The Last Kittens

Late yesterday the caregiver from one of our colonies called to say she had the kittens.  These kittens were born in early September and are now eight weeks old, old enough to leave the mom.  The caregivers' children have been playing with them and they are well socialized.  Kelly has been standing by for the last several days in case no other foster home was offered, so I put her on kitten alert for this morning.  

At 7:15 am I was at the colony.  The caregivers' two girls were waiting for the school bus....I can't believe children so young have to get a bus that early....and gave me the kittens.  I could see it was hard for them to say good-bye and I promised the kittens will find good homes and be loved forever.  In general, I am not a fan of young children having kittens; both parties can get injured if the children are not taught to handle the kittens carefully.  These two youngsters are exceptions, however.  The were very good with the older kittens Cathy and I caught earlier this year at the colony and even helped with the trapping. 

Finding good homes for these kittens is a promise I know I can keep.  Just look at the first photos: 

The white one has a grey spot on the top of his head that doesn't show in the photo.  He is a boy and the grey and white one is a girl.  Kelly had not named them yet.

The little cuties went to the vet and the boy volunteered to give blood for the feluk test. He was very brave, and got a bright green band-aid.  Then they both got Revolution in case they have fleas, roundworm or heart worm. I checked the ears; no sign of ear mites.

 At Kelly's place the kittens have the back bedroom all to themselves and Kelly had it all set up for them.  Canned food was offered mixed with a bit of kibble and both kittens waded in.....literally.......

Home at Last

Yesterday the caregiver who had been feeding the spayed and de-clawed stray, and had taken her inside while we searched for her owner, called to let me know that a couple I had screened and referred to her came and got the cat.  The caregiver was very happy. She said the couple are very nice, obviously know a lot about cats and began to interact with this one right away.  I'll do a follow up call in a few days, but I am sure the little girl will be fine in her new home.

On Sunday I got a call from a lady who was very interested in Archie.  She had lost her cat ten years ago, and although she said she looked at ads often, she had never seen another that really appealed to her. She is in an excellent situation for someone like Archie; she has no children and no other pets.  She came and saw our little guy and immediately fell in love. He seemed to like her, too, so an adoption was arranged.  The plan was that the adopter would pick Archie up after work on Tuesday because she did not have cat supplies on hand.  I was not all that surprised, though, when she called back after supper to tell me she had been to Walmart and was now ready to take her baby home. David and I are both so very fond of Archie that it was hard to let him go. Although we did not know how he would fit into our family, we had agreed that he would not be placed for adoption unless the perfect adopter showed up. I believe she did. 

Archie attended the open house at Maritime Animal Hospital with me on Saturday.  I had mentioned him to Dr Mather and some of the vet techs when I took Bandit in last week and I wanted to show him to them. We did not expect to represent ca-r-ma, but since the person who was supposed to bring kittens and a sign was not there, we did our best. Miss Pebbles, International Supermodel, went along too, and is great example of what a ca-r-ma waif can grow up to be. We could not stay long because I had to work, but a lot of people talked to Archie.  Tammy very kindly offered to let us show him at the hospital, and if he had not been adopted on Sunday, he would have been there Monday.

In the photo above, Ms Pebbles tries out the scales.   What did she weigh?  A lady never tells.  

Wow! What a Year!

 As usual we delivered food once a month to several colonies.  We are always happy to see some of the cats on our rounds. This guy was really friendly and seemed glad to see us.

Murphy and O'Malley were the first of several kittens we fostered.  We loved them so much and wanted to keep them, but they got a good home.  Here is a follow up photo from the adopters:

I only actually brought in five kittens myself.   The first of these were Opie, Prada and Raven. They came from a downtown colony and went to Marlah first and then to me.  Later in the year, we brought in Archie and Hunter. Other than that, my fosters came through other trappers.  

