Difficult

 I tried to catch the cats for Monday's appointments.  I started early because these are extremely difficult cats to catch.

They live in a very large area and do not spend their time anywhere near where they are fed.  They come up from heavy brush when they hear the feeders truck and her voice.  They do not come up for me.

Feeder lady came with me Wednesday, called to them, then left.  She said she'd be back very soon.  That didn't prove to be true. The pull off was alive in activity.  And trash.  Four flat screen TV's had recently been dumped out there.  It's common for people to dump their trash along rural road pull outs, like pigs.

There were two other cars parked ahead of me.   I caught one teen, the most adventuresome of the five, quickly.  But bees began to swarm the bait and tried to enter my car, where wet cat food had been opened.

A woman came out of the woods up the trail and sat on the cement blocks.  She saw me trying to take a photo, only I was trying to take a photo of a cat coming out of the brush, not her.  She became angry, thinking I was taking her photo.   

Finally two men came walking up out of the area, which is between the road and the river, a very large area where homeless now encamp large scale.

One of them came to my window.   Turned out he was community outreach for the homeless.   He asked my name and I told him.  Then he said "Oh my, you helped my mom." and told me her name.  I remembered her quickly.  She used to work at a convenience store and always was rescueing cats and I'd get them fixed.  She'd died of cancer by now.   That was a long time ago I helped her with cats, several times.  He said he couldn't believe I was still doing this and I said I can't either.   Told him my age and he said "more power to you".

They left.  Next up were two guys I thought were going to break into the other car ahead of me and they kept looking my way and I got worried, locked my doors, tried to text the feeder lady to come back now, no response.   They finally moved on.

More people came and went from the area below, all homeless, some with dogs.  Then a city truck pulled up because by now a lady and a guy or two had come out of the wooded area and unlocked the car and were inside it.   The city truck guy got out and was talking to them.  The car had been stickered for removal. They don't let cars and RV's pile up in pull outs along that road.  I suppose its a constant battle with the number of homeless around.

He'd finally left and I"d caught one more kitten but the rest had vanished.  The feeder lady finally returned.  I wasn't happy with her for being gone so long and not responding.   Finally left when it was apparent the cats would not be back.

I didn't set them up in a cage.  My back was hurting and the cages are awkward and difficult to set up atop a table in my garage.   I turned them loose in the bathroom after initial flea treatment since they were crawling in fleas.   I waited a few hours after flea treatment, leaving them in the traps, so fleas would be dying, before I let them in the bathroom.

They're pretty wild.   I went again yesterday morning.   The stickered car was gone.  The feeder didn't respond however, when I texted her asking her to come and call out the cats.  I tried calling too.   Then when I finally left, I saw her along the road farther along.  I wasn't happy with her at all but only said "can you please communicate on these cats to help at least".   They won't come up out of the large area unless they hear her call them.   I never saw any of them in those 2 1/2 hours sitting there.  She'll have to be involved to be successful catching the rest but she really doesn't want to be.  I don't know why.   It's difficult.  Very difficult.

Someone with the clinic offered to foster three kittens from the big huge Lebanon colony.   I'd told the colony man that Tuesday afternoon but he said he'd be busy Wednesday and didn't respond further.    Last night he sent me photos of two of the three kittens he'd caught and said were ready.   I texted the lady who offered to foster with the photos yesterday, but no response.  Still no response so far.  Hope nothing has changed.  

I was going to go get five Cascadia homeless camp cats to be fixed Wednesday.  this was set up by a dog fixing lady.  I had been at the camp catching cats two or three years ago and found  there were more dogs than cats running there and had contacted her to see if some could be fixed.  She did get a lot of them fixed and kept in contact with one of the dog owners who now said he had a mom and three kittens.  He wanted them gone but agreed to get them fixed. She even was going to pay for it.  I would just pick them up, take them to the clinic, overnight them and take them back. Now he doesn't respond, however, now that its close to the appointments.  She also tried to get him to respond.  No luck so far.  So I'll have to cancel by today with the clinic.  I'm very much hoping his three kittens aren't the ones posted as seen dumped up Quartzville road.  

Here are the two teens in my bathroom.  They'll be fixed Monday.  I hope to catch the other three, but its not looking good.  Silverton Cat Rescue barn cat team will place them, which is awesome.

I'm not too worried about any of it though.  I'm used to this kind of chaos.  And horror.  Sad to say.  I do what I can.