I went to the library today...

...and got a library card. It's been a long time coming, but when I had no license, it was a pain to ask to go anywhere, so it wasn't a priority.

I took out seven books, all on animals. Feral cats, animal emotions, animal rights, dog behavior, etc. I read "An Unlikely Cat Lady" in one sitting. Basically a memoir focused on how one woman became a "cat lady" through a pregnant stray showing up at her door. It was interesting, mainly because most people are encountered with stray animals in their lives and it really makes a difference what that person decides to do regarding that animal. Do you ignore him? Do you shoot him? Do you scare him away? Do you take him in? Do you try to find a home for him? Do you feed him? Do you sterilize him? One person can make an incredible difference in the lives of these abandoned animals, even if it's just those three kittens they found in the backyard. Or that dog on the highway. Or that cat that has been roaming the streets looking for something to eat.

I like how the author emphasizes that feral cats cannot be ignored into non-existence, they can't be starved off, they can't even be killed off. Though it does not make much sense at first, the only way to stop the population explosion is to sterilize them and take care of them.

Anyway, it was a good book. Interesting to read how an every-day person can get caught up in the plight of feral and stray cats and make a difference. Honestly, I feel like I am the same way. Yes, I've always loved animals, but I am not a collecter. Though I feel for these animals that must survive through horrible winters, little food, and no shelter, I cannot and will not take them all in. People assume I want to "rescue" every stray cat. I do want to help them, but I know my limits. I know I'll end up with more cats/pets in the future, but I am not going to take every animal in that comes my way. I want to help sterilize them, I want to make sure they have food and shelter, and if possible, I will help find them homes. But I do not fool myself in thinking that I can save them all. I know that I have many sad experiences and times of trial ahead of me, but I still want to do what I can. I expect to shed many tears throughout my life on the behalf of animals, but I hope to find kindred spirits who will help me through the pain.

On another note entirely, I am filling out job applications and sending in resumes. I have an interview tomorrow at the emergency animal hospital - we'll see how that goes. I don't expect they'll be able to pay me my minimum (which is still quite low) but we'll see. Otherwise, I'm applying for any sort of job at the people hospital. Honestly, I just need to make a little more money so I can support myself. Wish me luck, b/c otherwise, I'm going to be wheeling people around in the hospital...

Wendy's Kittens: Part One

Going through the drive-thru at Wendy's one night, my step-mom noticed what appeared to be a "large rat." On closer inspection, it turned out to be a small cat! In fact, there were several kittens and mom-cats hanging out near a large rock.

There used to be a barn on the property the cats are congregating upon, so it's not a leap to wonder if these aren't remnants of those who used to live there. Who had kittens, of course.

I found out that there was someone feeding them in that area, so I went back to the Wendy's a few days later to acquire any information possible. I told the workers that if anyone had any relevant information for me about the caretaker, give me a call, because these cats need to be sterilized to prevent a population boom.

I walked around a little, wondering how I would contact the woman feeding the cats. I ended up calling T, who suggested leaving a note for the woman to find. So I did. (see picture) I got a call a couple of days later, but was too afraid to answer. (I have social issues, I know) The second time she called, I didn't hear it, but fortunately, she left a message. I remember thinking, "That's funny, she sounds like Mrs. L" but didn't ponder any further on it. I called her back the next day, and guess what? It was Mrs. L! I was actually very relieved, because talking to someone you don't know can be a little nerve-racking, especially dealing with crazy cat ladies. We all know that when someone is passionate about a particular topic, s/he tends to think of him/herself as an expert. And when that individual disagrees with your opinions, it can turn into a situation where nothing gets resolved.

But...

Mrs. L told me that there are five female adults and ten kittens. She mentioned that she had been trying to socialize the kittens, but what they really need is to be fostered for a couple of weeks before they go into "forever homes." T had said previously that she would use her garage to socialize the kittens, so I told Mrs. L that I would see if she was still interested, but unfortunately, she was not. I talked to Dr. R about having them boarded for a week, but he said it wasn't really our area in which we could help. I went through all my contacts, even posted on the Cat Lovers LJ community for suggestions. Luckily, KB just got back from vacation and said she would take two in at a time to help socialize them before they go into homes. I also met someone through LJ that said she would put the word out for volunteers.

All the while, I was trying to find out the contact information for the owner of the property so we could trap the cats and kittens to be sterilized. Dr. R is quite adamant that the property owners are in agreement with us going on their land for such a purpose. Something that makes complete sense to me. So I went to the town hall, pointed out the particular piece of land (after much difficulty, I must say. I can't read a map for the life of me), and was printed out a piece of paper with the address of the owner and a picture of the store that resides on the land.