This was my first year trapping with Cathy and she was a great trapping partner. She had trapped before, but not a lot, and was eager to learn anything new.  Part way through the year we got a drop trap and it was very effective in some situations, but we also got a lot of cats with snap traps. In some cases we had help from the caregivers and occasionally we wired a trap open and had the caregivers feed inside it for several days before we actually trapped with it.

The top photo shows a kitty in a snap trap and the bottom one is a drop trap. Unfortunately the guy in the drop trap had already been altered and just came back for a snack.   He did some major acrobatics that I was unable to capture on camera before Cathy let him go. 

There was one cat that Cathy couldn't let go. He was a friendly but homeless big black guy living in a local trailer park.   She decided to take him home and foster him and he was eventually placed for adoption.

We did some trapping around our house this year.  Some people believe all homeless cats live in the country but that is simply not true: Moncton had a huge number of them.

 

This is Oliver.  His owner was renting next to us and let him roam most of the time so he began to feed at our house. With the owner`s permission, I got him neutered through the Oulton`s program.

 



 

 

This is Buddy. One of our neighbors named him that.  He was one of the homeless cats we were feeding, but after we trapped and altered him he moved over to the next street and began to get food from someone else.  Maybe he was upset because we altered him or  maybe she offered better cat food.   The new caregiver is a very nice lady and worried about Buddy. We are quite close to Mountain Road and we both felt he was at high risk from the traffic.   Funny how things work out.  We heard from a lady who has an orchard in the Cocagne area. She was looking for a friendly outdoor cat to help her two current cats, one of which is elderly, keep rodents away from the yard and outbuildings.  She offered a great home where the cats have a garage to sleep in with heated sleeping pads for winter and lots of food and water.   Buddy was lured into a transfer cage and taken to Cocagne. We received several follow up messages indicating that he integrated with the other cats and two resident dogs very well and is safe and happy.

 

We didn`t always get the cats we went after.  This beautiful tabby is still at large so far as I know in the Indian Mountain area.  The cat is only semi feral and the owners have moved so I hope someone is able to get him and take him to a safe colony or find him a nice working cat position like the one Buddy got.

 

 

 

We had a few tragedies.  One cat had to be put down because she was feluk positive and another was euthanized because she had pillow foot.  One of the saddest cases was that of Speckles.  She was an abandoned pet that showed up at one of the colonies where we deliver food. Another trapper took her to be spayed and when we saw how friendly she was we took a picture (below) and started to advertise her for adoption. The caregivers can`t take cats in because one of them is allergic, and they were very anxious for her to find a home.  After a short time, we found a potential adopter.   I was so happy to call the caregivers and tell them I was coming to get Speckles and it was painful to hear that she had disappeared from the  colony.   The poor little girl was an indoor cat and ill-equipped to live in the country; she lasted about three months despite the fact that there was plenty of shelter, food and water.    

 

We had some triumphs, too.  This little girl, found in Parkton, was already spayed. The caregivers would have taken her in but their elderly cat really disliked her.  Happily an adopter was found and she now has a new home.   

 

As the end of the year approaches I tried to figure out how many cats we took in.  Not counting foster kittens, but including the cats Cathy and I trapped and the ones I transported that were caught by caregivers, I think I took 64 cats to be altered this year. How many unwanted kittens did that prevent? There are a few loose ends, but not many and anything that needs follow up has been reported to Marlah.   

 

I still have Hunter in foster care and I expect two more kittens to be brought in from one of our colonies any day. I have asked Kim Sunday if there will be room in a foster home; she said she would get back to me by Monday but did not. If there is no place for them, Kelly will take them until I can foster them.  They are about seven weeks old, and it is too late in the year for them to have much of chance at survival, besides which their caregivers` home is very close to the road and all the cats in the colony are at high risk from traffic.  As always, saving the animals is the most important thing.







The Home Team

Theo

 

 

 

 

Everybody who comes to the house remarks on Theo.  No wonder. He's a 22 pound Maine Coon.  He was born in an Ontario cattery May 1 2002 and was sired by Bonfires Saxxon of Grandeur. Saxxon was named best Maine Coon in Canada at the 2002 Toronto show.  We have no interest in showing cats but we love the Maine Coon personality. Unfortunately, Theo is not the typical laid back "gentle giant" we expected. He is very sweet at times and loves to cuddle...which is a problem given his size since I can barely lift him.....but he can be moody so visitors have to be wary of him.  

