TAMPA, Fla. — A Plant City woman is known around her neighborhood for taking care of feral cats, ducks and other animals in need. She’s also known by her family for caring for her sister, who had early onset Alzheimer’s.
Amanda Lirot said she has a soft spot for feral cats.
“Oh, Bandit is missing his eye, as you can see,” said Lirot as a feral cat emerged from beneath the car in her driveway.
She takes care of about a dozen feral cats that come and go from her garage, where she puts out food for them. She has had all of them fixed and vaccinated.
“Then they get their ear notched where they cut their ear at an angle to show, their left ear, to show that they have been fixed,” she said.
Lirot has a couple of security cameras in her garage because wants to make sure people aren’t dropping off unwanted kittens. The cameras also show raccoons that come into the garage for something to eat. She wants to monitor whether the raccoons and cats are getting along.
Lirot has taken many tame cats and even dogs to the Humane Society or pet resource center to be adopted. She doesn’t want to be overwhelmed by too many cats.
Lirot and her son, Braden Bradford, also regularly feed and look after ducks in some nearby ponds.
“The mama has four little babies. Four little ducklings,” she said after feeding the ducks. She has even rescued some of the ducks that were injured.
Lirot also took her sister Delilah into her home for several years after Delilah was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. Delilah required a lot of care before she died, but Lirot said all the hard work was worth it.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” she said. “I got to spend precious time with her that I otherwise would not have.”
Bradford said he has a lot of admiration for his mother.
“The best human being I know,” he said. “She’s been a great example of what a person should be — how kind and generous and giving. She’s the epitome of service.”