preparing to TNR

This will be a big week for me and the outside cats. My big goal is to trap Mama Kitty and her kittens on Wednesday night so they can be neutered/spayed on Thursday. Once they are recovered from their procedures, they will be released again to their yard.

Nahum and Willow, finding a near-perfect way to get through a rainy Sunday.

I have been getting help in this process from two local cat-loving women, Nancy and Sue. Nancy has been answering all my questions and giving me tons of information on how to successfully trap ferals. She also arranged for the spaying/neutering and vaccinations to be done at Purrfect Pals (my local amazing cat-only shelter). Sue has graciously loaned me two traps and offered to shuttle the trapped cats to and from Purrfect Pals on Thursday. I am deeply thankful for both of these amazing women.

The traps are scattered out in the yard, their doors temporarily wired open. I am feeding the outdoor cats now exclusively inside the traps, getting them accustomed to being in the traps.

I don't like for cats, indoor or outdoor, to be uncomfortable. It rains a lot here in the Pacific Northwest, so, I've been trying to figure out how to keep the kitties dry and comfortable when they are eating in the traps. Sue suggested duct taping trash bags around the traps. I tried that, but I had to make cuts in the bags for the handles and to access the guillotine door which has resulted in leaks.

High up in the mountains, the railroads build snow-sheds over the tracks to keep the heavy snows and avalanches from blocking the tracks. I decided to cobble together a few rain-sheds to sit over the traps to keep the rain from falling onto the traps. They won't win any awards for beauty, but together with the plastic they'll do the job.

Before covering the traps with the rain-sheds, I had them all under the large raised planter. But then I learned from Nancy, that it would be better to have them not so close together. So, here is the current configuration. One trap remains under the planter, the other two are scattered in the yard. I put the drop trap out there as back-up. 

On Wednesday night, I'm not sure yet what I'll do with Oliver so he doesn't go into a trap. In the past he was weary of the traps but now that he is being forced to eat in them, he might be less fearful. That little detail still needs to be worked out.

I'm feeling pretty anxious about trapping the ferals. I know as Wednesday approaches my anxiety level will go through the roof. Having the help has kept my anxiety lower so far, I hope that continues through the tough part. My anxiety comes from causing the ferals short term suffering, even though I know it's for the best long term. I also fear I will only capture one or two and then will have to figure out how to get the other. I know the anxiety won't stop me, but it's not pleasant and it's helpful to acknowledge it's presence. I'm trying to focus on the memory of successfully trapping Oliver to help me through this.

These cats are not experiencing any anxiety! 

Willow, Nahum and Rose all snuggled up together in a cat bed in front of the fire. 

Now this is the perfect way to get through a rainy Sunday! 

I wish there was room for me in that bed!

I'm going to spend some time reading up on TNR this afternoon from the Alley Cat Allies, Conduct TNR Guide. If anyone has any tips or pointers about trapping ferals, I would love to hear them.

new weather proof cat door

First an update on Oliver. Thankfully, he did reappear last night and stayed warm and dry all night in his larger house. He even woke me up in the middle of the night, crying on the roof outside the second floor window - poor guy, he hadn't got any loves all day and he was needing some. He didn't get any then though because I had to attend to my wounds received in trying to stop Buddy from trying to get through the window. Anyway, I love that he's back!

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Last year I installed the windoor to the front porch, which gives the cat's access to the enclosed front porch whenever they so choose. It works well for us, due to giving us easy control over when they have access and when they do not just by removing the unit from the window.

Theo loves hanging out on the enclosed back porch, so a solution was needed to allow the cats controlled access to the back porch without letting the cold air in. The answer is the Small Ruff-Weather Pet Door. It has two flexible flaps and an air space in the middle between the flaps. Each flap has magnets on the bottom, so they always seal up fairly well and do a great job at keeping the cold air from getting in. I installed it in the wall near the back door to the mudroom. 