Snowfire

 Whatever Theo lacks in Maine Coon personality, Snowfire makes up for in spades. He was a four year old retired show cat when we got him from a cattery in Maine.  He loves to greet visitors at the door, "talks" constantly, plays fetch and would never bite or scratch anyone on purpose.   Snow is now past 15 and suffers from chronic kidney disease, so he spends most of his time isolated from his brothers so he can have his special food. He sleeps a lot, but when he is awake he still demands attention and plays like a kitten. We know his time is almost up, but every day is a gift and we are so lucky to have shared in his life.

Bandit

You may have been in our house fifty times and never have seen Bandit.  He typically disappears when visitors arrive although he knows certain people and does not mind them. Bandit is very gentle and accepting with other cats and foster kittens. He was an SPCA kitten himself. We helped to foster him and ended up adopting him.  Bandit and his brother Figaro were born on leap year day and will be 10 at the end of February.

Figaro

If you are nice, Figaro will come and see you. He knows who to trust. Definitely the clown of the family, Fig does not seem to sleep as much as most cats and is usually around, participating in whatever we are doing.  He is the only one of our cats that goes outside and all he does is pop onto the step or deck and look around for a couple of minutes before deciding indoors is better.  He used to like to run much further, but since an incident with a neighbor's dogs he had decided discretion is the better part of valor. 

Foxx

 

Foxx is our only ca-r-ma cat. He is four years old and very spoiled. He has a sweet personality, loves to play fetch and to be petted but he is quite jealous, especially where his "ma" is concerned. He likes to play with the foster kittens  but is rather solitary and does not cuddle with his brothers. He is a bit shy, but will warm to visitors quite quickly.    The story of Foxx's trapping and adoption is a whole other blog. 

What is a Feral Colony?

This is a feral colony:

This is a feral colony.

So is this.

 

And this.

A feral colony may be one cat or forty...even more in some cases.  They are in the city and in the country.  The cats are not necessarily feral. A lot of them are quite friendly with their caregiver and some are very tame.

Feral colonies start when someone abandons a cat.  A feral cat is not a species, it is an unnatural result of man's inhumanity.   Kittens born to homeless cats are usually feral if there is no human to handle them from a young age.  Feral cats can be tamed, but doing so when they are an adult is a very long and tedious process, and they always retain some of their wildness, usually becoming friendly with only one or two humans who are familiar to them.

Caregivers are a diverse as the colonies they care for.  They can be any age and gender. Some are affluent but most are not and struggle to feed the numerous cats in their care.  Some of them know every cat and it's history, have given them names and let them come into their homes. Others have no idea how many cats, or which cats, they feed and confine their support to providing shelter and regular feeding.   

Let me tell you about just three of "my" colonies. 

The first colony is in a trailer park.  There are two caregivers that we have met and worked with and there are perhaps forty to fifty homeless cats in the park.  The caregivers have strong bonds with some of the cats and have named them. Other cats come and go, but there is always enough food and the cats can shelter under trailers where there are holes in the skirts.  Both caregivers are couples, working people, and each couple has taken in and adopted one of the kittens born in the park as well as having other cats of their own.  

Most of the cats in this colony are not really feral. It is very common for people living in the trailer park to move away and abandon their pets.  That is what happened to Gypsy, pictured above. This sweet and gentle little girl was spayed and placed for adoption with a family in Amherst.

Midnight was just as lucky. He was separated from his caregiver when she lived in the park through no fault of his or hers.  She had to move away without him, and was delighted when ca-r-ma returned him to her.

