Like-minded Folks

While at the post office today (to mail 5 packages and 17 letters, geez), a guy asked why I had so many letters, did I run a business or something. I tried to explain succinctly (not wanting to bore him), that I had raised money to save a lot of cats and that I was sending out some thank you notes. The guy inquired further, and I explained about feral cats. While doing so, another woman in line explained that she, too, had done the same for cats at he work place, for probably 20 cats, but she had bought her own traps. (Okay, but did she have a blog? Heh.) So, I met someone like-minded, and spread the word a little further to some strangers. (Not about this colony, I mean, that's not necessary at the moment, but about feral cats in general, and about Altered Tails.)

I also spent some time outside this afternoon and got a few pictures, but not many. Naturally a whole bunch of cats were out and about this evening when I got home and it was too dark to properly see who they were. I tend to ask them "Who are you?" when I see a cat I can't immediately identify (an orange, for example, or a moo-cow, or when dark, Mr Mistoffolees and Gremlin.) Yes, I ask aloud. No, I don't expect them to answer. Yes, I've gotten some strange reactions of late.

Oh well. So, I'm eccentric. That's hardly a surprise!

Just 7 pictures today: Walsingham, Pigpen, and Little Grey (first sighting since the release!). All available in Flickr Set #2.

Blurry Pictures

I spent the better part of the day writing notes to donors, making wee gifts for sponsors and boxing up raffle prizes. This meant a lot of writing, a lot of sitting on my couch and a lot of DVD watching, so I really don't know why I'm so tired! (Raffle winners who won stuff from me: your stuff's going in the mail tomorrow.) But I did get outside for a half hour of "wildlife photography" so that's good. The cats are out and about again-- I've spotted most of them-- but they're a great deal more skittish than they were before the Great Cat Nabbing of 2008 and who can blame them? The downside to this is that a lot more of my photos are blurry. I'm posting them to Flickr anyway because I figure sponsor (and other curious people!) might like to see how their cats are doing and will settle for a blurry photo over nothing at all. So, 19 new photos in the Part 2 Flickr Set. (Cats include: Aloysius, Bozo, Crooked-Kitteh, Daisy, Daphne, Gandolf, Pigpen, Walsingham)

Walsingham (previously "Little Orange") was particularly good today, lazing about and letting me take his picture. At one point I did get too close, and he got up, but he also lay back down again approximately one foot from where he'd been before. He and Crooked-Kitteh also were hanging out together and eating food (but CK got scared faster than Walsingham did.) In his pictures you can see his ear-tip. His looks a bit odd, like maybe he scratched at it? Still, as much as it pains me that we had to ear-tip them, it's absolutely for the best. Not only does it tell me who has been TNRed, but it can tell other people in the future, and even potentially save the cats' lives.

Earlier in the day, both Crooked-Kitteh and either Gremlin or Mr Mistoffolees were lounging in the grass. The other mystery is the Cat Under the Bush. She has the markings of Pigpen, but, and presumably it's just the photo, she looks a slightly different shape (and cleaner.) I hope she's not another cat-- I'm about 95% sure it's Pigpen just looking odd in the picture... I hope. (I really don't need matching nemesises! Nemesisii? What's the plural of nemesis?!)

Oh! And Downstairs-Neighbor-Lady came outside while I was taking pictures and on the phone. She asked about the cats and wanted to know if any of them could be found homes. I tried to explain that even Daisy (who was, apparently, born on Downstairs-Neighbor-Lady's porch) is much too feral.... it was an odd conversation, but most of them with DNL are. Still, she seemed happy that I would continue to feed them.

So, that's today's news. :)

Leeetle Update

No cats were out and about at 12:30 when I left the apartment today (which is not a surprise-- they usually aren't at that time.) Alas, this means no pictures today.

However, upon my return this evening (ie: just now), I did see Amaranth. I also had just bought a new big ol' bag o' dry food, and filled up the now empty dish down on the first floor. I also put out a dish on the 2.5floor (where they fed for the longest) and while I was doing so I saw Pigpen come trotting to the building, attracted, I think, by the sound of the pouring food. She paused upon seeing me up on the second floor.

Anyway, as I said, the food dish was empty, so they're definitely eating, and around, even if they continue to avoid me in the daytime.

