Feral Kitties

"Hi!!! We need a home. The lady that feeds us is planning to trap us, have us neutered and vaccinated, and then release us; because even though we are truly adorable, she lives in a tiny apartment already filled with herself, her husband and 3 frolicking felines. After she captures us, gets us treated and releases us, we probably won't go in the traps again, would you? We'll probably keep eating the food she puts out for us, though she's afraid we won't be as friendly. We'll have to wait and see. She's planning to trap us right after Labor Day, 2005, early in the week, so we can recuperate at the clinic after sterilization. If you'd like to take us home or have any advice click here."

"I know where you live!"

(the view outside the bathroom window)

The next morning around sunrise...

"Where's Breakfast?"

After another week or so, advice from Independent Animal Rescue, beaded bracelets bought by Terry, Rick, Adam, and Ellen raising funds for the upcoming procedure (Thank you!!!), several days of eating and playing around a trip proof cage, borrowed from my friend Charles (Thank you Charles!), the big day finally arrived!!!...

A quick trip to Nick's Road Veterinary Clinic for the SNIPPET program. Thank you IAR for picking up half the tab!!! (I"m going to sell bracelets through this site to raise money for them within the week) and on to recovery and socialization at our landlord Johnny and his wife Ellen's house. They are so cool, this would not have been possible without them!

"Feral? Who's feral?"

"We love it here at Johnny and Ellen's! I especially love jumping into Ellen's lap and getting petted!!! They feed us, play with us...they even call me Elvis!!! They're awesome. Sis' is still a little skittish but she doesn't dart when they enter the room, she'll play and she'll even let them pet her every now and then. Johnny says we have a healthy appetite. Ellen doesn't want us released back under the house where we lived for so long. I'm sure the nice lady will keep feeding us but Ellen says it gets cold in the winter. Ellen says we can go live with nice people who will feed us good food, play with us, let us stay indoors when it's cold, love us and won't let us run around in traffic. Terry suggested listing us with the following sites:

http://www.hhaf.org/ (Happy Hills Animal Foundation - a no-kill facility in Staley, NC)

and of course well try to get on IAR's site because they're so totally ultra...so I think our pictures will be circulating in various lists to help us find good homes. Until we find our forever homes I think we'll be here at Ellen and Johnny's if you'd like to offer us a forever home click here."

It now appears that a calico dam and at least 3 light colored new kittens have moved in under the house next door. No pictures yet. I'm thinking these kittens may end up at the shelter, but if we get them early enough they can be more easily socialized and still be young enough to be adoptably adorable. I say we as I've already informed Ellen about the situation. I really don't want to burden her family with these kittens. We'll just have to see what happens...

: Mama Kitty with Butterscoth Sundae and Cinnamon

2/08/2006

Two of the kittens have survived. I can't bring myself to ask IAR for more help. I was hoping to have a job by now so I could pay for the sterilizations / vaccinations myself, but that hasn't happened. Maybe I'll go back to making and selling bracelets and actually set up my little web store. In the meantime I'll keep feeding them and hoping for the best. Mama Kitty and one of the kittens lets me pet them while I feed them and today Mama let me pet her even without food. When I can fund this endeavor, it shouldn't be too hard to catch them.

Back in November 2005 a new friend of mine, Laura, saw this page and decided that it was time to do a little TNR (Trap Neuter Release) at her old man's parents' place. She wrote IAR, getting funding from them for three procedures (IAR is wonderful!!!). Laura and I captured two of the three cats. Bright and early the next morning, her old man's parents, Margret and Charlie, Laura and I piled into Charlie's truck, taking the captured kitties, Tiggy and Little Precious, to Nick's Road Clinic for their procedures. My friend Forrest allowed the kitties to recover on his closed in porch, providing a space heater for their comfort. Tiggy and Little Precious were released the next day and are currently doing fine. Charlie said he'll try to catch the third kitty himself, later on down the road.

: Orange Tiggy and Little Precious before their procedures

Well we got our tax refund so it's now time to take the ferals next door in for their procedures. I put some tuna juice in our cat carrier and took it out to Mama Kitty, who's now pregnant again. She's so trusting that she just walked right into the carrier, no drama until I shut the gate and carried her inside our apartment. I was afraid to leave her 2 surviving girl kitties outside without her, so I prepared the traps from IAR and now I have the girl kitties. They're all in our laundry room tonight and they will be taken for their vaccinations and spaying tomorrow. What a relief! More pictures after the procedure. I think they've had enough excitement for one day...

The kitties had their procedures yesterday at Nick's Rd. Clinic. Thank you Adam for your donation to this cause! Thank you Pam for the use of your traps! All three cats spent last night recovering in the laundry room in the traps in which they'd been caught. I released them this morning with 2 bowls of dry and canned food. Our little outdoor fuzzies were pretty skittish so I went inside for coffee. When I came back out Mama Kitty was eating. She didn't run when she saw me and she let me pet her while she was eating. Butterscotch came out from under the house and let me pet her about 20 min's. or so and then she went to play with her sister, Cinnamon. Cinnamon still doesn't want to be touched and that's okay. They're spayed and vaccinated, becoming more socialized every day. If you think you'd like to give them a forever home click here.

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