Finally Its Gone

 The garage cage room is finally gone.

I built it years ago in about a day, to hold cats left still, without homes, from 60 cats left behind out near Lebanon.    But before I could find them homes it turned horribly cold that November, down to ten degrees or so.  I can't remember how cold it was.  Very very cold.  I couldn't keep the remaining cats warm in the garage in that six by six by six cage room.

I moved them inside and they ended up staying.  That was years ago.  They're old cats now.

After I moved the remaining Olson Lane colony cats inside, I connected the cage room to the cat runs so all the cats could use it.  But I've always wanted it gone from the garage.  That effort, trying to save 60 cats and kittens, virtually alone, wore me down badly and it took weeks to recover. I'd also injured my back out there, carrying a heavy trap with a cat in it, then slipping on turkey crap, from a large flock of wild turkeys that frequented the yard.  It wasn't easy on me, that endeaver.  

I'd been slowly dismantling the garage cage.  Over a year ago, I took off the connection to the cat run, shutting my cats out of the cage room.  I stored a tote of camping equipment, a tote of Christmas decorations and an old single mattress I use in my car when I camp atop it.  But that's not a lot that has to go elsewhere.  I'm fortunate I don't have a lot of excess unused junk.   I get rid of that.  Most of what I have in the garage is only used for trapping, in some way, plus a few yard tools.

Battling junk collection is constant.  I don't know where it comes from.  I think it sneaks in in the night.  I hate having anything I don't use.   I know many people who struggle severely with garages and houses crammed in stuff, so sometimes they can barely move around their own homes.  Their garages are so crammed full they can no longer enter them and if they open the garage door from the outside, stuff starts falling out.  That would drive me nuts.

I felt I had too many traps and a few days ago, donated two of them to a local rescue.   Why have traps I don't use when a rescue might use them.  No good reason.  Off went two and I felt better immediately.

Yesterday, a friend came over with tools and demolished what I hadn't gotten to yet.  I'd already taken off most of two sides, slowly getting rid of the wood that can't be re used for something else.

Most of the wood pieces from the two sides and top can be reused.   Turned into something else.

Now I have all that space where it once stood.  The cat numbers here have been decreasing and the ones left have plenty of room without the cage room too. 

The garage cage room, when it still stood

Connection, using an old trap, from the top of the cage room to the overhead garage cat runs.  All this is now gone.

The empty garage corner where the garage cage room once stood.

I'll move the trap shelf unit to the back wall now.  I have a roll of vinyl to put on the  floor in that corner, too.  I've swept the cobwebs off the walls by now, that accumulated behind the walls of the cage room.

It's nice its gone now.  The new arrangment will take some getting used to.

It's been flea treatment time.  Well, it's always that time here.  I sneak up on the ferals, when I can, rather than net them, and I'm down to three needing it currently.  Getting pretty darn good at tip toe flea treating.  Sure beats chasing them down with a net.  They're old and so am I.