Moving House, Taking The Colony With Me.

[catwoman707]

I just love your pics!

The huge majority of blue eyed cats and cross eyed cats is donated from some version of Siamese, and with relatives looking like he has, he's surely inherited the crossed eyes from them!

He is so cute!

 

[stewball]

Such lovely cats you have and lovely pictures and a lovely safe outdoors for them to play in.

 

[maureen brad]

I love your updates! I don't let my cats near the lap-top when I look at your pictures lest they try to catch a ride to Japan.

 

[kittychick]

Your pictures are so amazing --- and I'm continually amazed & dazzled by your dedication. You definitely have a four-star kitty spa going there! I think your guys have it better than our 5 indoor guys

 

[segelkatt]

Your pictures are so amazing --- and I'm continually amazed & dazzled by your dedication. You definitely have a four-star kitty spa going there! I think your guys have it better than our 5 indoor guys

Don't feel bad, kittychick, not all of us can afford or even want a piece of land as big as what norachan has. I and my bunch of cats are perfectly happy in an apartment with a big enclosed patio on the second floor. So I spoil myself and them with everything I can and live vicariously through norachan's pictures which are really nice and show just how well outdoor cats can be in the right environment. My cats probably would not survive more than a week outside, they'd be coyote lunch in no time. One coyote even crashed through a looked patio screen door on the first floor in broad daylight to snatch a cat sleeping in the sun on a chair on the patio. And, no, I do not live in the country but in the suburbs of Greater Los Angeles, in Orange County to be exact.

 

[kittychick]

Agreed @segalkatt- vicarious living

(Wow about the coyote - horrible!)

 

[Norachan]

That is a very scary story about the coyote. If we had anything that dangerous around here I don't think I'd leave the house. Fortunately the bear in these parts are mainly vegetarian, only eating meat they've scavenged rather than hunted, and the Japanese version of a raccoon is a much gentler creature than their American cousins.

 

[segelkatt]

Unfortunately when people start building homes in places where wild animals made their homes somebody is going to loose. If you  Google Earth where I  live (Laguna Woods, CA) you will see that there is still plenty of green space around the city. There you find not only the ubiquitous rabbits and squirrels but also deer, mountain lions, bob cats, skunks, raccoons, opossums and of course coyotes. There is a wall around the community where I live which is age-restricted (55+) and deer, mountain lions and bob cats have never been seen inside the walls. Coyotes can scale a 10 foot wall and they can just walk through the gates which are attended but open 24/7. At night in the summer you can hear them howling as they make their way through the whole community. They keep the rabbit population down and also the ducks that hang around the ponds of the golf course and other water features so they are rather well fed, but it also makes them bold and people are advised to carry a stick when they walk their little dogs especially after dark. It has been known for a coyote to just walk up to some little old lady with a small dog and snatch the dog and in the process cause the old lady to fall and get hurt. For that coyote to crash through the patio door must had meant that he had cased the place before snatching the cat. It was all over the newspaper and the local TV news. I rather like for the opossums to be around, they hurt nobody, they only come out at night and eat all the snails, slugs and caterpillars that devastate the gardens. As long as you keep your garbage locked up possums won't come close to you and neither do raccoons or skunks.

Coyotes  are so numerous that they have been found to roam the streets of downtown Los Angeles at 3 in the morning, most people think they are just scruffy looking shepherd type dogs when they see one. So all of Southern California is coyote country and one would be well advised to keep one's cats and small dogs inside or closely supervised when outside. A fenced or even walled yard is no protection from these opportunistic animals. 

 

[JMJimmy]

Absolutely beautiful!  I would love to pick your brain Norchan...  We've come a long ways from Mama showing up at or door but managing something like this snuggle pile is incredible!
Our cats can barely sniff each other without a little "hey, back off", they don't fight but the idea of them snuggling up in one bed seems impossible.  I would especially like to know how you manage to bring so many together without it being a giant fight.  I really want to bring Missy (and secretly also Scotty, Bull, & Tom) into the fold but Mama is proving to be a problem on that front - not to mention Junior's dust-ups.

You've got an incredible setup either way.

 

[goblinsmom]

@Norachan I am new to this site and I just stumbled across this thread. I'm so glad that I did! All your babies are just gorgeous and what you have built for them is truly incredible. I aspire to be able to do the same someday.

How is everyone doing in your enclosure these days?

 

[supermax1943]

Hi Norachan,

I sent a message a few days ago about the great outdoor structure with the cat sitting on top.

At the time, I had no idea what your story was with your cats.

There are 50 in the colony I have cared for for the last 18 years. You and I are obviously sisters from some other planet, for we care about these fur balls in the same way.

My situation is different only in the fact that my colony lives in open space around my house, and has been in existence for over 40 years in the same area.

But things are changing all around the world, and here where I live, in a place no one else wanted to live in, now has become the place for two huge research facilities doing oceanography studies. They have brought with them lots of people and I have worried that something could happen to make the colony a "target" for some over-enthusiastic environmentalist.

