OK, I took Big Daddy Cat in to be neutered. After reading more about ferals, I've decided to Commit to supporting our feral colony. Brought him home, fed him (he didn't eat much - if any), then released him. He took off like a bat out of hell. That was Monday night.
Tuesday, I only saw two or three cats. Today - morning food still in dish at 7 pm. I haven't seen Bob since Sunday morning.
Did Big Daddy Cat move you all away because of his surgery? Did someone harm all of you? Do you hate that Wal-Mart Special Kitty crap food so much that you moved away? I bought some Meow Mix yesterday.
I hope someone is looking out for you guys, because I miss you.
Please come home.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The Meaning of Life
Well, Bob is now an indoor/outdoor cat. He goes out at night and comes in to sleep in peace and relative safety during the day.
But I decided I needed to get going again with the trapping projects. Last week I made the earliest appointment I could - which turned out to be Monday morning. And guess who finally walked into the trap tonight. The kittens looked at the food, but wouldn't go in.
But Big Daddy Cat decided it was worth the risk.
Big Daddy Cat is the Alpha male. I'm about 95% sure he is the daddy of all the black cats we have out there - save for Old Mamma who we haven't seen in several weeks. Lately Big Daddy Cat has gotten very aggressive. I'm not sure if it is a food issue, a too-many-young-males-in-my-territory issue, or if it is because the most eligible females for mating are either gone or not going into heat. (I believe cats will only mate if they are in heat.)
We'll we trapped and and fairly easily moved him from the trap into a carrier. The carrier is just sitting in the garage. He's calm now, but in the trap he wasn't. But let's face it, none of the cats is calm in the carrier. Hell, even our own cats are not calm in there.
But here is the hard part. We kind of like the other cats, but we don't like Big Daddy. He is aggressive and mean. Both my husband and neighbor have said we should just let him go on some farm somewhere. But that doesn't solve the real problem.. He can still mate and make more cats, and we don't want that to happen.
So what do we do? I am having trouble playing god right now. Who am I to decide if he should live or die - just because he is a nuisance to me? Would someone relocate him? Will neutering ease the aggressiveness? If he can't be relocated, if he is still aggressive, then what? I can't think about it. Why am I in this position?
But I decided I needed to get going again with the trapping projects. Last week I made the earliest appointment I could - which turned out to be Monday morning. And guess who finally walked into the trap tonight. The kittens looked at the food, but wouldn't go in.
But Big Daddy Cat decided it was worth the risk.
Big Daddy Cat is the Alpha male. I'm about 95% sure he is the daddy of all the black cats we have out there - save for Old Mamma who we haven't seen in several weeks. Lately Big Daddy Cat has gotten very aggressive. I'm not sure if it is a food issue, a too-many-young-males-in-my-territory issue, or if it is because the most eligible females for mating are either gone or not going into heat. (I believe cats will only mate if they are in heat.)
We'll we trapped and and fairly easily moved him from the trap into a carrier. The carrier is just sitting in the garage. He's calm now, but in the trap he wasn't. But let's face it, none of the cats is calm in the carrier. Hell, even our own cats are not calm in there.
But here is the hard part. We kind of like the other cats, but we don't like Big Daddy. He is aggressive and mean. Both my husband and neighbor have said we should just let him go on some farm somewhere. But that doesn't solve the real problem.. He can still mate and make more cats, and we don't want that to happen.
So what do we do? I am having trouble playing god right now. Who am I to decide if he should live or die - just because he is a nuisance to me? Would someone relocate him? Will neutering ease the aggressiveness? If he can't be relocated, if he is still aggressive, then what? I can't think about it. Why am I in this position?
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Wherefore art thou, Bob?
OK, so you lived in our house for three weeks. Granted, it was not the best life. I'm sorry you had to live in a bedroom for half of your day. And I'm sorry you had to be gated in one part of the house, sometimes with us, sometimes not. But that is what was safest for you. Charlie was very angry at you - he didn't want another cat living in our house. Jack was afraid of you - because you were afraid of him.
Maybe things would have been different if you could have had the run of the house. But that just wasn't safe. So yesterday when I opened the door. You went out. Then came back in. Then went out. You were happy to be out. You disappeared into the bushes.
At night you came back. I tried to bring you upstairs, but you were just too antsy. So I let you back out and you disappeared into the night again.
And there you were this morning - waiting under our patio chair. I gave you breakfast and petted you, but you acted like a shy feral again. You came back at dusk. You let me cuddle and pet you. You even came in the house for a short visit and a handful of kibble at 10pm. But you wanted back out. And I watched you disappear into the bushes again. I saw a streetlight reflect off your silky tail once, but then you were gone.
"I love you, Bob," I said to the night. The crickets whispered back. I know you heard me.
I know you will be back tomorrow. I know we will continue to build a relationship. I don't know where it will lead. Probably one of us will have a broken heart. Maybe it was already you since you weren't the first cat in my house.
"I love you, Bob," I say again out the upstairs window as I check to see if you've changed your mind.
That will have to do for a blessing. Hopefully my love is big enough to protect you in la vida loca. Hopefully my love gets the attention of Ceiling Cat who can watch over you, too.
Maybe things would have been different if you could have had the run of the house. But that just wasn't safe. So yesterday when I opened the door. You went out. Then came back in. Then went out. You were happy to be out. You disappeared into the bushes.
At night you came back. I tried to bring you upstairs, but you were just too antsy. So I let you back out and you disappeared into the night again.
And there you were this morning - waiting under our patio chair. I gave you breakfast and petted you, but you acted like a shy feral again. You came back at dusk. You let me cuddle and pet you. You even came in the house for a short visit and a handful of kibble at 10pm. But you wanted back out. And I watched you disappear into the bushes again. I saw a streetlight reflect off your silky tail once, but then you were gone.
"I love you, Bob," I said to the night. The crickets whispered back. I know you heard me.
I know you will be back tomorrow. I know we will continue to build a relationship. I don't know where it will lead. Probably one of us will have a broken heart. Maybe it was already you since you weren't the first cat in my house.
"I love you, Bob," I say again out the upstairs window as I check to see if you've changed your mind.
That will have to do for a blessing. Hopefully my love is big enough to protect you in la vida loca. Hopefully my love gets the attention of Ceiling Cat who can watch over you, too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)