Ginger Tom and proud... not anymore!

This guys has been 2 months in the catching, in Methley. His feeder rang and asked us to catch him as he was getting into all sorts of scraps and coming home battered and bruised. I organised to drop a trap off and we would set it up in the garage to try and catch him on a morning and then get him to the vets. As usual, his routine of turning up for feeding was erratic and when he did, he was shy of the trap.

He then started coming round on an evening and it was agreed we'd try then... no joy. Finally the week before last I got a frantic call around 9am to say he'd been trapped. As luck would have it the vets couldn't take him that day as they were full, so I arranged to collect him and keep him in the trap in my cellar till next morning when the vets could take him in. This was unusual, but there was no way we were going to be able to let him go and then re-trap him. I had a spare trap which I managed to attach to the one he was in, so he at least had the run of two trap lengths, plus food and a litter tray for his stay.

Anyway, next morning he was none the worse for being in stir for 24 hours, if a bit grumpy. He was snipped and back at his 'home' a day later, looking like he hadn't a care in the world, eating ham from his feeder's hand!

We got Mum... just in the nick of time!

After trying to get Mum for the last 5-6 days, I finally got her on Tuesday night after she went into the shelter where she sleeps in the garden and I managed to butt then trap up again the opening of the box she sleeps in. She shot out of the box and into the trap. Boom. Caught. earlier in the evening she had been in the trap twice to eat, but not far enough in for me to release the door and be assured of catching her.

I dropped her off at White Cross Vets on Tuesday night for the operation on Wednesday, but come the morning, one cat had turned into 3 and by the middle of the day she'd had 6 kittens. sadly one passed away> The good enws she is really friendly and we will not be putting her back, but re-homing both her and kittens at some point. It's a really good feeling to know we literally caught her in the nick of time, one more night outdoors and even fewer of those kittens could be around to grow up into happy healthy cats.

Here's a couple of pics of Mum, sorry they're not a bit clearer!

Kittens to go....

Got called to a TNR job in Harehills this week to trap a MU, Dad, 2 older siblings and a young kitten. First day there today I manage to get the kitten (top pic) and the two older siblings. They're hang around a garden in Harehills and a kind lady is feeding them and has agreed to have them back. Cat Action Trust is hanging on to the kitten in the hopes to tame and re-home it.

I'll drop the siblings back over the next couple of days after their operation and then go back next week for Mum, who already looks to be pregnant again, and hopefully the Dad.

Is neutering cruel and against nature?

Interesting comment on the Celia Hammond Trust Facebook page, interesting that she has even had to say this at all. Comments wholly justified, and when you've worked for a cat charity and seen the effects of unwanted kittens first-hand, and the suffering and death of many a litter, you can't help but agree.

A frequent concern expressed to us is "but isn't neutering interfering with nature?"
And our response....
By domesticating cats and dogs, humans have already interfered. By breeding cats and dogs and caring for them, we have helped ensure their breeding success and longer life.
Cats are prolific breeders: If a female cat was to mate every time she came into season, and all her kittens were to survive and breed, then there could be up to 21,000 extra cats in just 7 years!
With the cat population able to increase at such a fast rate there could never be enough homes to go around.
The dog and cat population can either be humanely controlled by neutering, left to nature or the surplus can be killed or 'culled'.
Nature is cruel and since there are no natural predators of cats and dogs in the U.K the population would be controlled by starvation and disease. The most likely scenario however would be a situation seen by many holidaymakers in some countries - starving colonies of sick animals which are killed by the authorities to contain numbers - a situation we think most people in this country would find intolerable.
Surplus cats and kittens are already euthanased in the U.K because the cat population continues to grow and there are not enough homes.
Stray cats and kittens already struggle to survive on our streets in growing numbers as animal charities struggle to help them all. Cats and kittens become sick whilst living stray and and many do die.

https://www.facebook.com/celiahammondanimaltrust/posts/948189308525262

A stray's story, a stray's one wish....

