Saturday, June 03, 2017

Nice Day

Today the mists shrouded much of the valley steadily, light as cat paw, it fell.

It felt good hitting my face, cooling, refreshing.

We've not had hot weather since the few days of.....well, I can't really recall when those few days were.  Tomorrow may begin cloudy but afterwards I think the sun is to come out for a few days, before another rain storm hits middle of next week.

I rarely watch the news, let alone the weather predictions.

I caught one cat yesterday at the Sweet Home trailer park, an orange tabby.  How many orange tabbies roam that park?  Don't ask and I won't tell.  Lots.

However, he has deep orange eyes, setting him slightly apart and is small.  My records say, and I keep not just descriptions and dates of when cats are fixed, but photos to match.  My records say I got him fixed April 10 of 2016 at the FCCO.   Now he's tame and Heartland took him today.  I was really happy about that!
Taco

The efforts yesterday, hours of sitting, with my drop trap set up 35 feet beyond my car, and a string running from its stand, back through my car window, were laregely useless.  Only the owned cats, and there were many out roaming, went for the large plate of food I set out in the middle at the back of the drop trap.  Taco was the only one who needs out of there to go for it.
This big guy is owned!

And fixed.  See the ear tip?

This boy is owned also!


And headed towards the traps....with determination!

  See the residents all got letters from the new owner, who is a big business in Portland.  Yeah, a big old rich business from the big city bought a trashed out trailer park, in a tiny rural town known for drugs and poverty.  And now they are putting out Portland style rules.  Maybe they should call it "Little Portland", I don't know.

The rules state that by July 1, nobody can feed cats, rabbits or dogs outside and all owned cats and dogs must be inside except when outside on leash.  Many of the tenants don't even know about the new rules and have far greater issues than taking the time required to even pick up mail, they scarcely ever get, and then reading it.

I'm trying to save the cats.  On a shoestring budget.  On a zero budget pretty much.    KATA, also a small group, not as small as me, myself and I, but sure small compared to the big gun in the county, Safehaven, a no kill shelter, are also trying to help the cats.  We don't even bother asking the big no kill shelter to help.  We know the answer already!  They charge to even take in one stray.

Balls is out of the trailer park now.  So is Bobs.  So are Atticus and Mimi and that pregnant feral girl.  And now also Taco.   Plus a resident trapped an unfixed little female this morning.  She's in my garage, will be fixed Monday  and go elsewhere.

KATA has taken out several recently, including about three moms with kittens I think.  Plus the gray girl I got fixed last year left behind by trailer 303.  They just trapped a mom cat with adorable kittens and got her fixed at Heartland.  My friend just happened to offer up a barn home, when I had Mistachio.  But Mistachio went to live with her daughter and sister, so instead of taking her, my friend is taking that just fixed female from Mountain Shadows tomorrow I think.

I don't have a photo yet of the little black one trapped yesterday yet.  She's black and looks like a  small black cat, so picture it, don't be lazy.

About half into the misery of hours spent there yesterday, I glance to my right and see a man tottering around.   Doesn't take him long to hit the ground.  He tries to get up twice, then gives up and just lays on the grass and concrete.  He's drunk.  Very very drunk.  It's about 10:00 or so in the morning.  Seems a little early to be that drunk.  Maybe it was 9:00 even.

 He's already banged up his knees falling.   I text the resident and she calls the police.  They arrive too fast, suggesting someone else called first.  They get him up and before he's even totally standing, he has his hands behind his back, ready for the cuffs.  The cuffs come, too.  I bet he just wanted somewhere to sleep it off.  I bet he didn't even know where he was.

I call it a day and am home by noon with Taco.  He's a sweet boy.  I set him up in the bathroom.  Already Heartland says they'll take him and they did take him today.

Early this morning, I go up to the county park and try to catch anybody left there.  There have been many reports of a black and white kitty there and I hoped it was Bootsy and I would catch her.  Instead, I hear cats yowling from the parking lot.  What?  Cat fights?   That means unfixed cats.  All the cats left there by camp hosts were fixed.

I walk over to set a trap and a male darts back into the brush, a male I don't recognize.  He's a dark brown tabby, white around the mouth, slight brown mustache goes out to the right from his mouth.  White feet.  That's not Paws and that's not Buddy, two of the cats that may still be out there.

After setting the traps, I walk down and watch a family fish the river.  They're after Steelhead they say.   They catch nothing.  With all the guys focused on casting their lines out into the water, their dog, a black dog with huge eyes, sporting a lovely bandana, eyes me.  Then he goes to the edge of the woods, roots around a bit, and comes back straight to me, with a chunk of wood.  And drops it at my feet.

I'd have to be stupid not to know what I was supposed to do then.

So I did it.  I hurled the wood piece out and the dog bounded after it, sometimes catching it on first bounce, sometimes missing and running back for it.

We had a good old time, him and me, down at the river, with his owners backs all turned.





I went back to check the traps and heard the cat in it before getting close.  It wasn't that unknown male I'd seen.  It was another unknown male.  By this time some kids had told me a black and white cat cried pitifully outside their tent and even tried to get in it.  I knew this cat had been running around the park a month or so.   Well he ate three cans of wet food and I brought him home and he's slept for hours, like he hasn't slept well in months.   KATA will take him, they said.  Good!
Bungee
Here's the young black the resident trapped up at the Sweet Home trailer park this morning.

So he's in the garage and so is the little black wild thing too.  Both are sleeping soundly right now.  Taco is off at Heartland.  And I'm in for the night.

8 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:29 PM

    Did I miss the bit in the notice that said, and thanks to Strayer for her tireless work in trapping, caring for and sorting out the cat problem. Aha, you must be the others.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I couldn't find that either, reread it and missed it again.

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  2. The river looks a wonderful place. I am glad you and the dog had some play time together. And, as always, thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And thank you Sue, for the donation, between you and Andrew, Australia is a great blessing to me!

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  3. How fun that the dog asked you to play. I would have loved that.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You did awesome. You *do* awesome. ~hugs~ And thanks for the chuckles in the midst of the travails. "Don't be lazy." ~snort~ And playing with that dog. What joy you provided on top of saving lives. Be well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well that was fun, the dog, wanting to play!

      Delete

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