It's supposed to be nice this weekend. Since its Easter Sunday, I figured the park would be full of people, so I better try to trap Thursday. I'd been given permission by the current park host to trap at night.
I didn't get up there til the sky was glowing as the sun set. The moon, however, came up bright and full.
I'm always nervous trapping there. I feel exposed and vulnerable. That is, until the night sets in and darkness envelopes me. Then I relax and feel alive.
I feel best in the night or in dense fog.
Safe. Enveloped.
Humans are the most dangerous animal of all. But we can't see in the dark. I like that.
The constant barrage of mockery and harassment and phone cameras on everyone vanishes, for the most part, after dark.
I saw only one cat---Paws, who looked lonely.
But I caught another and it wasn't Paws. It was the adult torti I had seen hanging out with the little black torti Chipolte I caught before the monsoon hit and the park flooded.
I had a photo of her I took recently, trying to see, in the dark, if she was the ear tipped Magnolia, whom I trapped two years ago. She was lactating then, and had to be returned after spay. I didn't think the adult torti I'd seen recently had an ear tip. But it was too hard to tell from my photo in the dark.
I don't see an ear tip, to be honest, in the above photo, but with only a slight angle off, the appearance of no ear tip, can be deceptive in the dark. But I think this is likely Magnolia, the kitty I caught Thursday, because of the all dark tail, and the squarish orange chest spot.
Chipolte did the same. She is now up with two cat loving sisters in Keizer. She scored a great home! I think her name is Cookie now.
With my car experiencing such difficulties (now needs a new clutch), and my finances taking hits, with prices climbing it seems like for everything, I have to get the last cats out of the park. I've been making the run every other day clear up there to take care of them since the park hosts who bred and fed them up and left them, like a hobby they were done with.
One more out. I'll just need to find her a new place to call home.
Interesting perspective on the dark. When I lived in Houston, all of the lights at the schools were turned off at night so they were totally dark. They found they had less vandalism and breakins that way. I was a little skeptical at first, but it seemed to work.
ReplyDeleteLights just show burglars where to go. Makes it easy for them. It's not like people are up and watching in the night. That's my theory anyhow.
DeleteI think you're right. The lights just give them a better view.
DeleteI hear you on the 'most dangerous' animal front.
ReplyDeleteAnd applaud as always your determination.
Thanks EC.
DeleteBless you and your efforts! I hope your financial situation becomes less burdensome. We just spent over $300 on medications/testing for our geriatric cat named Tilly. ~sigh~ She has yet another UTI, among other things, but was judged in good health considering age and all.
ReplyDeleteOh I've struggled to survive financially my entire life, so I'm kind of used to that struggle at least. I've determined I will eat mostly rice this month, and bananas with oatmeal, to save money. I like this sort of diet anyhow, easy, no planning, and I just like eating those things. And I can save a few food buck dollars that way. Also will soon be warm enough I hope to hang dry most of my laundry, so looking forward to that cost reduction, but its only for a few months a year I can do that. So Tilly needs to be on antibiotics much longer, to clear the infection. It's hanging on slightly, most likely, or on different antibiotics. Be sure to give her the full dose and don't miss any, to avoid resistance. But I would be asking for a different antibiotic and that she be on them much longer, at least two weeks beyond symptoms.
DeleteI'd also wonder about if she has bladder cancer too.
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