Many teenagers and young adults are often single-minded in the pursuit of selfish desires under the guise of enjoying their young years. On the other hand, a few young change-makers like Robert are devoted to ensuring the welfare of co-existing beings.
Robert, also commonly called Apo (short for Apoinsettia), is a young activist committed to taking care of stray cats in his city. Robert is based in Florida, USA. His affection for animals (especially cats) traces back to his childhood. Robert has spent a good amount of his life volunteering to help animals in need.
At about 18 years old, Robert decided to stream himself hanging out with stray cats in the city. He created a Twitch channel named ‘Tobias’. Robert’s very first video received no views. Since then, with hard work and determination, his channel has grown immensely. With over 9.8k followers, Robert began receiving recognition and praise for his work from the online community.
Robert’s work consists of conducting feeding drives in prominent cat colonies across Florida. Robert also actively participates in Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) programs undertaken by local Floridian non-profits and municipalities.
Robert currently feeds and takes care of approximately a hundred stray cats locally. He carries cans of wet and dry food as well as catnip and treats for the cats he looks after. He sometimes brings toys for the cats too. For the major part, the stray cats are friendly, allowing Robert to pet them.
However, some cats appear to be timid and refuse to approach the food that has been placed for them unless Robert has left. In such a case, he leaves his camera for streaming viewers to catch a glimpse of the cat.
In addition to feeding and capturing stray cats, Robert also ensures that the cats are spayed and neutered. Robert believes spaying and neutering community animals is of utmost importance in curbing their overpopulation.
At present, Robert works full-time and devotes the rest of his hours to kitty welfare. In the future, Robert hopes to become a full-time content creator documenting his work of rescuing and tending to cats in need.
His effort to help cats began as a hobby between his classes. Gradually, Robert realized that his endeavour had a deeper potential. In a different fate, these stray cats could have been pets with great owners. However, life dealt them a different hand. By sharing the stories of these cats, he makes them known and seen.
Robert believes that creating a forum where people virtually meet these cats and learn about their personalities makes them more than ordinary stray cats.
Robert is active across all social media platforms. To visit his pages check https://linktr.ee/Apoinsettia