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[hoots-paw]

my Israeli Jewish Hoots-Paw

image.jpg

• hoots-paw
• Sep 20, 2014

 

[Anne]

I live in Israel where there are so many feral cats, they all have territory and have identified soft-hearted folks like me who put food and water out for them. Four have permanently set up shop on our porch, each with his or her area of choice. Another 10-15 come and feed (I boil chicken breasts and throw them chunks).

I also put food and water over the fence for another 10-15 cats so they do not fight with the ones on this side, since no one over there feeds them at all.

I go for walks at 4 am every other day, with a carry-on rolling suitcase full of water and food, which I distribute to two other colonies, one of more tham 20 cats, and the other about ten cats. I take a dis brush and brush one who never runs for the food while I am around: only wants to be brushed.

One has come inside, cuddles up to us, sleeps on our bed, and seriously wants to be adopted. Her name is Hoots-Paw because she has Israeli chutzpah.

We may move in another 6-7 months and I am worried about whether I am making so many dependent on me.

I bring real meat and tuna which are rare treats. One is a three-legged orange tabby that I always save the biggest chunk for, distracting the others with scattered pieces while I give hers to her ( or him,)

I want the ones who trust me enough over time to feel what it is like to be loved, petted and brushed. I learn so much about God's love from all of them.

Welcome to TCS! I loved your rolling suitcase full of water and food 

 Badge awarded, of course!

 

[theresqsociety]

After a car accident nearly killed me, I was laid up at home healing when I noticed a home had sold a block away. I noticed that behind the "green screen" chain link fence which surrounded this property there were many cats hovering around the open crawl spaces. I started to put out food & water, hoping that I would be able to coax some of the cats out and see if they were tame at all. They were not. A few other concerned neighbors (I never saw them) began also leaving food & water. One day the house was torn down and I didn't see a single cat......until.....about 4 months later down on my block. I've always had cats, have always LOVED cats and always took in strays myself or found homes, so I was familiar with the "feline attitude". However, this was different. There was a mama cat nursing on my driveway one morning 3 kittens. She was soooo skinny! I immediately knew where she came from and took out some food & water for her. She was so scared, alone, mistrustful, ever-watchful but somehow, I knew she knew that I was here to help. She started bringing her kittens closer and would let them venture out to meet me. I would patiently take food out late every night and just sit in the quiet stillness while the kittens would come and eat. Each night when they would settle, I would slowly move the dishes closer to me and let them get used to my presence. I would move a little, cough, re-situate and then let them re-settle until I could gently stroke from the backs of their little necks down their backs and scoop off their tails. Just once. Eventually, I could push a few strokes and I would always let them tell me when to stop. I was lucky enough to get raised backs, longer pauses, inquisitive looks and a few purrs until they realized that i was still a human and "dangerous". This was how I socialized the first batch of kittens just enough for them to follow me around, crawl into my lap (on their own) and ask for loves and pets. Mama would stick around just long enough to see her kittens become social and then she would vanish....running from the toms and from being in heat all over again. That was in 2012. Today, I have had more mama cats show up with kittens and it has been a vicious cycle. I learned through the Pasadena Humane Society in California about their TNR program. I have become quite the trapper and now have 17 feral fixed cats who all get along beautifully, are healthy and very spoiled!! The newest kitten became sort of my "personal" kitty after my 18 year old finally succumbed to old age....even though her spirit was up for a few more years. It has been harder for her to adjust and I'm just convinced the outdoor kitties know she's an "indoor" kitty. She's almost like that middle child...she gets pushed by the bigger kids and then tries to throw weight around with the younger ones...until they get some courage and stick up for themselves. Then, she's like a sullen teenager. She's my work in progress, currently. I have them all eating cookies in the evening with her mixed in the bunch and it's getting better, but she's also travelling down the street during the day and coming home late at night (past her curfew!!) I'm hoping another family is spending some time with her while I'm working, but Im also terrified she might disappear entirely. She's not solely an indoor kitty..she loves to play outside, climb the trees (she likes it high up) and pounce on falling leaves. She follows me around like a dog on the weekends and we hang by the pool when it's hot out...usually she's in a puddle. Go figure. Currently, she's wrapped around my feet while I'm writing this, sound asleep, oblivious that I am discussing her affairs with "other neighbors". :-)

