Looking Regal And Lost

A month has passed since I wrote about Oliver, I am sorry to say I have had no luck trapping him. I'm afraid I have taken a few steps backwards in attempting to gain his trust. He is no longer consistent with coming onto my patio and eating nightly. There are some days I don't see him come into the yard, however, I often see him eating and drinking in the shelter.

I've been trapping for a long time. I have experience with many different types of traps, netting, and different bait to use. I know how to handle strays, ferals and domesticated cats. I know how to tame a feral adult, and a kitten. I know how to gain their trust. It takes time, lots of time, and an extreme amount of patience. It also takes not giving up.

I find myself often in situations like this, that one elusive cat, a difficult case, eventually somehow, someway, I manage to get them in a trap, or gain their trust enough to allow me to pick them up and put them in a carrier. With Oliver, I feel helpless, lost, perhaps because when I sat there taking these pictures, talking to him in a low soft tone, he looked helpless and lost, so very lost.
I document all activity with my feral colony. Each morning for the past several years I make a note in their file, a note that simply says they were here and seen today, and looked healthy. When a new cat shows up, I note the color/markings, gender, and date/time they appeared, just in case he/she becomes a regular visitor and I may need to trap and tnr him/her.

There are also pages in the cats files that are blank, when one of the cats are not seen I don't make any notations. This helps keep track on when a cat went missing. The sad reality of feral colonies, we get no closure. Many times they just disappear. We can feed and care for a cat daily for years, then one day....Poof! They are gone. Your mind goes places you would rather not it go, but you can't help it. You imagine every horrific thing you can, hoping this isn't what happened, but most often you never know. You just mourn for them, miss them, and wonder. But, you carry on, and continue doing what you do, being a responsible feral cat caretaker.
Yesterday morning, we heard the most horrific sound in the distance, we were sure it was the painful screams of a cat. The sound was one of a cat that was in terrible pain, trapped and couldn't get away. I went out in the shelter, lifted the roofs to all the houses, trying to count for all my ferals. After a few hours, all were accounted for, except Oliver. All day, I looked for him, all day I waited. No Oliver. Hoping he would come for dinner last night, no signs of him. As each hour passed, I became overwhelmed with worry. He has been through so much already, I prayed that he would show up unharmed.
This morning, still waiting for any signs of him, my husband calls me from work and asks if I had seen him yet. He expresses his sorrow and concern also, which just adds to all the horrific things I am imagining by now. Finally, here I sit at the computer, and there I see him on my webcam walking into the shelter. He's fine, no harm has been done to him. I can now open his file and write that little note, and today's page will not be blank.

A Face That Breaks My Heart

The sad reality of feral and stray cats. Those who know me, know I feel it is very important to give every feral or stray cat that I come across, a name. It gives them purpose, and makes them important. This is Oliver, I think the name suits him well.
He showed up a couple of months ago. Until recently all of my photos of him were taken in the dark and I was never able to see just how bad his eyes were.
He would come to eat in the shelter and on my patio after the other ferals ate first. He would always keep his distance from me until I was safely indoors where I can observe him through the window.
Each time I would set the traps out he wouldn't show. Then weeks would pass before I would see him again. Typical when you think a cat would be easy to trap, you watch their schedule, you plan, then they change their routine on you. It gets discouraging, but you don't give up.
Since last month, Oliver and I have built a relationship, with just a bit of trust. He now comes to eat with all the ferals, he sits and waits on the patio for me to bring the wet food treat they all get each evening. He even allows me to pet his head some while he is eating. The infection in his eyes is disturbing. His vision is very poor. I honestly can't imagine that he can see anything, except shadows in a fog.

I realized just how poor his vision was when I had the trap right in front of him and was hoping to have gained enough trust to just guide him in. His head was very wobbly, trying to focus. He knew something was there, within two feet from his face, but he couldn't focus, he was frightened and left the yard. I then realized each time he didn't show when I set the trap was because things were moved in the yard, the trap was a foreign object that he couldn't see well, so he kept his distance.
While watching him daily, and viewing the dozens of photos I have taken, he appears to have a growth on the inside of his left lower jaw. It could be a tooth abscess, but until he is vetted, I won't know for sure.

I am remaining positive in hopes that he has nothing contagious. His nose is clear, his weight is good, his breathing sounds normal. Perhaps the infection in his eyes is just from fighting, and the growth in his mouth is just a bad tooth.

I discovered tuna is the most tasty thing he goes absolutely crazy for. I am trapping again tomorrow night, and hoping the tuna, and the little bit of trust he is gaining with me will be promising.

I also hope and pray after vetting, he can be helped. Here again, is another big gray tomcat that has captured my heart.

Introducing Wicket

This is the new boy, or perhaps I should say ONE of the new boys I am working on. He is the one I mentioned in my last post that is not feral, but rather a stray, most likely dumped.