Another city colony has as a caregiver a very elderly lady. She feeds the cats on her porch but allows them to come into the house when they want to. Some of them occasionally spend the night and sleep on her bed, but nobody else can touch them.   We trapped and altered five or six cats there and took the kittens that were born before we finished TNR into foster care because it is unlikely the caregiver will be able to look after her colony for their entire lives.   Amongst the beautiful kittens placed for adoption was Opie, a little angel.

One of our favorite country colonies has about 10 cats left although there were 15 when we started TNR two years ago. The caregiver is an elderly lady living alone. She recognizes the cats she feeds, but does not name them.  She adopted one of the kittens born in the colony. All the cats in the colony have been spayed/neutered. One had to be put down because she had a badly crushed leg and it was impossible to treat her because she was feral, and a couple have disappeared as homeless cats are wont to do, but when we deliver food we often see the remaining colony members, fat and sleek, basking in the sun.

FE 2000

Last night the caregivers who had the drop trap in their kitchen caught FE2000, the mother cat and FE 2002, her kitten.  (Don't ask me what happened to FE 2001; Marlah gives me the numbers.) They have been making progress taming the kitten and can now pick him up. They no longer let him go outside and they will adopt him.  The mother cat will stay in after surgery for 24 hours and after that will be able to come in when she wants to. Usually, she comes in at night, and I expect she will spend more time inside as the weather gets colder. Yesterday was the first time I had seen her, but I am convinced she is not a feral cat, just a scared abandoned pet.   Perhaps she will settle in with the caregivers over time or it may be possible to offer her for adoption later.

The First Archie

On a summer evening in '07 David and Marlah went trapping at a colony out in the country.  They watched the cats come and go and were pleased to trap two adults and a small kitten, perhaps 9 or 10 weeks old.   David also saw another kitten about the same size, hanging back, probably intimidated by the larger cats. 

The next day the cats went to the vet, were spayed/neutered and had their left ears notched to indicate they are altered.  I had been away on business but got home in time to go with David to release them back into the colony.

When the traps were opened the two adult cats sped away.  David took the trap that contained the kitten out of the van and carried it to the area near the house where food is placed. He held the trap high and looked at the kitten.

"He doesn't look feral" he said.

"He looks like a kitten, Dave" I replied, "But we are not taking kittens in just because they are there. He's very close to being too old to tame and he must have a mamacat here in the colony; he will be fine with her. You know it's a good colony and the cats are well fed and have lots of shelter."

"I don't know." David said "I don't want to let him go.  Let's see if I can touch him."

"No. Don't." I protested.  Even a small feral kitten can do quite a job on an unwary hand and David has the scars to prove it. He's been to the doctor several times for antibiotics, but he persists in trying to rescue every kitten he sees.

Ignoring me, David lifted the trap high, released the lock and pushed his hand inside.   I expected the kitten to hiss and spit, and probably bite and apply his claws if the hand got too close.   To my astonishment and David's delight, the kitten done none of that. It rubbed against David's hand and started to purr.   

We took the kitten home, of course, and named him Archibald which quickly became Archie. When we handled and examined him we realized his claws had been clipped.   This was a bit of a mystery. I spoke to the caregivers but they did not remember seeing any kittens and they certainly had not clipped any claws. I spoke with the people at Maritime who had done the surgeries, but I knew before I asked that they would never have clipped the claws of a feral animal.   The only explanation is that some very cruel person had adopted the kitten, clipped it's claws, then abandoned it in a feral colony full of strange adult cats.  His chance of survival was almost nil, so Archie was very lucky that David took a chance on him. 

Next evening, Marlah and I went to the colony as spend several hours watching and counting the cats, but we did not see the other kitten.

Archie remained grateful for his rescue and developed a very sweet and loving personality. He was also very pretty with promise of being a handsome cat some day. David found it very hard to offer him for adoption.  When an adopter was chosen, he was concerned because she was a young woman and only agreed to part with Archie when the adopter's parents came forward to say they would care for him in the event she was not able to.

Here is photo of the first Archie along with one of the current Archie. 

