Pam's TNR Blog - Week of 24 January 2010

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 after-caring 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 Laveen 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 Laveen - 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/.