Not Catching a Feral Cat...and The Winner from Tuesday's Blog

First, the winner of the notepads and holder from my Tuesday blog commenters is....

NANCY NAIGLE

Now about that feral cat...

One of our neighbors was feeding a beautiful calico long-haired cat, allowing it to sleep in her garage. I'm assuming it was a feral at the time. Anyway, she moved away a year ago and the cat migrated to our yard to hang out with the ferals we feed. All of our ferals have been neutered or spayed and have been given rabies shots. I need to catch this newest female and have her spayed, but she's very smart. She stays just an arm's reach away from me. And, since she's not a true member of the "clan" I've been caring for over the past four years, she hangs back until they have finished eating before she eats. That's the background.

I had an appointment with the spay/neuter clinic for today, so I knew I needed to catch her early. Last night I took out two large cans of cat food, hoping that would lure her to join the other cats and I'd be able to grab her while she was distracted with food. Ha! Not that cat. She didn't even seem interested.  The cats hang out under our deck, where we have a warm shelter house, water, and feeding trays. I have to duck to get under the deck. So, when I tried to get close to the new feral, she would move to the other side of the area. I'd walk all the way around with the plate of food and she'd move to the front side again. Back and forth we went for over a half-hour before I gave up. This morning, I was out in the dark, dressed in warm clothes to battle the zero temps and snow only to have the same results. She's pretty clever in avoiding my touch while still not frightened enough to run away.

I can't use a trap because I wouldn't be able to keep the already neutered/spayed cats out. So, I'm thinking the only thing I can do is buy a net and try to snare her that way. I'm sure it will freak her out, maybe traumatize her, but I see no alternative. If I don't get her caught, I'm sure she'll find a wandering male somewhere in the neighborhood and return with a litter of kittens in the spring. *sigh*

If anyone has any ideas, I'd sure love to hear them.

The Cat in the Basket

This is a story with a happy ending!

For those who follow my blog, you already know that we care for 13 feral cats. Well, once they were feral, but now most allow us to pet them. They have all been trapped, neutered/spayed, and released. We feed them and provide shelter.

Two weeks ago, a little gray kitten with a white nose and white feet crawled out from under the shelter house to try and sneak a few bites of food from the trays. The older cats were not kind. They growled and smacked at him. I tagged him Little Gus. He had to flatten himself like a pancake to crawl under the house to get away from them. But, he continued to crawl out each morning to grab some food. I kept consoling him and after a couple of days I could pet him. A couple days later I picked him up and he purred, although he was very frightened. So, I called our vet and made arrangements to take him in for a check up and to be neutered.

He was just so sweet that we hated to put him back outdoors to fend for himself. Even the vet wished they weren't overloaded with cats so they could help. I posted his picture and story on Facebook hoping someone with a loving heart would adopt him.

We had Little Gus neutered, tested negative for FIV, and then brought him home. We kept him on our screened in deck to heal. At first he was very scared of the "big cage" and he could see the other cats and the familiar back yard, but couldn't figure out how to get there. I kept loving on him and he soon realized humans were okay. I went outside the next morning and he had eaten the entire bowl of food and drank all the water! But I couldn't find him. I kept looking and looking and finally...

There he was in a basket of flowers.

That afternoon, we received a call from our son, whose wife had been begging to get Little Gus. He wanted to surprise her, so he told her we had a project he needed to help with. He brought her over and we sat on the deck. I handed Little Gus to her and she sat in the chair petting the kitty and giving her hubby a pleading look. He laughed and then said:

"She doesn't know why she's here."

Me:  "She doesn't know about the project?"

He:  "No. I didn't tell her."

Me:  "Well, you better tell her or I will."

He:  "You tell her."

Me:  "It was your idea, so you tell her."

All this time, she kept looking from one to the other, and said, "Well, somebody tell me."

He:  "We're taking the kitty home with us."

She teared up and kept saying "Really?"  Tears streamed down her cheeks and she kept hugging the kitty.  Yes, Little Gus found a loving home where he'll be spoiled and cared for. And, they took his basket of flowers along so he'd have something familiar. He also has a new name...Chance.  Because he now has a new chance at life!

Now that's a happy ending!

Company, Cats, Birds, and Books

This week we had family visiting from Michigan. Hubby's sister and brother-in-law are such great people. Every time we are together we all say how much we wished we lived closer together. Hubby wants to visit Michigan again, so I'm going to see what we can do about getting portable oxygen concentrator and nebulizer so that he can have his wish.

