I received an email a few weeks ago right before I headed out to travel, from a family feeding a feral kitten in their garage. They are a few lots down from a fairly large mobile home park and had had a litter of kittens and a mom in the garage earlier this year (whom they found homes for). So whether this was a kitten from that litter, or a lost kitten who found his way here, who is to know?
As single feral kittens go, he's been a lucky little guy, with food, water, and a garage with lots of protection. But they were worried about winter coming on, and the fact that the older he got, the less likely a candidate he would be for a loving home. So Sunday I headed on over with a trap, a slit pillowcase to cover it, and some food. He was having none of it, since he still had dry food in the garage. All day I expected my phone to ring to tell me he had been captured. Nothing. Toward evening I came back, took the back door off the trap so nothing could be accidentally captured overnight, and put the food toward the open end so he could have something to eat.
Apparently right after I left he came out, pulled the paper plate out of the trap, and had his dinner.
This morning I went back with a real bowl, heaped it with dry kibble, put some tuna on the top of it, and placed that behind the pan. While cats that scrounge have no problem with a paper plate, bowl-fed cats often need... a bowl. I left a large sign on top of the trap with my phone number in case a meter reader or someone uninitiated should wander by. (Yes, I leave traps unattended; we'll talk about that someday).
Later in the day, I had to run into town to mail a package and stopped by to check the trap. The door was down and the little scarecrow was caught. The bowl had done the job. I left a note for the homeowners, loaded him up, and that's one more little guy off the street.
He's in a cage in quarentine now, and he's quite the little hisser. But he loves to be scratched around the head and chin, so I think he'll be a pushover. I'll go out later tonight to vaccinate and worm him while he's still a bit petrified and stiff, and verify he is, in fact, a male.
He could use a better name than "Scarecrow" even if he is a skinny twiggy little thing.
2 comments:
What a cute and smart little guy. You are right - he's going to be a push over if he likes to have his had and ears scratched. Yeah, I agree, Scarecrow is not fitting. How about you wait and see. Please do talk about leaving traps unattended and how to do it right. I've done it. I hid the trap in the bushes (in my colony not my backyard) where it couldn't be seen and also draped a towel over it. The most I've left the trap unattended for was 2 hours. I got my cat. The cat was fine. I don't like doing it, but I've also done it in my backyard and left it unattended for 4 hours. My yard is gated, so I don't have to worry about dogs.
Excellent catch! I like the look on his(?) face, crouching there in the trap. Sulking 'cause he got caught. ;o)
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