TNR Tuesday

Regarding the gate for sale on yesterday's post - yes, kitten proof - obviously not for kittens right out of the womb!  But yes slats are tight.  Have used it for many.  ESPECIALLY for kittens so that they can get used to the bigger guys on the other side.    I cannot tell you how invaluable its been to have a gate like this.  Not only do you not feel as guilty when you leave them, but they can hear, see and smell all that is happening outside of the gate.  Its the guilt that gets me.  And the under stimulation (is that a word?) that the cat/kittens are getting with the door shut. 

Today is TNR Tuesday, and I got two.  I set a trap on Melville, where there are just so many kitties, and then set one two spots up on Parsells.  Went about to do the other four on the front nine, went back to check on both traps, and BOOM BAM BLAM!  Got two sweeties - well, I don't think they are sweeties at this point - feral is what they are, but sweeties nevertheless I guess!  Sweet little black one on Parsells, and white and grey tab on Melville.  I suspect they might both be males.  These two guys will set me back another $120.  Please consider sponsoring a spay today.  The clinic will take a donation under my name at 585.288.0600.  Thanking you in advance.  PS, please let me know you did, they are not good about that!

MOOSE from Melville

PUMA from Parsells

I want to tell you a little about my spots today.   The places I drive to each and every day of my life at 4 am. in the morning.  I am going through 40 pounds of dry food a day, and at least 50 cans of cat food (that of which most has been emptied out the day before into large yogurt containers).  I have shelters set up at most locations, but not all.  And some spots - there are 15 cats at one location - don't have enough shelter for all the cats.  And winter is just around the corner.

I cannot disclose locations anymore for fear of shelters being removed and destroyed.

1. At this location, where there is a neighbor on one side that destroyed my shelters and told me to stay away, that I was drawing more cats there, and raccoons, there are about four or five kitties, mostly lurking in the shadows until I leave.  One is a pure grey, sweet little thing.  I have rescued…… 8-10 cats here in the past two years.  It all began when the man that used to rent here moved and left, from what I hear, his four cats to fend for themselves.  The house has been vacant since.  I have also TNR’d at least 8 cats here on top of those numbers.  There is an older kitten I am trying to trap here also.

2. This next spot is pretty new, behind a dumpster behind a store on Parsells.  There is a big red cat, and a black and white kitty that are now dependent on this location, for the food, water, and newly tucked in shelter I created for them.  Wish I hadn’t seen them early in the springtime – did I really need another location to feed at?  Uggh.

3. Just around the bend, on Parsells, is a porch of a vacant house that belonged to the grandmother of the family next door. They don’t mind, I have several shelters with a tarp over, and there are many kitties that feed here.  I could trap on a weekly basis and get someone new.

4. Just down from there, same street, is where there are 15 displaced cats.  I used to feed and shelter across the street for many many years until the gay couple moved out and the property managers trashed all my stuff. Now, I don’t know what to do.  There is a vacant lot down the street, and across, but I don’t know if I entice them to move that far – and what would the neighbors say about that?  Right now, the neighbor to the right does not like me feeding there, the cats are spaying in her garden and her son and I nearly had that fistfight a few months back.  All quiet on the home front so far, but the four measly shelters on this porch will not protect all these cats.  This is where there is still an unspayed/neutered kitten.  And several other unspayed/unneutered kitties.  I could set a trap here too and get a cat, and it is so hard to choose each week where to set a trap.

SIDE NOTE:  IF I had more spots available for spay/neuter, and IF I had more money, I would be able to trap more, but with just myself trying to do this large location of the city, its very difficult.  I could really use the help, both physically, and financially, and obviously, I need more availability from clinics/RAS.

5. Onto the next location, still on the Front Nine, where behind this vacant lot is a larger shelter – here there are at least 10 cats that I can count.  Most have been spayed/neutered.  Although I have seen some younger kitties that I know need to be fixed.  I need to set a trap here too.  This is next door to the man that has allowed me to do this – even though I don’t think he owns the vacant lot.  He has a cat named Max, and the man’s name is Jeff.  I need to remain on his good side.

6. The last stop on the Front Nine is where there are about 8-10 cats.  This is where I rescued Barack, I think was the last one.  Or was it Baxter?  This is where I had to re-release Bugsy recently, thinking I could tame him and get him adopted.  He went crazy in my bathroom, so had to put him back.  I am waiting for a school teacher to contact me about delivering some nice wooden huts he and his students made for me in shop class.  This is property owned by a church and they have allowed me to keep shelters here.  The neighbor to the right, and the neighbor across the street like what I am doing.  There is a new family moved in behind since July, and they made it clear to me a few weeks ago that they don’t like cats and wish I would not feed there.  Right.

7. Now we cross over Webster Avenue and I feed at a vacant house around there.  I’ve not seen Crazy Maryleigh in close to a year now?  Remember all that?  CRAZY.  Its been nice, but also there are some beautiful, pitiful cats that wait for me each morning.  Beautiful.   I fixed a few recently that now allow me to get close, but there are always new ones lurking.  I have rescued many here, most notably the cat with the bone stuck in the roof of his mouth, who is doing quite well in a wonderful home in the country. 

At all of the above locations, I have rescued hundreds of cats and found them homes over the years.  Many, the ones I had to return to the streets, I’ve never seen again.  Joy and heartbreak – it goes hand in hand in this mission I am on to save all of them, one at a time.

I’ve run out of time. I promise to finish up the Back Nine tomorrow!  Wish me luck today at City Hall!

Have a great day!  (the following quote is very true.)