How Rosie and Rascal Came Into My Life

 



All Grown up

 I have already introduced Rascal in a previous blog post. Now I would like to tell the tale of how Rosie and Rascal came into my life. It was spring of 2011. One day sitting at the local Dairy Queen, as was my habit I would ask almost anyone I ran into if they knew anybody that needed help getting cats fixed. I was told that there was a lady up on Old Kendalia Rd. that had a lot of cats. So, I made it a point to drive out there and start looking for the house. The first place I went to was a stable and training arena for racing horses. I didn't see any cats around there, but I did see some beautiful horses. I was told that there were no cats here, but at the house next door there were a lot of cats. I proceeded to the next gate. It was a long driveway that kinda wound about up a slight hill. As I neared the house I saw cats scatter in all directions. I parked my car and said a prayer that my intentions would be well received. As I walked along the side of the house towards the door I saw further signs that someone was caring for a lot of cats, food and water bowls and off in the distance more cats heading for the hills. I knocked on the door and when Ms. B. answered I introduced myself. Saying that I worked with the Blanco County Cat Coalition and that I had heard that maybe she needed some help getting some of her cats fixed. One of the first things she asked was who had turned her in! I told her that I had just heard that maybe she needed a bit of help. It is funny the reaction some people have when they have a lot of cats. It is almost like admitting you have a drinking problem or some sort of perversion. The reality that I find is that most people that have a lot of cats only do so because they didn't know how to get the situation under control. This lady had such a situation. As she showed me around her place I was amazed at how many cats she had. She had porch cats, garage cats, hay barn cats, horse barn cat, greenhouse cats and yes even a few house cats. She fed them all! They were spread out all over the place. She showed me all the different places she fed them. I was truly amazed I had never seen so many cats. When we drove by one of the barns I saw kittens dashing away and hiding. Ms. B. agreed to allow me to start with getting ten cats fixed and that she would donate $350 to help cover the cost. I was happy to have been able to get a foot in the door and confident that after some trust was established that I would be able to continue with the project.

 

Unfortunately kitten season had already started. Now, in an ideal world, part of the definition of T-N-R is that tame cats and kittens young enough to be socialized are pulled out of the colony and are adopted. Also sick cats are either treated or euthanized. In this case Ms. B. had some pretty sick kitties. I don't like to euthanize unless the case is truly hopeless, but having to take into consideration that these cats are feral. So if and when the cat gets sick there will be no way to treat and/or humanely put out of misery. Then there is the question of releasing a sick cat that could spread disease to the other cats. I don't worry about that as much as my rational is that the cats have been living together anyways, so all the other cats have already been exposed. Plus things like FIV (kitty aids) and Felv (kitty leukemia) are spread by fighting and mating which cats don't do so much after they are fixed. I contacted Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation (WRR) in Kendalia, TX about the sick kitties. I had worked with them before with a few cats that needed help. They have been pretty wonderful regarding cats that need medical attention as long as the cats are only there temporarily. Ms. B. agreed give donations to WRR if they would be willing to help with the sick kitties. I seem to remember three to five cats that went there. I also contacted the Austin Humane Society (AHS) to see if they would be able to help adopt out the kittens. Ms B. had given me permission to do that. It was also discussed that maybe we should get a group together and try to do a mass trapping. Ms. B being a private person wasn't too keen on that idea. I can't say that I blame her, I wouldn't like a bunch of strangers on my property. I estimated that she had about one hundred cats and at least thirty kittens. AHS agreed to take the kittens. I was excited that they were willing to help me out in this situation. One problem we have fostering cats and kittens, here in Blanco County is that we don't have a good way to find them forever homes. There is no shelter in the county. Also we don't have any medical support and it is inevitable that medical support is going to be needed. Next, I had to go to the Cat Coalition to get approval to spend the money on surrender fees it costs $ 25 to surrender a kitten and $75 for a cat. I knew that I probably would be able to cut a deal with AHS considering the situation but never-less I wanted permission to spend at least one thousand dollars on this project. Unfortunately at this time in the Coalition there was one woman that seemed to have a negative knee jerk reaction to any idea that I had. I have unpleasant memories of trying to convince the group to spend money on these cats. It wasn't that we didn't have the money, we did. It seemed that some of the ladies thought that I wanted the money for myself, because when the spending was finally approved, the main opponent said “well write Stacy the check”. No, I did not want a check to me, all I wanted was permission to give money to AHS for surrender fees! Also some did not want to spend the money, because “there will just be more kittens next year.” Not if I could help it! It seems that several people including Mr B. that did not think I could catch all the cats! Ha, that only made me more determined to do so! Finally I got approval to spend some money.

