I have been working with a spay and neuter program a few years now. I live in a guest house. And the main house had a bad fire years ago. At this point its close to being Noah's Ark with the amount of animals living in it.
Over the past three year I have been dealing with litters two times a year. I have trapped and released 16 cats now. If I ever get them really young I will socialize them to be adopted. A lot of them come and go. I even have one that likes to come in and sleep inside. Only to leave for the day when I go to work.
There is one mom to all these cats. I would see her every few months. And she would always run on sight. I did trap her close to a year ago. At the time Covid had the spay and neuter program closed. I did find a vast that would do it but they refused because she was lactating. I do understand why they did not want to do it. While I see every day the cost of not breaking the cycle.
I started to see her more and more but would never come close to the trap again.
So I tried to catcher with kindness. Every few days I would get a little closer while she ate. Worked to keeping me had close to the dish. And over the months she would come to me. I even got to the point where I could pick her up. I could hold her off the ground and pet her a little always putting her down to keep the trust. To put the trap outside with the plan picking her up and putting her in it.
It was a disaster. It was closer to a violent abduction to anything else. I could not get her in the trap. I had to scuff her has she fight. Both my hands were streaming blood and her not scratching me in months. I was so close but I think my fear of hurting her made me let up and she got away.
I feel terrible because I feel like I was the first person to show her kindness and love. And I took that from her in a terrible way.
Do you think I will ever get her trust back?
Over the past three year I have been dealing with litters two times a year. I have trapped and released 16 cats now. If I ever get them really young I will socialize them to be adopted. A lot of them come and go. I even have one that likes to come in and sleep inside. Only to leave for the day when I go to work.
There is one mom to all these cats. I would see her every few months. And she would always run on sight. I did trap her close to a year ago. At the time Covid had the spay and neuter program closed. I did find a vast that would do it but they refused because she was lactating. I do understand why they did not want to do it. While I see every day the cost of not breaking the cycle.
I started to see her more and more but would never come close to the trap again.
So I tried to catcher with kindness. Every few days I would get a little closer while she ate. Worked to keeping me had close to the dish. And over the months she would come to me. I even got to the point where I could pick her up. I could hold her off the ground and pet her a little always putting her down to keep the trust. To put the trap outside with the plan picking her up and putting her in it.
It was a disaster. It was closer to a violent abduction to anything else. I could not get her in the trap. I had to scuff her has she fight. Both my hands were streaming blood and her not scratching me in months. I was so close but I think my fear of hurting her made me let up and she got away.
I feel terrible because I feel like I was the first person to show her kindness and love. And I took that from her in a terrible way.
Do you think I will ever get her trust back?