One of our feral cats just walked by my office window and looked in at me. I think she is telling me they want breakfast. I'm still enjoying my view from this lower floor office. The flowers are in full bloom and each day brings new visitors in the form of bees and butterflies of multiple varieties. Most fun is to watch one of the feral cats try to catch a butterfly. Luckily they are too quick for her.

We put a new bird feeder in the back yard. It has two sides to hold two different kinds of seed. One side is for finches and the other for the birds with larger beaks. It's been too wet and rainy to know if the seed will draw them back or not. We used to enjoy sitting on the deck and watching all the different kinds of birds visiting our yard. Of course the cats became a deterrent, but with this feeder the cats can't get to the birds. Plus, we feed the ferals so well they don't seem to bother the birds at all...speaking of which, I better close off this post and feed the cats.

Have a great weekend, and thank you for stopping by to visit!

~~~~~~~
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What????????!!!!!!!???????

Today's Question: "Why did my favorite outdoor cat just urinate on my window screen?"

If you look behind the arbor, you can see the lower level windows almost at ground level. My office is on the other side of the front door, and the flower garden extends completely across the front of the house. So, this morning, I'm sitting here looking out the window and thinking about what I'll blog about. And suddenly, Little Britches, my favorite outdoor cat backed up to the window and just...well sprayed!! How disrespectful!  *sigh*

This is the little cat that meets me at the top of the landing every morning and refuses to move from between my ankles while I'm walking down the stairs. He loves being petted and he loves me. Um, or so I thought.

Now, I'll have to go outside and turn on the hose and clean the screen. Suddenly I don't feel like blogging.

What I'm reading: Teacher's Plans, by JoAnn Carter

Thanks for stopping by.

A Very Sad Post....

My heart is very heavy this morning. Those who follow my blog know that I dearly love animals. Currently I care for thirteen feral cats. Our yard is the place where stray cats seem to find their way. A neighbor across the street and several houses away was caring for two cats, but she moved away. *sigh* The female calico cat found her way to our yard. Every morning, she would sneak in and eat the food I'd put out. When I'd see her, I'd chase her away. I hoped she would find someplace else to call home because I knew she'd be having a litter of kittens this spring. Sure enough as the months warmed up, I could tell she was very pregnant. I felt sorry for her, but knew we couldn't handle more cats that would continue to perpetuate. With no way to catch her, I continued to shoo her away.

Day before yesterday, while in the back yard, I heard a new-born kitten's cry. It sounded like it came from the yard next to us. I told hubby that I figured Patches (I always name animals) had dropped her babies. Thankfully, not in our yard. Silly me. Why did I think it would matter? The animals would just be more feral cats in a subdivision foraging for food and continuing to perpetuate. I wish someone besides us would try to fix the situation.

Yesterday, when I came home from working at church, hubby told me he found the kittens under ornamental grass next to our pond. Just the following afternoon, I had trimmed that ornamental grass down, so they hadn't been there at that time. He said that he thought there were five and two were dead. So we went out with rubber gloves on and sure enough...there they lay. Three of the tiny kittens were dead. We removed them from the others. I decided to move the other two to an area at the back of the yard behind a lattice fence which is covered with vines. I figured Patches would come take the kittens away elsewhere.

But they continued to cry through the afternoon, so I went back to look at them. They were curled together in the sun with no protection at all. Since I knew it was going to rain, I had no choice but to move them back where their momma had left them, under the grass next to the pond.

Through the evening, I would hear their cries periodically. I hoped that the momma kitty had come to care for them, but my heart ached so badly because I didn't know what to do. We can't afford to have another yard full of unspayed and unneutered cats. I prayed for God to show me a way to handle the situation.

This morning I went out to feed our ferals and I walked to the pond very quietly to see how the kittens had fared. They were gone! I figured the momma had moved them someplace else. So, I felt better. At least they were being cared for. But, as I walked further around the pond, I saw one of the babies floating in the water. My heart sank. The poor little thing had managed somehow to get over the hurdle of flagstones and fell into the pond. I never did find the other one. I hope the momma moved it. I pray so.

It is so unfair. The poor little kittens do not ask to be brought into the world. They are innocent creatures. And this could be avoided if people would be more responsible with their pets and get them spayed/neutered. And, when a family moves, they shouldn't abandon their pets to fend for themselves in the world.

