Saving/managing new feral colony

JennyR said:

I found a new one this morning - a large tabby who ran away as I was moving a trap. I know now where he is living and I am leaving the trap there, open, for a day or two. I don't want to catch any more yet, as I still have the female who was fixed on Monday and the male I took in today. I don't have enough space at the house till I can release those two! But it is going well.

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That is amazing work!! Those cats are so lucky to have a friend like you. 

You are doing AMAZING job and your heart has to feel so good about what you are doing for these poor kitties. Many, many vibes for your continued success. Bless you, hun !!!

what a great job you are doing. A couple of thoughts on the PR front. 

Do you have a pet store in your village?  We have a local pet store that actively takes in a few rehabbed ferals or abandoned cats who are suitable for adoption ("showing them" in the store while feeding and caring for them) and does great PR for adoption.  The owner is a good hearted guy who really loves cats and wants to help, but there is also a solid business angle - gaining a solid base of future customers coming in for cat food and supplies!  He gives discount vouchers to folks who adopt a cat or make a donation, even if it's not one of "his" cats (I got 15% off my purchase when I produced my spay-neuter receipt from our local clinic and 2 free cans of cat food when I made a $20 donation).  Maybe something to explore?

another thought:  local school.  Does it have some venue for a presentation about the life of feral cats that parents as well as kids could attend (just kids probably wouldn't be good - you would need parents on board!) - something to increase awareness about the need to spay/neuter and try to find homes?

Lrosewiles said:

what a great job you are doing. A couple of thoughts on the PR front. 

Do you have a pet store in your village?  We have a local pet store that actively takes in a few rehabbed ferals or abandoned cats who are suitable for adoption ("showing them" in the store while feeding and caring for them) and does great PR for adoption.  The owner is a good hearted guy who really loves cats and wants to help, but there is also a solid business angle - gaining a solid base of future customers coming in for cat food and supplies!  He gives discount vouchers to folks who adopt a cat or make a donation, even if it's not one of "his" cats (I got 15% off my purchase when I produced my spay-neuter receipt from our local clinic and 2 free cans of cat food when I made a $20 donation).  Maybe something to explore?

another thought:  local school.  Does it have some venue for a presentation about the life of feral cats that parents as well as kids could attend (just kids probably wouldn't be good - you would need parents on board!) - something to increase awareness about the need to spay/neuter and try to find homes?

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I am sure those ideas would work in a bigger community but ours is very small. There are no shops in our village and only one cafe/bar that is only open in summer. We don't have a school, either. There is a bigger village with those facilities about 10 minutes away (no pet shop, though!), and through the sewing circle that I belong to there, I have been asking people whether there is anything we could do together. I have now got three people in my own village who would be interested in forming a 'Friends of Ferals' association, and we might get more. Then we could legally collect funds and campaign -as individuals it is very difficult. I am going to bring it up at the next Council meeting.

On the home front, the little girl who was spayed on Monday is making good progress and will be ready for release in a few days. She is now letting me touch her gently through the bars of the cage, which means I will risk taking her back to the vet for a control check before release. The second boy we caught is very scared and still very aggressive, but is eating well and I will set him free tomorrow or Monday, depending on the weather ( very heavy rain is predicted tomorrow). I have not set the traps while I have those two at home - I do not have the room for any more recuperating patients. But I have been laying food down in the open traps and I think the cats are getting used to the idea of going inside. So I will resume trapping, in the abandoned barn, next week.

Lovely to hear your little female is continuing to recover well, and the male should be able to go out by Monday (weather permitting).   Those cats must think your pens are wonderful, all the food they're finding there recently!  Hopefully your scared boy won't  remember too much how scary his experience has been once he's let loose again and won't spook them.  It sounds like it is going very well, and wonderful that you are getting some more people backing you.

Very good idea to feed in the open traps.  Sounds like you are making a lot of progress.

I caught TWO cats last night, a huge brown tabby with russet tinges - almost certainly the father of the original kittens, and a small black kitten, around 4 months old at a guess. I am going to release the female I have tonight and take these two to the vet tomorrow, so then I will have two cages free for them for recovery periods. I am not sure of the sex of the kitten yet. But that makes 5! Good to report to the Council meeting on Friday, for those who said it couldn't be done.

You are making incredible headway here.  I hope the people at the meeting on Friday are suitably impressed and start to see how positive this work is.   You are amazing.