Archie I

Archie II 

We have stayed in touch with the adopter of the first Archie, and she provided photos of him as an adult. What a handsome cat he grew up to be!

Just When I Thought I'd Seen It All

You never know with trapping. Ingenuity and inventiveness are necessary: after all, you are trying to outsmart a cat.

Sunday night David and I set a drop trap in the very nice well-appointed kitchen of a couple who live in central Moncton.  I've set snap traps inside a house before, but this was my first time to set a drop trap that will stay there for several days.

The couple in question contacted ca-r-ma because they have been feeding a female cat and her kitten.  There are racoons in their area and they wanted to make sure the cat and her baby could get the food without attracting the coons so they started to feed them inside their house. The cats can come in, eat and then leave when they want to.  Over time they have begun to spend more time indoors but their hosts cannot touch them. A litter pan has been set up, the kitten uses it well and the female most of the time.  When we went to set up the trap the kitten was asleep on a chair in the kitchen. He woke up but did not leave. His foster mom has been trying to tame him and he will now eat from her hand. When I dangled my keys near him he came over to sniff curiously and got within an inch of my fingers.  I know he can be tamed and the caregivers will likely adopt him as a pet.

I wish I had photos of these animals.  The mother cat is a very pretty dark tortie and the kittens is just beautiful. He (presuming gender based on appearance) is orange with mid-length fur and white paws and bib.   I will try to get pictures when they are trapped.

The plan is for the caregivers to place the cats' food inside the trap, which is tied open, and next Sunday night they will drop the door and catch them.   They work shift work, but both are off on Monday so they will be there for the cats when they get back from surgery. Mama cat will be able to stay in overnight in order to recover and since she comes in at night to sleep the cold should not bother her too much. If all goes well the kitten will remain indoors and never go out again.    Perhaps even the mother will eventually become tame enough to be an indoor cat and either stay with the caregivers or be adopted.  

Archie and Hunter Today

I estimate the boys are about 14 weeks old now. The photos clearly show Archie's little folded-in front paws. He can grab things between them but there is no strength to his grip. He waddles around quite quickly, loves to be held and petted and has a great purr.   Hunter is a slim handsome guy, a deep rich orange with a triangular-shaped head, large ears and a long tail. He is nervous of strangers but very friendly with me. He will roll on his back to get his tum tickled and will purr whenever he is petted. He does not care to be picked up, but will tolerate it quite well and even purr so long as you don't try to hold him for too long.  Hunter seems to understand Archie's limitations and does not try to tussle with him, but he loves to play with toys. Both kittens are Whiskas treat addicts.  Second x-rays of Archie's feet were taken and sent to AVC, but nothing has come back yet.   The boys are almost ready for adoption.

Final Trapping?

"This could be the last time, this could be the last time, may be the last time, I don't know..."

Tuesday night Cathy and I went back to the colony where we got Archie and Hunter.  We took the drop trap and set it on the caregivers' deck where the cats are normally fed.  The caregivers were not home. Shadow, a beautiful shiny black cat that the caregivers rescued when she was a kitten, watched us intently through the patio door.  The grey male we previously altered watched us too, not coming too close, but crying plaintively because he had not been fed that day.  He is only semi feral and Cathy and I have both been able to touch him in the past.

We got into the van and started the waiting process.  It was not long before a large beige and white cat appeared. He circled the trap just once then walked in as if he knew the way. I waited a few minutes, hoping other cats might be attracted by the sound of him devouring the feast of sardines, but no other cats appeared except the grey, who circled the cage cautiously and tried to reach the fish with a paw through the wires.  

I dropped the door and we bailed out of the van quickly. Cathy got a transfer cage and I brought the flashlight, my camera and a blanket.  Inside the cage, the cat was doing acrobatics trying to free himself. I wanted to get a photo of him hanging from the top with all four paws, but he was becoming so upset that I stopped taking pictures and helped to get him into the transfer cage.  The only good shot I got was this one:

Once he was in the transfer cage and we shined the light on him, we could see the notch in his left ear.  A small, neat slit that means he is altered.   We opened the cage and he was off like a shot into the night.