This says it all.... YOU have the power to help!

How can 1 person save a hundred homeless cats?

Gis a job...

On dropping Bella at Yorkshire Cat Rescue today, I was proud to be asked if I wanted to 'join the team' as an on-call trapper/transporter for them. Wow, big honor. I jumped at the chance and said of course I would. This means I am on their books as one of a list of people who they can call on when a cat needs trapping, or transporting to/from the vets. These guys do great work, as I shave said before and it will be awesome to be involved.

I also asked about volunteering at the center, just to help out with odd-jobs and again they said they'd be pleased to have me.

Sam also showed me round the new pens (cheers, Sam!), which I didn't see properly the last visit and they are amazing. Airy, light, with under-floor heating they are just right for mums with kittens or nervous cats. The oder pens mean the cats can see each other and for nervous/timid cats this can be a problem. In the newer pens the sides protect the cats from seeing each other and they can always 'hear' staff approaching so are not surprised when someone appears outside their pens.

I can see me spending a good few days there over the coming months and years :+}

Dead cat walking....

Abit of a sad day. Got a job from Leeds feline Friends to go see a woman called Jean about a cat that she has been feeding for a couple of years - half-tail they called him, for obvious reasons.

The little guy has been plagued by flies around him this Summer and Jean wanted him looked at. I went down today and on looking at him it was not obvious what was causing the flies as he had no obvious wounds or injuries which could be attracting them. After setting up the trap and getting him halfway in with some regular tinned food, he just turned round and walked out again... flamin' picky cats! Out came the Pilchards and sure enough within 20 minutes he was bang to right in the trap on the way to the vets.

Got a call a few hours later that had tested positive for FiV and with all the other cats in the area it would probably not be right to return him as he could infect other cats/pets. The decision was taken to put him to sleep, whilst under anesthetic. It sounds cruel, but is the best option for the other cats in the area as this guy was a feral and not in a position to be fostered or rehomed easily.

Here he is sunning himself after his first meal. He seemed pretty content with his lot, didn;t run too far when we approached him, knowing it was a safe feeding area, but he was still cautious. God bless the little fella.

Feed cats at animal shelters with just one click...

'Right or wrong, you win! Click on an answer, and every day you do, we'll provide 10 pieces of kibble to Animal Shelters to help feed their hungry cats. Play Meow Trivia every day - the more you play, the more kibble for the cats!'

This is a gr8 site where clicks count. I use it everyday, from multiple platforms with multiple browsers. It doesn't cost a penny and really does help.

Click here.

Don't forget NATIONAL FERAL CAT DAY next month...

A day to celebrate and promote all things feral cat wise

Go to the official web site here thru Alley Cat Allies for all you need.

Black Cats Abandoned By The Hundreds Because They Don't Look Good In Selfies!

This isn't really news, although Yahoo would have you believe otherwise, any cats rescue center or charity has been saying the same for years!

Read the story here.

Trapping is a 24/7 job!

Got a call at just before 9pm tonight from Carol, about this cat I was trying to catch last Saturday, saying she had trapped it and could someone come and get it. Eh, at 9 o'clock? Not sure where she thought we were going to take it, especially when I had said try to trap it in the morning so we could take it straight to the vets.

Anyway, Liz from Leeds Feline Friends pulled some strings and someone was going to keep the cat in a hospital pen in their garage overnight until the vets open tomorrow. So, with both of us just finishing work, I dashed home, changed, showered, and shot across to Halton Moor to collect the cat sans trap and take it to Moortown.

I have just got home at 11.30!

It never ceases to amaze me how volunteers will put themselves out to help a cat. I think alot of the people who ring the smaller charities and ask for help forget that we are unpaid and the majority hold down full time jobs, as well as doing the cat rescue work.

Let's hear it for the unsung heroes!

