Wayne De Bellonia

The only animal shelter on the island is the mayor’s shelter, which has rare adoptions and no dedicated space for cats. When he learned this, Wayne went straight there and told them he wanted to take any cat or kitten that’s brought in. “Not realizing what I was getting myself into,” he added with a laugh.

Going into his ninth month of full-time rescue, Wayne the Cat Man has found homes for 98 kittens and 19 adult cats. When I say full-time, I mean it; Wayne cares for anywhere between 20 and 30 cats at a time from his house, which he has given over fully to the rescue efforts. He works from morning until night—often until two or three in the morning—to give these cats the absolute best care they could have. 

Without a vet on the island, Wayne has learned a lot of basic veterinary skills, and he even came up with his own deworming program after losing too many kitties to the standard routine.

How to help

Now, Saipan Kitten & Cat Rescue needs your help. It is heartening to see how much Wayne has accomplished as just one man, but no one can run a rescue alone. Wayne works entirely voluntarily and does not receive government aid, so the best way we can support him is through donations and volunteer time. If you live on Saipan, volunteering even 30 minutes each week would make a huge difference. Email Wayne or reach out to us to learn more.

If you don’t live on the island, or if you want to help but don’t have time to volunteer, donate! Wayne goes through roughly 100 pounds of cat litter every week, and resources on the island are finite and expensive. Any cat litter or food sent to Boonie Babies through our Amazon wish list will be given directly to Wayne, or you can donate from his Amazon wish list.

Boonie of the Week

Meet Brandy!

If you ever run into the Boonie Babies crew on an outing, you’ll see roughly 15 dogs running wild. But one special boonie, Brandy, will always be found in a perfect, not instructed heel right at Aria’s side.

In 2019 Aria, freshly on Saipan, had just experienced her first heartbreaking boonie dog death. This was a stray dog named Diogi who wandered into her yard and made it his home before passing away from tick disease.

Still devastated and completely unaware of the massive boonie dog crisis on Saipan, she and her mother went to the small clinic to return unused medicine that couldn’t save Diogi. There, in the chaos of the only animal resource on an island with thousands of dogs, they learned more about the situation. Shocked, they offered to foster in the future. 

The future turned into right that second when the shelter staff handed a terrified tan boonie dog to Aria and told her she was going to be euthanized the following morning. Aria took Brandy (and one more foster) home that day.

Brandy hasn’t left Aria’s side since. She’s come a long way from the shut-down, terrified dog that was first handed to Aria, but one thing remains the same: she decided Aria was, and forever will be, her person. The easiest dog she’s ever trained, Aria says Brandy’s incredible recall, heel, and quick response to commands were nearly automatic, as Brandy enjoys nothing more than making her proud. She most definitely has. 

Much love to the longest Boonie Babies resident and the first foster dog that inspired so many more. We owe you, Brandy.

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