FeralsAndFosters

Organized by Fiber Follies
An Update
We are stagnating at just enough to pay for Simon's annuals-he's the most overdue. Simon will be up-to-date again on 11 April, yay!

Please consider parting with a dollar or two. Each dollar contributed is a dollar nearer getting annuals and other veterinary care for the ferals and fosters. My colony is stable no, the TNR are all finished unless someone throws another unneutered cat onto my property. But the need for preventive care is not erased! And I always promise that vetting is up-to-date on cats so please give us some thought.

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Simon is an indoor/outdoor guy. Every morning he gets to go out and romp around the property while I do litter pan duty and get breakfast fed to the house cats and the office cats. He comes back on his own in an hour or two, then he and the other basement dwelling kitties get their breakfast after a bit of great playtime. Sometimes I go outdoors at break time and he's always ready to take a stroll round the property with me. It's like walking with a dog. He comes when called, too. Like a good dog. I bought him a collar to hopefully convince the neighbourhood that he's a pet, not a feral. Some people are harmful to the cats but may give pause if there is the appearance of domesticity.

Sometimes Simon brings a mouse or mole back from his solo treks. He leaps to the sill of one of the kitchen windows, and yowps around the mouse until I hear him and let him in. Then it's off to his favourite corner of the garage to growl and consume his prey.

Simon is a remarkably affectionate cat. I feel terrible about those bitter cold weeks when he first showed up, terrified, not let to eat nor to shelter in any of the feral shelters-they'd even chase him out of a shelter that they weren't using. He would cower under the cargo van, where I'd made high walls of snow to cut th wind, then filled with cardboard boxes for temporary shelter, and loaded the space with straw. I slipped one-off handwarmers into his space to help him stay warm, I slipped food to him there. It was only after he'd been trapped and neutered that he became brave enough to show me that he was a really sweet, friendly, throw-away cat, not a feral. I'll always feel awful guilt about those cold, cold weeks. He's been sleeping int he basement ever since-he has so many places to curl up, dry and warm. He's not alone there, either, since Daphne and her remaining kits also reside belowstairs.
The Cats






Well, Here We Are. Again.
.For nearly two years, the goal was to TNR the ferals who kept populating the neighbourhood with dog fodder and something for cat-hating humans to target for abuse. Now the clan is TNRd. The last litter was birthed in my basement, and the trap-savvy queen finally caught and spayed. All the kittens were vetted and neutered. Two ferals and one foster were hopsitalised for illness or injury-those three incidents added up to well over $1000. Then all the ferals and all fo the fosters were taken ill by a bag of bad food. I was able to only take one cat to the vet so chose the sickest. $350 for visit and labs plus medications.

So, with a house full of fosters, and just three ferals still living outdoors, I need help. My goal this year is to get the cats through their annuals, which means trapping the three ferals and probably the trap-savvy queen. Any funds remaining will sit until one of the cats needs veterinary attention. There will always be injuries and illnesses to deal with. It's just become very hard because my permanent resident cats have consumed my assets through their own chronic conditions. And getting people to adopt from private fosters is difficult at best. None of mine are little kittens anymore-they've grown up underfoot as all kittens should. I think it's sad that a year-old cat is "too old" to adopt.
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