Yeah for AHS! I was going to have fun pulling out the kittens cleaning them up, socializing them and then turning them over to AHS to find homes! I seem to remember pulling out eight or maybe it was eleven kittens the first batch. I think I took five in Austin to be surrendered. What a heart break it was when I got the phone call telling me that one of the kittens tested positive for feline leukemia and that they would not be able to take any of the kittens from that colony. What was I going to do now? I already had a bunch of kittens in my house. What was I going to do with them? Some of them I was able to return to Ms. B. she was willing to keep them close to the house, so if and when they got sick she would be able to take them to the vet. Then they started getting sick. I think I buried eight kittens that year, several of which died in my hands. Such a sad, sad situation. Meanwhile most of the adult sick kitties that had gone to WRR had to be euthanized. I learned a lot from that experience: 1. Sometimes it is more merciful to euthanize rather than try to cure. 2. That in the real world: Trap the cats and get them fixed before kitten season starts, I have learned that once kittens hit the ground, at least in my world, it is better to wait twelve weeks and then trap the kittens that have survived. It is a harsh world out there!

Now how I found Rosie and Rascal. The first time I saw them they were in a nest tucked between bales of hay in Ms. B's. hay barn. There were four tiny little kittens. Two were solid white and two were orange and white, one of which had a white face. Knowing that baby kittens like that do best when Mama cat takes care of them I determined to leave them nestled in the hay. I would check on them periodically. The next time I checked on them fire ants had moved in and I decided to pull the babies out. They were so tiny and helpless, but spunky, one of them even hissed at me (probably the one that grew up to be Rascal). So small they needed to be bottle fed. The two orange and white ones died but the two white ones were full of life. When they got big enough to eat solid food I put them in my bathroom with a window in the door way so they could see out but not get out. I wish I had a video of how they would launch themselves onto the glass then kinda flatten themselves out as as they slid down the glass with their bellies against it. They were hard to tell apart, Rosie's eyes were a bit rounder. Rascal's eyes always looked a little more pink around the edges.

Rosie and Rascal are my reward for the two years previous of heartbreak that I experienced dealing with kitties. The year before I had fostered Squeaker and Toby my two leukemia babies that I had to have put down before they were even a year old. And the year before that I had kept BG and Jerry the two kitties that are infected with the herpes virus. Now it was 2011 I had just buried a bunch of heartbreaking kittens and was left with the two survivors who happened to be two healthy beautiful white kittens with striking blue eyes. That year they became my traveling kitties. Every year come June, I travel up to NY state to work at a Renaissance Festival. In past years I have left my foster kittens home with friends, but this time I did not want to leave these babies behind. So they were the first of my cats to go traveling with me. They were still quite small so they were easy to travel with. They both fit into a small carrier where they would curl up and sleep together all day. I bought them each a harness, red for Rosie and blue for Rascal. Even though they are litter mates they each have had their own distinct personalities. Rascal is a rascal, he is high strung and likes to start trouble, he is more active and adventurous. Rosie is mellow, she doesn't really like Rascal much, as he likes to pick on her, so any time he comes to close she growls at him. He doesn't really mean any harm he just like to play rough. Rosie likes people, she likes to be admired, not really a princess more like a queen. She is not as athletic as Rascal perfering lounging around rather than jumping though hoops which Rascal is willing to do. Rosie would rather step though the hoop than jump though it. We had many adventures in NY.