So my TNR just recently became much more active when I stopped during a McDonalds drive-through visit to talk with a woman and offer some help after I saw her feeding over 20 cats. She was elderly and had a limp and my heart went out to both her and the kitties! She had just been praying for someone to help her that afternoon and unbeknownst to me, another woman had stopped just before me to offer help as well. It turns out that she'd been feeding 9-10 cats for roughly 13 years there. However, this season has been extremely tough and with all the people losing their homes recently, her feral clan had become upwards of 26+!!! I gave her my name & number and said I would go right that minute and lend her my 5 traps....when she said she didn't know how to trap and needed my help. Long story short, I connected with the other woman who stopped and she and I both are members of Fix Nation....so within the last week, we have TNR'd 9 kitties for our new friend. It turns out the neighbors are furious, a local business was trying to poison them and they were approaching her really upset and getting in her face. We haven't had that kind of experience I think because we have formed a group of about 7 people and I think the "strength in numbers" keeps them at bay. We have tried to get on top of the situation and are still trapping on a regular basis. Between the 3 of us women, we have around 70+ cats that we feed/care for/love on a regular basis. 

I have contacted Animal Planet and am in talks with them in regards to feral cats & TNR programs. I am really hoping that Jackson Galaxy and/or their network will be interested enough to have an episode or a series in regards to this growing problem. I found the biggest problem is lack of knowledge with access to resources for those of us who care for these cats. My issues myself are with: vaccinations, flea issues, everyone getting along, not pooping in neighbors flower beds, not peeing on their doors, cats who are wounded from fights etc, the expense of food & cat litter, weather issues, vets who will work with feral cats (hard to do!!) and other things as well. It's a growing problem and I meet tons of people when I'm buying cat food/litter and we swap stories and resources and phone numbers as best we can. More people that we realize have multiple cats that just show up and become part of their family. I really want to educate people as well as myself on feral cat issues and I can't stress that enough! A few of the best resources I've found is Fix Nation, Alley Cat Allies (Feral Friends Network) and this site. Please please please contact Animal Planet if you want to see a show or more stories in regards to feral cats and help us get the word out about awareness!! They want to come see our colonies this upcoming week and see what we are dealing with. Any kind of interest you can help us show them  to help our feral cats everywhere is one more step in the right direction! Please help others trap and extend a hand when you can. I have and I will continue to do so. I'm pledging it to your and our ferals everywhere that I will try my hardest to improve their situations and ours as caretakers. Keep your whiskers up people!! ^..^  

 

[Anne]

 
After a car accident nearly killed me, I was laid up at home healing when I noticed a home had sold a block away. I noticed that behind the "green screen" chain link fence which surrounded this property there were many cats hovering around the open crawl spaces. I started to put out food & water, hoping that I would be able to coax some of the cats out and see if they were tame at all. They were not. A few other concerned neighbors (I never saw them) began also leaving food & water. One day the house was torn down and I didn't see a single cat......until.....about 4 months later down on my block. I've always had cats, have always LOVED cats and always took in strays myself or found homes, so I was familiar with the "feline attitude". However, this was different. There was a mama cat nursing on my driveway one morning 3 kittens. She was soooo skinny! I immediately knew where she came from and took out some food & water for her. She was so scared, alone, mistrustful, ever-watchful but somehow, I knew she knew that I was here to help. She started bringing her kittens closer and would let them venture out to meet me. I would patiently take food out late every night and just sit in the quiet stillness while the kittens would come and eat. Each night when they would settle, I would slowly move the dishes closer to me and let them get used to my presence. I would move a little, cough, re-situate and then let them re-settle until I could gently stroke from the backs of their little necks down their backs and scoop off their tails. Just once. Eventually, I could push a few strokes and I would always let them tell me when to stop. I was lucky enough to get raised backs, longer pauses, inquisitive looks and a few purrs until they realized that i was still a human and "dangerous". This was how I socialized the first batch of kittens just enough for them to follow me around, crawl into my lap (on their own) and ask for loves and pets. Mama would stick around just long enough to see her kittens become social and then she would vanish....running from the toms and from being in heat all over again. That was in 2012. Today, I have had more mama cats show up with kittens and it has been a vicious cycle. I learned through the Pasadena Humane Society in California about their TNR program. I have become quite the trapper and now have 17 feral fixed cats who all get along beautifully, are healthy and very spoiled!! The newest kitten became sort of my "personal" kitty after my 18 year old finally succumbed to old age....even though her spirit was up for a few more years. It has been harder for her to adjust and I'm just convinced the outdoor kitties know she's an "indoor" kitty. She's almost like that middle child...she gets pushed by the bigger kids and then tries to throw weight around with the younger ones...until they get some courage and stick up for themselves. Then, she's like a sullen teenager. She's my work in progress, currently. I have them all eating cookies in the evening with her mixed in the bunch and it's getting better, but she's also travelling down the street during the day and coming home late at night (past her curfew!!) I'm hoping another family is spending some time with her while I'm working, but Im also terrified she might disappear entirely. She's not solely an indoor kitty..she loves to play outside, climb the trees (she likes it high up) and pounce on falling leaves. She follows me around like a dog on the weekends and we hang by the pool when it's hot out...usually she's in a puddle. Go figure. Currently, she's wrapped around my feet while I'm writing this, sound asleep, oblivious that I am discussing her affairs with "other neighbors". :-)