Poorly cat at Leeds flats

This is one of the cats I was due to try and catch on Saturday, but due to the rain he never showed up... wise cat. I dropped by the flats yesterday and the woman who called Leeds Feline Friends showed me him sleeping by a low wall in the car park. He was quite thin and apparently when running has a tendency for his back-end to collapse every now and then, so not sure what that is yet.

A well set trap with some nice tuna in it and within 5 minutes, once he decided to wake up after smelling the fish, boom, in he went. He is now at the vets so we'll see how he fairs. The feeder would rather he didn't come back to the flats as she has seen kids throwing golf balls at him when he has been in his eating, plus the area around the flats has a preponderance of people with big dogs... pitbulls, staffies, the usual suspects. LFF are hoping to locate him somewhere, if all goes well at the vets today.

An empty trap gathers no cats.

Friday was unusual. Had a call about helping catch a cat near the airport which was a woman had lost several weeks ago when it escaped from the carrier coming out of the vets. She had been contacted by a family that had seen the posters and they, and neighbours, have been feeding it since it turned up.

We arrived around 6pm, when the cat usually turned up for food, set the trap and waited.

The cat showed up after about 45 minutes, was happy to eat the food, but not interested in the trap (shocker!). The cat wandered off and we arranged for the family feeding it, and the owner, to leave the rap out at feeding times and stay in contact with each other if the cat was caught. The owners could then go round - about 5 minutes in a car - and collect the trap and the cat.

We all went home, then 15 minutes later I got a text saying 5 minutes after we left the cat came back, went in the trap and was now caught! Owner and cat reunited, and I arranged to go round on Sunday and collect the trap.

I went round and to my surprise was told it wasn't actually their cat! It looked near identical, down to a whit mark on it's chin, but just wasn't the original moggy! They had already taken him to the vets, but no microchip. Anyway, the new family member had already made himself at home eating quite happily out of the other resident cats bowl and sleeping on the couch. The family have said they will put posters and photo's on various 'Lost Pet' web site and see if anyone comes to claim him, if not, they are happy to keep him.

A happy ending for all.

Rain, cats... and trapping, don't mix

Got a call about a couple of cat jobs in Leeds 14 today. I ended up going across to the first job, but with it pelting down with rain, pretty much knew it was a bust from the off. Cats and rain don't mix, when it comes to trapping. Cats aren't daft and if it's raining, even hungry, they will usually choose shelter over food. If it's raining, it is very rare you are going to catch/trap a cat. It's just a fact of life.

I did set up, but after 30 minutes called it day and re-scheduled to go back next week. Same for second job, which I didn't even go to, especially when the feeder said she hadn't seen the cat today! Again, re-scheduled for Monday.

I am due to help one of the FCW volunteers catch another 5 cats which have turned up at a factory where we did a big 15-cat TNR job a few months back. There is now some issue with how much the cost of the 5 new neuters will be and should the job be handed off to Cats protection. I am concerned if CP get involved they may not do the job in full as the volunteer has a history with the feeders at the factory. I have suggested we do the trapping and just let CP pay. I'll see what happens.

How to help a stray cat...

Tweeted by @StrayCat_SCA

#StrayCatAlliance #TNR #spayandneuter #kittylove

How much is that kitten in the window...

When we went to collect the little cat for her new home, the kittens were all out, climbing eveywhere in their pen.... Look how cute they look, I want one... or all 7 :+}

Kittens do what kittens do... GROW!

Meant to post these last weekend. The little guys, and girl, are growing fast. They didn't seem to mind me dropping by foto take a photo and it will be great for prospective new owners to see how friendly they are. They should have no problem finding new home... fingers crossed.

The little girl who was struggling and had to be hand-fed is coming on leaps and bounds, but is still smaller than her brothers, however,she makes up for it by being 3 times as cute as them!

Brindle rescue update

The cat trapped Thursday night had her visit to the vets yesterday and as suspected, she has bee spayed. We've rung round a bunch of local vets, posted her details on Facebook, but have yet to have anyone come forward an claim her.

By the looks of it Jon will be taking her home with him on Monday, barring any sudden change of circumstance.