Cats Returning & Clarification

First, the personal news about this colony. After releasing the 13 spayed/neutered cats, I didn't expect to see them for a few days. I mean, were I abducted by aliens, and taken to the mothership for surgery, as this experience must have seemed to the cats, then I wouldn't go near the person responsible either. But actually the cats are starting to be out and about again, albeit slowly. While waiting for the Volunteer this evening (he came by to trade clean traps for dirty-- I *so* got the better end of that deal), I saw Bozo and Athos (who I must say I *really* didn't expect to see today), then Daisy and Walsingham. Then, as it got dark and cats became more difficult to identify, we saw a number more, including Amaranth, Gremlin, Mr Mistoffolees and several oranges. This makes me happy, 'cause even in just the day it's been since their release I'd been missing them!
Secondly, the Volunteer clarified some guesses I'd made in this previous post. AzCATs, as of January, has actually merged with Altered Tails, the owner of the mobile clinic. (AzCATs has become essentially the Feral Cat arm of Altered Tails, which is an organization dedicated to low-cost spay and neutering.) The veterinarian who I met at the mobile clinic is an employee of Altered Tails. The Altered Tails website is being redesigned, but you can still check them out and see their mission. Also, they have been given a brick-and-mortar building to turn into a clinic, but they need to raise money to do so. As Project-Cat has been amazingly successful in gathering funds, you certainly need not donate here anymore (at least not for a while!!) so you may wish to donate to Altered Tails in order to help stop the breeding cycle of the 350,000 stray and feral cats in Phoenix. (The numbers of cats that AzCATS and Altered Tails have spayed/neutered seem high, and stopping the breeding cycle for those cats means all the difference to those individuals, but there has yet to be a decrease in the kill numbers in the area shelters. So, we simply have to work harder.

Sometime in the next I'm-not-sure-but-soon I will be opening a Cafe Press store with Project-Cat merchandise. (Yes, really.) Proceeds from those items will be going to Altered Tails. I will, obviously, be announcing its grand opening here in the blog. :)

Sorry that there's only the one picture today-- the cats came out after dark, past when my camera is of any use.

Athos Recovered & Returned

Because the Moo-Cow -Kitty-With-a -Mustache is both too long to say/type all the time, and because he has no sponsor, I decided to name him after a Musketeer because his mustache/goatee made me think of, well, musketeers. Oddharmonic and I decided that he shall be Athos.

Athos was a quiet guest in 'recovery.' I don't know if he ate his dinner -- he certainly didn't before I went to bed, but when I cleaned out his trap this morning I also didn't find much in the way of dinner remains. Then again, I didn't look closely. He did, apparently, get bored during the night. He pulled much of his cover into the back of the trap, and shredded his newspaper and the paper plate that held his dinner. So we know that Athos likes to keep busy.

He was alert faster than any of the kitties that came through here in the first dozen. By evening, when the Volunteer came over and changed the newspaper, Athos seemed as awake and feral as if he'd never been trapped and altered. This morning he seemed okay, no sign of trouble, so I took him downstairs and released him. He was actually quite patient, not running towards the door at the first sign of grass but waiting for me to slide the gate up.

Bessie was waiting near the tunnels to welcome Athos back. (Okay, actually Athos ran right past Bessie.)

I haven't been out much today other than to take Athos out, so Bessie is the only cat I've seen. Other than my nemesis, Pigpen, who sat in the grass while I was up on the balcony with Athos. She taunts me.

I'll keep trying to update this blog daily with pictures/reports of the first 13, so to speak, but things will probably quiet down here a bit until the next attempt at trapping, which isn't actually all that far away. (Pigpen, you will be mine. Also need to catch Moo-Cow #5, Black-with-White-Toes and Splotch.)

Dozen Cats Returned to the 'Wilds' of the Apartment Complex

Well, it was both a relief and a little sad to set free the first dozen altered cats this morning. The day was cool, which was good given the many stairs I had to walk, and the cats were definitely happy to be out of their traps and back in their territory. Out of the released 12, 9 immediately ran to the double tunnels. One (Daisy) ran through the building opposite, another (Bozo) ran around the side of the building and into the bushes, and one (Daphne) ran into the opposite tunnel.

Oh! I forgot to mention that upon checking on the recovering cats first thing this morning, I discovered that Mr Mistoffolees had not only torn up all of his newspaper (not unusual) but he had also managed to get most of the plastic sheeting on the floor in front of his trap pulled in with him and tore that up as well. You can see it in the picture at the top here, and there's two more that show the mess he made (clever kitty!) better here and here.

I've uploaded pictures taken of the kitties just moments before their return. (I knew I wouldn't be able to take pictures of them when they were actually let out of their traps-- they'd just be a streak of color dashing to hide!) Those are in the second Flickr Set. Thanks to Oddharmonic, cat names are starting to be added to the Flickr pictures in both sets so that you can search for a particular cat. Some cats have been sponsored but not yet named, so the process isn't complete.

After releasing the first dozen cats, then picking up Mustache and settling him in, I wrote another update for the apartment management. (I had run into a maintenance guy who seemed shocked that I was letting the cats return, so in my worry I wanted to keep the management apprised of the situation, remind them that the cats are being returned here, etc.) Then I cleaned out the 18 empty traps, swept up, and washed/folded all of the covers. Man, I hate laundry and cleaning and lugging things, so it's clear that I *really* like these cats to do all these 'chores' especially while already tired and sore from lugging traps around! :)

And, of course, tonight I'll keep an eye on Mustache, poor boy. Does he not have the most perfect mustache and goatee you've ever seen on a kitty?!?!

The Volunteer is coming over in a few minutes to collect the majority of the traps. I'm keeping some because there will be more clinics coming up soon and there's still the hope of catching Pigpen, Moo-Cow #5, Black-with-white-Toes and Splotch. ::fingers crossed:: Still, having ascertained (in whichever way) that 15 out of 19 cats are altered, that's pretty darn good. Yay us!

