Success!

 I caught Chaos today.

He's the home invader guy.

He's sleeping in a trap right now, like he's worn out from the ordeal of the last 9 or 10 days.  I can't imagine its been easy.  My cats can be jerks to newcomers, especially boys, especially unfixed boys.  So he's probably not gotten a lot of shut eye.

I wanted to catch him before the rain starts tomorrow.  We're supposed to have another very wet couple of days.  Won't help much with mountain snow although we're supposed to get some.   Snow pack is like at 8% of normal in our region, the Willamette Basin.   

We've had a lot of rain, but the snow pack is our "reservoir, for the summer.

I started out with my attempt today to catch Chaos by setting two traps facing one another in the only real exit from the outside cat yard cat house.  However, he immediatley leaped up to a hole near the top of it, which I hadn't blocked and made his escape into the cat yard.  I went outside then and closed off the cat run to the house from the cat yard.  I have to do that from outside.

When I got back in the cat yard, I couldn't find him anywhere.   I searched inside the garage cat room but didn't see him there, then searched the house.  My cats were in a tizzy over all this.  Finally I went back to the garage cat room and there he was, hiding in a carrier.  But that carrier has no door, so I couldn't just close him in it.   I got a small trap and put the traps' raisable backdoor up against the front of the carrier he was hiding in.  With a little prodding, he exited the carrier into the trap.   

Finally!   

Then I had to put back together everything I'd taken apart to look for him out in the cat yard, open the cat runs, take the traps back inside I'd had out.  Lots of work.  But he's caught and going to the vet tomorrow.

I had two people volunteer to help but one is in eastern Oregon currently and the other has young kids to care for.   I knew i had to get it done so I did.

He'll be checked for a chip and neutered if he isn't which I don't think he is.  But I"m not reaching into the trap to check.  No one seems to be looking for him.  There's a colony not far from here, I found out, and he may be part of it.  That would explain things.  Like the fact nobody is looking for him.

As if the high gas and food prices aren't enough, Pacific Power, the electric company, is raising rates again, starting tomorrow, by about 5%.  Seriously?   

Gosh darn anyhow.

Here's Chaos, now contained, and very very sleepy.  He seems extremely relieved to be out of the cat yard.

I'll let him go again outside once the rains quit, which is supposed to be Friday.  If he doesn't have people to care for him, wherever he came from, he knows where I live, and he knows how to get back in too, if he wants to.  

Back to Old School

 I have a remote control I can attach to a live trap to trap specific cats while others go in and out without being caught.   However, I have to watch the trap to trigger it.  

I used to have a couple awesome baby monitors, whose monitor and camera both were rechargable.  Over the years both failed.  A lot of years.  I got another online at amazon.  It was advertised as having a monitor and camera both rechargable but the camera is not rechargable.  This means I have to attach a power source to it.

I tried today to use the remote on a trap and baby cam combo, to catch Chaos.  The weather was sketchy, sometimes windy, sometimes dripping rain.  The first problem I encountered was that the remote control sender unit wasn't charged.  So I charged it up last night.  Next problem was that the baby cam camera drained the power pack I attached to it, in under an hour then quit.

I need to identify which cat is eating in the trap before I can pull the trigger on the sender unit of the remote to close the trap from the comfort of my recliner.  Lazy ass trapping but isn't that what electronics are supposed to do for us?   Ooops that didn't come out right.  I'm sure they're not to make us lazier.

So I ran an electric cord out to the baby cam camera from the garage.  Next, the baby cam monitor charge faded away.   It only came with one ac adapter/charger and that one was being used for the camera.  I found another that worked from another device.  I have a drawer full of cords to who knows what.

Next failure--the receiver unit of the remote failed and closed the trap when its power went dead.  Batteries dead. Takes four AA. You have to unscrew four tiny black screws on the back to get to the battery pack and change out the batteries.   I took a break and finally set it up again this evening.   After an  hour, once again the receiver on the remote control failed and closed the trap when it did, on a cat I wasn't interested in catching.  I did flea treat her before release.  And that was that, I gave up.  

