Ten and the Hell of I5 in Oregon

 We caught ten cats at the new Lebanon colony, this last project before taking the summer break.  

Its turned slightly warm, after we endured a week of downpours, which we needed here, I've been told.  Nevertheless, the extension of dreary gray and wet into mid June is depressing.  Today however we will get into the mid 80's.  Yesterday we had mid 70's and no rain, for a change, although the thick dark clouds rolled through periodically all day and threatened.  

I caught seven of the Lebanon cats, including all five teens, in my first drop of the drop trap.  After which I had to transfer them out, one by one, into live traps to bring home.  Then I caught one more, a big male, with the drop trap and then left it to the lady living there, to watch the traps set and put out more, if those were filled.  But she only caught two more in the last day.  No way to trap discreetly at that colony so as to not freak out the cats when one or more are caught.  Tiny bare fenced backyard with postage stamp concrete patio outside a sliding glass door.  You can only hide behind verticle blinds inside the house, a few feet from the drop trap, to yank the cord on it.  One of the males not caught saw that seven cat catch happen a few feet from him.  So he's going to be a hard sell to catch anytime soon. Since the lady works from home all day, she can check traps but I can't be over there, which isn't helpful anyway, due to the small area where the cats are seen.   

So this morning, I am taking ten cats up to the FCCO to be fixed.

Yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment, I'll say that.  I slept yesterday afternoon, in preparation for today and wasn't going to get up for another half hour, but my stomach woke me early.  I get nerves when I have a lot of cats to take up.  Getting them changed over, prior to leaving, into clean traps.  Getting them loaded.  Getting going on time, which seems harder and harder for me to do.

This morning when I woke, I stretched out in bed, and my left knee cap popped out of place.  It didn't hurt at all, and popped right back into place.  All I can do is laugh over the state of my being.   I'm getting old but I still can trap and transport a packload of cats.  Oh yeah.

The traffic misery of Hellish I5 in Oregon may start early.  I saw on tripcheck there's a pedestrian/auto collision, and you might guess how that would turn out, on north bound I5, north of Salem and all lanes in NB have been closed.  ODOT states on trip check they hope to get one lane open by commute time.  Otherwise, they have a detour in place.  Oh shoot, I think to myself.  This will be hell, even on the drive north, which is usually only minor hell, compared to the congestion south on the drive back which is a visit to major hell, the big den of fire and brimstone.  Who'd a thought, hell is right here in Oregon.  

I think to myself do I need to start an hour early or would that make it even worse.   I think to myself why in the world do I drive I5 at all?   Of course you have to if you live in Oregon.  It's really the only north south highway in the valley.  Well, there's highway 99, but its two lane and can't handle any extra traffic.

I think to myself, man I wish we had affordable spay neuter here in the mid valley.

I turned down an Alsea colony (over an hour's drive west in the coast range) and a Stayton colony (nearly an hours drive north and east) because of the distances involved in going to these places to trap multiple times, come home, go again, then go clear to Portland with the cats to get them fixed.  Its too much and this car of mine has 214k miles on it.    

Anyhow, I better get to work, to get ready.  Here are photos of 9 of the 10 cats who will be fixed today, if the gods or should I say devils of I5 allow me to pass.

Adult buff orange male

Gray and white adult female

Adult gray tabby tux male

Adult long hair Siamese mix male

Orange tabby teen male

Flamepoint teen

Lynx Point teen

Snowshoe mix teen

Siamese mix teen

The tenth cat is a brown abbytabby, allegedly a male.  So, if that is the case, I'm taking four adult males and one adult female plus five teens today.

Wish me luck.  May the cats be with me and my clunky car as we battle the devils of I5.