We stayed until after 9.  We saw several cats, and some of them spent time inspecting the trap. One even went part way in to eat the fish offered just inside the door, but backed out without fully entering. We saw the black cat whose tail we amputated earlier this year, looking sleek and healthy. We saw the orange tuxedo that Marlah and I brought in with a wound on his neck, completely healed and looking good.   There was another black cat, this one with a tail, that Cathy and I trapped a few weeks ago, and at least two orange males we are quite sure we also already altered. 

Finally we decide to give up and go home. We are not actually sure there are still any un-altered cats in this colony, but the colony has certainly increased since the man next door moved.  From the old man's place, at least eight cats have joined this colony, bringing the total being fed from four or five to twelve or thirteen. Two cats were euthanized and I have the two kittens in foster care. 

Is this the last trapping for this year?   Will  I trap again next year?   Good questions, and only time will tell.

One Happy Ending

Ca-r-ma's mandate with the Canada Revenue Agency identifies us as a TNR group. Placement is secondary, but placement has always been part of what we do.   Orphaned and at-risk kittens are taken into foster care, vaccinated, treated for worms, fleas etc, spayed/neutered and offered for adoption.

Recent elections changed our committee chairs, but until the end of 2012, Marlah is in charge of trapping and I am a ca-r-ma trapper. Marlah tells me where to trap, but usually she doesn't know much about the colony. I get that information from the caregivers, and Cathy and I go out to get the cats/kittens.

 In the past couple of weeks, we have caught...or more accurately, the caregivers themselves have caught....two female cats that are very obviously non-feral and have been owned. We know that, not only because of their friendly behavior, but also because both are spayed. One is also de-clawed, the mysterious tabby lady of my previous post. 

Having spent two weeks looking for the owner of the one that is not de-clawed, a pretty little grey tortie, I decided it was time to find her an owner.  The people feeding her can't keep her because their elderly cat does not like her at all  and we don't want her to spend the winter outdoors. I put her on kijiji and on ca-r-ma's facebook page.  I also sent the tortie to Natalie, who looks after the website, to have her posted for adoption.These are both great cats, but adults are always hard to place, especially at the time of year when hundreds of cute little kittens are still available.

Not to worry! :)   The good people of Moncton have not let me down. I have had several offers to adopt both cats and the tortie went to a good home.   I am sure the mysterious lady will also be placed easily if the owner is not found.

 I think ca-r-ma may have one or two other adult cats that are in need of adoption.  I know Sharon had one she called Casper (photo below) and somebody told me Simba's sister has been returned.   (Simba is a wonderful little guy who had serious medical issues and was adopted by Kim.)  Once I have found the owner or found a home for my second refugee, I will refer anyone who contacts me to Kim in case there are cats she needs to place.

Mysterious Lady

One of the caregivers in Sunnybrae has been trying for several weeks to trap the cats she has been feeding.  She got two of them and there was one more to go, so when she called Friday morning to say she had the cat, I was ecstatic.   We're so close to the end of the season it is very important to get the last few cats done if possible.  

David went with me. We took a transfer cage because it is much easier to carry a cat in it than in a trap.  The trap was on the side lawn at the caregiver's home and she came right out to help us. It was a crisp dawn and the grass was cold and dewy.  The trap had been wrapped in a blanket and then in plastic to protect the cats from the weather if they were caught at night, as all of them were.  We lined up the transfer cage, raised the doors and the cat shot into the cage immediately.   It's a handsome dark tabby with beautiful markings. We put a cover over it and David loaded it into the van. I brought along the empty trap; this little colony is done.   

At Maritime, David brought the cat inside and we took off the cover to look at her while the paperwork was being done. 

"There's something metal on her side." David noticed.  He lifted the cage onto the counter and we all looked closely.   The cat was wearing a black harness with silver colored metal fittings; tightly fitted it was almost invisible against her dark coat.  