Frustrating day electronically speaking.

I think the remote receiver is being interfered with by the frequency of the camera.

I rarely use the remote control because of  its constant failures for one reason or another.

When I do, its out in the middle of nowhere where its not subject to much interference.

Then I watch it with binoculars not a $25 baby cam set up that has the feel of a Macdonalds happy meal childs toy and would break if hit by a bit of wind or if you look at it wrong.  In other words, its a piece of crap.  Built to not last.

I'm probably going to try to catch Chaos instead with the old fish line and scissors method.  I've done it that way for eons if I want to be sure of no equipment failure at a crucial moment.   It's a whole lot less expensive and less frustrating too.

It wasn't a good weather day to be doing it anyway, but I was bored and it was interesting to say the least.

This evening, I get a text from my brother.  He received a text alert for MY next physical therapy appointment.  Now that was strange.  How in the world and why would he get a text from my provider about my appointment.   Pretty sure AI is to blame.   Tomorrow I will call my provider and ask how in the world.   I'm very curious.  And its a bit of a privacy violation to say the least.   

Stevie, the neighbors cat, is a peeping tom.

Hungry pretty house finches

Next Sunday's high temp has been downgraded to below 70.  I am vastly disappointed.   Maybe it will change again by then, in a good way.  In other words, warmer way.

$35 to get just over half tank of gas today.  As you can imagine, I've become quite the hermit and probably will remain so until something gives with the price of existing.

Overgrown

 

Backyard has become a jungle.

At least I got part of it mowed.   

I used the weed eater in the cat yard too.  It runs but the auto line feed doesn't work anymore and often the line gets used up in under five minutes.  I'm looking for a lightweight battery powered one.  It'[s almost yard sale season.

After I got the cat yard done, I sat out in the driveway in my chair for hours enjoying the sun.  It was in the 60's with beautiful blue sky.   It felt pleasantly warm, as if it were 75 or more degrees.  That's what living waterlogged in the gray for months does to perception.  We are supposed to break the 70 degree mark one week from Sunday.  I'm keeping track!  And looking forward to it.  Today, clouds most of the day.  Tomorrow, rain.   

Don't have to check under the long hair of Chaos, the home invader, to know he's an unfixed male.  The cat yard litterbox he is using reeks like an unfixed boy.   Neighbor says she'll help me catch him tomorrow.  Hope to get him fixed Monday or Tuesday.   One of the two neighbors behind me said they've seen the long hair black around but don't know if he belongs anywhere.  Unfixed boys can roam a long way looking for females.   Best I can do for him is get him fixed and vaccinated.  

Look at best friends Nemo and Huckleberry!  How they love one another.  They're both old.

Neighbors next door are busy moving.   I haven't seen her in awhile as she is mostly over at her new place or moving things there.   As for the man of the pair, he's got the motor home back out front.   I still don't know if he's moving in the motor home to Georgia or applying to get in an RV park around here somewhere.  

The Lebanon lady who feeds cats everywhere is moving too. Her mom's house finally sold to flippers I guess and she and her brother are buying a mobile home from some friends of hers just out of town.  The friends have to move first and move out their cows, goats, the dogs they breed for $ and their unfixed cats too.  The property looks like a junkyard, to be honest.   I guess the price was right.    Staying out of it.  Don't want to end up the free clean up crew for more unfixed cats from more negligent owners.  

It's almost summer and time off time!

The Volunteer Add On

 Chaos, the volunteer add on to the cat yard colony, is still out there, enjoying the amenities of the converted barbecue cover.  That's the structure I found cheap, as a cloth covered metal frame for a barbecue in the rain, that is now converted to a cat yard fully enclosed cat house.

That's his favorite haunt and he may have been secreting himself out there for some time, when I think of when Jack's behavior changed.   Jack is my dominant but very sweet (can be an asshole) boy.