The Thirteenth Cat.

All of the first dozen are out and about and I've already seen some of them again. (I expected them to be off sulking!!)

Mustache is home, and resting comfortably in the "recovery room." It's windy and chilly today, but he's tucked into the area with walls around it, out of the wind. He is, no surprise, a big heavy tom. But that's good, a girl kitty wouldn't want a mustache.

Half a Dozen Release

Six are out, 5 of them bounding down into the tunnels, with Daisy going her own way (as per usual) and heading to another building. Next up, six more-- but I needed a break! I'm a bit tired of being some-smoking-guy's entertainment, and my knees are filled with much pain. (Do I have the knees of an 82 year old instead of a 28 year old? Ow!)

Back to the release!

The Dozen's Recovery

First I want point out that while the photos might imply otherwise, all of the pictures of cats in traps were taken with the trap firmly shut. I just put the camera really close to the mesh so that the camera took the picture *through* the bars. The doors were *closed*, as they should pretty much always be when a cat is in a trap.

That said, you can look at the pictures of the kitties in the new Flickr Set, Project-Cat Part 2. (I figure we've moved into a new phase, past the simple observation phase.)

So, where were we? Right, the surgery was done by 10:45, the cats were picked up by the Volunteer around 11:45, and by just after noon, when I got home from a meeting, we were ready to lug all 12 cats up to my balcony. (Did I mention I live on the 3rd floor?) They'll only be there until tomorrow, when I'll release them back to where they came from. That was ... hard work. Especially in the heat. Tomorrow when I release them I have to lug them all downstairs, but I'll do it one at a time, and it'll be *down*.

They were still pretty groggy. Any time that one held up his or her head, s/he'd be bobbing around like, well, one of those bobble head dolls. (But much cuter. Bobble head dolls scare me.)

The Volunteer let me borrow a fan to get some air circulating around (since, while they were in the shade, it still got to 97 degrees today, I think.)

Mainly I let them rest, although mid-afternoon I did take their pictures because I couldn't resist. (And, in their state, neither could they.)

Oh, sexes-- since the only way we'd ever know is from the vet!!-- Four girls, eight boys.

Girls: Little Grey Girl, Crooked-Kitteh, Daphne (previously known as "Calico") and Daisy.

Boys: (everyone else) Gandolf, Bozo, Walsingham (previously known as "Little Orange"), Pastel, Moo-Cow #4, Mr Mistophiles, Cyrano and, heh heh, Bessie.

Um, Bessie's sponsors might want to rethink his name now... Apparently our "pregnant female" is actually a big tom-cat!!! Well, I wasn't the only one fooled-- so were the neighbors who a month back were trying to catch "her" to save "her kittens." Heee.

"Bessie" is the most angry of the feral cats at the moment. (Although, quite frankly, the just caught Mustache-kitty is none too pleased just now either.) When the Volunteer came over this evening to change out messy newspapers (oh thank goodness for his help!!), "Bessie" lashed out fiercely, shifting the whole trap about. The Volunteer, who laughs about his moniker here on the blog, joked that "The Volunteer nearly lost The Hand."

Tonight, just about an hour ago now, I gave them all a little food and water. The orange boys (well, 3 out of four) actually chowed down: Bozo, Gandolf and Walsingham. Walsingham even gave me his best little orphan Oliver Twist look for more. Daphne also ate, which surprised me, since she'd seemed pretty lethargic pretty late into the day. As of last check none of the others showed interest, but I'll check again yet.

They all seem pretty good. Pastel has a nasty gash under his left eye, unfortunately, but it doesn't look infected (I hope.) Crooked-Kitteh's left eye is oozing goop, which explains why he has it half closed a lot. But there's not much we can do-- how would you put ointment in the eye of a feral cat? When I got one of my cats, she had an eye infection and it was hard enough to put ointment in her eyes, y'know? Sigh.

Tomorrow, the Dozen's Release.
And Mustache goes to the Mobile Clinic. Which sounds like a particularly strange children's book, doesn't it?

Got one!

I went out to retrieve a trap while the Volunteer was here so that we could switch a recovering cat from a messy trap to a clean one. I decided to get the one I'd set out the farthest, to save me the trouble of retrieving it later.

Lo and behold, there was a Mustache-Kitty in it! He really does have the *most* perfect mustache and goatee. So it looks like I'll be getting up in the wee hours of the morning again to take this guy to the mobile clinic.

Alas, Pigpen is still my white whale. Er, so to speak. (She's neither white nor a whale, but you know what I mean.) And Moo-Cow #5 is still in the wind. I saw Splotch, as I said, but no luck catching him tonight.

This means, though, that if my counts are right (if there aren't more moo-cows and oranges that I couldn't tell apart), that there are only 4 missing kitties, 2 of whom are regulars, 2 of whom are more transient. All things considered, not bad at all. It does mean that I'll be trying this again later on (next month?) By then I may no longer be so violently ill at the thought of tuna smell!