The clinic staffer who was helping us was very nice.   She said they would check to see if the cat was altered and would not notch the ear if they had to spay/neuter because the cat was likely owned.  

The vets don't like us to bring in owned cats and we never do it on purpose.  They have every right to be concerned. People who own pets should pay the cost of spay/neutering themselves; it's important and part of being a responsible owner.  The vets give us a discounted rate for the surgeries they do and they should not have to alter pets at that rate.  I know that sometime people lie to us, telling us a cat is homeless when it is actually their own. We can ask questions but we can't confront them and finally pretty much have to take their word.  We would not want to refuse to alter a homeless cat just because it's friendly: people dump and abandon their friendly pets every day.  I was actually surprised the staff member at Maritime did not just tell us to take the cat back where it came from.  Thank goodness she didn't.

As it turns out the cat was not only already spayed but was de-clawed on all four paws. If we had taken her back and turned her loose it is unlikely she would have survived much longer. Unable to defend herself or even climb a tree she would be easy prey for a coyote or hawk.  The home where she is fed backs on a large open field surrounded by woods.

Thus began the mystery of the missing lady cat.  They took the harness off at Maritime and we examined it carefully, hoping there might be contact information on it somewhere. There was none.   My foster home is full and there is no point in asking Kim if anyone else can foster, so I took the cat home and put her into our shed for the night.   Frantically I posted the above photos on kijiji and lost and found pets and also emailed them to the SPCA hoping someone had reported her missing. David and I managed to open the front of the cage a bit and slip in some water and a little canned food, which the kitty happily devoured.  She was very friendly and rubbed against fingers poked through the cage.  We had to be careful: if she were to get out she might run away and in our unfamiliar neighborhood she would be lost forever.  We could not keep her in the cage for long, however, and we worried over what to do if no owner came forward immediately.

Where did she come from? I wondered. Does she belong to a neighbor of the caregiver? If so, if we turn her loose she should be able to find her way home......but no responsible owner would let their de-clawed  cat out, especially at night, and this one had been coming for food for several weeks.   Is she lost? If so somebody must be looking for her at the SPCA and through other venues where missing animals are posted.  We didn't dare risk letting her go, but she had nowhere to go when she left our shed. 

Next morning I talked to the caregiver and thankfully she and her husband agreed to care for the cat until we could find the owner or place her for adoption.    We took her right over and released her in their basement.   She looked around for a minute then ran into a corner.  In an few seconds she came back toward us and made a beeline for the litter box which she desperately needed.  Hopping out, she came to the caregiver, rubbed around her and as soon as she was petted began to purr.  Then she hurried over to me to get more pets.  Her tail was high and her purr going strong.  She seemed so happy and grateful to be an environment where she felt safe with people who cared about her.

And so the search goes on for the owner. My internet posts have yielded several comments and I have received two emails. One was from some yo-yo who said I should "set the cat free" and the other was from a nice person who offered to adopt her if we don't find the owner.    We put up flyers today in her neighborhood and at the SPCA.  

I am a bit obsessed with this mystery.   Somebody loved this cat.   She is so sweet and friendly it is obvious she was handled gently and well cared for. The owner invested in her: the cost of spaying and de-clawing is not cheap.   She may have been taught to walk on a leash which means they spent time with her and probably tried to make her happy and enjoyed her company a great deal.

Where is that person?

Stay tuned for the rest of the story. I'm hoping there's a happy ending.

Some Days You Win, Some Days You Lose

Trapping night last night. One of our caregivers has the drop trap in Sunnybrae trying to catch the last of three cats she's been feeding, so Cathy and I set out with three snap traps for the colony where we got Archie and Hunter. 

The old man is gone now, fully moved into his seniors' apartment.  We stop at the caregivers house next door and set up a trap on the deck.  There's a small sleek grey cat hanging around the deck crying. He has not been fed today because we were coming to trap and he is not impressed.  We recognize him as a cat we caught two visits ago and we can see the nick in his left ear. We don't want him to go into the trap, so I offer him a bit of the sardine we are using as bait and he comes quite close to me to get it. 

