The feral count....

OHHHHH Laurie Just think of ALL of the suffering you and Gary have ceased by TNRing () ALL of those cats. Can you imagine.... good grief..... the amount of cats/kittens if you had not. MAJOR HUGE ENORMOUS accomplishment in the name of saving lives

Isn't it amazing how out of the blue these cats do show up after a disappearance of SO many months. Somehow they just know how to survive. I sometimes wonder about Yogi.... It makes perfect sense that the cats would disappear during the summer at the Park where you live. When I had a horse, I boarded at a busy show facility with horse shows going on almost every weekend. The feral's were NEVER around during horse show days. I never saw any of them. But come Monday morning when all was clear, out they would come looking for a good meal. And then at the end of the show season, ALL of the cats would show up again, even a few who I thought had passed on.

Well - here is my list of feral's in my yard/neighborhood who I have TNRd over the last two years.

#1 - Tortie - TNR last summer. She has since been gone.
#2 - Orange Tomcat - He was so sick and showed up one day out of the blue. Ears were completely closed up and black. Both eyes were glued shut and he was SO full of fluid in his abdomen. I was able to trap him and get him to my TNR vet who diagnosed him with the wet form of FIP. He was humanely euthanized to end his suffering. Poor little man

#3 - Dixie - Mom to kittens - Still lives in my yard.
#4 - Avery - daughter to dixie - socialized and in loving home
#5 - Pixie - daughter to Dixie - socialized and in loving home
#6 - Magilla - daughter to Dixie - socialized and in loving home
#5 - Willow - son to Dixie - lives in my yard
#6 - Yogi - Dad to above??? gone since April 29, Spring
#7 - Boo Boo - son to Dixie - gone since June
#8 - Hokey - TNRd - only shows up periodically - where he lives,
#9 - Wilma - grey tortie (was preggie when spayed ) gone since August

#10 -AND ONE LEFT TO TRAP who is possibly the BIG daddy of all of the above. A short-legged, long-haired, grey tabby Tomcat with HUGE jowels. He ONLY passes through occasionally. Strolls up to the feeding shelter and eats, if there is food left, and then walks on. He NEVER approaches a trap, just passes by and leaves. He never, ever stays in the yard, just strolls through and leaves. I have tried to trap this guy since last December.

These are only the cats in my yard that live in the woods behind my house. There are many other's that I have TNRd over twenty-five years of owning horses. A lot of feral cat's at the barns.....

Great thread, Laurie!!!! Think of ALL the little, tiny baby kittens we have saved from being born to a life of uncertainty, languish, hurt and suffering (unless they find a loving feral caretaker )

Laurie, Of course, no new cats/kittens. You put a stop to that and hopefully there won't be any abandoned kitties when everyone else leaves the Park. What an incredible feat. It does feel good in our heart knowing what we have accomplished. And I will NEVER stop caring for ferals and fighting for ferals . If people could realize the impact that TNRing just ONE stray or feral cat would have on decreasing the over-population problem, the statistics would be astounding . I try to educate and spread the word to as many people who will listen to "the crazy cat lady"

Another one now to keep you eyes out for . Seems this time of year is common for more feral's to show up looking for a food source for the winter.. Still haven't seen big grey tomcat, Yakky, in many weeks. But I am keeping watch for any new cats and will be ready to trap if they show themselves

"Yakky?" Who? What? Where did he come from? This is news to me. Where did he come from? When did he appear? What does he look like? Have you seen him in the past? Do you think he is related to your others?

I seem to not be keeping up.

Robin

I can barely keep them straight . Yakky has been around since last December, just passes through. Hokey and Yakky look very similar. Hokey hardly ever comes around either anymore . Yakky is a big chunky tomcat with short legs. Long haired grey tabby. I do believe they are all related. He might be the big daddy/grandpa of all of them and Dixie the mom. The worst thing is when
you think the one cat you have been seeing and feeding turns out to be two identical cats

GUESS WHO just passed through the back yard as I was sitting here posting!!!! HOKEY!!!! I haven't seen him since maybe July!!!! I am SOOOOO happy to see him and he looks good. Thick coat and in good condition. I stepped out on the deck and he looked at me for a bit as I talked to him scolding him how he worried me so. He then sauntered into the woods I DO think the colder weather will soon be bringing a few of my roaming feral's back and who knows if anyone new will show up too. We will see.

Hopefully the brown face had a tipped ear . I always panic when I see a "walk-by" and hope to see that tipped ear

Since November 2010 (right around my birthday) I have trapped and TNRd around 20 to 25 cats.  The vast majority are male.  It all started with Kitten #1, 2 and 3.  Because of the high rate of evictions and foreclosures, the colony is growing.

Off the top of my head here are some of them:

Patches, white cat with black patches, kitten #1, the first member of the colony, April 2010.  Born to feral/stray mother.  Loves to climb and dig.  The only cat that will eat raw bone (I have fed Ritz franknprey, now commercial raw; when fed Frankenprey, the ferals got Ritz' rejects.)

Tuexedo, classic B&W cat, kitten #2.  Kind of shy.  Female.

