Success!!!!
The caregiver of the three ferals I'm trapping is 90 years old and lives alone. Ralph has a lovely home built in the 40's and keeps it immaculate. The mother cat & her two babies showed up a month ago and set up residence in his backyard shed [see lower right ]. I was contacted last week and although not doing TNR full time any more, agreed to help him.
I trapped the mother [ upper right ] easily yesterday but her two kittens were afraid of the trap[s]and afraid of me... so I left one of my traps with Ralph. He did a great job setting and watching the traps for me today and it paid off as he caught the "runt" this evening and he [?] is now at my vet reunited with his mother.
I think the last kitten will be the hardest to catch....but hopefully s/he'll get hungry and go in the trap before I bring the mother cat and runt back tomorrow night. Ralph will continue to take care of all three although originally he only wanted one....the mother cat. When i explained that the kittens would be euthanized if taken to a shelter, he agreed to keep all.
Update: 9/30/12
I paid Ralph a visit today to see how his cats were doing and sadly he said the kitten that I trapped disappeared shortly after his TNR. He was the runt of the litter and had something wrong with his "gait" when he walked but seemed healthy otherwise. Mother is doing just great and the kitten that refused to go in the trap is now tame enough for Ralph to possibly pickup and put in a cat crate.
Update: October 3, 2012....the second kitten was finally caught and neutered. Ralph calls him "Kit".
Update: July 2013: Due to failing health, Ralph has to move out of him home and into an assisted living facility. Of course he can't take the cats as they are semi-feral. I have been asked to help catch and relocate them to his daughter's rural property up north.
Success!!!!
The caregiver of the three ferals I'm trapping is 90 years old and lives alone. Ralph has a lovely home built in the 40's and keeps it immaculate. The mother cat & her two babies showed up a month ago and set up residence in his backyard shed [see lower right ]. I was contacted last week and although not doing TNR full time any more, agreed to help him.
I trapped the mother [ upper right ] easily yesterday but her two kittens were afraid of the trap[s]and afraid of me... so I left one of my traps with Ralph. He did a great job setting and watching the traps for me today and it paid off as he caught the "runt" this evening and he [?] is now at my vet reunited with his mother.
I think the last kitten will be the hardest to catch....but hopefully s/he'll get hungry and go in the trap before I bring the mother cat and runt back tomorrow night. Ralph will continue to take care of all three although originally he only wanted one....the mother cat. When i explained that the kittens would be euthanized if taken to a shelter, he agreed to keep all.
Update: 9/30/12
I paid Ralph a visit today to see how his cats were doing and sadly he said the kitten that I trapped disappeared shortly after his TNR. He was the runt of the litter and had something wrong with his "gait" when he walked but seemed healthy otherwise. Mother is doing just great and the kitten that refused to go in the trap is now tame enough for Ralph to possibly pickup and put in a cat crate.
Update: October 3, 2012....the second kitten was finally caught and neutered. Ralph calls him "Kit".
Update: July 2013: Due to failing health, Ralph has to move out of him home and into an assisted living facility. Of course he can't take the cats as they are semi-feral. I have been asked to help catch and relocate them to his daughter's rural property up north.