That's probably why I spent 12 hours today sitting in my car, mostly, at the county park. I was holding out to catch the last brier patch kitten. I didn't want to sit there again.
It poured today, downpours that drenched me to the skin as I ran for the traps, which also were drenched. Fortunately, I had taken one of my home made little trap cover tables along, and then set one trap under it, with a plastic bag under the trap to protect it on the bottom.
The brier patch crowd of cats were not fed at any particular time. And food was caste into the brambles. This does not make for easy trapping of cats. It's a random thing, when they amble through kind of thing.
I first caught a small sized adult gray female.
They call her Little Gracie. I knew there were two kittens left to catch. We had already caught six others. Hours later, I caught one gray and white girl kitten. Waiting and waiting, between down pours walking around, but not far, because a woman seemed determined to feed them and I had to literally guard the traps for any chance of success there.
It was not an easy day. I finally caught the huge gray tabby male I'm told is a long time park roamer and named Tomtom.
I got drenched again, and was shivering in my car. I turned the heat on and let the car idle and the blowers dry my hair. I pulled the girl kitten from the trap and tamed her. She was easy and even fell asleep as I tried to take a nap too, against me.
Finally I heated tuna for bait, over an emergency candle, hoping the smell of hot tuna would prove irresistible. Sure enough. 12 hours after arriving I caught the last little gray tabby tux female teen. Of course, a female and a teen, hard catches those.
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| Hot Bait! |
No photo yet of last teen girl caught, or Tomtom. That is for tomorrow.
Now I'm home and going to bed happy.
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| Taming the gray and white girl in my car while waiting on catching the 2nd. |
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| First caught kitten again, a girl. Crawling in fleas, but at least no swollen eyes. |
Mein Gott. Your dedication to duty is extraordinary, heating a can of tuna with a candle.
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrew.
DeleteYou mentioned fleas. How do you control fleas among all of the cats at your house when you are bringing in cats with fleas all of the time?
ReplyDeleteLucky for the cats that you are so stubborn. Better days are coming for them.
Advantage. It's still my old stand by. I get the big dog tubes. Each will do ten cats.
DeleteWay to go! I hope you are well today and basking in victory, though I imagine you are working hard again even as I type.
ReplyDeleteWell, not basking really. Ok, sort of, but also rounding up more, for the fix trip.
DeleteI figured. ~wink~ Thank you for your hard work.
DeleteUm, I meant I figured you were working, not basking, in case that was unclear. Be well!
DeleteWell done you.
ReplyDeleteHot tuna was a brave wave. Sardines might do the trick too.
A brave wave indeed. Was fresh out of sardines, and also, did not want to attract every raccoon in Linn County.
DeleteWhat perseverance! Those kitties don't know what a guardian angel they have looking over them... in the form of a dedicated human being! My admiration of you abounds!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! You must have gotten more rain than we did, and I envy you that even if it did get you drenched.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been wondering how many cats you would have if you weren’t a rescue person. I’m wondering how many of the cats that come your way you keep for yourself.