Sad Day for the Cat Colony TW- death

[BatCoach]

@Annie10

The shelter in my area if you bring the cats in in a trap, they will neuter it, etc. and then you can either pick it up at the end of the day or they’ll bring it back to where it came from and let it back out. There’s also a low-cost clinic here that if you bring it in, they’ll take care of it for you and then you have to pick it up at the end of the day. I think each resident can do like six cats a month or something like that. Is there nothing like that where you are? You want to PM me your general location? I can look around I know a lot of Animal people all over the place that knows some out of the way and hidden benefits that are available to help animals.

Oh boy that would be a dream! No, my city and my county both offer nothing like that. Since moving into this house about 3 years ago and seeing the stray cat issue up-close and personal I’ve become very well-versed on what is and what is not available in my area. I’ve posted on it before, but our new municipal shelter that cost 35 million to build and has a 24 million dollar annual operating budget offers no services for low cost s/n, TnR program or feral fixes. Its absolutely appalling and I’ve been part of protests, letter campaigns and fundraisers to oust the current leadership. The shelter has a few lawsuits against them for numerous reasons, its just a sad mess all around.

If I do trap a cat for TnR, I have I make an appointment about 2 weeks out for a vet in a different county (1 hours drive one way) to get a feral fix. I can also apply for a voucher from a non-profit to pay for most of this surgery, but I’m still on the hook for about $40 of it. So when I do see an intact cat prowling around, I have to desperately hope the stars align and I catch the right cat the night before the pre-scheduled appointment, then take a 1/2 day at work to drive the bugger to the appointment the next morning. Its stressful since cats are going to cat and sometimes my target cat does not make an appearance. All the rescues and other trappers in the area feel the same way - its crazy that we live in such a HCoL area with zero resources.

[Annie10]

I sent you a private message

[CanadianTrotter]

@BatCoach

I’m going to believe it was an accident where she got trapped under a tire and the yowling I heard in the wee morning hours was a typical tom cat fight and unrelated.

I think this is the most likely scenario of what happened.

A huge standing ovation and a pat on the back to you for showing these cats love and tenderness.

Rest gently Siam.

[trubandloki]

Like I already said, this colony is so lucky to have you!!!

The shelter where I live does do TNR, but you have to get an appointment and that appears to be as miraculous as most things that never happen.
I filled out an application two and a half months ago, and now the cat I filled out the application for has not been around for weeks, which I guess does not matter since I have heard nothing back on the application.

One cat I finally just trapped and took to my regular vet. Paid the not reduced, several hundred dollar neuter cost just because that way I knew it would be done. (And then never saw the cat again after I let him loose.)

Just misery loves company rambling.

[BrownDerby]

Good luck with Mouse today. Let me know if you can use a dribble.

[BatCoach]

Blame it on Mercury in Retrograde, or just plain “cats are gonna cat” but Mouse was an very unwilling boy this morning. He would NOT let me get within arms reach of him. Since his decline, he has been more skittish which is understandable, but normally I can get a few pets in before he shrinks back. On a scale of 1(feral) to 10 (domestic) He’s been a 5, but now is like a 2. Foolish me, I knew that I should have tried to trap him rather than try to pick him up but I blew it.

I had to call and cancel the appointment - we will have to try another day.

[BatCoach]

Its nice to know I’m in good company! Its a quandary, putting heart, $$$ into animals that you don’t own and most of them don’t want any attention or interference, but we are not the type of people to turn a blind eye to an animal in need. We must be building up some good kitty karma points! haha

[trubandloki]

Oh no. Silly kitty. Darn it. Why don’t they understand we are trying to help them? I am sorry he did not cooperate.

@BatCoach

Its nice to know I’m in good company! Its a quandary, putting heart, $$$ into animals that you don’t own and most of them don’t want any attention or interference, but we are not the type of people to turn a blind eye to an animal in need. We must be building up some good kitty karma points! haha

Right now I have tom coming around that will not go anywhere near the trap. If I put the wet food even slightly near the trap (which is secured wide open) he will just walk away.
He is a smart boy who clearly knows what I am up to.

On the other hand, my barn cats will use the trap as a cat play gym.

[BatCoach]

@trubandloki

Right now I have tom coming around that will not go anywhere near the trap. If I put the wet food even slightly near the trap (which is secured wide open) he will just walk away.
He is a smart boy who clearly knows what I am up to.

