Another Shot at the Trailer Park

I knew there were more than 11 cats roaming that trailer park.   I trapped 11 and took them to be fixed last Monday.   Then Wednesday I took off with a friend to camp a couple of nights on the McKenzie River.   I got back Friday.

Saturday afternoon, late, I was at the trailer park again.  I didn't know how many were left, only that there were at least three being feed at another  area of the trailer park, and at least 6 left at the original area.

I originally had my seven spay neuter reservations for Monday and figured it would not be enough.  A Sweet Home woman was to bring down two females her mother fed, also.

It was hot, too hot to trap comfortably, really, until after dark, but time was a factor.  I was at the park by 5:00 p.m.   Using the drop trap, I trapped six more.  The adult son had fed the cats during the day, despite clear instructions to not feed.   So instead of milling hungry cats awaiting food, I had to use volatile bait, which also attracted ants and flies, to get them to come, one by one.  It took several hours.

I brought home the six cats, set them up for the night and mulled my strategy.  I'd been gifted two more reservations and had spotted a post about three more possibly available.  I now had at least nine spots to fill, no Sweet Home cats, and only six cats in the garage so far.

  I texted the Sweet Home woman to meet me at 5 Sunday with the cats at Waterloo park.  I finally get a return text, but it was in the night when I was asleep.  It was short and full of spelling errors, and strange and was something about she would put it off again because she needed a catch box.  And yet this woman said her friend has a live trap.  I took the message to mean she was out camping somewhere or something and couldn't be bothered.   I did not reply.

Next morning I was up at the trailer park early.  I saw no hungry cats waiting for me, however.  I did not figure out why until over an hour and a half later, when finally Joker strolled by, smelled the volatile bait under the drop trap and went under, almost as an after thought.  I yanked the cord attached to the drop trap stand, dropping the trap over her and transferred her to a live trap.  It was then I spotted the dry food, all over the ground, over under a table.  I was very upset with the trailer lady for feeding.  I had been clear with her to not feed.  It was not her, or her adult son, sitting out in a hot car for hours, trying to catch the cats she feeds and breeds.  She can't even not feed when I ask her to not feed so they can be caught and fixed?

I drove over to the other park location where a woman feeds three, and set up two traps.  By now it was getting seriously hot again.  She vowed to check them during the day, and call if a cat was caught.

I had by now 13 reservations, having accepted the other three offered up also, with only 7 cats in hand.  I love this kind of pressure.

6 to go.

I called the Hoarder Sisters.  They still had two unfixed adult females and had recently found what they called older kittens in their garage.  Their garage can only be accessed through their utility room and is by their description, crammed with junk.  They do not let me in their house.  I knew catching those kittens would be a challenge but the two adult females left were tame.  I told them to be ready just in case I had space.

I returned home with Joker, cat number 7, and took a nap during the worst heat of the day.

By 4:00 p.m., I was at it again, feeding the colonies I feed, then heading to the park.  The torti, at the 2nd location, was in a trap.  I picked her up and reset another trap there. Cat number 8.  She tried to shove one of the tame orange boys into the trap, an action that almost always fails, and it did again.  He ran off.

Back over at the main location, again I sat for hours, in heat, watching for Kinkette, the in heat female.   I saw her once, with her only remaining kitten batting at her, following her, trying to get her to play.   The day before she had been mating with Felix, the black tux boy, under a car.  I'd caught Felix later on.  Last fling, buddy.

I finally left and went over to the Hoarder Sisters place.  By this time I'd texted an Albany clerk with a male needing fixed.  He was on standby for pick up.   The sisters, after a lengthy time waiting at the door, answered my knocks.  One at a time they brought out the two females, Tammy and Pepper.  Both had had litters but most of their combined 11 kittens by now were dead.  I don't know how many survivors there are from five litters born inside.  The garage kittens were born to a long fixed feral female named Tiny.  They thought her kittens were dead having never seen them until a few days before. 