He has been here for a couple months now. When he first showed up he was wearing a collar, and the tag was very visible from a distance. I am unable to get close enough with all that hair he has to see if he lost the collar or just the tag.



He is very scared, and does not seem to be very street smart. He is finally coming as close as 10 feet to me, but not close enough to pet. He will watch and wait for me to put the wet food out for the other ferals on the back patio, and as I walk away he will come up and eat along with the others.



Unfortunately when he sees Karl or Storm, he panics, screams the most terrifying scream. I can actually recognize his yowling while I am inside the house, he has such a distinctive and unique sound. I have worked with hundreds of ferals and strays through the years, but I must admit, I have never heard the type of sound and panic that comes from this boy.

I am hoping to trap him this weekend. I am still not sure what I am going to do with him. I really do not want to release him to live outside as a feral. Knowing he had a collar once, tells me he is tame, he is just scared. If I can work with him, I will attempt to foster him until he will be ready for adoption.

He is such a magnificent boy.




The cats are keeping me quite busy lately. It was calm and quiet around here for awhile; I miss those days. We have many strays, perhaps some born feral, as I have spotted three young cats, possibly around 6 months old hanging in and around my shelter.

Busy days ahead!

Cat Trapping

Remember *The* Karl?! Aw, I really love this boy. He reminds me a lot of BT. A big, strong feral tom cat, who really, deep down is just a pile of mush that wants a home to call his own, and feel safe.

Finally got him trapped this past Sunday for his neuter. He had some pretty nasty battle wounds behind his ears, and neck. The vet shaved , cleaned, medicated and ear tipped him as planned.

We couldn't just let Karl take a trip without his partner in crime, so yes, we also trapped the Linx Point, which my husband so dearly named Storm.

Isn't that just an adorable face!

Storm was not too happy in the trap, as you can see in the photos the newspaper was shredded within minutes.

He also had wounds that needed cared for by the vet, and also an eye infection. Both boys were quite easy to trap. I originally set out the traps Saturday evening, without success. The only ones I kept trapping were the other cats in my existing colony. Sunday early morning I reset the traps with little hope, but within 10 minutes of each other, they both didn't hesitate to walk in.

We didn't get them back home until late, so they had to sleep in the traps overnight, until I could release them Monday morning. If any of you reading have ever been involved in TNR and releasing a feral, then you know the feeling you get, when you open that trap to release them. A feeling I can't really explain comes over you. Here is a cat you have never come close to touching, a cat born feral, terrified of humans. As a caretaker you build a special bond with these cats, a different sort of bond and relationship that you would with a normal household pet. They want to trust you, but they don't, and not trusting is what, for the most part, keeps them safe. We have this understanding. As they ran out of the traps, they jumped on the wall, stopped, turned, and just looked at me, then at their surroundings, then back at me, then they knew, they were home.

I have another kitten similar to Lacee who has shown up, I am now working on trapping. I also have a stray, that most likely was dumped, and causing quite a bit of ruckus around here. Those two are my next priority.

So many things have been keeping me away from blogging. Eventually, I hope, things will settle some. Until then, hope all is well with all my blog friends.

History Repeating Itself

I took this photo almost three years ago. A beautiful Linx Point Siamese male feral. He would sleep next to Oscar when Oscar was hanging out in the shelter. I always believed he was Mac's daddy, as Mac looked identical to him as a kitten. I could never get near him, but he didn't seem to be a fighter. He just wanted a warm place to stay and food to eat.

It has been almost three years since I took this photo also. I referred to this boy as *The Mean Guy*. One big tough tomcat he was. Fighting all hours of the night and early morning. He is the one who did the most damage to my sweet Oscar, causing so many injuries. He also use to fight with the guy in the above photo too. It seemed that the Linx Point and Oscar both just needed a safe place away from the dangers of street life and mean tomcats.

I spent hours, days, and weeks, trying to trap *The Mean Guy*. He wouldn't have it. He was trap wise, and avoided the trap like the plague.

Once I brought Oscar inside, The Mean Guy disappeared, and so did the Linx Point. Never again to be seen. Oscar, my sweet angel boy, who was so traumatized by the fighting, he panics if any of the cats touch him with their paws. They all seem to understand and tend to be gentle with him, and allow him to just be the calm sweet boy he is.



Now, the story turns. I took this photo this week. A beautiful Linx Point Siamese. After many photos and observing this boy, I have come to the conclusion, he is the same boy that disappeared nearly three years ago. Still beautiful, don't you think?

I have no idea whatever happened to The Mean Guy, perhaps he is still out there too, somewhere. For now, we have The Karl. You all must remember me posting about Karl. He is such a sweet boy, that has taken over my yard and shelter as his territory. He has accepted his place in the colony, and my shelter is his home.