So my TNR just recently became much more active when I stopped during a McDonalds drive-through visit to talk with a woman and offer some help after I saw her feeding over 20 cats. She was elderly and had a limp and my heart went out to both her and the kitties! She had just been praying for someone to help her that afternoon and unbeknownst to me, another woman had stopped just before me to offer help as well. It turns out that she'd been feeding 9-10 cats for roughly 13 years there. However, this season has been extremely tough and with all the people losing their homes recently, her feral clan had become upwards of 26+!!! I gave her my name & number and said I would go right that minute and lend her my 5 traps....when she said she didn't know how to trap and needed my help. Long story short, I connected with the other woman who stopped and she and I both are members of Fix Nation....so within the last week, we have TNR'd 9 kitties for our new friend. It turns out the neighbors are furious, a local business was trying to poison them and they were approaching her really upset and getting in her face. We haven't had that kind of experience I think because we have formed a group of about 7 people and I think the "strength in numbers" keeps them at bay. We have tried to get on top of the situation and are still trapping on a regular basis. Between the 3 of us women, we have around 70+ cats that we feed/care for/love on a regular basis. 

I have contacted Animal Planet and am in talks with them in regards to feral cats & TNR programs. I am really hoping that Jackson Galaxy and/or their network will be interested enough to have an episode or a series in regards to this growing problem. I found the biggest problem is lack of knowledge with access to resources for those of us who care for these cats. My issues myself are with: vaccinations, flea issues, everyone getting along, not pooping in neighbors flower beds, not peeing on their doors, cats who are wounded from fights etc, the expense of food & cat litter, weather issues, vets who will work with feral cats (hard to do!!) and other things as well. It's a growing problem and I meet tons of people when I'm buying cat food/litter and we swap stories and resources and phone numbers as best we can. More people that we realize have multiple cats that just show up and become part of their family. I really want to educate people as well as myself on feral cat issues and I can't stress that enough! A few of the best resources I've found is Fix Nation, Alley Cat Allies (Feral Friends Network) and this site. Please please please contact Animal Planet if you want to see a show or more stories in regards to feral cats and help us get the word out about awareness!! They want to come see our colonies this upcoming week and see what we are dealing with. Any kind of interest you can help us show them  to help our feral cats everywhere is one more step in the right direction! Please help others trap and extend a hand when you can. I have and I will continue to do so. I'm pledging it to your and our ferals everywhere that I will try my hardest to improve their situations and ours as caretakers. Keep your whiskers up people!! ^..^  

Welcome to TCS! 

You do so much for ferals, including getting the media involved, I wish I could give you a medal! You most definitely deserve our badge and I really do hope you stay with us and share your knowledge in the ferals & rescue forum and hopefully other places as well! Welcome aboard! 

 

[artemis214]

Anne,

Welcome.

You are a HERO as far as I'm concerned !  

   Your story really does my heart good.  

I am so glad there are so many of us who love Cats and are NOT willing to just look the other way.  The problem is HUGE. 

God bless you and the work you do for our unfortunate feral's. 

Thank you from myself, my 4 rescues, and from the many colonies in dire need of loving care and help ! 

Janet Carter

Artemis214

P.S. Sorry, I do so love the little icons on this site.  

 

 

[Anne]

 
Anne,

Welcome.

You are a HERO as far as I'm concerned !  

   Your story really does my heart good.  

I am so glad there are so many of us who love Cats and are NOT willing to just look the other way.  The problem is HUGE. 

God bless you and the work you do for our unfortunate feral's. 