Yesterday I tried to net Chaos in the cat yard after closing off the runs and cat door to anywhere else.  He was too quick for me but tired fast and began panting, so I had to give him a break and me too and give up, open the cat runs back up, to prevent my own cats from loud protesting.

I couldn't find him after I gave up, when I went out, after a long nap, to look for him, then open the cat runs back up.  I thought maybe he found a way out.  I had been determined to cut an exit door in the cat yard, so he could escape, but that could be securely closed again.  There's no way out of the cat yard.  There once was a gate out, but it was poorly made and failed and I had to remove it.

Netting in such a convoluted obstacle course laden area like the cat yard makes me prone to injury and actually requires two people:  one to stand in wait, the other to benignly herd.  I don't have anyone to help.

Many people are unsuited to helping net cats by their natures.  I used to try to find and contain cats that escaped whatever their caretaker brought them in, which ranged from cardboard boxes to bird cages, when coming to mobile FCCO clinics.   It was unbelievable what containers caregivers thought would work to contain a terrified cat.  This was before the time when traps became plentiful, common and cheap.  Many people cannot help themselves and chase loose cats.   The cowboy types who want to chase and grab, the yabber box types who never stop talking, none of those sorts are suitable as helpers in netting.   It's crazy to think now how we used to trap entire colonies with one trap, transferring from that trap to a carrier, so we could use the trap again, when people now complain, if I loan them a trap, that's it not a transfer trap with a backdoor.  I think 'what wimps'!

I think of his joining the crew as something like the story of the 81 soldiers who returned to Lichtenstein when 80 actually had been sent out to guard a mountain pass.   The 80 soldiers had spent their time drinking wine, dancing and enjoying the scenery.  The 81st soldier was quite probably a soldier from one side or the other, who liked their attitudes, I guess.  Here's the story from Ai.

AI Overview

In 1866, during the Austro-Prussian War, Liechtenstein sent 80 soldiers to guard a mountain pass. They saw no combat, and when they returned, 81 men came back

. The extra person was reportedly a new friend, likely an Austrian liaison officer or an Italian soldier who joined them, resulting in zero casualties and a higher headcount. 

Key Facts About the Incident:

• Context: The incident occurred during the Seven Weeks' War in 1866, where Liechtenstein supported Austria.
• The Mission: The 80 soldiers were tasked with guarding the Brenner Pass between Austria and Italy, but they did not fight in any battles.
• The 81st Man:
   Multiple accounts suggest a friendly Austrian officer or an Italian soldier joined them, or perhaps a local they befriended, as they didn't suffer any losses.
Aftermath: Due to the high cost and the insignificance of their military, Liechtenstein dissolved its army in 1868. 

The story is a famous anecdote highlighting a unique, peaceful episode in military history. 

Home Invasion

 My place was broken into.

Yeah.  I didn't even realize it til late last night.

The sad thing is the home invader hasn't left yet and is free loading off me.

Ha.  Yes its a cat.  Broke in through the top of the cat yard, fell in might be a better description.

I didn't even know til last night, sitting in my chair, innocently watching TV.  There was a commotion at the window box cat run that leads in from the cat yard.  I see a long hair black cat jumping into the house from the run.  

My first impression was an apathetic "That's not one of my cats."   I didn't want to get up out of my chair.

He ran back out into the cat yard.  But I got a video of him in the run.

Great, eh?  I knew something was up because Jack has been acting out, pee marking and he only does that when he's in close contact with an unfixed boy.   Like when one comes through and sprays the cat yard from outside it.   Rascal, the black short hair, is still spray marking the neighborhood.  Every day.

I had a cat break in before and it was quite difficult to catch him.  I finally did, got him fixed and let him out.  This time of year the unfixed boys are roaming and fighting and looking for sex.  This boy could have been chased atop the cat yard by Rascal then found a gap in the top and dropped or fell through.  It's only six feet to ground.

We have so many really lousy cat owners, irresponsible and lazy, shove their cats out the door, don't see them for days or weeks, howl like a victim if something bad happens to the cat they don't even take care of.

