What a February 27!

It was hard to believe that today was February 27, it so feels like spring.  Our winter has turned out to be great, and the homeless cats and I are grateful.  After feeding today I went for a walk on the spit, it does one good to be out in nature, I've been feeling stressed the last week but Stubby is looking and eating better, so that is a relief.

 At home, the cats all vied for a position in the sun, more cats than beds!

Last male done!

I don't talk as much about them, but I do feed regularly at another colony close to me, there are 10 cats there, I got involved almost 4 years ago TNRing and then when Gloria had to sell her house and move I started to feed as well, I just couldn't turn my back on them.  We've had one male holdout who I haven't been able to trap, well I actually did trap him when I first started but I didn't have enough spots and let him go so I could get a female, thinking I would get him again.  It's taken me all this time but I went out Monday morning to give it a shot, tired of all the cat spray, and set up my trap with the remote.

At first the cats scattered and wouldn't go near then amazingly Teddy walked right in and boom I had him!  It's a matter of pride too to have a colony totally TNRed and now they are!

Teddy

I released Stubby thinking it would be the best thing for him since he was so stressed, but now I'm worried about him, I've seen him pawing at his mouth and having trouble eating.  I'm just sick about it, because I don't know how I would get him again, I'm buying BFF pouches for him with lots of gravy and at least he is eating that.  Sometimes I find the stress of the responsibility of all these cats' lives just a bit too much!

Stubby's turn for dental

Stubby is one of my favourites,  and I had been noticing lately that he hadn't been eating very well and of course I was concerned.  A couple of weeks ago I booked a vet appointment for him and managed to almost get him into a carrier but lost him.  Then I got some expensive BFF pouches and he was eating those but in the last week he rejected them, so I decided it was time to try again.

With Steve's help I was able to get him yesterday so off to the vet we went.  As I suspected his teeth aren't good, well what is left of them, he did have major dental two years ago.  Dr Vlad has taken out the rest of his teeth today, fingers crossed he recovers well.  Poor Stubby gets terrified at the vet and didn't eat last night, unlike Lily, who chowed down happily, even though she is way more feral.

I guess I have to see it as a positive sign, that these cats are living long enough to need all their teeth removed.  If you google life span of a feral cat, you will find many different answers, and I think it all depends on luck, the genetics of the cats, and of course how well they are cared for.  I think our remaining cats are all 10+, but they have shelters are fed daily and receive medical care when needed. Of the nine at the Cherry colony, seven have had dental, they are the lucky ones who have people who care about them!  Although right now I guarantee that Stubby doesn't feel lucky, but he will feel better soon.

Helping a limpy cat and finding another colony to help

In the fall I was contacted by a friend of a friend (you know how these things go) about a small colony in the east end, thankfully it is close and there WERE only three cats to do, so Lesley and I went and in November easily trapped two older kittens, but couldn't get the mom.  Sue, the lovely woman who feeds, called me recently to say dad was showing up not able to use his front paw. Strangely dad looked eartipped, we were unable to trap him so we hauled up my handy dandy but heavy new trap, and managed after a few tries of sitting inside their house looking out the window to get dad.  Smarty pants mom was not going in.

Dad went off to the vet and sure enough he wasn't neutered it must have been frostbite or a fight that caused his ear to look like that.  They x-rayed, no break, so he got some anti-inflammatories and some bed rest, then neutered and back out after a week.  He is still limping a bit but much better.  

Sue had noticed some cat shelters in a yard a block over, so we knocked on their door, and sure enough, they have a colony too of about 10 cats, some fixed, some not, that's where all these cats are coming from, at least that part of the mystery is solved.  We are going to work with both locations to try to get everyone spayed and neutered this spring!

Meanwhile the trap will have to go back to the yard, Stubby hasn't been eating as well as usual and I want to get his teeth checked.  I almost had him in a carrier but lost him, sigh.  The other day I got him to eat a pouch of BFF, I was happy about that, but our boy has expensive tastes.  Sometimes now I give the cats a bit of Fancy Feast too, nothing is too good for my ferals!  Hopefully it makes up a bit for their hard lives.  I do love to see the cats spill out of the trailer when we arrive, it's pretty toasty in there.  Floppy is becoming increasingly friendly, he seemed wet last week and let me wipe him all over including his paws!