I have one that did that and then proceeded to SPRAY the food!!! He is such a bugger and a bad antagonist. He wears a collar sometimes, but if you are a bad enough owner to let your intact cat outdoors in this neighborhood and he is constantly getting in fights and bloody, you clearly make bad choices and if that cat walks into my trap, I will 100% take it in to get neutered.

[trubandloki]

@BatCoach

but if you are a bad enough owner to let your intact cat outdoors in this neighborhood and he is constantly getting in fights and bloody, you clearly make bad choices and if that cat walks into my trap, I will 100% take it in to get neutered.

I am betting they would not even notice that their cat is neutered.

[shiloh]

Oh I hate that. It’s like they “know.” Hope you get hands on him soon. I’m also good for a dribble.

[keh]

OP, I’m heartsick you had to experience this. Thank you for your Herculean efforts. I seriously sleep better at night knowing there are angels like you.

PS You couldn’t have prevented her demise, but you DID enhance the quality of her life. For this, I wish you a lifetime of good fortune

[BatCoach]

I was finally able to trap mouse. His health just kept on declining and it was not fair to let him keep suffering in the summer heat.

Huge, huge props to Feral Friends of San Diego https://www.feralcat.com/ as they were understanding of the issues that being a feral cat with advanced stomatitis presents. We agreed that if the quality of life exam showed something that was treatable then we would treat it, but I drove him down there knowing that this most likely would be good bye for the poor guy.

The vet confirmed that he had very bad stomatitis and would need full tooth removal. Unlike Nic, Mouse is not friendly. He knows I give food, and will allow very limited pets, but is not a good candidate for the long and painful recovery of oral extractions, plus putting a toothless feral cat back on the streets is just a bad idea. It was good to get professional confirmation that I was doing the right thing, and we let Mouse go.

RIP. sweet gentle boy. He was a timid cat but made friends with the others in the colony easily. When we moved in there were 4 gray cats outside, I believe mouse was the last of them. In the photos it’s easy to see how his health declined in 10 months. I’m glad he is not in pain anymore and is lounging with Siam in kitty heaven.

[trubandloki]

Oh @BatCoach, this colony is so lucky to have you taking such good care of them. How kind of you to take this poor boy and ending his pain.

Godspeed Mouse.

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

Hugs to you. It’s never easy to do the right thing, is it?

He and the rest of the colony are so lucky to have you in their corner.

[Annie10]

You did the right thing for him, and thank you for being kind enough to be able to do that for him. Rest in peace, Kitty.

[4horses]

I have an indoor cat that just dreams of being free. Unfortunately free would quickly mean run-over by a car so I’m his very cruel jailer (combined with the fact he doesn’t like my other cats even though he has lived with them since they were kittens). He is confined to the bedroom except at night when I swap them around.

One day he escaped around supper time. I looked and called and he didn’t come. Not entirely unusual because if he gets out he doesn’t come unless he feels like it. I went and fed the horses their supper and heard screaming coming from the road. My heart about stopped because I could just imagine him being hit by a car but still alive on the side of the road. I ran out there and it turns out he and the feral cat were having a standoff and he wasn’t going to back down. I picked him up, carried him to the house and promptly locked him back in “jail.”

Life locked up is better than a terrible death but I do fear one day he will escape and get hit by a car. He is like a bullet running out the door. He wants to be outside catching mice and living the wild life. All my other cats are happy to stay inside or go outside for a roll on the concrete and immediately want back in.

After I brought him home, I swore I would never like him but he has grown on me slowly but surely. He is a character. I just wish he would learn not to go behind the refrigerator and keep getting stuck back there!! No one else does that!

[4horses]

Dumped cats is how I ended up with 6 cats in college. They just kept showing up. That was my first generation of cats. I lost the last one at age 14 last summer.

Sorry about the loss of Mouse. I’m glad they have you looking out for them.

[BatCoach]

Behind the refrigerator?! What a rabble rouser. He is a young guy and might grow out of it?

My now 16 y/o cat would get spouts of wanderlust and sneak out for a one or two day walkabout at each place we lived. He is neutered, but I think he just wanted to get a lay of the land and hang out under the neighbors deck or check out the old shed. He’d come trotting back and never try to sneak out again ( until we moved and he’ll had a new perimeter to check out). Thank god he came back safely and each sneak out seemed to satisfy him enough to not try it again at the same location. He’s fortunately grown out of it.

[BatCoach]

Thanks guys. It was hard to make the call since he is not really my pet. But when he was having a hard time even eating the special super soft pate pouches I knew it was bad. Thanks for reassuring me I made the right choice.