I met Erin “the cat trapper” Heath last year at the NPC Jr. USA where she placed well and showcased some of the best abs in the biz. Erin continued to quarter-turn her booty off in hopes of nabbing a pro card with the IFBB. Erin narrowly missed her goal of pro status a few times in 2007. That was then. This is now and she’s one of the odds-on favorites to join the pro ranks.
Erin Heath at the 2008 Arnold Classic.
That’s all fine and great but where the hell did “the cat trapper” moniker come from?
During the Arnold Classic, I had the chance to talk with Erin and get to know the “other side” of her. Many times I’m photographing the competitors and don’t know much more than how the looked and where they placed. I believe everyone has something interesting about themselves and Ms. Heath is certainly no exception. Aside from her love for being a book worm, she’s involved in something I’d never heard of, that is until our chat. Erin is a HUGE animal lover and cats in particular. I’m not a big fan of cats myself, so I prodded why Erin was on the verge of becoming a “crazy cat lady” with five cats of her own. She responded with some sort of babble which most of went in one ear and out the other, except for one nugget of info. Erin mentioned she is involved in helping the “feral cat” problem.
HUH? Me being the simpleton I am asked, “What the hell is a feral cat what is the problem?”
Erin recited, “Feral cats are the ‘wild’ offspring of domestic cats and usually the result of pet owners’ abandonment or failure to spay and neuter their animals, allowing them to breed like crazy. They are elusive and don’t like humans. I’m involved in humanely trapping these feral critters. We catch them, then spay/neuter, vaccinate and return them.”
Interesting. I had no idea that there was 1) a cat problem in the world and 2) people trapped them in an effort to fight the problem. While I enjoy busting Erin’s chops about a variety of things; I applaud her efforts to help better the world. How many of us take time out of our days and do something we’re not asked or paid to do? While trapping cats may not be your thing, we can all spare a little time and learn something from a chapter out of Heath’s book.
If you’d like to learn more on “Trap-Neuter-Return”, you can visit The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
