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    • Sharon Brady Rescues Cats Through Q’s Heavenly Tails in Stark County
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    Sharon Brady Rescues Cats Through Q’s Heavenly Tails in Stark County

    Umito Posted on

    ALLIANCE − Sharon Brady started cat rescue Q’s Heavenly Tails last year in an effort to save lives.

    “We are putting an end to the suffering,” she said.

    Brady started trapping cats a few years ago when she was involved in projects for established organizations. When she saw how many cats in the community needed help, she decided to start her own rescue in October 2023.

    “The things I saw, I can’t walk away,” Brady said.

    The name, Q’s Heavenly Tails, honors his late son Quinton Howard and his love for animals. Quinton’s friends called him Q.

    Brady said she found healing and purpose through the rescue.

    “My son loved nature and outdoor animals,” she said.

    Helping Community Cats

    The rescue mainly carries out TNR projects – trap, sterilization, release. These projects involve trapping adult feral cats from the community, bringing them to a veterinarian to be sterilized, and returning them to their outdoor homes once they have recovered. TNR “breaks the cycle” by preventing new kittens from being born outside.

    Brady takes the cats AlterClinique in Canton. The clinic charges $46 to spay or neuter community cats as part of its TNR program. She also takes care of all other necessary care, such as treatments against mites or worms.

    If they encounter kittens through a TNR project, Brady has a network of foster families who take them in temporarily. She then works with other rescues to get them adopted.

    Q’s Heavenly Tails also handles emergency cases of injured or sick cats. Brady humanely traps them, pays the vet bills and finds them a place to stay while they recover – sometimes in his own home.

    “I do things like put on gloves,” she said of caring for feral cats.

    And Brady said there’s no shortage of cats in Stark County who need help.

    Brady earns the nickname “Trapper Black Belt”

    Toby Franks has been involved in cat rescues in Stark County for about 20 years.

    “When I started, everyone thought I was crazy,” he said. “I think a lot of people probably still think I’m crazy, but I’ve come a long way since then.

    “I really, really believe in the importance of trapping, neutering and returning community cats. I think it’s probably the best way to help the greatest number of cats by removing the possibility of having new kittens out of the equation,” he said. “Everything else is a lot easier to manage once you do that.”

    More recently, as he grew older and had different job responsibilities, Franks was not able to complete all projects on his own.

    A few years ago, he asked for help with an Alliance cat rescue project.

    “Sharon answered that call,” Franks said.

    Franks became Brady’s mentor in his early days. Now, he said, Brady has become so skilled and experienced that she has earned the title of “trapper black belt.”

    “I promoted her to black belt,” he says with a laugh. “Now I’m learning from her.”

    Franks said they all work together to help the cats in the community.

    “My philosophy has always been: One person can’t do everything, but everyone can do one thing,” he said. “For many years I tried to do everything myself. … This can lead to burnout.”

    Setting the trap for feral cats

    Brady is constantly working on new projects.

    “We’re doing them one after the other as long as the funds keep coming in,” she said.

    Brady is based in Alliance and travels to projects nearby. She prioritizes the “little guys” like Beloit and Wilmot who don’t have much help.

    Q’s Heavenly Tails is one of the only local organizations performing emergency cat rescues for the sick and injured. These projects come from everywhere.

    Before going there, she advises neighbors to stop feeding outside cats the day before.

    “And then we just offer extra special gifts so they’re more likely to get into the locker,” she said, while baiting the lockers with tuna and sardines.

    She places the food all the way to the bottom of the trap and leaves a trail of crumbs in the bowl. When the trap is set, the cat steps on a pressure plate triggering the door to close behind it.

    Once caught, Brady covers the trap with a blanket to calm them down.

    This can be a long process. For larger jobs, she will start on Sunday evening and return each day until the entire colony is captured.

    “We receive support from everywhere”

    All work is done through donations. Brady is raising money for veterinary bills, food and other supplies.

    “We’re getting support from everywhere,” she said. “It’s great.”

    It organizes draws on the Q’s Heavenly Tails Facebook Page and occasionally hosts fundraising events.

    Around Halloween, the organization held its first Black Cat Ball in Bogey’s Club and Grille at Meadowlake Golf Club. It raised a lot of money to help the cats, Brady said.

    “It was very fancy, the food was great, the turnout was phenomenal,” Brady said. “Our vet bill was getting pretty high before this event, so we were able to almost pay it off and buy some new equipment.”

    Brady recently launched a new program to help dogs called Q’s Outside Dog Aide. This will involve providing shelter and enrichment toys to outdoor dogs in need and assisting owners with an income-based spay and neuter and vaccination program.

    If you would like to support Q’s Heavenly Tails, visit their Facebook page or call AlterClinic at 234-804-3064 and ask to donate to Q’s Heavenly Tails account.

    Contact Grace at 330-580-8364 or [email protected]. Follow her on X @GraceSpringer16.

    Umito
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