Pam's TNR Blog - Week of 2/7/2010

Sunday/Monday - 2/7 and 2/8

I did not trap for Sunday's clinic and other that working at the Tempe clinic on Sunday, I only had to transport and aftercare one cat so things were pretty uneventful.

Monday month we set off to trap at yet another, although smaller, trailer park on W. Grand Ave. The caregiver had been trapping on his own, one cat at a time. We know well once never gets ahead going this route. We agreed to go help him trap. Originally we'd planned on about 6-8 which turned in to 16 cats. This park really needed help! I do recall a nice dinner with Barbara that night making it a nice evening. Still we had to put up with LOTs of curious and noisy kids in the park - something that always makes things more difficult. The photo shows the kids in action.

Tuesday - 4/9

I'd be at two vets that day with a total of 16 cats. There would be the usual pickup, aftercare and release of these cats. We'd be back here later in the Spring for sure.

I could see things already getting pretty busy this week as on we had another big job to do on Wed. night. Channel 15 was coming out on a trapping job with us for TV spot! This opportunity had come up due to a caregiver contacting us for TNR and she wanted viewers to see TNR in action. Suzie would end up helping this lady's mother drop-trap a last (pregnant) cat as well. she was very greatful for our help. The rest of the week would be very busy but exciting...

Wed. 2/10

I had the 16 cats to release at the trailer park in the AM. If this were not enough three cats in traps (from three different caregivers who trapped without a plan and needed the cats picked up of course). These would have to be retrieved from the vet before loading up and meeting the reporter at the west Phoenix trapping location for the taping of the TV spot. I'd trapped several years ago at this location and there were now about 15 more cats to TNR. Over the next two nights we'd fix a total of 18 cats here. This neighborhood would always have cats as do many of these older neighborhoods in this part of town. We met the reporter there around dusk. She was the reporter and camera person so many shots had to be taken several times. The good news is we caught 16 cats that night and overnight. The piece aired later that week (it was not live but I really hate being taped). After the reporter left we set off for our usual dinner at the QT. See photo below.

Thursday 2/11

Suzie met the reporter in the AM to check the traps while I, with the load form the night before, traveled further west to pick up four tame cats for an elderly caregiver I'd helped with ferals previously. After taking the four tames plus 10 of the ferals to one vet I met Susie and the reporter at the second vet. I had several more to unload and several were trapped overnight. So I'd have 16 ferals and four tame cats for aftercare and release. Traps were set again the next night.

Friday 2/12

We released the 16 cats on Friday AM and picked up two more caught overnight. I returned the four tame cats and headed to the vet with the two additional cats and one more cat trapped w/o a plan (Grrrr...). These would be aftercared and released on Saturday morning.

It had been a record week . We were involved in TNR'ing 53 cats and these were the only ones Suzie and I had done. All told, 215 cats had been fixed this week.

There are still a LOT more cats out there to TNR so we cannot become complacent. We are making a difference! So, if you are feeding feral cats or know someone who is please contact the Spay Neuter Hotline at: 602-265-7729 (SPAY) or visit http://www.spayneuterhotline.org/. We can help.

Pam's TNR Blog - Week of 1/31/10

TN

Saturday/Sunday - 1/30 and 1/31

I released the cat from Friday in the AM. The caregiver had trapped one more cat that would have to be held for the Tempe clinic on Sunday. After the release I delivered 15 traps to a central Phoenix neighborhood group that was trapping for the Tempe clinic the next day. Three caregivers also picked up traps form my depot later that morning.

The dynamic duo would be out trapping Saturday night for Sunday. As often happens we needed a few more cats. I'd have 13 to go to the vet on Sunday. It was a two-vet clinic and we did over 100 cats that day. I worked at the clinic and aftercared the cats Sunday night while the caregiver set traps for the stragglers.

Monday 2/1

I had two releases to do in the AM. The second night trapping yielded two more cats for a total of 14 cats from this location. I took those two cats to the vet and aftercared them Monday night. I took a night off from trapping that night. The cats would be released in the AM.

Tuesday /Wednesday - 2/2 and 2/3

The three master trappers had a 10+ job in one of our target areas in Peoria Tuesday night. As we drove up to the "owned" trailer with what looked like an abandoned house in front, we knew there would be LOTs of cats. The caregivers had moved into the trailer when the house was condemned and the cats lived under the abandoned house. We caught a total of 14 cats that night and overnight. I'd have to pick up a pregnant cat for an emergency spay in central Phoenix as well. Those that know me know I'll go anywhere anytime to prevent kittens from being born.

Thursday - 2/4

The release of the 14 cats would occur later in the AM. I had to pick up seven tame cats for a lady with no vehicle. She got them in carriers but the vet was only able to fix three of them (all pregnant females) as four were too wild and needed to be in traps. I'd take those four in on Friday after transferring (carefully) into traps. These were all inside cats. Can you imagine four males competing for three females inside a small apartment? Unbelievable...I took the three females back later that afternoon.