Thank you from myself, my 4 rescues, and from the many colonies in dire need of loving care and help ! 

Janet Carter

Artemis214

P.S. Sorry, I do so love the little icons on this site.  

 

Just to clarify, I was quoting the post (same as I'm doing with your post now 

 ), so the credit for the amazing work she's doing for the ferals goes to @theresqsociety   

 

[kittymomma1122]

We have taken care of three feral cats in our back yard for three years.  We lost our elderly dog 3 1/2 years ago.  Once she was gone random cats started appearing in our yard.  Our neighbor is a veterinarian so maybe people just drop cats off.  We noticed kittens, too late to tame. I was able to trap and ear tip the kittens.  We could not trap the mother.  She was too smart for any of our traps.  We built a little house on our patio for the young ones.  Soon the mother had another litter of kittens, this time I snatched the kittens at 3 weeks in a cat carrier. She could not resist her kittens so I was able to shut her in and bring them all into a spare room. I worked with a great lady at the humane society to spay and ear tip momma.  I kept her with her kittens in the quarantine room until the kittens were fixed at 9 weeks.  We let her go back to the back yard with her 2 previous kittens. Our intensions were to foster the kittens until they were adopted through the humane society.  My husband let me adopt my little runt so my older cat had a playmate.  Our tuxedo girl and all black male did not adopted at Pet Smart so he let me adopt them too.  Momma and her older two kittens have a heated dog house with heated dishes.  They tolerate me and my husband and let us pet them.   I think only because food is involved.  We cannot pick any of them up.  If someone else comes on the patio they disappear like shadows.  We would love for them to come in our house, but they want nothing to do with that.  We make sure they have the best care for the situation they are in. We have a small neighborhood, but we make sure everyone is aware of our ferals and taught them to look for the ear tips so they know they are fixed and have been vaccinated. I hope to keep them as safe as we can in an outdoor environment.

I work with a surgical department so I collect large Styrofoam containers and make feral cat houses and donate them to a group that does TNR projects in our area.  Hopefully this will help other caretakers.

 

[Anne]

 
We have taken care of three feral cats in our back yard for three years.  We lost our elderly dog 3 1/2 years ago.  Once she was gone random cats started appearing in our yard.  Our neighbor is a veterinarian so maybe people just drop cats off.  We noticed kittens, too late to tame. I was able to trap and ear tip the kittens.  We could not trap the mother.  She was too smart for any of our traps.  We built a little house on our patio for the young ones.  Soon the mother had another litter of kittens, this time I snatched the kittens at 3 weeks in a cat carrier. She could not resist her kittens so I was able to shut her in and bring them all into a spare room. I worked with a great lady at the humane society to spay and ear tip momma.  I kept her with her kittens in the quarantine room until the kittens were fixed at 9 weeks.  We let her go back to the back yard with her 2 previous kittens. Our intensions were to foster the kittens until they were adopted through the humane society.  My husband let me adopt my little runt so my older cat had a playmate.  Our tuxedo girl and all black male did not adopted at Pet Smart so he let me adopt them too.  Momma and her older two kittens have a heated dog house with heated dishes.  They tolerate me and my husband and let us pet them.   I think only because food is involved.  We cannot pick any of them up.  If someone else comes on the patio they disappear like shadows.  We would love for them to come in our house, but they want nothing to do with that.  We make sure they have the best care for the situation they are in. We have a small neighborhood, but we make sure everyone is aware of our ferals and taught them to look for the ear tips so they know they are fixed and have been vaccinated. I hope to keep them as safe as we can in an outdoor environment.

I work with a surgical department so I collect large Styrofoam containers and make feral cat houses and donate them to a group that does TNR projects in our area.  Hopefully this will help other caretakers.

Welcome to TCS! 

 Thank you for helping so many cats in need! Badge awarded and I'm looking forward to your participation in discussions about feral cats - sounds like you have a lot of experience already!

