Winter Funk

Cold rains with gusty winds.

That's all we've had since the snow predictions.   There has been lots of snow falling all over Oregon, feet of it.  Just not here.  We have had lots of rain.  Cold rain that chills a person all the way through, we've had that every day, and its especially cold when the wind is tossing me back and forth like a cat toy.

I don't know about Amazon anymore.   Items take so long to arrive, if you're not a prime member.  I tried to order a covered litter box.  Well, they're not sold as that.  They're sold as patio storage boxes or benches.  Then I cut holes in them, line with plastic and add litter boxes.

However, seller said the box was shipped February 11.  But no tracking was provided.  I rely on tracking so I'm here when item arrives.  Otherwise, item's packaging tends to melt in the rain.   If you have to return such a thing, then you're in trouble.  Try to find a way to repack something over four feet in length.

Seller then told me item hadn't really shipped but been on back order.  Really, I thought, then why the notice of shipping.   I said to cancel if it hasn't already been shipped.  Next contact, seller tells me he can't cancel because now it has been shipped but there's no tracking provided.   I say, in no uncertain terms, cancel if you're not going to provide tracking.  I have no idea if its coming or not.  This is why I do like physical stores you see and feel.

I wasn't happy with myself last week taking in only 3 cats.  I began early, in cat round up for Monday's seven spots.  I went out to the Knox Butte colony, where 28 are fixed now, to go after the pair that I know are still not fixed.   I set up a trap with a water bottle holding up the door and line tied around the neck of the bottle and ran it out around the corner to my car.  I put a lot of food in the back of the trap and sat the transmitter of the baby monitor on a chair.  I had the receiver unit in my car so I could watch for the one or two unfixed ones.

The receiver unit screen is small but it is a hoot to watch the cats, who now think they're alone, come out and interact.  That's Flame, the flame point Siamese out front, Snowflake, the little white one in the front of the trap eating, and DeFuca beside the trap.   She's dark gray but you can barely see ehr whitish feet.  I've had this particular baby monitor for a lot of years but it still works great.  They're very useful when trapping.

I eventually caught one of my target cats.  I saw the little brown tabby come out and finally she was in the trap.  I yanked the cord tied around the bottle neck of the bottle holding up the trap door and she was caught.

Then I put out a bunch of food and sat back with my camera to see if there are others without right ear tips.  Soon I saw a little black tux, with white on the right lip, with no tip.  So there's another to catch there.

There's the unfixed black tux on the left and Hoodsie, who is fixed (see the ear tip?) on the right.

This little guy or gal will be fixed Monday

I went back to the Lebanon street too, where I got five fixed a few months back.  There was one more black teen there to get fixed.  But now, there were a lot of boys there too.  The black teen must also be a girl.  I left a trap set and sure enough, soon had one of the big boys.  He's got half a missing right rear leg, too, but has gotten around that way for years.

By now after posting that I had five open spots, for Monday, on facebook, I have no open spots for Monday and am in deficit mode for spots.

I got so many people contacting me about cats I nearly went nuts yesterday with stress, wanting to get them all done instantly, but most of those who contacted me made no arrangements to get it done.  Some called for other people, 20 cats here, 15 more there, you never know if they will follow through in the end to get it done.   Meow Village contacted me too, wanting some spots for Monday, so I quickly gave them three of mine.  Someone feeding seven, who is within a mile of me, will be my next project I think.

I have three cats in the garage now, since the Lebanon folk caught another of the big males circling that poor teen, there.  This last one is massive and black.  They call him Laser.  No photo yet.  I handed them another trap and said "Keep trying for the teen".  I pick up an in heat Lebanon female tomorrow who is driving her people mad.  And someone else is trying for a big orange boy out between Albany and Lebanon.

Bottom line, I'll probably have too many cats in the end.  And be begging for spots myself online.