LoL, I feel scared just thinking about that huge brown tabby tom.      I hope he isn't too cross and grumpy at being penned up.   With the kitten, wow, if you have a little female that is one lucky girl as no doubt she would be pregnant soon otherwise.  Hope both have a safe and quick trip to the vet and a speedy recovery.  

Congratulations!
Them saying it couldn't be done reminded me of something that happened to me:
Animal Control came out to the condo complex where I was living several times to trap and remove (read: euthanize) cats. In addition to people stealing traps, AC didn't trap any cats. So I talked to the property manager and volunteered, with the stipulation that the cats would be returned to where I found them. The property manager relucantly agreed because I said "better the devil you know than the one [unspayed/unneutered] you don't know". And, it wasn't costing him any money.
I trapped six or seven cats that night, one of whom was pregnant.

Ritz said:

Congratulations!
Them saying it couldn't be done reminded me of something that happened to me:
Animal Control came out to the condo complex where I was living several times to trap and remove (read: euthanize) cats. In addition to people stealing traps, AC didn't trap any cats. So I talked to the property manager and volunteered, with the stipulation that the cats would be returned to where I found them. The property manager relucantly agreed because I said "better the devil you know than the one [unspayed/unneutered] you don't know". And, it wasn't costing him any money.
I trapped six or seven cats that night, one of whom was pregnant.

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Great work! I have to keep telling people why it is better to have a managed colony than 'no cats' (read 'many cats in a few months!')

JennyR said:

Good to report to the Council meeting on Friday, for those who said it couldn't be done.

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THAT is how you will make them a believer in TNR and for them to have a better understanding and respect for it AND for you. I am out-of-town but wanted to check in here and I can't believe the HUGE progress you are making. It just made my day. for continuing success. You have a giant, compassionate heart :heart3: to take this on for these kitties and the Council will and should be amazed. :grphug:

I brought the latest two home today after their ops. The kitten turned out to be male, and is already very gentle. The vet girls said he would be adoptable, if we could find someone. But much as I would like to do that, I am not optimistic - I couldn't find homes for Topaz, Amber or Bluebelle, and to be honest, they are all more superficially attractive than this little black kitten.

I never understood people's reluctance to adopt black cats.  We have four and they are the sweetest kitties.  Hopefully, someone will come along who appreciates this little guy.

Good job.  I know the council will be impressed.

Ondine said:

 
I never understood people's reluctance to adopt black cats.  We have four and they are the sweetest kitties.  Hopefully, someone will come along who appreciates this little guy.

Good job.  I know the council will be impressed.

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I agree. They are also so beautiful.

I hope the council is impressed. You've accomplished so much in such a short time! 

You never know, with the range of people you are currently liaising with perhaps there will be someone whose head has been turned to think about cats in a new way, or perhaps realises they have space in their home for one (more).  Black cats are precious, and if this little guy is already a gentle soul what an amazing little cat he could become in a loving forever human home.  

Any updates on the council meeting and the kitties? Just thinking of you and checking in now that I am back.

I have been so busy I have not had time to post. But the job is done, all feral cats that I have had information of are TNR'd, and I have the black kitten at home while he waits to go to his new family! He has been chipped and had his first shots. He is going to England, to a music teacher's home. My daughter is coming over in two weeks' time to collect him. He is a really lovely kitten, very amiable with the dog and the other cats and spends time on my lap every evening. So I am very happy.

As for funding, I have received donations for about half the costs so far, which is not bad. I still have the cats in one of the outlying hamlets to catch, but that will have to wait. My Cinders has been very sick and needed tests and treatments, which used up all my spare cash. She is doing OK, but is not out of the woods yet, so I have told everyone that she must come first, and I will take up the feral problem again when I can. They are all very pleased, though, and have realised that the problem can be solved in a way where everyone can benefit.

Great news!  Thanks for the update.

Vibes that Cinders feels better soon.

Ondine said:

 
Great news!  Thanks for the update.

Vibes that Cinders feels better soon.

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    Bucket loads more vibes for Cinders.

Wonderful news and thanks for the update. That kitten sounds very, very special! Thanks to you he will have a good life.

I am very sorry, though, to hear about Cinders. :shame: I am and will continue to send vibes for her that she will recover. :cross: :rub: