Feral #20

We've made it to feral number twenty! This guy won't be last one we have fixed, though.

"Bi-Color Orange"

This boy is from a Spring 2015 litter. He is getting pretty big and we're glad we got him before his male instinct to roam took over. He should now just be a homebody. You can see a picture of a younger him here in the first post we made on the blog where he is checking out the traps with his friends.

Kittens #2 & #3

We forgot to take a photo of the first fall 2015 kitten that we found and took to the humane society. These two kittens were found along the fence, both unattended by any adult cat and we were able to pick up both by hand. We put them in a pet carrier with a pee pad and a good helping of wet food. We will be taking them to the humane society in the morning.

Kitten 2

This poor thing is the perfect example of the hardships of feral life. It had no idea what was going on when we found it because its eyes were all gunked shut. We used a damp cloth to try and clean them out, but even after the gunk was gone, things still looked bad. Hopefully the folks at the humane society will be able to treat them. This kitten went to town eating the wet food we put down in front of it.

Kitten 3

This kitten is in much better shape and looks just like the first kitten we took in earlier this week to the humane society. Nothing special really, just a run of the mill tabby. Didn't hiss or run away, was just cold and really seemed to want some wet food. Should be easy enough to socialize and adopt out!

We talk about the ferals a lot and sometimes forget that they all got dealt a rough hand in life. Even with the TNR program's effort to control population and health, they will die to terrible things like exposure to the elements, predators, infection and disease. In the urban environment, cars are also on that list. These kittens will hopefully find great homes and forget the hardships they were born into.

*Update* - These two kittens were successfully turned over to the humane society for socialization and eventual adoption.

Ferals #17, #18, & #19

This is a good group of cats to have caught and fixed to start October! A couple of active reproducers and a young cat we didn't have on our list yet.

"The Pale One"

This skittish lady was quite the active reproducer. She was pregnant this spring and again in the late summer, but we never saw any sign that she actually cared for her young (no swollen nipples, and spending full days in the yard, not leaving to nurse). We believe that she may have given up the kittens to one of the other nursing mothers in both the spring and the fall.

"Gray Mama One"

This blue girl has also been pregnant in the past with no follow up signs of actually caring for the kittens. She may have also given up them up to another female that was already nursing a litter, or just abandoned them outright.

"High Tail"

This cat knows how to strut! She was walking around with her tail straight up in the air looking high and mighty. There are no other cats in the colony that do that, they all stay low to the ground. We saw her and said,"We don't have that one on the list yet," as she walked right into the trap. She must be new to the idea that she isn't the center of the universe.

September Wrap Up

As September comes to a close, we thought it would be a good time to provide some information about things coming down the line and update our numbers.

October 16th is National Feral Cat Day! We registered with Alley Cat Allies and have a special blog post planned with the tips and tricks we’ve found that work best when living with a large feral colony nearby. We also plan to better advertise our blog to neighbors in the community so that they can follow our efforts more closely. Along with that, we will spread door-to-door educational material provided by Alley Cat Allies to inform the community about feral cats in general.

New kittens from July & August mating will begin showing themselves soon as they're getting old enough to start venturing out. We have already caught one and turned it over to the humane society to be socialized for adoption. We have also, lamentably, found several deceased kittens. They were taken by either a predator or by neglect from an inexperienced mother.

Our contact at the local Animal Control let us know that they discovered a litter of kittens recently which they already adopted out. This is extremely beneficial to our effort. We caught seven kittens earlier this year that the humane society was able to socialize and adopt to welcoming homes, but seven was only a fraction of the kittens that were born. Using improved tools & techniques that we've developed with the knowledge from that experience and the experience with cats throughout September, we hope that we will catch even more of these young cats before they become too old to adopt out.

We will begin October with a documented total of 49 cats in the clowder. This number has risen slightly over the weeks as we have noticed cats we had forgotten about and have seen some for the first time. It is slowly inching towards our initial estimate of sixty cats.

We had sixteen cats fixed in September and don't plan on stopping now. Our effort, combined with the cats that were already fixed, brings the total number of fixed cats to thirty. That puts the colony at 61% fixed. This a huge step up from the beginning of the month when only 26% were fixed. The remaining unfixed cats include several that will pose no challenge to catch. After that, a little finesse and tweaking of our tactics will be required. We have a number of different tools and plans laid out for this phase of the process.

Ferals #14, #15, & #16

We consider this set of feral catches to be one of our greatest successes so far. Two of these were actively mating this year AND they had never ventured in the traps before. We are very excited to have them added to our "fixed" list!

"Scarface"

Scarface first showed up at the beginning of summer, turning up at dinner time once or twice a week. Not for food, mind you, but for booty. He got his name from a gash that was present across his nose and right side of his face. It has since healed up (except for a scar on his nose), but he kept his nickname because it fit. He's definitely got the alley cat attitude, but doesn't flaunt it. He also has no discretion, and is the most actively mating male we've encountered. His nickname could also be Casanova. For example, one evening after we had dinner outside, we walked over to look at the garden. When we looked back, Scarface was "carving a notch in his bedpost" with one of the females right on the chairs we had just been sitting in! It wasn't the first or only time. He always watched the other cats from a distance while they ate in the traps, but only went into the traps once himself. This time, we sprung it on him.

"Orange Mama - Orange Eyes"

This lady is one of the more skittish adults in the colony. She has been mother to at least one litter (which included "Twice Escaped Orange One"). She never showed interest in going into the traps, but she did watch others do it. This week, she suddenly started exploring the traps. Luckily for us, she figured it out and once she was in, we got her!

"Tiny Tabby Female"

There are a lot of tabbies in the colony, and most of them are fixed already. Just like "Male Tabby" in this post, this lady is young enough that we haven't been able to figure out a nickname for her.

Additionally, we caught a kitten with this group that was 4-5 weeks old (forgot to take a picture). It was quick to figure out how to get into the trap for food. Then we transferred it to a pet carrier and brought it to the the humane society. They will socialize it and adopt it out. This is the age that most kittens in the colony get their first upper respiratory infection, so we're excited that this cat will get to live a healthier life! This was also a signal for us to get "kitten-ready" because seeing one kitten this age means there are more to follow.

Featured Colony Member: Fuzzy

This is the ONLY cat in the colony that doesn't have short hair. She is also the oldest cat in the colony (at least 5 years old). Anyone familiar with the life span of a feral cat knows that this is cat is ancient, and we feel it's time she moved into a comfortable retirement.

"Fuzzy"

The story told to us is that Fuzzy once gave birth to 18 kittens over the course of a single year. Each litter was born in a window-well of a neighbor's house. That neighbor was able to find people to adopt each kitten (they even kept one for themselves as an indoor cat). We believe because of this, Fuzzy is no longer related to any of the other cats living in the colony. She basically lives like a hermit. She does not socialize with the other cats outside of feeding time, and when she does, it is to swat, hiss, and fight them off for being too close to her. She will eat almost anything put in front of her and stuff her face to the point that it is getting in the way of our trapping tactics.
 

However, the most unique thing about Fuzzy is that she will let you pet her or grab the scruff of her neck, but only if food is involved. This characteristic has made her the focus of what we're calling our "Retirement Program." A couple friends of ours recently moved to the country and live on a good sized chunk of land. They have volunteered to take Fuzzy as a Barn Cat. There are mice and things to chase, and our friends will provide food and fresh water for her. We will also be constructing an insulated shelter for her to sleep in. She won't have to live with the stresses of her current urban environment or the other cats she clearly dislikes. 

Keep an eye out for updates about Fuzzy and our efforts to help her retire.

Ferals #11, #12, & #13

These three cats are all part of litters from Spring 2015 and are hopefully some of the last cats to grow up in this colony. A couple of the more skittish mature cats were getting pretty close to going into the traps last night for the first time ever. Perhaps the idea of Winter is making them desperate, but once they're in, they're fixed.

"Seal Point"

There is already one cat in the colony with markings like this. It is older (approx. 2 years), already fixed, and we have a different nickname for it. This girl did have some eye issues when she was young but somehow pulled through.

 "Black White Spot Two"

This guy also has markings that match an older cat in the colony that is already fixed. The only marking is a white spot on his chest. The vet gave him a de-worming treatment to attempt to remedy some digestive problems that put him at risk for infection. There are several small black cats that will most likely be treated for the same issue.

 "Goggles"

There are a lot of tabbies in the colony, and most of them are fixed already. This guys is recognizable because of his eyes. They are quite sunken into his head. For a long time, he always had his second, inner eyelids up. We don't know if it was because he was sick or something, but it seems to have gone away.