Pathetic Endeavor

I had seven reservations this morning.

I only caught three cats (hanging head).

I tried.  Usually I'd start on Saturday, but had the tree people here then.

Then it turned cold Saturday night and all the roads froze up and didn't unfreeze until well after 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning.  We had no snow here but Lebanon, where I was going to trap, had four inches.   Just around Lebanon though.

I went over anyway, after the ice on roads melted.  I don't mind driving in snow but I do mind driving on ice.

The property owners were there, working to get the empty mobile ready for the tenant who will move in soon.  I got to meet them.  Very nice folks.

Unfortunately the only cat I trapped was a tame unfixed gray mackerel tabby.  He was trying to mate with an apparently in heat tabby on white feral teen.   While also periodically fighting with a long hair brown or gray tabby male, intent on breeding with the same little girl.

I would love to have taken him to be fixed, or, better yet, to a shelter, but there's nowhere to take strays around here and for all I know he belongs next door or close by.  Anyhow, I turned him loose.

The guy who feeds the cats came up later on, and about that time the neighbor who has the chickens that are always on the property next door, where I'm trapping, came out of her place.  The guy who feeds the cats wanted to take the chickens out and there are several folks who want them, so we just went and asked her and she said fine, which will make the property owner extremely happy.  They are fed up with the chickens always there.  Now to catch them.  Can't imagine that will be easy.

Anyhow, I gave up trapping there as it was very cold and wet, and tried my luck in Albany, at a new colony.  I had been told the five unfixed cats there could all be picked up, so I thought 'well this will be easy' and hadn't myself gone over to check it out.

None of the unfixed cats can be picked up.

Well, there are six cats needing fixed there.  Two are big males now engaged in chasing after an adult black in heat female.  I caught the three teens is all, and gave up at 10:00 p.m., checking the traps a last time, then removing them, as the wind was howling and cold rain falling.  The temp was actually just above freezing but with wind chill, weather app said the real feel was 24 degrees.  I was in a T shirt and light fleece jacket, jeans and tennis shoes.  I didn't get that cold, just my feet maybe a little.  I had a warmer coat in the car, scarf, gloves, all that, but I don't use them unless I really feel cold.

So Peewee, Junior and Flossy are up being fixed today.  At least I caught three.

Flossy

Junior

Peewee

 The tree is gone.  He took out both the diseased Cherry and the maple and trimmed the branches of the other maple, that had grown back.  It was cut years ago when the trunk split vertically and had to be chained together until the tree people could take it out.   They left an 8 foot stump on that one, for the cats, and of course it began to grow branches again, like this latest one will, also left at 8 feet, the stump.  This time not for the cats but because I didn't get all the cat wire down, but that's ok.  It's perfect height to build some hideways and climbs for the cats.

The guy worked alone most of the day Saturday, not only cutting the multiple tall branches down, 16 inches at a time, but he'd then throw the logs out over the cat yard to land outside it.  I could not believe he did that for hours upon hours.  Maple is heavy.  His father came to help chip for a couple hours but he largely did the entire job alone and was done by 4:00 too.  I was amazed.

The other maple took that crew all day and there were five of them and it was not as big.

A last look at the maple, on left, cherry on right, and the widow maker.

I'll leave you with a look at this lonely soul.  I didn't disturb the vigil, knowing he or she were in their last moments and maybe wanted to look out over the river.