I cry for the unjustice. My heart is so heavy and burdened.

Like Surprises in Easter Baskets....

As I looked through my kitchen window, I saw my old friend, Boots. He'd been missing from the crowd at breakfast time for nearly a week. Since all the ferals have been neutered/spayed, they don't stray away, nor do they stay away for more than an hour or so. Consequently, I worried that something had happened to him. Boots and I have a special bond. He has always had ear mites, and I try to treat them, but when he feels the meds in his ear, he runs away and then he's shy from me. He's also allergic to fleas. Imagine an outdoor cat who is allergic to fleas! I had managed to put some meds on the back of his neck to treat the fleas, and a couple of days later he disappeared. Now he'd come back.

I stepped outside to take a few pictures. Boots' ears looked pretty clear! I wonder if the meds for fleas had also helped the ear mites. One can be hopeful. The scars on his side and back seem to be healing from the flea bites. I managed to get this closeup of his face. Isn't he cute?

I took a snapshot at the bottom of the steps at the plum tree across the pond. It's in full bloom. Our weather has been unseasonably warm, so all the flora and fauna are saying hello to the sunshine.

Behond the plum tree is our wisteria tree. It is full of budding leaves. I hope we have a good set of blossoms this year. They are so gorgeous. Like huge bunches of lavendar grapes. The tree does draw a lot of bees, but the beautiful plumage makes it well worth dodging a few buzzing insects.

Next I panned down to the grass beside the swing. I found two of our ferals snuggled down in the grass, just like surprises in Easter baskets. Hmm, I guess I need to get the lawn mower out and start cutting the grass. Hope I can do better with it this year than last. The mower is self-propelled and very hard for me to control. I'd get a smaller electric one, but I don't think hubby would approve. He's still hopeful that he won't need to be on oxygen forever, and I'm not ready to burst that bubble.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful day.

A Feral View

Looking out my kitchen window afforded a beautiful view of sunshine. My writing friends gave me the beautiful bird suncatcher because I rarely get a variety of birds at my feeder any longer. Why? Because my feral cats think they are toys.

Here is my morning view. The beautiful cat is Skeeter. He is one of our ferals. He's got incredible gorgeous sea green eyes that look as if a makeup artist used a careful hand with black eyeliner.

I've never been able to touch him. He keeps his distance when I put the food out and if I open the door to the deck, he's long gone. But he watches from safe locations and he certainly eats his share of food. Isn't he gorgeous?

Thanks for stopping by!

Heartwarming Mission

Those who've been following my blog for a while know that I care for thirteen feral cats. When a neighbor moved away leaving some semi-wild cats that he'd been feeding, my hubby bought food and took it over to the patio and fed them through the winter. When spring came, the house sold and workers began remodeling. The cats migrated to our yard to take refuge...and to have kittens! Aghast at the sheer number of cats in our yard...seventeen...I searched for help. We had all the cats and kittens spayed/neutered, got their rabies shots, and released them back into the yard. The trap and release program meant that we would agree to offer shelter and food to them for the remainder of their lives.

So we built a shelter for them under our deck, and we purchase about six twenty pound bags of food to feed them. Over the years, we have lost four of the cats. The remaining ones are still wild and afraid of humans, except for us. Most of them shy away at noises and movement, though they don't actually run too far. Some of them are friendly with us. They will allow us to pet them and look forward to our outdoor visits. However, we could never pick them up or try to put them into a cage.

I begin each morning with feeding and watering the animals. It's the closest I'll get to living on a farm, I guess. And, I feel very blessed with taking care of these precious animals. Someone has to care. There are so many animals abandoned by families who move away and leave the defenseless pets behind. The number of feral cats is beyond comprehension--so much so that there is no place to take them. Thus, they continue to perpetuate. Feral animals have a short life expectancy, but I believe the ones we care for will fare better than most. They are fat and fluffy and as healthy as can be expected. My heart goes out to them over the winter, especially winters like the one we just experienced in Ohio. There is still snow on the ground. I shoveled paths around the house and around the areas where they walk to help.

Today the sun is shining and the cats are laying on the dry areas of concrete and stairs soaking up the warmth. I tell our three indoor cats how lucky they are, but I don't think they quite "get it."

Thanks for stopping by!