 

[rlavach]

Hi! I'm new to the site & so happy to see so many with kind hearts to take care of strays & ferals. I started when a few neighborhood ferals took a liking to my backyard & hung out there daily when I was a young kid (13ish). We had 1 indoor cat, so I started sneaking out food to them. My dad helped me too, even though my mom was against it. Soon enough, I had about 5 ferals who came regularly for feedings. They never let me anywhere near them, but as they started multiplying & having litters in our yard, the newer generations got a little less skittish & let me closer. In time, I just had to shake the bag of food near the window or call their names & the'd come! Mocha started it all. She had several litters that I cared for. One of those had Coco in it, a very sweet cat with a strangely deformed face and not so bright. She was never scared of me & let me pet her. She even had her litter on my deck! Unfortunately, soon after she fell ill right on my deck & was limp. We rushed her & her sole kitten to the emergency vet. They both passed days apart. It was heart breaking. They said she had a rare illness they only see in textbooks that is usually fatal after their 1st litter & is neurological. I still remember her sweet nasally meow. 

Her sister, Sunshine, stuck around but stayed more wild in personality. She had several liters also. I fed everyone. Eventually, she had another liter & a kitten got stuck on the way out. I found her under bushes in the yard from the mews of the kittens. I left her for a bit to see if it would work out. When it didn't, we rushed the whole family to the vet for an emergency c-section. Sadly, the kitten didn't make it, but 3 had already been born. We took her in to give her meds & take care of the kittens...and they never left! She still lives with my parents & I now have her 3 babies (now 6yr old) with me! One of those, Rocky, has FLUTD and that's how I found this forum.

I meet strays & ferals all the time. I seriously think they know I'm coming. I keep a stash of canned food in my trunk along with bowls, water & treats. If I see a needy kitty, I'll stop and give them some food. It's the least I can do! I'm so happy to see so many others who help too.

 

[Anne]

 
Hi! I'm new to the site & so happy to see so many with kind hearts to take care of strays & ferals. I started when a few neighborhood ferals took a liking to my backyard & hung out there daily when I was a young kid (13ish). We had 1 indoor cat, so I started sneaking out food to them. My dad helped me too, even though my mom was against it. Soon enough, I had about 5 ferals who came regularly for feedings. They never let me anywhere near them, but as they started multiplying & having litters in our yard, the newer generations got a little less skittish & let me closer. In time, I just had to shake the bag of food near the window or call their names & the'd come! Mocha started it all. She had several litters that I cared for. One of those had Coco in it, a very sweet cat with a strangely deformed face and not so bright. She was never scared of me & let me pet her. She even had her litter on my deck! Unfortunately, soon after she fell ill right on my deck & was limp. We rushed her & her sole kitten to the emergency vet. They both passed days apart. It was heart breaking. They said she had a rare illness they only see in textbooks that is usually fatal after their 1st litter & is neurological. I still remember her sweet nasally meow. 

Her sister, Sunshine, stuck around but stayed more wild in personality. She had several liters also. I fed everyone. Eventually, she had another liter & a kitten got stuck on the way out. I found her under bushes in the yard from the mews of the kittens. I left her for a bit to see if it would work out. When it didn't, we rushed the whole family to the vet for an emergency c-section. Sadly, the kitten didn't make it, but 3 had already been born. We took her in to give her meds & take care of the kittens...and they never left! She still lives with my parents & I now have her 3 babies (now 6yr old) with me! One of those, Rocky, has FLUTD and that's how I found this forum.

I meet strays & ferals all the time. I seriously think they know I'm coming. I keep a stash of canned food in my trunk along with bowls, water & treats. If I see a needy kitty, I'll stop and give them some food. It's the least I can do! I'm so happy to see so many others who help too.

Hello and welcome to TCS! 

I think many of us know the feeling of cats knowing when we're around. It's wonderful that you feed them and get them vet care. I do wonder about spaying and neutering though? It's so important to have all the feral cats in your care spayed/neutered to prevent the sad scenarios you described so well. Is this something you do for the cats as well?

 

[rlavach]

 
Hello and welcome to TCS! 

I think many of us know the feeling of cats knowing when we're around. It's wonderful that you feed them and get them vet care. I do wonder about spaying and neutering though? It's so important to have all the feral cats in your care spayed/neutered to prevent the sad scenarios you described so well. Is this something you do for the cats as well?

Hi Anne, 

We were able to do that for the most recent litter. Before that, we weren't experienced or knowledgeable about those programs. I wish I knew back then! But for the most recent litter, we were able to trap & spay/neuter everyone. The one family group now lives with me & my parents. The rest were spay/neutered and then adopted by various neighbors. A few other families on the block also helped with the feeding. Since then, the genealogy has stopped & there were no ferals or strays in the yard for years. Several months ago, a new group started moving through, so now I want to do a better job with this crew and get them spayed/neutered right away, before several more generations grow from here! 

