Disappointment

As I was driving past the Wendy's last night to get on to the highway, guess what I saw? Cats. A few kittens. A couple teenage kitties. And it made me very frustrated. Disappointed.

When I stopped trapping there (4 females spayed, over 10 kittens removed and rehomed), one grey and white female was left to be spayed. The woman feeding them said that she would call me when she trapped her, as she was more difficult. (This is the cat that she had trapped in a cage and then RELEASED, because she *might* have had babies. Listen, I don't want babies to go without their mom for a night or two and be responsible for anything bad that happens to them, but *might* is not good enough for me. I just want the cats sterilized. I'm sorry if that makes me sound like a cold hard *you-know-what,* but had she been spayed, we could be helping other cats out and not her offspring.) That one female has turned that place back into a breeding ground. Where the males are roaming, I've no clue, but I am so disappointed that the caretaker did not fulfill her promise. Why has she not trapped the teenage cats either?

Another issue that frustrates me is the kittens. I can't help her again - I have no money for kittens. I wouldn't even want to help her with them if I did have the money. I feel that she may focus too much on getting the kittens socialized and into homes when she should be worrying about the cats having babies in the first place. She knows that I would get them the first available appointment, yet she doesn't try to trap them - and she hasn't called me for any help.

It bothers me, because she knows I am right here to help her out. Not a lot of caretakers have such an available and immediate option! I understand when those who care for these cats don't have the resources to get the cats fixed, but she does. Yet she continues to feed the cats every night and let them breed. Disappointed, yes. Frustrated, yes. And angry, a little.

I will call her tomorrow to let her know that I will go over there as soon as I can to try to trap the unneutered cats, but I am angry that she has not taken the responsibility. I will also have to let her know that no, I can't do anything with any kittens. Because that's the first thing she will ask me. Easy to write down, hard to verbalize, because truly, I'm a nice person and don't like to alienate people.

Maybe there's a legitimate reason for not getting these cats trapped, but she has my phone number and could have called me. That's what really gets me - she has somebody who has made it clear that she will help, just call. But no call.

In order to make some headway, we have to KEEP ON TOP of the leftover cats. The ones that still need to be trapped and fixed. And if we can't get them, we have to get their babies ASAP. If we just leave them, and feed them, then we've made NO DIFFERENCE!!! They will continue to breed because the food just doesn't run out! Aahhhhhh!!! Also, these cats are in such a public place! I want their numbers to stay very very small, because someone is bound to call animal control and cite some crap about "public nuisance" and "safety/health hazards." I do NOT want that. I want to be able to say that we are keeping the population in check. That we are making TNR the best option out there!!!

Okay, I will stop my ranting and give her a call tomorrow. Night, everyone!