Monday, March 19, 2012

another TNR day

I had the good fortune of spending a good chunk of my day out trapping feral cats with Vicki, an experienced TNR'er. She was told there were two cats hanging around an industrial area. A kind citizen has been feeding them regularly but the cats hadn't been sterilized, so we went today hoping to trap them so they could be spayed and neutered.

This was the spot that the cats have been getting fed, tucked between these trees and the fence. Since the cats are used to coming to this spot, we decided to set the traps here.

These are the two we were after, a fluffy Siamese-mix and a small black kitten. Everywhere the Siamese-mix would go, the black kitten would be right by her, we guessed the kitten was following mama.

The fluffy Siamese-mix is heading into the trap while the black kitten watches.

In the end we actually saw four cats at this site, and when I left we had successfully trapped the fluffy Siamese-mix and a beautiful male (which was unexpected). The black kitten was still at large as well as a large longhaired black cat. Vicki was going to stay another hour and I haven't heard yet if she was successful in trapping more cats.

The more I get into TNR the more I learn. I'm amazed at just how many ferals there are out there that often go unseen unless you are looking for them. Even in my neighborhood there are many but all those years of living here I just never saw them.

Vicki drove me around the area and showed me several sites where she has trapped over the years as well as several colonies that she takes care of. She alone has helped hundreds of cats in the community - what a great blessing to the community cats and the community.

This orange and white guy was one that Vicki TNR'ed over six years ago! He's doing great living outside of a medium-sized apartment complex along with many other cats that Vicki has taken care of. Today he got to enjoy the remainder of the can of trap bait (stinky goodness!) Today I learned that one person can make a huge difference in the lives of many cats.

I also learned that the community cats face many dangers. When we were waiting and watching the traps at this industrial site, a man came out and started spraying down the white fence along the property. He was spraying on bleach to kill the mildew (one of the joys of living in the Pacific Northwest!) The first picture at the top was pre-bleach spray and you can see the mildew and the third picture above is 2.5 hours later, post-bleach spray and the mildew is gone! It seemed to me the concentration of bleach was very high, which would pose a significant danger to the kitties.

The cats make their way through the fences wherever there are openings.

On this site, this was one of the main entry routes for the cats. The hole is on the bottom right. Just to the left of the hole under the fence is a large coil of razor wire. One brush against that and poor kitty will come away with some serious lacerations. These community cats face significant dangers every day of their lives. 

I loved spending the time out in the community today looking for the ferals. TNR is such a win-win, for the cats and the community. I also greatly appreciate the opportunity to learn from experienced TNR people - thanks Vicki!

I came home feeling all jazzed up from trapping kitties, I thought it best to use some of that energy to improve Oliver's life. I don't think he cared for the idea of having his guest house on the enclosed back porch - he felt that was a demotion, a step in the wrong direction!

So, drawing on some inspiration from the Katnip Lounge's VIC Sky Lounge, I built Oliver a raised sleeping perch. It fits his heating pad nicely. I still need to sew him up a rectangular bed which will fit the spot much better than the oval bed that he's currently using.


Of couse Oliver snoopervised the construction and as soon as it was complete, he had to test it out.


I think he likes it!


Oliver gets to enjoy views of the backyard, the sideyard and the kitchen all from one spot!


Yea!!!

11 comments:

  1. Wow what a great sleeping spot for Oliver.
    It is great work that the TNR people do, are they volunteers?

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  2. Oliver looks super comfy! So glad to hear of all the good work being done in your community for the kitties! Each and every person can make a HUGE difference!

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  3. Oliver looks likes the king of the castle. YAY for TNR programs!
    Jane x

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  4. Three cheers for Vicki - the world needs more people like her!

    And we love Oliver's new bed....

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  5. What a great "throne" for Oliver--he looks happy up there!

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  6. What a great location for that sleeping perch! I betcha Oliver thinks he is king of the world now :)

    And it is wonderful that there are people out there in the trenches helping out the cats.

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  7. I think the work you are doing to trap and sterilize feral cats is wonderful. Is there a Vet who does the surgeries for free? It really does take a community I love Oliver's new sleeping perch! Hugs, Linda

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  8. We like what you did for Oliver. Very very nice!

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  9. The TNR experience sounds like a great one.
    And we are so happy for Oliver we can see his smile all the way over here.
    purrs
    >^,,^<
    ♥Abby♥Boo♥Ping♥Jinx♥Grace♥

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    Replies
    1. Nice change for Oliver. Now he gets to be warm, dry, and high enough to see all the views. Hooray for Oliver!!!

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  10. I am proud of you and certainly of your friend and I so like that you are raising awareness even out here in the CB. We love our cats and others' cats but we seldom look past our noses. Thank you.

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