GOD is soooo good he even cares about my poor barn cat colony...great news...no euthanasia!!

Thanks to all who have been so patient listening to my previous post regarding my TNR colony. Especially the prayers and thoughts that went out to me and my cat babies. And my crying, ranting and carrying on.

So here is the great news

Just to let you know God works even in the lives of cats!

Brother-in-law was really clearing at the barn where I fed and house my babies (see my other post) so I made the decision with a lot of tears to have my babies put down through a long process with therapy emails from many of you ( you know who you are...my angels). Anyway

Captured Daddy, Creamy and Long Legs this morning and took them to the vet. Of course Creamy and Daddy were their usual sweet selves nuzzling my had through the cages, the place was full of people and this old man crying like a baby and his barn cats.

So Shanna, the vet we have known for years and originally neutered all of them said "would you mind I tried to place them as barn cats! We can still put them down if I can't.

Through the tears I said a muffled great and at that very minute the door opens and it's the very woman she was thinking of calling!!!! She looked at them, asked if they were all fixed and said she would take all of them! I said I have 5 more and she said yes to them as well!

Answer to prayer and all the people at the Cat Site who were following this.

Socks is the only one I feel a little bad about because he is the tamest of all but no deaths! She will also supplement feed and they can all stay in the barn!

Go to trap more tomorrow.

GOD is good!

Thanks

This is such wonderful, wonderful news!  I had been following that thread and was just heartbroken at what was happening.  Will you be able to visit them?   I know you're going to miss them terribly.  

I am going to ask them when I take the second round tomorrow. This will be Callie and Cutie Pie and real bonded pair and hopefully momma.

Still undecided about Socks....I may try to keep him if only Henry, our other outside cat will tolerate him. Dolly my inside/outside cat (one we kept originally from the colony 3 years ago hates Henry so maybe if Sock and Henry would bond they might leave Dolly alone when she goes out.

Just like 2nd graders on the school yard!

Anyway will keep everyone posted.

Even if I get those three it still leaves Wildie who will have to be live trapped as she will not come close enough to be handled, even after 3 years of hand feeding every other day. And a decision about my sweet Socks.

A storm is coming Weds pm so I have to hurry with this. Temps at night in the low teens and some snow. I will still worry about my babies at these people's barn. Will they stay, run off? If they do run will they come back? Will they find the food? Do they know how to hunt?

Do men go through menopause? Maybe that's my problem?

Thanks for sharing my joy and worries Margo.

Hi, I followed your other thread, and I'm so happy for you and the cats!! It's actually making me cry, but it's good tears, so I'll take it! Thank you for staying strong and be the best advocate you could for these kitties.

@trudy1

"Do men go through menopause? Maybe that's my problem?" 

You don't have a problem, you have a heart. I am a 46 year old man and your previous thread felt like it ripped my heart out. It brought tears to my eyes. It is so great to see you did not give up and stuck with it.

Please let us know how it goes tomorrow and what you decide to do with your dear Socks!  And fingers crossed that you can get Wildie in the trap.       I really hope you can stay in touch with the woman who has offered to take them.  It would make it so much easier on you if you knew how they were doing and were even able to visit now and again. 

I've been reading your other thread and feeling so bad for you and the cats. So happy when I saw this new thread.  What a wonderful Christmas miracle.  

Oh Thank God!  Last night I came across your other thread and it tore me apart. I was afraid to see an update today but, wonderful news. I had to say good bye to a cat I loved so much last month , I have been grieving so hard and believe it or not your good news has helped even me who doesn't know you or any of your cats.Thank God for you, your vet and the very kind woman who is taking them in.

I am so happy for you. I couldn't read your other thread because I could tell from the title that I wouldn't be able to bear it. I am so happy you found a solution and can save your cats.  God provides when man can't. Bless you and your kitties.

I'm so glad for you and your colony.

Good for you for never giving up.

My wife talked to the man who took my babies this morning when he returned my cages to the vet. He said they all did fine. He took cages to the barn, put down food and let them out.He said they all stayed around and ate.....yay!!! I sleep tonight!!!

Trap tomorrow so keep up the thoughts and prayers for Callie, Cutie Pie and Socks in the cages!!!

Wildie and momma will be live trapped later.

Guess it's not wrong that I still think and worry about creamy, daddy and long legs? Bet this won't go away for a long time?

Update tomorrow on the trapping.

Needless to say -----WOW!!!!!!! You know how much I've been pulling for you and your crew- this is SUCH great news!!!!!!! So glad you may get to have a tiny bit of blood-pressure lowering relief!!!!!

And certainly don't feel ashamed or alone as "old guy who tears up".....my hubby was always a self-professed "dog guy" til he met me But a few months ago, I spied in (he didn't know I was there) on my "proud cat guy" holding Flick, our teeny, very sweet, ex-feral CH kitty who we TNR'd 2 years ago...they were looking out the back window, looking into our backyard. And he was whispering into her ear, as tears streamed down his face, "I hope you're as glad as we are that you're in here now. And I promise....you'll never feel cold, or hungry, or scared and alone ever again. Not for one second. You'll never have to sleep with one eye open again. i promise with all my heart you'll always feel warm, full and safe...but most of all, loved." Then he softly kissed her ear. Then I started to sob, blowing my cover But I was SO touched! Then this summer we took 2 foster kittens back to the shelter (we're usually lucky to get fosters homes before they have to go back)----and as he was putting them into their cage at the shelter, he started to sob, and handed me the carrier after he put the first one in the cage and said "you have to finish this-I can't put them in a cage" and he went to our car. I got both our guys set at the shelter, went to join him in the car, and he still had tears streaming down his cheeks! All this from a "cat guy"! Best part of the story ---we got a call before we even got home, telling us the kittens (Olivia and Elliot-pic of them below) were adopted together right after we left!!!! So you're FAR from being alone in your "man tears."

