Diane offered to help me with my mission because of how hard it is for me to TNR AND feed these cats at the same time, all the while needing to get back home to get ready to go to my full time job and be there by 7ish each day. Diane helped to trap two last weekend, which turned out to be heartache for one pregnant female Ruthie - who I had been feeding for quite a while through the winter, and she survived in my shelters at night during those brutal months, and her baby. Cedric was also trapped, and let go. I think I saw him yesterday.
I asked Diane to focus this past weekend on trapping two young grey girls on Parsells that I've nicknamed The Twins. They are both young, and one is for sure pregnant. Diane has a drop trap which I believed was better at getting just the right kitty. Maybe that is not the case. Maybe its just easier to get the cat to go into this because its a much more wider opening. Nevertheless, she did get two kitties, but neither of them The Twins. Both are males, Prince and Porter! And its not like you can just let a cat go that is unneutered or spayed, so they will be my two kitties for tomorrow at the clinic, the only two spots I have allotted to me for this week. I was heartsick yesterday thinking about what I would do. I need to prevent this cat from having her babies on the street. She is a baby herself.
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| Prince |
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| Porter |
I then got up the courage to ask the other expert drop trapper Laura, if there was any way she could help me, and to focus on The Twins - or at least just the pregnant one, and I pray she is going to try for me this week. Diane can only help me on weekend mornings, and hold the cats until Tuesday morning for me until clinic. Laura is a busy woman in the land of TNR. She is president of Habitat for Cats and most likely gets a LOT of requests for help. I am grateful for her help. I did try myself this morning and set two traps with some smelly tuna in it. Wouldn't ya know it, George The Second from across the street, an unneutered male, but friendly, was in the trap when I went back to check on it. I let him out, petting him as he carefully walked out of the cage. He will be an easy boy to get, but I am holding off on him because I really want to find him a home. He is JUST like my George, the cover boy of the newspaper article on me that I am so proud of. A good boy in need of a home. No where in sight were the girls, the twins. She was there when I got there but as soon as she saw that trap, she hid. I don't know how you trap hard to trap cats, can anyone suggest anything?
This is my lot in life, and I am determined to go on and get these street cats homes of their own, and determined to get those that are not sociable at least into the clinic for their shots, and fixing. It costs me a fortune to do this so if anyone can help out by donating for a spay or neuter, I would be forever grateful because I've said this again, to borrow a quote from you know who - it does take a village.
Please mark your calendars everyone for July 18th at the Creekside Inn in Rush. The 2nd annual Meow and Chow FUNdraiser to benefit Rochester's homeless cats. 100% of the money raised goes to TNR (trap/ neuter/return), food, shelter, and vet costs to get these babies ready for adoption. There will be live music by the Honey Badgers, great food (even vegetarian!), amazing items to bid on, raffles, full bar, and tons of fun with the kindest, most fun-loving people in Rochester! Last year was a blast, this year will be even better!!! Jello shots too if we can work out the logistics!
Have a great day everyone!
"God sleeps in the minerals, awakens in plants, walks in animals and thinks in man."
WOW!! You have been busy. Prince is beautiful and Porter looks sad and tired. God, I wish I could take them. Bless you for helping them. Are they friendly boys? I am going to call the Bay Street clinic today and make a donation :) You are amazing.
ReplyDeleteJanine, for the first time in reading your blog and knowing well, only now do I feel,you pain, let me explain.On the weekend I was involved in an urgent fox kit rescue, the mother dead from Mange in a drain pipe where the 5'week old kits were haging around. I was desperate for immediate help, some rehabers can't get a message as soon as it comes in, I was sick to my stomach waiting for advice on whT to do, and who would help. I could not think of anything but that, as the kits were sitting curled up on the shoulder of the road,I did get help tho and it worked out well, we rescued the kite are they are holding there own.The stand outs for me are, you see desperate cats, many times in a week, while doing your rounds, and you have heartache for them but cannot drop everything like I was able to in order to help the cats, you,,have to go and get ready for an office job, and be diligent while at your job or get fired. It a surprise you havnt lost you mind, or, given up this mission to relieve the situation these un noticed cats are in. This bring s me to another thing that upset me with the fox kit rescue, it was a quiet enough road the kits were on, but several residents and motorists observed the goings on and traps and wanted to be filled in, naturally we needed them to move on, so did not tell,them it was Fox Kits, we said it was a mumma cat and her babies.The interest in our activity on hearing it was a cat, plummeted.So, I finally get" To see a glimpse of your heartache, Janine. I am thinking of ways to reduce the sadness in what you do, and as we know TNR is paramount to achieving sustainable solution. God bless you.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that almost no one has any idea of what Janine sees and goes through on a daily basis. I am SO sad to hear that when people stopped to see what you were doing, they lost interest when told they were cats. I DO think that is NOT the norm. I think most people would help if they could, you must have just run into some insensitive people. But also for most of us, out of sight is out of mind. We don't think about the suffering if we don't see it right in front of us. I think what you did for the baby foxes/kits was heroic and I thank god you were there to help. As sick as you felt not knowing what to do at first, I bet you felt elated when you finally were able to help!! That is what keeps all rescuers going - that wonderful feeling that comes when you know you have saved an innocent, loving creature from a life of suffering or an untimely death. Great job on the foxes!
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ReplyDeleteHey, Janine, thanks for the coffee this morning! These ACA trapping instructions are the best I've seen!
ReplyDeleteFYI, we don't consider cats HTT (hard to trap), unless they SHOW UP but refuse to go in the trap. Usually, they've been trapped before, or they might simply be particularly wary (like most serial moms). In either case, you try to ease them into the trap, offering delectable free samples around the opening, and/or leaving the trap set up and tied open 24/7 so that they can see other cats eating from it. If they've been trapped before in a box trap, you can usually catch them in a drop trap - a type of trap they don't recognize,
On the other hand, if the cat is NOT showing up to eat you could put caviar in the trap, but your target kitty isn't there to appreciate it! The twin that showed up Tuesday, ate Friskies long and happily out of the drop trap - no tuna necessary. Her sister missed the party, but I have no doubt if she'd been there, she would have gone in as well.