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I haven't brought him in yet. I need to figure out how since I don't think he'll just let me pick him up and bring him in. Yes, he seems very healthy now, just despondent.
It was over a year ago that he first showed up, when Jose was feeding the cats. Jose made sure Contender was well fed even going back upstairs to get him more canned food when he wanted it.Originally Posted by clixpix
Good luck tomorrow night! I'm really rooting for Mamie to go in.
I hope Contender's not ill, poor guy!
Thank you clixpix. I almost cried last night......Originally Posted by clixpix
Oh no! There was a girl last year that I tried for the entire summer to trap, but never could...she knew this trick too. Of course, I didn't have the daily access you have for Mamie, so all you can do is keep trying. I think a bigger trap is a good idea...shove the bait as deep as you can inside the trap. Maybe it's a good thing that she keeps trying...perhaps she thinks she's outsmarted you, and will continue to go in. We can hope so anyway.
Good luck!
BTW...great news about Red!
No, I never did get her.Originally Posted by katie=^..^=
Thank you clixpix. I almost cried last night......
You never got your little girl? She must be out in the night time forests, making more feral babies.
The females suffer terribly giving birth over and over. Our Big Mama, Bonita had four litters in just a little more than two years. She was very thin, and very hungry, when she finally walked into a trap for some delicious Fancy Feast. Now she's a rounded and healthy girl again. Her grown children that we still have are: (possibly) Growltiger, Jose, Sneakers and Tiger.
Six found places at no-kill shelters for adoption, one was adopted to a home, one disappeared.
I'm so impressed that you were able to trap 25-30 cats.Originally Posted by clixpix
No, I never did get her.You have no say over who walks into your trap, and others walked in willingly, but she just wouldn't. Within a two block area, we trapped, I think, about 25-30 cats and kittens, and that was just last summer. Most of them were girls, so we made what dent we could. She was pregnant when I first saw her, then I heard reports of her being seen non-pregnant, but no babies, so I think they died. She hasn't been seen in months, so I think something happened to her.She would only be about 2 years old now. I live in the city, so there are no forests for her to wander off to, more likely she would have been hit by a car, if indeed something happened to her.
No, I didn't. I was part of a group of 3, and the other two do not have it in them to put the cats back where they were trapped, so all were socialized and adopted out (except for JinJin in my siggy...still trying to find her a home). It was a ton of work, and I don't plan on repeating it. Although I feel good about them all finding homes, I think we've probably created the "vacuum effect" in that neighborhood, so I'm sure more will just move in there. They weren't my colony, I found out about them from a co-worker who told me about kittens in her yard. She's not a feeder, although there are plenty of them in that neighborhood. The problem is, nobody is fixing the cats. So the equation over there is: Cats + ample food = kittens. Unfortunately, I'm not planning on going back to trap. As you can imagine, we spent tons of money on vet bills, and I just can't afford it. I tried contacting agencies to help, like Alley Cat Allies, but I never heard from any of them.Originally Posted by katie=^..^=
I'm so impressed that you were able to trap 25-30 cats.
Have you ever keep records of your cats like that recommended by Alley Cats Allied?
Originally Posted by katie=^..^=
Thank you clixpix. I almost cried last night......
You never got your little girl? She must be out in the night time forests, making more feral babies.
The females suffer terribly giving birth over and over. Our Big Mama, Bonita had four litters in just a little more than two years. She was very thin, and very hungry, when she finally walked into a trap for some delicious Fancy Feast. Now she's a rounded and healthy girl again. Her grown children that we still have are: (possibly) Growltiger, Jose, Sneakers and Tiger.
Six found places at no-kill shelters for adoption, one was adopted to a home, one disappeared.
Originally Posted by clixpix
No, I didn't. I was part of a group of 3, and the other two do not have it in them to put the cats back where they were trapped, so all were socialized and adopted out (except for JinJin in my siggy...still trying to find her a home). It was a ton of work, and I don't plan on repeating it. Although I feel good about them all finding homes, I think we've probably created the "vacuum effect" in that neighborhood, so I'm sure more will just move in there. They weren't my colony, I found out about them from a co-worker who told me about kittens in her yard. She's not a feeder, although there are plenty of them in that neighborhood. The problem is, nobody is fixing the cats. So the equation over there is: Cats + ample food = kittens. Unfortunately, I'm not planning on going back to trap. As you can imagine, we spent tons of money on vet bills, and I just can't afford it. I tried contacting agencies to help, like Alley Cat Allies, but I never heard from any of them.
That's why it's so nice to read your posts. You are doing what colony caretakers should be doing, TNR'ing the cats you care for!
You are right about the vacuum effect. Especially if people are feeding and not trapping. Trapping is the hard and expensive part of caring for a colony. When Jose took over the colony again (after he was sick the first time), I had reduced it to only seven cats. Then when I came back this time there are now little Mamie and four stray males eating with the group. If Mamie is not trapped, even though all the males are neutered, toms will come in from other parts of the neighborhood and we'll soon be having kittens to add to the group.Originally Posted by clixpix
No, I didn't. I was part of a group of 3, and the other two do not have it in them to put the cats back where they were trapped, so all were socialized and adopted out (except for JinJin in my siggy...still trying to find her a home). It was a ton of work, and I don't plan on repeating it. Although I feel good about them all finding homes, I think we've probably created the "vacuum effect" in that neighborhood, so I'm sure more will just move in there. They weren't my colony, I found out about them from a co-worker who told me about kittens in her yard. She's not a feeder, although there are plenty of them in that neighborhood. The problem is, nobody is fixing the cats. So the equation over there is: Cats + ample food = kittens. Unfortunately, I'm not planning on going back to trap. As you can imagine, we spent tons of money on vet bills, and I just can't afford it. I tried contacting agencies to help, like Alley Cat Allies, but I never heard from any of them.
That's why it's so nice to read your posts. You are doing what colony caretakers should be doing, TNR'ing the cats you care for!
Well, there it is, isn't it. I think that perhaps a fair number of ferals are someone's kitten that just "got too big".Originally Posted by katie=^..^=
One of the sad things is that the people here like the kittens, but don't want the grown cats!
Katie..did you see this:Originally Posted by katie=^..^=
Bobbie, thank you. You are so sweet. Don't worry Bonita and all our girls are fine now. We just need good wishes for Mamie!
Originally Posted by katie=^..^=
You are right about the vacuum effect. Especially if people are feeding and not trapping. Trapping is the hard and expensive part of caring for a colony. When Jose took over the colony again (after he was sick the first time), I had reduced it to only seven cats. Then when I came back this time there are now little Mamie and four stray males eating with the group. If Mamie is not trapped, even though all the males are neutered, toms will come in from other parts of the neighborhood and we'll soon be having kittens to add to the group.
One of the sad things is that the people here like the kittens, but don't want the grown cats!