The next year I decided to only take one cat because while I am in NY I reside in a very small booth and taking to full grown cats seemed like it would be to much. I took them both for a test drive, Rascal got very upset and Rosie took it in stride. So Rascal stayed home with the rest of the cats under the care of a neighbor and Rosie made the second trip to NY were she charmed everyone she met. They are both beautiful cats and I am very happy that they are in my life.

A post script to the story; I did succeed in trapping every cat in Ms. B's colony. It took a lot of doing, hiding behind hay bales and sitting patiently for hours upon hours. I am pleased and proud to say that there hasn't been any new kittens born there going on four seasons. The cats that have been TNR'd are all fat and happy. No more mating and struggling to stay alive. TNR works, but you have to be determined to make it work.



Rosie in the far left and Rascal center



Cabin at Grandpa's House

Ready to roll

 

Walk in the Woods









My First Trapping Adventure or How I got My First Dog

I had started writing about my first trapping adventure at the old Blanco Monastery, but as I thought about it, I remembered that the first trapping project (except for the occasional mouse, which I would trap at work then release out in the country) I undertook actually involved puppies not cats. The year was 1986, the place Texas Renaissance Festival (TRF), the situation, someone had abandoned a dog at the end of faire and she went and had puppies under the King's Feast, a wooden pavilion. King George the owner of TRF had either shot or had ordered shot the mama dog, the pups had been left to fend for themselves, until they could also be shot. My boyfriend, who was later to become my husband, worked as horticulturalist for King George, he was also a dog lover, and he got permission from George allowing me to try and catch and rescue the pups. I am guessing they were about 6 weeks old and trying to survive by eating junebugs. It was spring in Texas when I approached the group of pups playing in a clearing. They had not had any interaction with humans, so they were not afraid of me. I was able to grab 2 of them, one in each hand. Not real smart, but then what did I know. One of them bit me, so I let go and only was able to hang on to one of them. Now, the pups where leery of me so the next time I approached them they would not let me touch them. I seem to remember using a net or throwing a blanket over one of them. They were smart little dogs and would watch each trick. Each time I had to think of some new way to catch them. Then I used a box propped up with a stick with a string attached. I don't remember how I caught them all, but I do vividly remember the Granddaddy of an opossum that I caught one night in the havahart trap. Boy was he big, big teeth, big tail, big balls and boy was he not happy! I also remember the second to last pup, he was a little black boy, short hair, with a bit of white on his chest. Not a pretty pup, but cute in a homely sort of way. As I caught each of the pups we would take them home clean them up and then ask everyone we ran into if they needed a dog. In this way we where able to save all of them. It took me days to catch the last puppy, even though she was starving she would not go into the trap for food. Finally it was loneliness that got to her. I ended up using her brother as bait by tying him up in the trap. That last little dog was so smart that she actually tried to chew though the knot that was holding her brother captive, only when she was unable to do that did she get into the trap with him. Caught her! What a smart doggie! Needless to say after I had put so much time and effort into trapping her she became my dog. I named her Buttons, cause in my eyes she was cute as a button, and boy was she smart. She would respond to whistle commands, she always retained her shyness and wariness of people, but she loved and trusted me and I her. When the children came along, at first she was scared of them, but soon found out that they where harmless, and then accepted them into her pack. She was a beagle mix and even though she accepted domestication she always remained a dogs, dog, bringing home bones and perfuming herself by rolling on dead things. What a good watch dog, she would hide from view and keep watch, sounding the alarm when an intruder approached. I remember one of her favorite hiding places was in the garden under the leaves of a squash bush. She was my first dog, she lived with me for about 15 years, before she disappeared one day. That is the story of my first trapping experience and how I got my first dog.

Thank you for reading it.

 

Ugliest cat I ever trapped

 

But, kinda cute for a dog.