Braveheart, all black cat, kitten #3.  Like his name, not afraid.  Climbed on my jacket (with me in it) early on.

Several tabby cats with white paws, some of whom I can't get close enough to see if I've TNRd them.  (The kittens were born to a tabby/white paws.) 

Chance:  one of the old timers, seen since around April 2010.  Moves the slowest, rolls on his side sometimes when I come out to feed the bunch.  Strongly prefers dry food.

Greystone:  first observed him in the winter of 2009.  Grey cat with white paws.  Sadly, have not seen him since December 2010.  He introduced several other cats to the colony, kind of giving them his seal of approval and acceptance.
Sandy/Cindy:  Grey and white cat with a strip of white fur on his back.  Buckley/Becky's twin, around since October 2010.  Sweet, rolls on his side a lot when I see him.  Polite.  Introduced by Greystone.

OT for Orange Tabby.  Shy.  Beautiful lines.  Introduced by Greystone.

B&W (black and white cat, spotted), March 2011:  skittish.  Learning to dumpster dive (:

Quill, calico cat.  Joined colony February 2011, pregnant.  Extremely feral--and hungry, but getting less so.  Won't run off when I feed her.

Per Stirpes, tabby with white paws, Quill's son.  Joined colony around March or April 2011.  Playful.  Won't run off when I feed him.

Kimba (white lion):  white cat, rough looking, extremely thin.  Joined colony around September/October 2011.  Has warmed up to me nicely. 

"Persian 1 and Persian 2":  P1 has smooshed in face, classic of that breed; grey/silver.  Infrequent quest beginning around October 2011.  Hope to trap him/her this weekend.  Persion 2 looks identical to P1, but the few times I saw him/her, extremely sick looking.

Precious Girl renamed Precious Boy:  Grey and white cat.  Steals my heart; face looks like Ritz.  Dumped around a month ago by someone who lives in my condo complex.  Extremely friendly.  Older than the other cats.  If it weren't for Ritz' stress-induced FLUTD, I'd consider adopting him.  Learning to dumpster dive (:

"Bob":  looks like Buckley, sighted recently after an absence of six months.

There are four other cats not included, which were retrapped and moved to my friend's home in order to be resocialized.  Princess Leia is now in a Forever Home; Buckley is still MIA (see other posts); Mystique and JD are still "works in progress".

 

I leave out a trap a day or two before I trap.  And some *(**& stole the trap yesterday!  I sometimes wonder why I bother.  And then I look at Ritz, herself a rescued, dumped cat.  And I know.

 

WOW Cindy !!!!! You have DONE a fantastic job with trapping feral cats and saving lives I am so happy to hear about all of the kitties people have TNRd. Great efforts by ALL

Still thinking about Buckley ....... and sending vibes!!!!!!!!!!!! VIBES VIBES VIBES VIBES

Because we will be moving after I retire next fall, I do not feed the occasional stray I see. I usually trap and find them either indoor homes or, as in the case of Vivian this past spring, find farm homes.  There is a quarter acre of woods behind us (between our yard and the lake) and that's usually where they come from.  I've been pretty vigilant about it.

 

In the last week, I have been shocked to count at least four cats currently living back there.  All are pretty wary - I do not think they were dumped pets. Something tells me they've all been there for awhile.

 

I know I won't find homes for them all.  I really feel guilty not feeding them (or providing them with some sort of shelter).   I will keep my eyes out for anyone needing help and will provide it of course.  But I so did not want to start something this close to retirement.  I just know I'm going to end up taking them with us. **Sigh**

 

 

I plan to TNR them - and anybody else I can trap.  My friend, a seasoned TNRer, says if I neuter/spay them, they can take care of themselves from that point.  I just hate the thoughts of them on their own, though.

 

I guess I'm trying to keep my options open.  What I am afraid of is that I won't be able to trap them again if we decide to take them when we move. 

We might be moving too but probably not for a year or so. I would have to take my regular feral's with us. I couldn't leave them, they rely to much on my daily care now. I understand your dilemma totally . It is such a worry when we see more feral's showing up too. Trapping and getting them sterilized is the right thing to do, even if you cannot continue to feed them. You will be saving many more feral born kittens If just getting them TNRd is all you can do for them, that is better than doing nothing and just ignoring them. I know it is hard and takes work , but I would at least try. Good luck and keep us posted

Probably IS a bro to Chunky Monkey Chum !!!! Seems to me most of the feral's that I have trapped are all related and have the same family genes. for another successful ( L&G ) trapping

Look at those gorgeous coat patterns. Just like Chumley !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWW they are twins. It probably is a male - jowel's and all - because I really think you would be seeing kittens . That is the LAST thing we want, right - more feral kittens . Love Peanutbutter's name, so I guess you need a "Jelly" ..... Just a thought

I thought you would agree. Jelly is SUCH a cute name too. And yes - he definitely has been eating somewhere . He is in great condition - which is always good to see instead of the "other". It is easier if the feral's are in good weight, good condition and healthy. A little less worry on our part then.