I now had 10 cats and it was late.  How would I fill three more reservations.  With the Albany male, I'd still be short two.  I said to the helpful sister, "If I hand you a set baited trap, can you shove it into the garage from your utility room?"  She said she'd try.  Wasn't five minutes she came out with the first kitten.  She was proud of herself too, said two tried to get into it at once.  I transferred the kitten to another trap, too big for this job, and handed her back the original, set and baited again.  Took her a bit longer this time, but out she came with a second kitten in the trap, again pleased with herself.  I was pleased too!     Now I had 12 cats!  With the Albany male, I had my quota.

I hadn't heard from the lady at the 2nd trailer park location.   I decided I better go by there, at least take up the traps.  Instead, on the porch, in a large trap, I found a huge tabby tux bobtail male.  I'd seen him the first day I drove in, at the front of the trailer park, and thought, "Boy, I'd like to get him neutered."   Now Roma would be neutered.  I closed the other trap.

I had 13 in hand, without the Albany male.  I texted the woman and asked if we could hold off on him.  She said "no problem" and I'm sure was in bed herself by then.  It was 10:00 p.m. now Sunday night.

I drove over to the main location in the trailer park and couldn't help but set up the drop trap again and try for Kinkette, the in heat female or anybody else.   It was late and other fixed cats went under, ate their fill, wandered off.  When suddenly I saw Kinkette in the front lawn, to the side of me.  I held my breath, hoping.  In the meantime, however, a younger fluffy cat who is rarely seen came out of the bushes and went right under.   What to do.   I was so tired by now.  I couldn't see Kinkette anymore to the side of the car.  I checked all my mirrors and couldn't find her behind the car or on the other side.  She could have been under it.  It was dark too.

I made a decision, and yanked the cord and the trap fell over the younger female.  I transferred her into my last empty trap, tied up the drop trap, instructed the adult son to go ahead and feed under it, and took off, with cat number 14.

I took 14 cats to be fixed yesterday.   I slept two hours during the day and two hours last night before returning the males and the three trailer park females who turned out to be lactating.  I kept the two trailer park females over night, who had infected uteruses. Yes, two had pyometra.   I also still have the four Hoarder sisters cats, the two girls and the two black tux fluffy boy kittens.

Persistence paid off!   Big time I think.  Well here are their mug shots.

ScaredyKit, a long hair tabby female, lactating at spay, so late last night I took her back, after I took a  nap.

Speedo, the last cat I caught Sunday night, medium hair, tiny, and also lactating.

Mia, the classic torti, also lactating.

This is Joker, the gray tux with the interesting white mustache, finally fixed.  She had a uterine infection and will go home today.

GeeGee, the gray tabby female with Pyrometra, will go home today.  Both girls got convenia injections to help them heal.

Those were the five trailer park girls fixed yesterday now for the five boys.

Boy Bob, a huge brown tabby male with a bobtail

Felix, who had a last fling with Kinkette, before his neuter Monday.

Friend, a mac tabby boy.  

Roma, a massive male, tabby tux, with bobtail.

Nubbin, a brown tabby boy with half length crooked tail.

So, an even spread from the trailer park, five girls, five boys!

From the the sisters, also an even spread, two girls, two boys.   And finally, all adults there are now fixed.  A few kittens to go, most still not of weight for fixing.

Tammy is fixed now.

This was Tammy months ago, with five darling kittens.  I don't think even one of them survived.  But I don't know, since they won't let me in the house.

This is Pepper, a calico, who had six kittens. I don't know if any of them survived either.

Both boy kittens, from the jam packed garage, fixed yesterday, both black tux medium hair, born to Tiny, a feral mom I trapped and got fixed some time ago.

So that was yesterday.  Even though, with the donation of two reservations from one Salem woman and 3 from a Detroit woman, I still was one over, but they did 14 anyhow.  Thanks whs.

Vicki would be so happy about the last adults being fixed at the hoarder house.  She tried years ago to get them fixed there, couldn't handle the stress of dealing with them.  It is not an easy thing, I'll have to say.  I smiled to myself and thought of Vicki when they brought out the two females.  Before Vicki died, she was there again, trying to get them to hand over kittens, but stormed off when they refused, afraid she'd tell them what she thought.

None of these folks who create such messes and suffering should enjoy any rights at all, when someone else comes in to clean up after them. 

A good few days, these last, got a lot of cats helped.