Nahum navigates the new door.

Theo squeezing through. The door is a little small for big Theo, but he manages.

Buddy, working his way through the door. You can see the first flap on his head 

while he is about to go through the second flap.

Success!

This new cat door has been in and working now for a little while, and I am very impressed. It does a great job keeping the cold air outside. Installation was a bit of a challenge, but that may have been more due to installing it in an old house.

fallen tree

We only have four trees on our property, all of which are in the side yard. After this recent snow storm, we are left with only three. The combination of the rising temperature and some light rain was too much for one of the lilac trees.

This picture is from yesterday afternoon:

1/19/2012 2:27pm

This picture is from this morning:

1/20/2012 7:25am

The lilac tree collapsed under the weight of the snow and landed right on top of Oliver's guest house. Oliver has been sleeping in his guest house lately because he has made his larger home available for Mama Kitty and the kittens. It appears from the tracks in the snow, that Oliver was home, probably sleeping when the tree crashed down on his house.

Oliver has not been seen since.

Thankfully, the kitty houses are super sturdy, so there was no damage to the structure. We spent the morning clearing away the tree.

This is what the yard looks like now with one less tree. 

Oliver's larger home is behind the Rhododendron bush and is more visible to the yard now that the lilac tree is gone.

It is very wet outside today as the light rain has shifted into a soaking rain. Snow has turned into slush as it goes away. Thus far, Oliver has been absent all day, which is unusual. I'm wondering if he'll return and feel safe sleeping here again after such a horrible trauma.

farewell Peep

My friend, Greg_1948, over at The Feline Cafe lost his beloved Peep today after a long battle with cancer.

photo courtesy of Feline Cafe/Greg_1948

Greg_1948 was owned by Peep for 16 wonderful years. Peep was a sweet boy who will be deeply missed. Peep leaves behind four kitty friends.

The Feline Cafe has been offline for awhile but appears to be back up to announce the sad news about Peep, but for some reason it is not allowing comments to be left. However, comments for Greg_1948 can be left over at the New Feline Cafe.

Theo's big snow adventure!

The snow just keeps on falling. It's so beautiful to watch. Earlier, when the big flakes were falling, Theo was having fun gazing out the window at the snow flakes falling. But, what's better than watching the snow fall? A big romp in the snow of course!

Ok, my paws are frozen, time to go in!

No telling how long the snow will be around for. Hopefully there will be time for one more snowy adventure.

tongue

snow?!

Snow is falling and more is in the forecast. We don't get much snow here in the Pacific Northwest, so when it snows it's a big deal. I might have to go out and shovel a path for Oliver and his family to get to the Dining Hall!

I love seeing the snow fall. It's one of the many things I miss about New England and da UP of Michigan.

A quick note about Oliver. I'm still in awe of him. When his family started coming over and spending overnights in Oliver's large heated house, he moved over to the smaller house. Each night, I see the two kittens and Mama Kitty all snuggled up together in Oliver's house. What a generous guy, that Oliver.

The kitty house on the left is where Oliver now sleeps. The larger house

 is sheltered under the pine tree and behind the Rhododendron bush.

Dining Hall is on the left, Oliver's new house on the right.

Oliver heading over to get some yums.

Dining Hall well stocked with provisions.

I couldn't resist taking a walk in the snow. I love the sound of falling snow! It's a sound like no other - a quiet sound as the snow muffles all the environmental sounds. Then there's the crunch of the snow underfoot. So many memories come back experiencing a simple walk in the snow. Reminds me of the many snowshoe walks I used to take in the woods back in the day.

I love the look of fresh snow in the trees.

A break in the clouds in the West over the Port of Everett.

Back at home, the snow has accumulated to about

 5 inches (12.7cm) and it continues to fall.

The forecast is for another 5-10 inches of snow tomorrow! That should be fun. Oliver will be in for a surprise when he awakens to find all this snow!