The problem now is history is repeating itself. Instead of The Mean Guy, we now have The Karl and The Linx Point, fighting, all hours of the night, and early morning. This happens, I am use to it. Until I can get them trapped, and The Linx Point neutered, fighting will continue. These two are often found nose to nose screaming at each other, until I can break it up, but also they can be found sleeping within a couple feet of each other.

My sweet sweet Oscar. Even with the safety of being indoors, and no longer being on the receiving end of all the fighting, he is still getting hurt. Oscar is inside minding his own business, enjoying the comforts of indoor living, curled up on his soft bed, dreaming whatever cats dream of, to be awakened by screaming, yowling, fighting cats outside the window.


Oscar is so traumatized from his past, it is natural for him to run and hide. He becomes so panicked, that he keeps scraping his back trying to hide. He tried to run past the other cats on one of the shelves in the cat room, and fell off the shelf. He tried to hold on, and climb up, and scraped his back in the process. I finally got his wound looking better, then it happened again last night.



When I first discovered the wound, I was very upset. All what went through my mind was one of the cats had hurt him. I promised Oscar when I brought him in nearly three years ago, no harm would ever come to him again, he will always be safe. Then when I witnessed how he was scraping his back, and realized what was happening, trapping the Linx Point became a priority. I can not allow Oscar to be injured.

On another important note, Oscar has Nasal Cancer. I don't know how long he has, but I do know that he has suffered more in his life then he ever deserved, and I will not allow him to suffer even one day. He is doing okay for now, but in order for Oscar to continue to live his peaceful life, I need to stop history from repeating itself. I sure hope The Mean Guy doesn't suddenly reappear too.

Where Has The Time Gone

Oh my, where has the time gone? I have missed so much. Time just flies by when we are having fun, or not. I do need to take the time to catch up on all of the blogs I follow, but what is time? Time is something I just haven't had for myself lately.

I do want to thank all of you wonderful blog friends that took the time to email me and ask if I was okay. I apologize for not replying. I have been so very busy, I have not been logging into my email, and when I did, I was surprised at the dozens of emails waiting for my replies. Those of you who called, THANK YOU, I really needed that break, and our talk.

So what has been taking up so much of my time? Too much to list here for now, but I will say my childcare has been extremely busy. With the new school year came many people looking for childcare/preschool for their little ones. I have spent the past few weeks interviewing potential parents throughout the day and into the early evening hours. By the end of each day, I am too exhausted to do anything but sleep. I now have no more openings in my childcare, and am almost overwhelmed. I tend to take on children that may need a little extra help, and one of the 2 year old boys I took on has really been challenging, but just yesterday, we made a break through, and after 2 weeks, I am seeing some improvement with some challenging behavior.

By the time my children leave in the early evening, I still have to tend to all the dogs, cats, and cook dinner, (if hubby is lucky enough), then sit with him for a few minutes, and off to sleep I go, only to start all over the next morning.

Being so crazy busy means I have neglected a few things. I had 3 cats I was suppose to take to our spay/neuter clinic two weeks ago, and I forgot all about it, until a rescue friend of mine called and asked if I had the three cats trapped and ready for transport. OOPS! This time I marked it on the calender for this month so I don't forget.

I have been trying to help a friend find homes for a litter of kittens and their mama that were born outside, just a few houses down from me, Not easy. The economy has hit this town hard, and all of our rescues here are referring people to take their pets to the shelter. None of our fosters have any room. All we can do, is keep doing what we are doing. Try to save one animal at a time.

I have much more to update on about my crew, but not enough time (there's that word again). For now, here are a few photos I took a couple weeks ago. We had just bought this new bunk bed play toy for the cats, and they all really enjoy it. It is a big hit. Mama Cat loves this, and was the first to try it out. Lacee is the one inside it.











I hope to catch up on everyone's blogs this weekend, and will try and make another post next week, and fill you in on a few important topics that matter to me.

A New Toy

We bought this new scratcher last weekend. I must admit, no money is ever wasted when it comes to the cats. No matter what I buy for them, from the smallest cheapest toy, to the largest most expensive tree, they all get used and played with. They are so easy to please.

Lacee just loves to play in the tunnel part. Good news to report with Lacee, finally for the past three days, she has not gotten into any trouble climbing the walls or the door while being left alone. She has earned the privilege to wander about with the other cats now without my direct supervision. Hopefully we continue on this good streak.
Mac is always found laying or standing on the scratcher. In fact sometimes he becomes just a little bossy when the other cats want to play on it too. Here he got distracted with Oscar's tail.

I am such a bad mom, I just had to take this picture before I rescued Oscar's tail, Mac had no intentions on letting go.

LG is often found with just his head in the tunnel, trying to spy on Lacee from the opposite end.

Then he goes in for the quick sneak attack on the unsuspecting Lacee.

Don't feel sorry for her though, she is a tough little girl, and she is normally the one to pounce on another unsuspecting victim.