 

[Anne]

 

 
Hello and welcome to TCS! 

I think many of us know the feeling of cats knowing when we're around. It's wonderful that you feed them and get them vet care. I do wonder about spaying and neutering though? It's so important to have all the feral cats in your care spayed/neutered to prevent the sad scenarios you described so well. Is this something you do for the cats as well?

Hi Anne, 

We were able to do that for the most recent litter. Before that, we weren't experienced or knowledgeable about those programs. I wish I knew back then! But for the most recent litter, we were able to trap & spay/neuter everyone. The one family group now lives with me & my parents. The rest were spay/neutered and then adopted by various neighbors. A few other families on the block also helped with the feeding. Since then, the genealogy has stopped & there were no ferals or strays in the yard for years. Several months ago, a new group started moving through, so now I want to do a better job with this crew and get them spayed/neutered right away, before several more generations grow from here! 

Excellent! 

 Feeding and providing medical care without spaying/neutering can soon become immensely overwhelming, so I'm glad you found out about it in time. Badge awarded! 

 

[david68]

I've been managing a TNR colony for five years and have gotten 34 cats spayed/neutered and vaccinated. I also make an effort to try to get the more adoptable cats (some of which are very friendly) adopted. Though I don't live there, they live on a family farm and have insulated shelters inside old farm buildings in the winter and a heated water bowl.

Most recently, I discovered a satellite colony across the road where a lady was feeding cats, but not doing spay/neuter, and she had unintentionally lured some cats from my colony to her place before I'd gotten them fixed. We have the last female scheduled for surgery next month after she weans her latest litter of five kittens that we have been intensively and successfully socializing.

I've also done some work with local rescue groups demonstrating some capture techniques I developed for catching specific cats that haven't yet had surgery. TNR is legal in our county, and I'm preparing to speak to the local town council near our farm to see if they will officially endorse and encourage TNR to control overpopulation since our county shelter is overwhelmed and underfunded to the point where most animals taken there are euthanized.

 

[Anne]

I've been managing a TNR colony for five years and have gotten 34 cats spayed/neutered and vaccinated. I also make an effort to try to get the more adoptable cats (some of which are very friendly) adopted. Though I don't live there, they live on a family farm and have insulated shelters inside old farm buildings in the winter and a heated water bowl.

Most recently, I discovered a satellite colony across the road where a lady was feeding cats, but not doing spay/neuter, and she had unintentionally lured some cats from my colony to her place before I'd gotten them fixed. We have the last female scheduled for surgery next month after she weans her latest litter of five kittens that we have been intensively and successfully socializing.

I've also done some work with local rescue groups demonstrating some capture techniques I developed for catching specific cats that haven't yet had surgery. TNR is legal in our county, and I'm preparing to speak to the local town council near our farm to see if they will officially endorse and encourage TNR to control overpopulation since our county shelter is overwhelmed and underfunded to the point where most animals taken there are euthanized.

Truly a friend of ferals! 

I'm sure many in our community would love to hear more about your techniques for trapping specific cats. Looking forward to seeing your posts in our ferals & strays forum!

 

[ritz]

I haven't applied because I don't think I do enough for the ferals. But my therapist said I should "own" my good works...

