Sterling Davis, an Atlanta local, applied for a job sweeping kitten litter at the county shelter while taking a break from a rap tour. He only wanted to earn a little money and keep himself busy. Additionally, he has always had a fondness for animals, including Rick James, his cat at the time.
He admitted to TODAY, “I performed terribly in the interview because I was playing with and kissing all the cats in the room.
He didn’t really respond to any of the questions since he was preoccupied with the affectionate cats, but he still got the job because, in the words of the hiring manager, “We’re not seeing people like you with cats.”
Davis, 40, began assisting staff members at the shelter with trap-neuter-return cases. The team captured community cats, also referred to as “feral” cats, sent them to the shelter for immunizations and spaying or neutering, and then released them back into the wild.
While learning about TNR, Davis made another discovery.
He said that there were neither male nor Black employees in the cat section at the county shelter. “The women that taught me would always be present when I went out and performed TNR with all of my friends. Where are all the males and where are all the Black individuals? I finally posed the challenging question.
The reply is, “It’s just you.”
Davis became aware of his new vocation. He informed his group that he would not be joining them on tour again. As the TrapKing, he was going to spend all of his time-saving cats.
Davis launched the non-profit TrapKing Humane Cat Solutions in 2017 after spending five years working at the LifeLine Animal Project-run shelter and receiving training from that organization.
His audacious objective was to dispel myths about cat rescuers who are guys and to close the communication gap between Black neighborhoods and mostly white animal care organizations.
“I’ve seen rescue as something that’s looked at as hard, tedious, and sad,” he remarked. “This is fun—you can do it,” I said, “if people can see me and I make it look like this is a rock-star type life.”
When his music income stopped, Davis sold everything he owned and purchased a conversion van to live in, using the proceeds to fund his foundation and pay for cat procedures. People began to take notice once he covered the vehicle in TrapKing insignia. He held children’s contests so they could see his kind of traps. The first person to text him about a cat in a trap received $20, the second received $15, and so forth.
“I started going into neighborhoods, and kids would see me like the ice cream truck,” he said. “As I pulled into apartment buildings, I would see little boys approaching the vehicle and attempting to give me kittens. Hello Trap, look at my kitty. Is there any money here?”
As TrapKing’s reputation grew, chances presented themselves. As he wasn’t charging anyone for his services, the Atlanta Humane Society volunteered to spay and neuter the animals he brought for free.
Davis, who joined the Navy immediately out of high school and spent two years operating the ship’s radar as an operations specialist, said he thinks his experiences have helped him, as the TrapKing, establish connections with people from all walks of life.
“I think being in the military, being around different people and different cultures, and being in entertainment is what actually helped me better communicate with all types of people and better communicate this mission,” the man claimed. “I’ve been pushing to get more people involved in so many fun ways and make TNR community cat care as common as recycling,” the author claims.
It has not always been simple. Early on, while Davis was bringing cats back to an area that was primarily made up of Black people, a group of men approached him and warned him that he was aiding white people in their efforts to harm the Black community by implanting tracking devices and illnesses in the cats. You’re integrating them into the community.
‘Wow, that’s really wrong,’ I thought. Because all the Black community could think of was that this was a white person’s thing, it was really tough to convey, he added.
Perceptions have evolved throughout time. After George Floyd was killed, demonstrations broke out all throughout the country, and Davis started a T-shirt campaign called “Allies in Rescue, Allies in Life.” He declared he would give every penny to Campaign Zero, a group that advocates for legislation to prevent police brutality. Rescue advocates and groups provided resounding support.
In response to that, he recalls, “I received a lot of feedback from the Black community, like, ‘So you got all of these animal people to donate to issues other than just cats or dogs?'” “I’m like, ‘Yeah, we’re allies in life and in rescue.’ So a lot of things changed as a result.
The RV that Davis currently uses to conduct TrapKing Humane Cat Solutions is home to his cats, Bowie, Damita Jo, and Alanis Morissette. Soon, he plans to tour the nation to spread the word about TNR and raise money for animal shelters. Additionally, he is advocating for the introduction of a TNR badge by the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.
He is still reaching out to the community and living by the adage, “You don’t lose cool points for compassion.”
Many parents have contacted him and complained that their youngster is teased because he likes cats, he added. “I simply want it to be known that compassion does not deduct from your cool points. You receive cool points for acting compassionately.
The TrapKing would like it if the animal rescue community could find a way to set aside its disagreements and cooperate in order to save more creatures’ lives.
I believe that something as noble as rescue might serve as an inspiration for togetherness and cooperation throughout the world, he remarked. I want to state that publicly.