Friday - 2/5

Very early in the AM I picked up two free-roaming tame cats living with a homeless man. I'd taken traps to him earlier in the week and he was supposed to have them in the traps when I arrived. Instead they were sleeping with him in the makeshift tent. He did get them in the traps OK and I headed to the vet with those two cats plus the four wild males from the day before.

Just when one thinks they've seen and done about everything to get a cat or cats fixed, one encounters another, even more challenging situation.

Helping the less fortunate requires donations. Many of these caregivers cannot afford to spay and neuter their cats and end up with too many cats. Most of these are free-roaming cats that become part of a "feral" colony. As the colony gets bigger, the caregivers become overwhelmed and some eventually call the Spay Neuter Hotline for help. These big colonies cost a lot to spay and neuter we are always looking for funding to help caregivers in need.

Please consider a tax-deductible donation to ADLA to help fix feral cats. You can donate on-line at our website: http://www.spayneuterhotline.org/

Or mail a donation to:

ADLA

P.O. Box 33093

Phoenix 85067

Thank you for your support!

Pam's TNR Blog - Week of 1/24/10

Note: Photo courtesy of Molly Wald of Best Friends

Sunday 1/24

I helped a caregiver with six cats for Sunday's Tempe clinic. These were the result a tame tortie in a neighboring apartment that had had another litter of kittens as well. They were able to do aftercare but my day was not over yet...we had too many cats at the clinic and 17 would have to go to the vet the next day! January was becoming a stellar month as planned. We always try to do as many cats before kitten season...hoping that we are making a difference.

Monday 1/25

I'd be at the vet with the 17 leftovers from Sunday. I'd be aftercaring and Suzie would be taking them back to the E. Valley then next day.

Tuesday 1/26 and Wednesday 1/27

On Tuesday I began what would have been one of the most stressful trapping weeks in months. I made the mistake of scheduling what appeared to be an easy trapping job in Laveen. I'd forgotten just how far Leveen was from N. Phoenix. Suzie and Barbara were also trapping that night in Laveen, not far from me. I'd be able to meet up with them for dinner. The sad part was I only trapped two cats - out of 10 total. Suzie caught 14 cats, almost all of them. I'd be at one vet and she'd be at another. I also had two more from the caregiver form Sunday I'd have to pick up and two tame cats I was transporting for a lady in S. Phoenix. then there was aftercare of the 14 cats cats and return of the tame cats to S. Phoenix.

Thursday 1/28

If I recall the caregivers in Laveen did set their own traps the second night but we'd be there in the morning to release them. After release at the first caregiver (with Suzie) I picked up one cat at that location and drove to the other location to pick up two more cats - now a total of four out of 10 cats had been trapped. I then set off to the vet in N. Phoenix with three cats. In the midst of all this I was able to get the four tame kittens born to the breeding tortie into a rescue group - I had to make sure these next generation torties did not become breeders also. At least I was able to fix the mother cats.

If this was not enough I had a two trapping job that night in central Phoenix...thankfully, they were close to one another. One had trapped before and the caregiver could watch the traps (she needed transportation). The other was at a hospital and required my sitting with the drop-trap for several hours - no luck at that location. I found food out under the outbuilding where I was trapping. I did catch one cat at the other location.

Friday 1/29

I only had one cat at the vet on Friday despite my efforts the night before. But before taking the one in I had the three cats from Thursday to release in Leveen - at two locations. Then, I'd be back at the vet with just one cat. By afternoon I was so sick of driving back and forth from Laveen I swore I'd never trap there again - ever! At least it was not Buckeye or Gila Bend.

Saturday 1/30

I released the one cat in the AM. I also had to deliver 15 traps to some trappers who were trapping at several locations in a neighborhood in Central Phoenix. However, we needed more cats for Sunday in Tempe and we'd set a trapping job for Saturday night to help fill the clinic. The week was not over yet.

Trapping can be fun and rewarding. Still, there are times when one takes on too many trapping jobs trying be the Red Queen while "running as fast as one can to stay in place". This is what it feels like at times. Statistics show that only about 8% of tame cats are not fixed. Still, many of those 8% are out there breeding with the free-roaming cat population and becoming part of this population. There is no way of knowing just how many free-roaming cats are out there or how many of them are fixed. A lot of numbers are floating around out there but no one really knows. the best we can do is fix them, making sure ALL cats in a colony are fixed. Regular follow-up by caregivers is essential to the TNR process.

To sign up for our TNR program please call our hotline at 602-265-7729 (SPAY) or email us at feralcats@adlaz.org. Our TNR program operates in Maricopa County in Arizona. Donations are welcome. Visit our website at: http://www.adlaz.org/.