Anastacia stayed very late,
which is not uncommon. As soon as the cat gets hungry enough to go
into the trap with food, the opening closes. Voila, another cat
ready to go. I couldn’t help but laugh when Anastacia shared with
me some of the stories of Raccoons and Skunks getting locked in the
traps. Neither animal is fun to work with, as Raccoons are
mean-spirited (just an opinion, Raccoon lovers) and strong, and
skunks have a built-in flame thrower, so to speak. Sometimes it
takes Anastacia a number of days to catch the entire colony, but she
isn’t one to leave a job incomplete. Then she transports to the
animals to an Animal Defense League office or to a Control Facility
or Vet that is willing to help (the Raccoons and Skunks are released
onsite, thank you). Once the cats have been fixed and doctored,
Anastacia returned them to the location, and ideally an animal lover
will take over the job of providing food on a daily basis. The
Dollar General job was a bit different. One of the cats (Sasquatch)
was ready to give birth, and another (Emerald) went into labor maybe
a week before we began the operation. It took both of us to locate
Emerald’s hiding place for her kittens, but we succeeded! One of
my favorite memories, something I will never forget, was Anastacia
walking up to me out of the brush with a huge smile, and a kitten
tucked into each pocket of her jacket (four in all). The little
beasties were not happy, and they were letting us know; but I’ve
never seen anything so delicate and soft and beautiful as those four
little kittens. Emerald did well, and I’m happy to report that all
four were adopted, as was Emerald.
Unfortunately,
everything has a price tag. Depending on the location and the
medical dispensation of the cat, the average kitty will cost between
$50 and $75 for the surgery and the doctorin’. Believe me, very
little if any of that money goes back to the trapper, regardless of
the time, effort and gas expended. If I come across a “cat
situation” I won’t hesitate to investigate and see if possibly I
can hire Anastacia to assist. I don’t have a great deal of
disposable income, but this is something that I’m happy to add to
my budget. I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t handle
seeing an animal in need. My father used to say that animals were
better company that most people because people have a tendency to
covet, be jealous, cheat, lie and cause pain. Animals act in
response to need and the laws of nature, which makes them more
predictable and trustworthy. My old man had a way of getting things
right.
So
if you’re ever at a grocery store or an ice house, and you see a
nice-looking lady in a hatchback, moving around cat traps, it just
might be Anastacia. Do a good deed and go up to her and thank her
for her efforts. If you spare it, donate a little cash to the local
Trap, Neuter, and Return campaign through Anastacia. You will be
doing your part in the battle to keep our communities free of feral
animals, and end the needless suffering of domesticated animals.
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