So I fixed seven feral cats last summer for my neighbors that had been feeding various mama cats and their offspring across the street for a few years. I got the whole bunch in one big yank on a handful of strings. It was an exhausting but successful TNR project.
Feral cats have short life spans... By the time my neighbors moved away in October, five cats were left and another vanished before I could get their feeding station moved over to my place. So I've been feeding those four since the end of October. They get a bowl of warm kibble and canned food soup every night on the bench in front of the house. No more cheap grocery store kibble, either... it's the good stuff mine eat.
Last night only three showed up, and they seemed anxious. I thought uh oh, Wiley Coyote got a cat. But no... I went outside to look around before going to bed, and found number four, paralyzed in the rear end, on the porch. My efforts to get the cat in a crate resulted in the cat dragging itself away to the styrofoam under the bench. We have animal control here, but they are not going to respond to a call like that in the middle of the night. I decided that rather than risk a trip to the ER by grabbing the cat, or risk the cat feeling the need to drag itself away further, I would do what I could to create a sheltered space. So I covered the bench with a sheet to create a tent, put an old knit scarf in beside the cat, and put water and food within reach, just in case, then headed for the shower.
My last check before falling into bed (after two am by this time) found the cat lying on the scarf. Seeming relatively calm.
This morning, scarf pulled out from under the makeshift tent, and no cat. Looked all over... no trace. I am left hoping that a coyote did indeed finish the job. Which is a very unusual thing to hope for, but still seems to be the best case scenario here.
I think if I am going to live in the sticks where feral cats abound, a pair of cat tongs might be a good investment.
susan
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a wabbit, Fuzzy Wuzzy had a dandelion habit! RIP little Wuz... don't go far.