It's late - so not rereading your original thread right this sec, so you may have addressed some of this and/or answered, so if I'm repeating info or providing something you don't need - sorry

I do see it looks like the ones that already moved to a barn were fed & released--and have returned. Woohoo! That's actually unusual- most try to "make it home as it takes most a bit of time to learn "food and shelter are HERE now." But I still thought I'd send you a few links I refer people to if they're looking to relocate ferals. You never know-you still might learn something that you could do, offer to help with, etc to ensure they all stay. Even if the barn owner does a few of these things ----they should then stay. Check out the links - they're very informative !

http://m.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvette...and-feral-cats-quick-and-dirty-how-guide-5672

http://www.carolsferals.org/free-resources-on-feline-overpopulation/rehoming-barn-cats/

http://barncats.org/?page_id=61


So (again - it's late & I probably missed something!!)---so Socks went/is going to this barn also? He was the one who would sit in your lap & were possibly even considering keeping, right? (& think at one point you had someone interested in adopting Socks but it fell tgrough, right? Is it possible for you to bring Socks in (insome way shape or form) just temporarily? To continue to work on her socialization with others? Or if you did want to try to keep her but are worried about acceptance, I (& others on this site!) have a TON of experience/suggestions we could make regarding socialization & integration --- even if you can't keep Socks forever, if you can get her more socialized and integrate well with others ---it would either make it alit easier for you to keep her ---/but it will also make her much more desirable if you decide to then try to adopt Socks out!

Again ----SOOOOOOO happy you're well on your way to a VERY happy ending!!!!

(Below are a few pics of Eliot & Olivia, the two babies we fostered that made my sweet hubby cry---but are now in very happy homes!!!)

Well the trapping did NOT go well this morning!

We usually put down their ground chicken and while they are eating we use the "Momma cat neck hold" to pick them up and put them in the carrier. They just go limp like their momma used to carry them!

So I knew we had to get Cutie Pie before or at the same time we get Callie since little Cutie Pie depends so on Callie for everything.

Tried to grab poor little Cutie Pie twice and failed both times! So she ran and poor Callie came over as if to say "what are you doing to my sister?" Cutie Pie is very small in build and has very little loose skin. All I did was traumatize the poor thing.

I did get poor little Socks and made the decision to take him to the vet for placement. The 45 minute ride was agony. He never made a sound all the way...just looked at me with those soulful eyes that say why are you doing this, you and me had a trust, didn't we? So I left and cried all the way into town.

When people ask I have learned to say "allergy " about my red eyes!

Now I am forced to be in full live trap mode, which I hate!

Will try to capture Cutie Pie, Wildie and Momma in the traps. Callie you can always pickup and put in a carrier but not until I get her bff Cutie Pie .

This is such a roller coaster ride of emotions.

Just hope my Socks gets a good friend.

To kittychick: sounds like your hubby and I could be related as I have the same dog to cat conversion story!!!

*PRAYERS* for all!

Can you not keep Socks?

Finally figured out how to post pics of the colony or what was the colony. Now you will see why it broke my heart
this is Socks

Daddy

Callie

Momma

creamy and Wildie

Just a few as I could not get pics of them all before I started this. Probably just as well.

AWWWWWW.  They are all so cute and they look well cared for.  

trudy1 said:

this is Socks

IMG_0119.JPG

• trudy1
• Dec 6, 2016

Daddy

IMG_0122.JPG

• trudy1
• Dec 6, 2016

Callie

IMG_0121.JPG

• trudy1
• Dec 6, 2016

Momma

IMG_0125.JPG

• trudy1
• Dec 6, 2016

creamy and Wildie

Just a few as I could not get pics of them all before I started this. Probably just as well.

Click to expand...

Awww. Look at those cutie pies. They're beautiful cats - obviously happy and well cared for.  No wonder your heart is breaking.      This is so much better than what could have happened, though I know you will miss them terribly.  Best of luck trapping tomorrow. 

Beautiful cats! I know how you feel about trapping @trudy1  I moved my colony with me when we moved house a few years ago. There were more than 20 cats. Half of them I was able to either pick up or coax into carriers with treats and catnip. The rest had to be trapped again. It took me a couple of months to get them all and it was heart breaking, particularly as there were a few that refused to be trapped and had to be left at the old place.



It's worth it when you see them all going to their new safe home though. The ones I left behind still get fed by the neighbors, so they're not doing so badly.

Vibes for more successful trapping the next time you go.

Great news on Socks!! The other day when I took Daddy, Long legs and Cream there was a woman there with her sick dog which she left at the vet.

So the next day I bring in Socks, he was crying cat tears and I was crying to. so I leave him.

Today I go back to pickup empty cage and the receptionist tells me the woman's dog did not make it yesterday but that the woman was worried about the three cats I had left (which went to a great family as barn cats!). So she walked in to pay her bill and there sits Socks!

The upside is she took Socks to be, get this, an inside cat!!! Yay! and her little girls were thrilled!!!

You see my main worry about Socks was he was a newcomer and not from or accepted by the original colony. Also he is a short hair as opposed to the others who had really, really thick coats so he was always cold! Love starved to boot!

One more solved, I'm happy, no thrilled and I am sure my little love starved Socks is to.

Another one taken care and four more to go! Now if I can only trap Cutie Pie. Then I can just pickup My sweet Callie and put her in a carrier...then they can be together wherever they go and I won't worry (as much) about them.

Great news about Socks! That choked me up. All of the cats are cute as heck. I know it is all so hard on you and I just wanted to tell you that , in my humble opinion, you are an exceptional person and have earned your place in heaven.