Well we're back in the TNR business

Earlier this summer we saw a grey & white mom with five (what looked to be all grey & white) kitties - but we couldn't follow them. We asked those who live around here to keep an eye out, but we didn't see them again or get any word...

...until the park closed for the summer and it got cold. Then when dropping off the garbage, we'd see several kitties jumping out of the garbage and running. We saw at least two grey & white kitties and a red tabby.

Gary's health is such that we can't maintain a remote site, and it was eating us up.

Finally it started getting really cold - and we'd seen a grey & white kitty just across the road (not a public or busy road).

So we started putting out food.

It started with one grey & white kitty, obviously born earlier this year, probably part of the litter we saw. Clearly has a URI.

Then two more came - another grey & white (mostly grey), and a VERY small B&W kitty. We don't know if s(he) is from the same litter or not, but it's clear now these two travel together.

We have a Feral Villa, and we didn't think anyone was using it. It's been on our deck, and we meant to move it back to the woods. It snowed last night, and lo and behold, this morning there was a mashed down trail to the edge of the deck with a little snow kicked in the "entrance" area! Good thing we didn't move it - it is sheltered from wind here, and very close to the food.

Today we saw a kitty that looks very much like our Spooky (tortie) eating (who was rescued right here).

I'm not sure when we're going to begin trapping. It's about to get bitterly cold here again, and neither of us wants a cat to have to recover from surgery in this weather - but we need to get the one with a URI to the vet. Thankfully s(he) is the friendliest - we can already get a hand an inch or so from his/her head while s(he)'s eating, and s(he)'s a talker, and likes to carry on conversations with us. We're hoping that either tomorrow or later next week (we have biz stuff earlier in the week) we can get this kitty to the vet - and board him/her for the 10 days of antibiotcs, so get him/her neutered then if the vet will do it. I guess it depends on how sick kitty is.

We're hoping that before our winter adventure is over that the red tabby will show up, along with the 2 or 3 other kittens, litter mates of the b&w if s(he)'s from a different litter, and the grey & white mom... they're all still alive.

to you all!

Well, we haven't been able to crate runny nose, so we ran to the vet to pick up Clavamox. We'll see how it goes with getting it in his food.

We gave our trap away about 1 1/2 years ago. We're either going to buy a new one or just borrow the vet's - but we haven't even tried to trap him yet. Knock wood - we haven't had too much trouble trapping with a conventional trap.

The problem we've got with trapping is Gary's health. Any time I could leave Gary alone is a time when he'd be able to come with me anyway, so trapping has to be done on a day when he's doing OK - and it's been a very tough couple of weeks.

We'd have to make a drop trap if it comes to that.... and our plans to get to Walmart and Home Depot to get the stuff we need (large storage boxes, storage boxes to "nest" in them, and insulation for inbetween them) to make more shelters hasn't even happened yet. Hopefully tomorrow.

Part of what makes this so hard is that we've become completely obsessive.

I just put the afternoon food out... and little runny nose is under the deck. He didn't call back, so maybe he was asleep and the front door slamming woke him up. I watched him start eating... then dart out, pee, and dart back under. He ate a bit more then disappeared underneath (we set the bowl towards the edge so we can see the face of the cat eating from our window, but if it snows or rains the bowl is sheltered).

This is not good news - we thought (s)he/they had someplace warm to go. Last time it was this cold out, they didn't even show up for food, so we figured it must be a good spot.

The wind is WHIPPING.... so we just went out and covered up all the sides of the deck leaving two little panels open on the side sheltered by the RV (and the wind rarely comes toward that side) from which we know they come and go. There are a lot of leaves under there...

But if this little kitty is holing up there for the night, this is not happy news at all.

for the little guys (girls).

Well, we sure haven't done anything heroic. ...but thanks!

Little talker boy was there this morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I checked on him around 7:00am, and he was eating the dry food we left out. He hadn't got very far into it, so I ran out with a little wet food with water heated up - and his first dose of clavamox. He ate it all. So I ran out with more hot wet food, which, of course, he ate.