But, I was mostly worried during the past year as my finances changed dramatically and I have been racing to keep ahead of costs.

I believe I am about to pull out of this difficult time, but I kept thinking to myself, I could sell my house and get money, but I can't leave the colony.

It has worried me so much. 

I cannot begin to tell you what a fantastic relief it has been to find your site and read through your move to the new place. I haven't read it all the way, but I will do that this weekend. I can't wait to read every last detail.

You can learn something about my colony if you are interested. It just happens to be on GoFundMe..but please don't go there thinking you have to donate. It is just a place I have put some time in until I finish working on my web site.

Anyway, I have learned now that I can do anything I need to do for my "family" of kids. I don't need to be afraid if I have to move. Oh my gosh, you just have no idea how much you have helped. 

Even though I believe I have a handle on the finances now, it is never going to be really easy again to meet all of the expenses. My house holds the key to being able to go anywhere if it gets to be too much to make it here. Obviously I don't want to have to make a move (cannot believe what work that must have been!!!!!, but if I have to, now I can.

I am also interested in hearing more about having them all inside your house during the winter. I have been thinking I could rent out more of my house, but I have been concerned about the space here getting more cramped. Not all 50 come in the house, but there are probably 10 or 12 that come in at night.

I just cannot tell you how relieved I feel after reading about you and your cats. We could definitly exchange cats...all of mine are all nice and "chubby" too. I happen to be a tummy lover.

Sally

 

[Norachan]

Thank you everyone for your nice comments.

@JMJimmy  Getting them all spayed and neutered has calmed things down a lot. When I first started caring for the colony, about four years ago, there was a lot of fighting. The un-spayed female cats are worse than the males in my opinion. The male cats tend to do a lot of yowling and posturing before they start a fight. The females just dive in there without warning, all teeth and claws.

Also about 19 of the 23 are from the same colony since birth. They're all cousins or brothers and sisters or half brother/sisters. Maybe this is why they get along well.

@GoblinsMom  The enclosure took a bit of  hammering this winter. We had a lot of snow and part of the fence got damaged when a tree fell down.

Fence2.jpg

• Norachan
• Mar 18, 2016

One of the cats, Sophie, decided to run off and she was missing for a month. I thought we might never find her again but she made her way down to a lady who feeds feral cats and eventually allowed her to get close enough to read the tags on her collar. She's a very lucky girl to have survived that. We're so pleased to have her home again.

Sophie is on the right.

HappySophie1.jpg

• Norachan
• Mar 18, 2016

We've repaired the fence now, but it still doesn't keep Button in. 

Button36.jpg

• Norachan
• Mar 18, 2016

@Supermax1943  Wow 50! That's amazing. Do lots of cats get dumped in your neighborhood or do other feral cats keep finding you? Not all of the cats would come in the house at first but we installed a cat flap and they gradually plucked up the courage to move in. It does get very cold here in the winter, I think that might have motivated them.

Happy lived outside at first but then she discovered the sofa and has lived there ever since.

Happy37.jpg

• Norachan
• Mar 18, 2016

 She's FIV+ and still gets gloopy eyes at times, but she's put on a lot of weight and her coat grew back really soft and white. She loves the company of other cats. Here she is getting a hug from The Mu. Mu is a small cat, only weighs 6 pounds, so you can see how tiny Happy is.

HappyMu1.jpg

• Norachan
• Mar 18, 2016

Our old place is only about ten miles from where we are now, so we could trap the cats 2 or 3 at a time and move them up here gradually. I kept them all in the house at first. There was only a bit of furniture and lots of litter boxes, food and water and cat trees in the house for the first month. We were still living in our rented place and coming up here for about 5 or 6 hours every day. It was tough, but it's doable.

One of our TCS Veterans moved her feral colony too. Here's her thread about it.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/290942/the-feral-cat-relocation-the-release-process

We moved Freya up here last summer and she has done amazingly well. She was so pleased to have a house to live in. She's put on quite a bit of weight, as you can see.

Freya22.jpg

• Norachan
• Mar 18, 2016

The best thing about her being here is that she's grown really close to her sister, Lizzie. Lizzie is a bit timid and used to get bullied by some of the others. No one dares to mess with Freya though, so now Lizzie has a best friend and a protector.

LizzieFreya2.jpg

• Norachan
• Mar 18, 2016

Our latest addition is Fynn, a kitten that was dumped with the TNR'd cats my old neighbors still care for near the place we used to live. I knew as soon as I met him he couldn't be a feral kitten, he was way too tame and friendly.

Here he is with Henry, on the right, and Freya.

FynnHenry1.jpg

• Norachan
• Mar 18, 2016

He's about 7 months old now. To me he still seems really small but I think that's because he likes to sit next to Little Boy.