Anyhow I took four cats I caught yesterday to the private clinic today.  Nice older woman feeds them and ran into someone in the cat food aisel of a store who gave her my number so she could get the fixed.

The mom is a short hair calico, but all three of her now young adult offspring have long hair.

Bandita

Churo

Taquita

Margarita

They're over at the clinic now being fixed.  I guess today will be spent concocting a plan to nab the home invader.

Dumpster Fire

 The world seems recently like a giant dumpster fire.

I was watching an fb video of some young folks having fun in New Zealand and one of them lamented having to go home to the dumpster fire that is the US.  I thought, "Is that how young people think of the US now?"

Wars, corruption, lies, greed.......

I try to ignore it all.   What else can I do?

My neighbors, red or blue, are my neighbors and I like them.   The people I meet who need help with cats, they're just people to me who need help with cats.  I don't care what their politics, religion, race, skin color, bank accounts are.

We're all trying to survive the toxicity of the dumpster fire.

Hawaii is flooded.  Nebraska is on fire.  The weather is going nuts.  Meteorites are falling.  Ha!   Bombs are falling.   An article yesterday said social security will be bankrupt in six years.  What a dumpster fire it is.  Instead of working together to solve problems, find solutions like adults, our lawmakers just lash out and blame each the other side and the president goes off to bomb another country.   Life goes on and hopefully the fire will go out on its own or it will get doused magically and a rainbow will appear over the earth.  Yes I'm a dreamer, an optimist.

My brother and his wife stopped in Corvallis yesterday evening and invited me to come join them for dinner.   This made my heart flutter.  Off I went.  Had a great time visiting with them.  They were on their way to the Portland area.

I delivered my second drop trap to an 80 plus year old in town two days ago.  My other drop trap remains at the trailer park.  The 80 something yr. old ran into someone from the trailer park in the pet food section of a store and lamented to the trailer park person she needed to get the cats she fed fixed but hadn't found a way to do it yet.   So the trailer park woman gave her my number and she called me.   I made appointments at the Corvallis private surgery clinic, for Wednesday.  She's now feeding the four cats under the drop trap and in a live trap.  Hope we can catch the four Tuesday.

I'm an old lady, a cat trapper.  I love cats, books, campfires, mountain lakes, dark nights, stars.  

We exist on a thin crust atop a large rock in space.  Our lives depend on a fragile layer of atmosphere hanging around this rock.  Let's not think too much of ourselves. We better be careful.

So Long Neighbors

 My neighbors in the rental next to me are not gone yet.  But they will be gone soon.  They plan to leave by May 1.

He is I think going to Georgia, with the RV, to live on friends property and she bought a mobile home over in NE Albany.  It's really nice.  I went there with her yesterday when the first paint contractor came to give her a bid.  She went back later when another came.  The inside needs painted and recaulked at seams.

Other than that, its in great shape.  Nice spacious kitchen.  Big wide open living room with lots of windows.   Two bedrooms proper plus a third room that can be a hobby room, extra bedroom or office.  Laundry room.  Fenced nicely maintained backyard and garden with a large storage shed.   The carport also has a storage shed.

It even has a lift to get groceries, heavy items, even her, from car level to door level.  It's only about five steps, if you use the porch steps but she is disabled. 

It has a covered deck too.  

He's got the RV out front right now.   He hired someone to clean it.   I don't know if its leaving from there to go to Georgia.  J, the lady, said he might be flatbedding it out to Georgia.  I don't really know.   It's a lot of work to move and they only have a little over a month.   

Then it will be new neighbor time again here.  I dread that.   It's a rental house. I think about people with dangerous or constantly barking dogs and also people with excess cars that then get parked all over.  Oh well.  Nothing I can do about it.  

He's trying to sell his classic car--a 93 Cadillac Alantra convertible.   I've only seen him drive it a couple times since they moved here.  It's very cool looking but convertible's in Oregon aren't practical.