 

Glad He Didn't Have a Gun

Yesterday I got a phone call from a fellow that I had taken in cats for. He said that 2 new kittens had shown up at his place, that needed to be trapped and fixed. He thinks that the cats must be coming from one of two neighbors houses. That these folks have a puppy mill and that he has had problems with them in the past. He also mentioned that a boyfriend of the one gal had borrowed some traps from the Coalition and had taken in some cats for spay/neuter. It sounds like a case where someone started a TNR job and didn't complete it. Recently I got involved in another similar situation, where the colony caregivers started the job catching a few cats at a time, until they got down to the last few cats, then I got called in to finish up the job. Now it is quite a challenge to catch 1 or 2 cats out of+/- 30 cats that have watched all the others get caught, and are trap wary. I wouldn't mind spending hours catching the last 2 cats if I had gotten paid to catch the previous 28. But to spend hours and hours for one cat...not going to happen. (I say that, but what did I do but spend hours catching the main mama cat). My advice to future trappers if you have a big colony like that, set it up so that you are able to trap the majority of the cats in one go, then while those cats are having surgery and recovering, go ahead and catch the remaining cats. Get the job done then move on to the next job. Catch all the cats. TNR fails when you leave behind a female or that male cat who by some miracle has kittens the next spring. Also, follow up several months later with the colony caregiver to see if you missed any cats or if any new ones have shown up. You can then teach them how to target trap, using a plastic water bottle to hold the trap door open and a string to pull when the cat you want, goes into the trap. Or use a drop trap and let them sit there for hours while you are out trapping another colony.

OK, back to the story, having gotten the addresses I decided to take a ride out there and check out the situation. It was a pretty day for a drive, sunny and cool. I have had good luck in the past when I have gone knocking on doors, most people welcome the offer of help. The first house was a bit daunting with a big sign on the door announcing that trespassers would be shot. There were plenty of chickens, cats and dogs. I was greeted by a big friendly lab. I thought I heard someone inside but nobody answered the door, and I didn't want to press my luck. I have a tendency to knock on a door then step back and try to make myself look small and non threatening. At the second house an older lady was just coming out of the door. I explained I was with the Blanco County Cat Coalition and someone had mentioned that she may need help getting some cats fixed, she wanted to know who, I told her that a neighbor had had 2 kittens show up on his property and had thought maybe that they came from over here. She said that she would have to ask her son about it. She then went inside, while she was inside I saw at least ten cats who scattered when I looked over the porch rail, at least half were calico or torty's (meaning females). She came out and told me her son had said no, and that they only have one litter of kittens a year, except last year they had 2 litters but only 2 kittens survived because a neighbor's dog had come by and killed the other kittens. Well what could I say, except that I would leave my phone number in case they changed their minds. Also that if they did get the cats fixed and started running low on cats I would be happy to bring them more. She walked with me out to the car and while I writing down my phone number, out of the house comes her son. I was then told in no uncertain terms what he thought of people that didn’t mind their own damn business. And that on his own property he can have as many or as few animals as he pleased. I had to agree, but felt it necessary to point out it becomes other peoples business when his animals start showing up on other peoples property. He said then those people should shoot those animals, that is what he does. After he went back in, his Mom confided in me that his bark is worse than his bite, and that he doesn't even like to give animals shots, because he doesn't like to hurt them. I replied “well he may like animals but I am not so sure how much he likes people, so I will now back away slowly and be on my way.” Looking back on the interaction I can see that these folks were already defensive, that having so many dogs they have been questioned in the past about how they take care of them. The shame is that the cats will be left as is to continue breeding, and dying.

Don't you just hate it when.......!

 

Three nights of trapping, three nights and was I able to catch that BIG Black Tom, No! He would not go into a trap. I thought that maybe a bigger trap might be more appealing to him, but no. He sniffed around at the entrance  but would not go in. Rotten cat, I Will get him, I have another plan.......
But until then here are pictures of the two girls I was able to catch.