We are SO RELIEVED. When he disappeared, I went back out and got down to look under there.... I cannot see him. There are a lot of leaves under there - but we also know for sure there is at least one groundhog hole entrance. The very first batch of ferals we dealt with here were raised in a groundhog hole. We're wondering if he's down there? If so, it'd make great shelter. The other one was deep and probably below the frost line. But definitely out of the way of any weather - and if the entrance is under the deck, then having it get covered over with snow wouldn't happen either. (Gary had to shovel out one of the ferals trapped down one under three feet of snow once).

Whatever the situation is, he seemed fine and had his first dose of clavamox.

Took out more hot wet food (with extra water) at around 11:00am. He came back for more - but the other two haven't shown up yet. The last time it was this cold, none of them came for food until the following day, so we'll just have to see.

Thanks for all the vibes for him/them! They worked.

The tortie was back! She finished up Talker kitty's wet food and chowed a bunch of the dry.

Pictures of the growing feral - well - not quite a colony yet.

Talker kitty:


Grey Face and B&W:


...and today's visitor, the Spooky-type kitty. This must be her 2nd Winter - she's a big adult. Bigger than Spooky (though part of that may just be Winter fur).

Little by little.

OK - couldn't get out today, so moved the feral villa. It's shoved up against the deck with one of its entrances facing under the deck. Had a plug-in outdoor pet warmer, so plugged it in, put it in the sleeping chamber part, and put fleece over it. (Dont' have straw yet). Doused it with Feliway, added just a touch of catnip. One of the bowls of dry food has been moved into its entrance-way.

If little Talker is still under the deck and it isn't warm enough, well... you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. All three little kitties would easily fit in there.

Little Talker was there early this morning. S(h)e didn't even finish the clavamox bowl (not a lot of food in there) - and his/her breathing was very gurgly and labored. We couldn't get him/her to the vet this morning - but Gary was able to crate kitty. We dropped kitty at the vet - hopefully we'll hear back soon.

The staff are going to see if they can help us find a foster.

Talker kitty has severe asthma, exacerbated, obviously, by the extreme cold weather.

He's "extremely small" for his approximately 8 months of age - and he is skin and bones (that we knew already). There is a slim possibility that the asmtha resolves after initial treatment, she's seen it before, but it's not likely. Far more likely is that he will need to be medicated for life, and we shouldn't consider releasing him back outside.

He tested negative for FIV/FeLV, so that's good!

In fact - his breathing is so bad they won't neuter him. She thinks he needs at least the week - MAYBE Friday.

We've decided to board him at the vet at least until he can be neutered - that gives us maybe the week to find a foster. We've worked with this vet practice for a long time, and we know all of the staff. We give them gifts and buy lunch for everyone regularly, so when we have to board a sick kitty there, they all go out of their way to give kitty attention.

The vet tech who adopted a feral from us answered the phone when we called back to ask how much he weighed, because we forgot to ask. Several of them are going to work on finding a foster (or appropriate adoptive) home for him... and we don't know how much he weighs, because someone from a local rescue was there just then, so she jumped to go talk to them.

OMG OMG OMG! The rescue isn't full and will probably be able to take little Talker once he's been neutered! The woman visited with him - and thinks she'll be able to take him herself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please send vibes this doesn't fall through?

OH - "extremely small" Talker, who at about 8 months old should weigh around 7-9 pounds, weighs 4.5 pounds.

I cannot tell you what a weight this off our minds - and hearts.

for little Talker.

We forgot to bring the Feliway with us, so tomorrow we're delivering a little tent for him to hide in, a bunch of toys, the food he's been eating, and we're bringing the Feliway with us.

...and he was the "big" one of the three kitties.

Thanks. It sounds very much like it's going to, but I really don't want this little guy stuck at the vet longer than he needs to be. I'm sure TCS vibes will help ensure it actually happens!

We visited kitty today and took all the planned things. He's scared, but when held he's a purry little thing.