It's Just Who I Am

ABOVE: Minchie Junior & Jupiter Junior

There are several stray cats in the neighborhood of my boyfriend's apartment building. We would see them periodically through the winter and early spring months. My heart would ache, knowing that they were wild, but also knowing that no one was feeding or loving them.

I had an inkling that one of them was either pregnant, or had recently given birth. And on Friday that suspicion was indeed confirmed. I received a 6:30am phone call from Evan saying that he had seen the mommy with her kittens playing in the yard accross the street.

I am very aware of my nuturing side. My parents used to find me as a kid on the couch after school watching the SPCA and Humane Society infomercials and sobbing. Thankfully, I have learned how to change the channel.

However, when it comes to actually being face to face with a situation where I can provide care and assistance, there is no option for me to change the channel. I am just not programmed to walk away.

Apathy: not an emotion that I am familiar with.

Needless to say, I spent my entire weekend feeding and trying to gain the trust of the feral kittens and their mother. During my investigation I have also located the father and one other feral cat (unsure of the sex).

I set up a cat carrier (courtesy of roomie A) with some wet food inside and began feeding the cats through this source. After consulting with the Cat Rescue Network and some online feral cat programs, I decided it was time to do my part.

I set up my kitten condo using a medium size dog cage (courtesy of PetSmart and their unlimited return policy). I used the "divider" to create a second level with a blanket and a cat bed. You will notice that kitten #1 (calico) and kitten #2 (black) were more interested in sitting in the litterbox.




This morning I managed to trap 2 of the 4 kittens. I used a string laced through the back of the carrier to pull the door shut after the kittens had gone inside to feed. Unfortunately it is hard to get 4 kittens to go in the same place at the same time.




When I went back downstairs to retreive the other 2 kittens, there was a construction crew in the yard making all sorts of noise and they had scared the rest of the family back under the deck. Obviously I was going to have to come back later.




After trapping all 4 kittens I plan on taming them (courtesy of Evan, who has graciously put up with my non-stop kitten talk and offered me his apartment for all things kitten) and finding them amazing homes, and perhaps keeping one or two to add to my own family :D




I also plan on trapping the mother, and using the Humane Society's feral cat program to Spay and Vaccinate her (cost $75.00) and then return her to the yard where she has been living for over a year. The Cat Rescue Network has also given me instructions on how to create a warm home for the feral cats in the winter using a styrofoam box and some straw or hay. I have also agreed to continue to feed the feral cats on an ongoing basis.




When the house owners and neighbors saw what I was doing in their yard they said "Wow that is really nice of you". It made me wonder: how long had these people been ignoring these small furry babies that lived under their back deck? Did they walk by every day, not even thinking to feed them or try to find a program that would help them? After finding out that there was a furry family in need it took me less than 5 minutes to decide what I was going to do.




Am I just a crazy cat lady? Everyone seems really surprised when I tell them about what I am doing. Like I am nuts for spending money on this project or something.




I've toyed with the idea of providing animal care as an occupation in the past. There was a time that I was considering veterinary school. Perhaps this is part of my calling.

P.S. Donna has confirmed that this is exactly what she would do.