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- Sep 17, 2020
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Hello everyone. I am starting a new thread because I need advice trapping a dying backyard kitty. He seems trap-wise. I had a trap at a key location, he is always seen at. I had the trap out for a long while with no luck. I was not feeling well yesterday and had to give it up. Not even a half hour later, he is on the deck. I tried to give him the best food I could, he ate very little. He is definitely on his way out. I went around my yard and try to block every exit point with whatever I had available to me. I was in bad shape all last night and barely sleeped. I am trapping again today and strategically put a trap by gate entrance(see pic). I added a few more stones and bricks since to fortify the blocks. This cat is weak, but I believe his buddies helped him escape last night, so I am taking no more chances. If he gets trapped I have up to a certain time to take him to be put down. Any advice you can offer would be appreciated. One more thing I like to add, everytime I tried to get him to go in yard, he runs away and hides. It makes things worse.
My second question is directed to those who work in TNR or rescue organizations or is an affiliate of. I live on a short dead end block right by a railroad. I thought I knew how many cats are on our block, I stayed on good terms with the other feeder until this major falling out (as mentioned on my "At my Wit's End... " post). I believe we may have at least 25 to 30 cats on the block. This summer cats were everywhere, lying on sidewalks, lawns, and even on the streets. The bunch I feed out front are a fixture on the block. At some point there were 10-15 cats hanging on the block. We had a bunch of new neighbors moved on the block this year. One of the neighbors lives right by the other cat feeder and has a toddler and baby. I could see the neighbors being nervous about the whole situation. And ofcourse there are the ones who were complaining and openly saying they put complaints in about me. Not to mention the hostility towards the cats, chasing and throwing things at them, including party snaps. HERE IS MY QUESTION: At what point do you remove cats from a colony or block? Taking into account winter is coming and that means double the feedings and every cat must have access to winter shelters. I feel that cats will fall through the cracks. This other cat feeder, must honestly access this situation and seek help. The tnr group were scolding me over even thinking of taking the cats off the block and putting them in a cat sanctuary. I asked the director of the sanctuary if the cats could temporarily be placed there and maybe he could find adopters for the friendly ones. Anyway, they told me pretty much it was crazy idea, too costly, too overcrowded and the shelter was constantly under threat of shutdown. I told them that the director was only going to work with what we could afford. This man, the director, turned his whole property and house into a decked out cat sanctuary with everything to keep the cats happy and safe. Normally, I don't like animal sanctuaries that have a lot of animals, but this man put his heart and soul into the sanctuary. He goes above and beyond for the cats. It is funny that a few members of this group visited a very large cat sanctuary in another state some years back and had nothing but good things to say about it on social media. Why the change of tune? Anyway, this is my question, if you have a large post tnr cat population in a small area, and you know the neighbors are nervous and unhappy about the situation, is that enough reason to place kitties elsewhere, starting with the friendly ones(adopted out)? I only had the best in mind for the kitties when I was looking for help. I don't think there should be a strictly never remove cats from area policy. I believe do what is best for cats and try to keep neighbors happy, if possible.
My second question is directed to those who work in TNR or rescue organizations or is an affiliate of. I live on a short dead end block right by a railroad. I thought I knew how many cats are on our block, I stayed on good terms with the other feeder until this major falling out (as mentioned on my "At my Wit's End... " post). I believe we may have at least 25 to 30 cats on the block. This summer cats were everywhere, lying on sidewalks, lawns, and even on the streets. The bunch I feed out front are a fixture on the block. At some point there were 10-15 cats hanging on the block. We had a bunch of new neighbors moved on the block this year. One of the neighbors lives right by the other cat feeder and has a toddler and baby. I could see the neighbors being nervous about the whole situation. And ofcourse there are the ones who were complaining and openly saying they put complaints in about me. Not to mention the hostility towards the cats, chasing and throwing things at them, including party snaps. HERE IS MY QUESTION: At what point do you remove cats from a colony or block? Taking into account winter is coming and that means double the feedings and every cat must have access to winter shelters. I feel that cats will fall through the cracks. This other cat feeder, must honestly access this situation and seek help. The tnr group were scolding me over even thinking of taking the cats off the block and putting them in a cat sanctuary. I asked the director of the sanctuary if the cats could temporarily be placed there and maybe he could find adopters for the friendly ones. Anyway, they told me pretty much it was crazy idea, too costly, too overcrowded and the shelter was constantly under threat of shutdown. I told them that the director was only going to work with what we could afford. This man, the director, turned his whole property and house into a decked out cat sanctuary with everything to keep the cats happy and safe. Normally, I don't like animal sanctuaries that have a lot of animals, but this man put his heart and soul into the sanctuary. He goes above and beyond for the cats. It is funny that a few members of this group visited a very large cat sanctuary in another state some years back and had nothing but good things to say about it on social media. Why the change of tune? Anyway, this is my question, if you have a large post tnr cat population in a small area, and you know the neighbors are nervous and unhappy about the situation, is that enough reason to place kitties elsewhere, starting with the friendly ones(adopted out)? I only had the best in mind for the kitties when I was looking for help. I don't think there should be a strictly never remove cats from area policy. I believe do what is best for cats and try to keep neighbors happy, if possible.