The store is actually now empty, which explains why I didn't recognize it from the photo. I was able to find a phone number online, which led me to another branch, in Buffalo, I believe. Which gave me another number to contact the receptionist of the owner. Who was out of town, so I left a message. I went to visit the kittens again that night and noticed a sign in the front window with a phone number. I called, but hung up when it started making a funny noise. And called again, but was caught off guard by the answering machine - and I didn't know exactly what i wanted to say. I mulled it over, then called again. And was surprised when I man answered a bit groggily. Explained my business to him, who then informed me that he's in Italy, that it's two in the morning. Which made me feel quite awkward for calling him three times. Apologized profusely, but he was kind in not making me feel like a total ass. He gave me the email address of his sister to get permission from. But, though I emailed twice and wrote once, I got no answer.

To be continued... (With more info on socialization, permission from land owners, and possibly pictures. If I can figure it out...)

Why TNR?

For those of you that aren't familiar with the term "TNR," it's an acronym that stands for "trap, neuter, return." Some use "TTNVR" or other forms, but I prefer the simpler version. (TTNVR represents "trap, test, neuter, vaccinate, return") Obviously, "neuter" signifies both male and female sterilization. I believe the "R" stood for "release" at first, but there was some concern that the cats would simply be released anywhere - it has since been changed to "return." The cats need to be returned to their home environment to be set free. Individual vets make the decision to test, vaccinate, and treat other minor problems such as fleas, earmites, and abcesses.

So why is TNR important? First, mass extermination, which has been in effect for decades, is clearly not having much of a positive impact on the overpopulation of stray and feral felines. We've been killing these cats for years upon years and there are as much of a "problem" as when we started! Not only is it wrong ethically to kill off these animals, but it's just not working! Why are we slaughtering all these animals when it's not having any sort of impact? Because we are rooted in tradition. It's what we've always done. Trap the cats and kill them. But you know what? This leads to what is called "the vacuum effect." Though the cats are removed, the food source remains. More cats will be able to survive by taking advantage of the bounty and will move right back in. So extermination does not solve the solution.

TNR, however, addresses the issue of overpopulation by stopping the reproductive cycle. The cats are returned to their home environment to live out their lives. Not only does this prevent more cats from being born, but it succeeds in keeping other cats out. How? Because though cats are social creatures in having their own colonies and best buddies, they generally discourage newcomers from arriving and using up their precious resources. Eventually, the colony will dwindle.

Another important aspect of TNR is that most programs vaccinate against distemper and rabies and will treat minor issues such as fleas and earmites. How is this helpful? Well, simply put, TNR allows the cats to become healthier. They are able to keep weight on easier; disease is controlled by the reduction of fighting, wandering, and mating; vaccinations prevent certain maladies; and they are relieved from the irritations of fleas and other buggers for a while. Also, the practice of TNR strongly promotes the idea of caregivers for the returned cats. The caregiver ideally keeps track of all the cats (including keeping an eye out for those who may become sick), and provides food, water, and shelter. All of these will obviously promote the health and well-being of the cats. Trapping and killing does NOTHING to benefit the remaining cats. *edit* I should also mention that the healthier cats refute the idea that all strays and ferals are sickly and should therefore be put out of their misery. Strays not accustomed to outdoor living tend to be disheveled and hungry, but those who know how to survive are actually quite healthy, especially when they are provided with the resources that TNR and managing colonies offers. Those not used to free living are also then being taken care of and will thrive accordingly.

Lastly, TNR helps to reduce common complaints that are encountered when dealing with stray and feral cats. Too many babies? Check. Mating calls and behaviour? Check. Fighting? Wandering? Check. Scrounging for food and shelter in undesirable places? Check. By practicing TNR and managing colonies, we eliminate and drastically reduce these "nuisance" behaviours. We become better neighbors to our feline community - and don't even have to kill them off.

TNR has been shown to be the only humane method of feral and stray cat population control. Trapping and killing simply does not work and is not in the best interests of either human or feline society. Which would you rather have?

Stray and Feral Sterilization Program

My workplace is implementing a stray and feral sterilization program quite soon. The paperwork is being finished at the moment and I am excited! The CSR supervisor mentioned that she will be talking to Dr. R about making me liaison for the program and I hope it turns out so.

