Mourning Our Feral Friends

[TTTTrickster]

I don't know if this belongs in the Crossing the Bridge section, but I thought maybe other feral caretakers would weigh in on this.

I got to work this morning to discover one of my ferals had been hit by a car during the night. One of my coworkers informed me that there was a cat on the side of the road in front of our building, and it turned out to be my favorite of my group. I don't think he suffered. From his positioning, it looked like he stuck his head out and got clipped.

He was a young tabby male, less than a year old, one of two kittens born next to my office last year. I haven't seen his sister in months, but he stayed. I called him Alfalfa, affectionately Nugget because of his stump of a tail. He was the friendliest of the colony, waiting for me to get to work each morning, showing me to his food bowl, even letting me stroke his head a couple times. He was even vocal with me, at first trying to meow with no sound and then finally meowing when he saw me.

I had been hoping to trap and find him a new home once it thawed around here but it wasn't to me. A coworker of mine helped me and picked him up into a bag, but he put him in the dumpster. I took him home with me instead and buried him in my backyard, under some stones.

I feel crazy and lost, to take a dead animal home with me, to cry over an animal who wasn't technically mine.

How do you all deal with losing one of your colony? I know it comes with the territory, but this is the first hard loss I've had so far.

Rest in peace my little friend.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

He was a beautiful boy. I am sorry.

 

[tabbytom]

Oh, I’m so

to hear that this has happened to Alfalfa

Definitely you feel for him and feel sad as you contact with him and he response to you. Bless your heart for taking him home and burying him in your backyard. You sure have an attachment to this sweet guy.

Guess this should be in Crossing The Bridge. I’ll Flag it for you and see if it should be moved there.

 

[Draco]

I am so sorry to hear Similar thing happened a few weeks ago with a feral colony at my job that a coworker's been taking care of.. always a heartbreaking thing to come across to. Alfalfa knows he had a place to call home where there's love and food, I am sure he's grateful for it.

You are not crazy for taking him home. I'd do the same if I had a yard to bury them.

Since you are reaching out to other feral caretakers for advice, we will leave this thread here for now. If you want to pay a tribute soley to Alfalfa, do feel free to post on the Crossing the Bridge.

 

[TTTTrickster]

I am so sorry to hear Similar thing happened a few weeks ago with a feral colony at my job that a coworker's been taking care of.. always a heartbreaking thing to come across to. Alfalfa knows he had a place to call home where there's love and food, I am sure he's grateful for it.

You are not crazy for taking him home. I'd do the same if I had a yard to bury them.

Since you are reaching out to other feral caretakers for advice, we will leave this thread here for now. If you want to pay a tribute soley to Alfalfa, do feel free to post on the Crossing the Bridge.

Thank you. I'm sorry if I posted it in the wrong place

 

[Draco]

Thank you. I'm sorry if I posted it in the wrong place

Don't worry about it, we'll move it if we feel it's better suited in the Bridge

 

[trudy1]

Don’t feel bad grieving over a pet ! I think once you begin to feed and care for them a bond is formed between you both. It’s a kind of unwritten pact that says I’ll care for you when you’re lost, hungry and cold . In turn they agree to provide that “cat love” which includes head butts, the raised tail greeting, purrs, and “I’ll let you scratch/pet me”.
When death interrupts that bond we all feel the loss.

Sorry you had to go through that.

 

[Norachan]

I'm so sorry TTTTrickster Losing a feral isn't any easier than losing a pet cat. Even if it's a totally wild cat that you've never been able to get close to, just being the one to look out for that cat every day, to give them a little food and worry about them when the weather is bad or you don't see them for a few days is enough to create a bond.

I've lost several of the feral cats I cared for to traffic accidents. No matter how safe we try to keep them you can never protect them completely from the dangers of life outdoors.

I wish I could tell you that it gets easy, that your heart hardens a little and these losses won't hit you so hard in time, but that's untrue. I'm glad you could take him home and lay him to rest in your backyard. He knew you loved him and he'll never be forgotten. That counts a lot.

Rest in Peace beautiful Alfalfa.

 

[walli]

I would of taken him home too, don't apologize for having a big heart!
your precious

 

[vyger]

I have developed my own pet cemetery that has grown over the years. One of the members is a young guy who had a fantastic personality who for some reason wandered out on the road the day after he was neutered, and I do mean the very next day. I have no idea what got into his head to go there as he had never even gone near the road before this. But it happens. And in terms of bizarre I had a little one get killed by an owl. I though they ate mostly mice, not kittens.

 

[LoveMyFerals]

I don't know if this belongs in the Crossing the Bridge section, but I thought maybe other feral caretakers would weigh in on this.

I got to work this morning to discover one of my ferals had been hit by a car during the night. One of my coworkers informed me that there was a cat on the side of the road in front of our building, and it turned out to be my favorite of my group. I don't think he suffered. From his positioning, it looked like he stuck his head out and got clipped.

He was a young tabby male, less than a year old, one of two kittens born next to my office last year. I haven't seen his sister in months, but he stayed. I called him Alfalfa, affectionately Nugget because of his stump of a tail. He was the friendliest of the colony, waiting for me to get to work each morning, showing me to his food bowl, even letting me stroke his head a couple times. He was even vocal with me, at first trying to meow with no sound and then finally meowing when he saw me.

I had been hoping to trap and find him a new home once it thawed around here but it wasn't to me. A coworker of mine helped me and picked him up into a bag, but he put him in the dumpster. I took him home with me instead and buried him in my backyard, under some stones.

I feel crazy and lost, to take a dead animal home with me, to cry over an animal who wasn't technically mine.

How do you all deal with losing one of your colony? I know it comes with the territory, but this is the first hard loss I've had so far.

Rest in peace my little friend.

 

[LoveMyFerals]

So sorry....before I took my ferals home to my house I lost one....he was a big tabby male...I had gotten him fixed and shots. He would sit on the bench at my nursery where I potted plants....he disappeared and then one morning he was
dead in our shipping room. He looked really bad. Hubby buried him and the next day something had taken him from the
spot he was in.....we believe it was a coyote, cause they had been seen in the area. After that none of my ferals are kept
outside....all 15.....11 in my house and 4 in my office. There are more that have started to come around and I trapped one and got it fixed, shots and ear tipped, but he got away from me when I was transferring him to a recovery cage...but at least he can't make babies and has had shots.....I think I saw him the other night when I went in the greenhouse to leave feed out. I feel the same as you.....could never put a precious cat in the dumpster.....I still cry over lost ones.