Trapping Osama

I just fell off my computer chair! David Horsely is going to pay to have Samoa vaccinated and neutered????

My guess? He doesn't want to be "shown up" by some CRAZY CAT LADY on the East Coast!

I can't wait for Samoa to be captured and neutered! I think when that happens we're going to add the Samoa Day to the TCS Calendar and we'll have an annual celebration every year!

Laurie, when the website we discussed, with all the wonderful work you and Christy are doing, when it's up, I think Samoa's story will get a special page there! can you ask the Amarillo lady to get some pictures when she captures him? tell her it's for a website that will be promoting TNR efforts.

Great idea! I'll do that.

:tounge2:

Judi has already responded. She has a digital camera and is happy to oblige!

Believe it or not...I kind-of liked his article. It even brought tears to my eyes!

I like that he started out saying (and thinking) that we are a bunch of loons, but then said that he now realizes what tender-hearted people we are and that we are doing a good thing. I can imagine that some of the letters he received from us were a heck of a lot more hostile and less understanding of his ignorance than he was(is) of us. I think the fact that he learned something new and valuable about crazy cat women, feral cats, and humanity is a great thing for the public to see.

You've got a really good point there lotsocats!

I can imagine that some of the letters he received from us were a heck of a lot more hostile and less understanding of his ignorance than he was(is) of us.

Click to expand...

We do tend to get emotional because we care so much.

The most surprising thing to me was his communications with Judi. It looks like he's actually going to help lobby the city of Amarillo for a low-cost spay/neuter program and education, and we'll see, but Judi was even going to push for supporting TNR programs. Hopefully not in his neighborhood, but...

*Trying to find that elusive silver lining again*

Maybe we did get through to him more than he will admit, at least in his column. When I see that he has offered to pay for neuter/shots for Samoa and he is willing to help Judi in her efforts, it makes me think that he has a softer heart than what he puts out in his column. You know, that whole macho "I have an image to maintain" thing.

Heidi, kudos for being the first one to try to find the silver lining! I get my ire up, and it's hard to get past it.

Did anyone poke around the newspaper at all? Mr. Horsley is trained in THEOLOGY! Weird, right?

I just hope that those who fired their anger at him will also extend to him now their thoughts on how his views have changed. He desrves to be told as many good things as he was subjected to all the bad thoughts from us- me included. I have already written him and told him my label of him being a horse's patoot has changed to where he is now the cat's pajamas! LOL

...or the cat's meow!

I am so glad to hear that maybe he is having a change of heart, and may not be as heartless as we once thought. That is so great that he has offered to pay for Samoa's neutering and shots!!! WOW! I am thrilled to hear this!!!!! Keep us posted!!!!! I can't wait to hear that he has ben captured!

THEY CAUGHT SAMOA! Meet Samoa. David Horsley fed him at a regular time in a neighbor's garage. When Samoa was in there, he shut the doors and called Judi. She came, and I'm not sure what happened. Gary's on the phone with her now, and she's composing an e-mail letter with all the details. She simply wrote "WE GOT HIM!" Then she shot over the pictures and simply said "He's soooo sweet!"

Here's his pic, and I'll post details as soon as I have them.



MEET SAMOA!

I am sitting here in tears while reading this! One more feral with a fighting chance! I am so thrilled! Way to go to everyone who had a hand in getting here!

O.K. They didn't use a garage as planned. Someone in the neighborhood had an abandoned maid's quarters, a separate small house in the back yard. It is up on cinderblocks. David cut a hole in the floor and fed Samoa cans of tuna in there. He set up a rig with rope through the bathroom door, fed it out the house over to a tree. Judi said it was about 100 feet away, and it was smart but so funny!

David put the tuna in the bathroom this morning and laid out waiting for him. Apparently Samoa saw him, but since he was relatively far away, Samoa decided to go for it anyway. After he watched Samoa slip up through the floor, he waited several minutes and then pulled the rope. I guess he was really afraid of the cat, because he went and set a cinder block up against the bathroom door. ! Anyway, he called Judi who headed over with one of her assistants. She had a "Snarem" (spelling?) (I'm getting this from the phone, not an e-mail). They removed the cinder block, opened the door and slipped in. She said Samoa was about four feet up the wall with his claws dug into the windowsill. She talked to him while working to get the snarem on him, and he calmed down.

She slipped the snarem over him, and they opened the bathroom door. Samoa was happy about that, and walked (not ran) out with the snarem on. She led him to the crate, which he was not happy about, but she was able to just push him in there without much fight.

No one got hurt. !!!!

She talked to him the whole way back to CritterCamp. She said he didn't cry meowning, but he was talking. She kept saying things like, You know why you got trapped? You know where you're going? That kind of thing. She said his "meow" sounded like he just kept answering "no!"

They drove back to CritterCamp and released him into the cage that will be his temporary home while they resocialize him. They left him for about five minutes. They really didn't know what to expect because of the "horror story." But when they came back, they were able to reach in to pet him. He's clearly used to people. She said he's just to sweet to be a feral.

She is convinced they'll be able to adopt him. He's a beautiful cat and very sweet.

I'll keep you posted on the neutering, etc.

YIIIPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Hmm- are you sure he is the right cat? David made him out to be such a monster! He is a pretty boy all right and now he has a chance!

I know! Judi said that when they went into that abandoned place and she saw the concrete block there, it was just too funny! And once they got back to CritterCamp, they just couldn't stop laughing. It must have been such a great relief!

:tounge2:

You know, I just read this whole post from the beginning and I think it is worthy of being stuck for awhile.It shows the true meaning and intent behind these forums that Anne has so lovingly created- the education of those who need it when it comes to cat care. It shows the networking abilities of some very determined women with hubbies in tow and it shows that one or two people can make a difference in the world.

I have to wonder what Samoa's fate would of been had not Anne found the article and posted it here? It got cross-posted on lots of other boards as well so we were not the only "cat folk" involved in this process. All for the sake of a poor misunderstood feral who turns out not to be so "feral" after-all.

So one sticky note coming right up!

He's SO beautiful! I expected some hulking, chewed up tough guy. I am so glad he's ok.

I am so happy!!!

This just made my day!!!!!

He is a BEAUTIFUL cat!!! I too expected him to look like some roughed up, "tough" cat with battle scars and all, from the way David Horsley had described him!!!

That is sooo funny that he was so scared of a sweet little puddy tat!

I am just so glad that Samoa is caught and will be rehomed soon! You all deserve such a huge pat on the back for saving this cat!!!!!! And I'm so glad he was already used to people and didn't go nuts on them!! That is great!!!!