I have been working on my "stray/feral cat handbook" scrapbook. It will be forever until I feel like I am finished with it, though. Scrapbooks are hard, people. Especially when you are a self-proclaimed perfectionist. Why do you think it took me years to write papers in college? Every paragraph had to be rewritten about twelve times. (Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. Just eight. ) Anyway, along with needing every minute detail to be perfect, I struggle with being too broad and too specific. I want to cover as many topics as possible that come up with the issue of TNR, but as it's simply a scrapbook/handbook, I feel I don't need to delve into every little topic. Just the basics. (Basics are difficult for me, though. I feel the need to say things ten times in ten different ways.) I do plan on including a "further resources" page, which may help me to not make a page on "how to arrange the pieces of straw so that they insulate best."*

Anyway, there I go in explaining things too much again.

The only issue (well not only, but lets not talk too much about my personal life here) I'm having is that I feel like my influence is going to be minimal as I CANNOT PASS MY DRIVING TEST. Yes, that is right, I am 22, I have failed my test four times now, and I seriously want to give up. I have a car, though. A cute little red Honda that my dad helped me purchase. I have been riding my bike more, but for someone like me, it gets a bit tiring. Especially when all I do is run around with dogs all day - I just really don't feel like biking home. (I have to proclaim that I am *not* a sucky driver. I drive like a perfectly normal human being. I just make stupid mistakes on the tests: speeding, turning the wheel the wrong direction when attempting to parallel park, and not yielding the right of way. Little things, people.)

But not being able to drive means that I quite limited in my ability to help people out. No trapping, transporting, or helping set up appropriate areas for feeding and sheltering. Hopefully I will be able to help out in other ways - such as information. And encouragement. = ) I am quite excited about the program, though. There are so many stray and feral cats around - it's good to have a resource to truly be able to help them on a larger scale.

Oh, and speaking of the scrapbook, I really should start talking about main topics that have to deal with stray and feral cats, huh? I promise to start that soon. As soon as I remember again. *shifty eyes*

*just kidding

Members of our Colony

I try to keep track of each cat we see, whether he/she tends to be a regular or not. This helps in identifing who needs to be altered, if we need more shelters, and if more food needs to be provided each day. I include even those that are only seen from a distance, as we want to represent as many members of our little wooded area as best as possible. I'll provide a brief list of our current cats, with a short physical description and alteration status. (In order of appearance, as accurately as possible)

1. Stranger (neutered, ear-tipped)
- all black, green eyes

2. Pickle/Boy George (neutered, ear-tipped)
- grey/brown tabby, thick white stripe down nose, large white vest down to stomach, white front and back feet

3. Snuggle/Tricky (neutered, ear-tipped)
- grey/brown tabby, tiny white spot between eyes, small white vest

4. Jehzar (neutered, ear-tipped)
- orange and white longhair, white marking down nose and left side of face, large white vest down to stomach

5. Brother Joe/JoeJoe (neutered, ear-tipped)
- grey, small white vest, white cheek spots, thin white stripe down nose and spot on nose

6. Torrini (neutered, ear-tpped)
- black with white vest, feet, and markings on muzzle

7. Stevie (neutered, ear-tipped)
- white with black spots, black on head, like a helmet

The wooded area behind the hospital is large enough so that we suspect there may be many cats out there. (There are always more stray and feral cats than anyone supposes.) The other day, I took a little walk through the trees to find out what was on the other side. There was a building, a parking lot, a few cars. I wanted to discover what building it was, but I didn't want anyone to see me walking out of the woods like a madwoman... = ) Tara and I have agreed to walk around the whole area on one of our days off to figure out how big it is, what's on all sides, and how best to provide for the cats out there.

Jehzara

Jehzara is one of the two cats that we have ben purposely hoping to trap for a few weeks now. The other is Pickle, whom a few think is the same as Boy George, but I disagree due to different distinctive markings. Unfortunately, Tara forgot about the trap today. I'm not sure how long it had been since she had last checked it, but when she went out to bring it in, there was Jehzara. In the trap. Much to my dismay, there was not enough time for her to be spayed, so they let her go. I'm not sure if this was the best decision, as I am sure she will be even more wary of the trap, but what's done is done.
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Sadly, Jehzara had hurt herself a bit in trying to free herself. I wonder if the better choice might nave been to keep her overnight and spay her tomorrow morning and make sure she was completely okay - no more bleeding. The vet did mention something about how cold it is, however, and that he does not want to do any more trapping for a while due to the weather. So maybe it was for the best that she was released... Actually, as it is possible Jehzara is a girl, and would be spayed, this might be better. We have been lucky in that the other three were boys, that their surgeries took less time, and that their recovery was short. I am much more worried about a female recovering in these temperatures, especially as she would have to be shaved, which leads to much heat loss.
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I am relieved that we won't be trapping for a bit. I would like to get back in the routine of feeding and watching for the regulars again. Trapping is stressful for all parties involved.