Long story short: Ritz made me do it. I noticed her and her litter mates and the mother cat around my condo building in November 2009. A friend trapped the kittens the day after Christmas, moved them into her home, and I helped socialize the kittens. I'd never been around cats before (except for a week with my grandmother's cat who shared her fleas with me). Knew nothing about cats. But Friend asked if I would consider fostering Ritz because she needed more time to socialize the other three cats. And her brother was a little *too* interested in Ritz.
Ritz had me with her first meow.
In April 2010 I noticed more kittens and felt sorry for them so I started feeding them by the dumpster. If you feed them, more will come....For purely selfish-reasons (ten cats were eating me out of house and home and I felt a little guilty for not being able to trap Ritz' mother to TNR ) in November 2010, I found someone who had lots of experience TNRing. I contacted the president of the condo association, and he agreed to put up flyers saying, to the effect, people will be trapping cats and getting them fixed. If you have an indoor/outdoor cat, keep him inside or he may be trapped. And, no association money will be used to fund this TNR. He also let me use the unused storage room as a recuperating room.
I and my TNR and cat mentors trapped about seven cats that night, and in the subsequent 2.5 years, I trapped about 30 to 35 more cats, including some animal control couldn't trap. The condo complex is surrounded by apartments and single family dwellings with a high turnover/eviction rate: people moved out and dumped their cats. Around 10 cats regularly dined at my restaurant (a/k/a Dumpster).
In August 2012, I moved 30 minutes away. A co-caretaker (who found my colony looking for her own lost [never found] cat) voluntered to fed them Tuesday and Thursdays, I feed them on the weekends. About two months ago (August 2014) the co-caretaker had to move away for medical reasons, so now I fed the cats three times a week. The colony has decreased in size due to less food; around four cats show up. I recently started feeding one or two cats 1/4 mile away, one of whom had been TNRd about three years ago.
In fall/winter 2013 I decided the cats really needed a winter shelter (rubbermaid container + straw). The first place I put it was too much in the open; I found it in the dumpster. I then hid it up a steep hill behind prickly bushes, and it made my heart smile when I saw cats racing from the winter shelter down to the feeding station/dumpster. I'll put up another one this fall: indications are it will be a colder but less snowy winter.
I started noticing a grey and white cat about a year ago. He came every once in a while and the condition of his fur looked horrible. I saw him different places, including the 2nd location. I took off last week, my goal was to trap the grey and white cat, and my prayers were answered. (Also got a buff colored male cat I'd never seen before.)
Turned out the G&W cat was sicker than I thought: badly absessed infected wound. The Spay Spa Neuter Nook fixed that and neutered him. G&W would have died a painful, long death. He is a tought old Tom--ten years old, ancient for a feral.
So now I want to trap more cats, I think I'll be doing a lot of that when I retire in six years. It's always a thrill for me when I look in the trap and see a cat who, while throwing a hissy pissy fit at the moment, will thank me in the morning after his hormones aren't raging or in two months when she isn't pregnant, for once.

 

[Anne]

@Ritz  Not only do you  deserve full credit for your work, but you're also helping ferals just a tiny little bit more by "wearing" the badge in your signature and drawing more attention to caring for ferals!  

 

 

[frenchwench]

I have taken a feral into my home along with a 170 pound mastiff and 37 pound Basneji.  She is thriving and happy.  It has been 3 weeks now since she has been in my home full time.  It took about 3 months total to get to this point, from getting her to trust me, feeding her outside, moving to feeding her and getting her to sleep in the garage at night, to taking her for vaccinations and spaying, recuperating in my garage for 8 days after surgery, then working with the dogs to accept her in the house.  A lot of work and nights with little sleep to make this happen, but it was worth it!!  Everyone said I was stupid to try this with bot of my dogs, but it has worked so far.

 

[Anne]

 
I have taken a feral into my home along with a 170 pound mastiff and 37 pound Basneji.  She is thriving and happy.  It has been 3 weeks now since she has been in my home full time.  It took about 3 months total to get to this point, from getting her to trust me, feeding her outside, moving to feeding her and getting her to sleep in the garage at night, to taking her for vaccinations and spaying, recuperating in my garage for 8 days after surgery, then working with the dogs to accept her in the house.  A lot of work and nights with little sleep to make this happen, but it was worth it!!  Everyone said I was stupid to try this with bot of my dogs, but it has worked so far.

Taking in a feral cat can be a challenge, but the rewards are so sweet once the cat realizes she has a loving forever home. Thank you for taking her in and keep us updated in the ferals forum. Badge awarded, of course!

 

[shira b wild]

TNR TNR TNR!

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• shira b wild
• Nov 13, 2014

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• shira b wild
• Nov 13, 2014

We also raise kits of ferals weTNR and adopt them out!

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• shira b wild
• Nov 13, 2014

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• shira b wild
• Nov 13, 2014

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• shira b wild
• Nov 13, 2014

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• shira b wild
• Nov 13, 2014

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• shira b wild
• Nov 13, 2014

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• shira b wild
• Nov 13, 2014

And pull ear tipped cats that were brought into a high kill shelter and release them at the address where they were trapped at if we see signs of a caretaker...

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• shira b wild
• Nov 13, 2014

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• shira b wild
• Nov 13, 2014

And we adopt them out if they are tame.

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• shira b wild
• Nov 13, 2014

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• shira b wild
• Nov 13, 2014

 

[catfamily7995]

Wish I could take them all in! been living in this neighborhood for a year now, and have been feeding the strays/fearls and building bonds with them! Thinking about making the feral colony i have outside some shelter this winter. So excited