Had to Be Despite

Ten days ago, I called a man referred to me by KATA (Kitty Angel Team Adoption).  They had ferals needing fixed that they fed.  Fortunately, only three.

I gave them the options and there are not many around these parts, without driving an hour and twenty minutes north to the FCCO clinic.  I don't do that unless people pay for my gas and lunch up there.

The other option is Heartland's $40 per cat feral fix.  They opted for that and I loaned them three traps.  They caught all three, a black tux adult female, they thought likely pregnant again, since some big males had been around, and two teens from her last litter.

I took them over to Heartland this morning, but when I picked up after surgery this afternoon, I saw an empty trap by the back door and my heart skipped a beat.  Were they all dead?  They were all going to be tested and if positive, for either major disease, euthanized.  But it was only one trap outside and empty.  I saw the other two traps, with cats inside them, immediately when I entered.

The surgery tech was apologetic and felt badly the little Siamese boy had died.  She knew he was going to get a chance at life inside with the couple who fed them after his neuter.  Now, he's gone.

She said he died instantly when the anesthesia hit him.  Usually that means a heart problem.  His sister, who is all black, went through surgery fine.  His mother, pregnant again, came through the spay also.  Both were negative for FIV/Felk.  Both received antibiotics since they have URI's.  They should fare better now.

Teen girl, now fixed and vaccinated

Her brother died suddenly when given anesthesia.

Their mother was pregnant again, but no more.  She's done now, and probably glad of it.

Those people did the right thing, getting these guys trapped to be fixed, before there were lots more cats.   If you're feeding unfixed cats, get them fixed now.  Most areas now have feral fixing programs that are not hard to find.

It's another beautiful spring day out, in Oregon, where we never really had a winter this year.   I heard Mt. Hood is missing 91% of its normal snow pack. Crater Lake has like 21 inches when it should have over 110.

 Now that's a little scary.