We drive over to the next property, backing the van up the narrow lane in the dusk so we can drive out in the dark when we are finished.  The yard is dark and shadowed by trees and the building the old man lived in stands stark against the twilight sky.  As we get out of the van we spot an orange tabby tuxedo sitting on a pile of weathered lumber, looking at us. 

Cathy carries two traps to positions in the yard. I carry the bait and blankets to wrap down the traps. There is absolutely no wind so we don't have to worry about the blankets moving and spooking the cats.  The night is not cold but we get into the van and talk quietly so we won't be noticed.  As we sit a black cat comes along the path from the caregivers' house next door. He stops, sits down and looks at the van.  After a minute he gets up, turns and walks back the way he came. The light is dim, but I don't think he has a tail. 

I can see one trap in my rear view mirror but the other one is around a corner, nearer the building.   It is just getting dark when Cathy goes to check and comes back with the further trap. Inside is the orange tabby tuxedo.  I have forgotten the flashlight so we put the trap into the back of the van so we can check out the captive in the overhead light.   He sits quite quietly in the cage, gets up and turns around but does not struggle or hiss.   We are not sure if his ear is notched, so Cathy takes the path to the caregivers' house and borrows a flashlight.  She notices that the trap we left there is still set and empty.  By the time she returns I am pretty sure there is a notch in the cat's left ear.  We shine the light on him, and sure enough, the notch is there on the back edge of the left ear.  This cat has been neutered.  I look at him carefully. Earlier this year Marlah and I caught a tabby tuxedo with a miserable-looking wound on his chest.  The vets treated the wound and gave the cat a shot of slow-release antibiotic.   This looks like the same cat, but there is not sign of the wound.
I open the trap but the cat just sits and looks at us.  I put my hand in (not recommended but I'm sure this one is not really feral) and touch him gently.  As I withdraw my arm, the cat decides to go and shoots out of the trap and away into the night.

We get back into the van.  It is very dark now and there has been no moonrise. An hour passes slowly and we see no sign of any more cats.  We decide to call it a night.  Cathy carries the two traps back to the van. We leave them baited because I plan to try and catch the wanderer that has been eating on our front deck for the past couple of months. 

We drive around to the caregivers' house.  The grey cat is still there, still complaining about the lack of food service and the trap is untouched.   We take it down and Cathy gives the cat the bait.  He comes right up to her and she is able to touch him.  I get the rest of the can of sardines and approach him slowly.  As as squat down to dump the fish onto the grass, the cat comes toward me, and I am able to touch his head and run a hand lightly down his back before he shies away.  The caregiver comes out and we return the flashlight. I tell her about the cat we caught and let go. She thinks it sounds like the one that had the wound; she says he has recovered very well and the wound is no longer visible.  As we back out of her yard, we see the caregiver placing a pan of food on the deck.  The grey male is still the only cat around but he is watching the pan anxiously. 

I drop Cathy at home.  The caregiver who has the drop trap has not called so I know she did not catch the cat. Our other Sunnybrae caregiver calls to ask if she can take the wire off the snap trap where she has been feeding and try to catch the cat overnight that she has been trying to get.  I am happy to say yes and she will call by 7 am if she gets the cat. I set traps in our front and back yard and check them twice before going to bed.

In the morning my traps are still set and still empty. I leave them set.  There is no call from the caregiver and the only cat to go for altering is a non-feral female found behind TMH. The people who found her have been fostering her and now want to keep her.  Because she was a homeless cat, ca-r-ma is happy to have her spayed. I have to pick her up early because the people leave for work, so we are there before 7 am.  The vet is not open so David and I sit at Tim's sipping coffee until 7:30.  

All in all, it was an unproductive trapping night, but I am always happy to see some of the cats we have altered in the past.  They are always in much better condition than before surgery and it is especially nice when those that needed medical help show up looking hale and hearty.   Perhaps next week we will be more successful.