FynnLB3.jpg

• Norachan
• Mar 18, 2016

Little Boy was dumped when he was a kitten too. Both of his eyes when crusted shut when I found him (The neighbors kids found him hiding in their shed and brought him to me) We thought he might end up blind, but our vet managed to save one eye. He gets by just fine as he is.

 

[JMJimmy]

 
Also about 19 of the 23 are from the same colony since birth. They're all cousins or brothers and sisters or half brother/sisters. Maybe this is why they get along well.

That explains a lot.  I've noticed this with the in-laws cats, the ones that grew up together snuggle together but the adopted one is always on his own.  Do the 4 of 23 stick more to themselves?

 

[Norachan]

The ones that were dumped near my house were all kittens when I took them in so naturally quite gregarious. The Mu, the cat snuggling with Happy, was rescued from another colony on the other side of Japan and made the 8 hour journey with me when I moved. Maybe having been born into a colony made it easier for her to accept other cats.

Little Boy and Toby when they were first found.

LittleBoy1.jpg

• Norachan
• Mar 18, 2016

IMG_0001.jpg

• Norachan
• Mar 18, 2016

We also have a feral cat that visits us from time to time. I put out food every time I see him but he never touches it. He is the healthiest looking feral cat I've ever seen, must be very good at hunting for himself. I call him Digby. Here he is hanging out with Little Boy.

Digby7.jpg

• Norachan
• Mar 18, 2016

[/quote]

 

[JMJimmy]

I don't know if you know Gabriel Iglesias but dang those are some fluffy kitties

 

[Norachan]

 
I don't know if you know Gabriel Iglesias but dang those are some fluffy kitties

Not my fault! It gets very cold here in the winter and they all have to grow an extra layer of....eh...fluff.

 

[mkat02]

I just wanted to say bless you and thank you for everything you do! Your home really looks like heaven. Please do keep us updated.

 

[DreamerRose]

@Norachan, I think you've got a cat sanctuary instead of a colony. You are so dedicated; it's a wonderful thing.

Maybe Digby is someone else's cat and just comes over to your place to visit.

 

[Norachan]

Hello. I thought it was time for another update.

This is our latest outdoor cat tree, made from some old pallets I found at the side of the road.

LittleBoy21.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

They weren't that interested in it at first, but as soon as the trees were covered in leaves and it was shaded it became one of their favourite spots to hang out.

Group18.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

We've also had a few visitors. First to show up was a big feral tom, obviously hoping that the girls weren't all fixed.

Group17A.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

The girls were very interested in him.

Group17.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

He came back a few times in the spring.

Group21.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

He always got a lot of attention, but I haven't seen him for the past few months.

Group23.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

We also had a visit from a couple of tanuki. These are a kind of Asian wild dog, but they look a lot like raccoons.

Tanuki1.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

One in particular used to come around a lot and try to burrow his way under the fence. I was quite worried about this as he looked like he has mange. See the bald patch on his back legs?

Tanuki7.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

He growled at Sophie when she got too close to the fence. I was so glad the fence was there to keep her safe.

Tanuki9.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

One of the tanuki eventually managed to climb in, but the boy cats chased him around the enclosure. I had to herd them all into the house and leave the gate open so he could find his way out again. I haven't seen any tanuki since then.

Some of our other visitors.

Deer.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Deer3.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Then there was the time we got a hammock. Toby loved it!

Toby52.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Albert, not so much.

AlbertToby1.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

AlbertToby2.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

AlbertToby3.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Our newest resident, Fynn, is about a year old now. He's really grown.

Fynn11.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Still not quite as big as Little Boy, although their bromance is as strong as ever.

FynnLB5.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Some of the others.

Button Moon, escape artist extraordinaire.

Button39.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

The Forest Cat.

ForestCat66.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Carpet.

Carpet46.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Chicken

Chicken24.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Twinkle.

Twinkle16.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Sadie. I have hardly any pictures of Sadie. I've been taking care of her for 4 years now, but she's still very shy.

Sadie5.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Sadie's best friend is Marley. They are both quite nervous and tend to keep to themselves.

SadieMarley4.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Mia.

Mia22.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Mia and her mum, Susy Siren.

MiaSusy9.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

About half of the gang, up to something.

Group25.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

On a sad note, my oldest boy Gin kun is missing at the moment. He managed to get out the front door on July 2nd and hasn't been seen since. It's not the first time he has got out, he has taken off 4 or 5 times before and was missing for 2 weeks in March. I hope that he's just enjoying the warm weather and all the wild food available in the forest at this time of year. I'm waiting for him to come back as soon as he's had enough of hunting.

Ginkun23.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Ginkun31.jpg

• Norachan
• Aug 18, 2016

Thanks for reading.

 

[mani]

It's always an absolute joy to read about your 'tribe' @Norachan

That 'fell off the back of a truck' structure is amazing!

I do hope Gin kun wanders in some day soon.