October 2014

As of the first of October I have TNR'd over 1,600 cats in 2014...August and September were especially busy as Suzie was taking time off and there were so many caregivers needing assistance. Phoenix was not as hot this summer making it easier to trap and aftercare. This was the first year I tried morning trapping and this worked out very well in most cases. My biggest colony in September was 39 cats at the Michigan Trailer Park. I had been there in 2011 and did over 60 cats at that time. It is a shame when the caregivers do not call me for assistance when new cats show up. There are still 6-7 left there to fix...this will be a challenge!

October off to a good start! The weather has become perfect for trapping. This past week was especially busy with one 19 cat colony and another colony with 38 cats to TNR. I got nearly all of them at both locations. Thank you Mary Buck for helping with the biggest colony and doing damage control with a challenging caregiver. There are still two litters out there that wandered out of the garage after the cats were released. The first photo below is of the cats before trapping and the second photo is after the second release (Note: These came off my phone and were taken at dusk and dawn respectively so the quality not too good):

Waiting to be fixed!

Thank you for fixing us!

The AHS clinic was especially challenging this month. We ended up with 127 cats in the door but this took more effort than usual. I did not trap for the clinic but had to be sure everyone came through with cats and they did! Bob and Barb brought in 28 cats from the East Valley (thank you both!) and I ended up having to aftercare and release 15 cats. These free clinics have helped so many caregivers and cats (thank you AHS!). 

Here are a couple of highlights from the last couple of months. The first is a photo of kittens brought out from under a caregiver's bed. We did catch the Mom and about 16 other cats for a recent AHS clinic. Too bad I did not get there in time!

Six newborn kittens!

Another memorable moment was this recent trapping job near downtown Glendale. It was hot hot out and we had all the cats captured in about 30 minutes. The photo below is of the very hungry cats just after their release early the next morning.

We though we were abducted by aliens!

These kittens ended up going up for adoption. They were tame and somehow found their way into a trap. All have gone to forever homes...

Get me out of here!

Here is an photo of a place I have trapped at many times. This is a MHP on Van Buren where most of the trailers are vacant except for the few where addicts go to get their drugs. Cats make there home under this one and several others in the park. 

...Notice the trap set at the right corner of the trailer

Below is a photo of the trap covers someone made for me back in 2005. I had 28 cats at the clinic that day and a total of 38 cats in from that colony over two days of trapping and three days of work including aftercare and release.

Happy Halloween!

And finally a photo from a trapping I did at the MHP I had been to in 2011. I did not catch the rabbit but he lived there with the cats! BTW - Dr. Anderson, at the North Phoenix S/N Clinic, fixes rabbits too...Please fix all your outdoor cats now before kitten season begins in the Spring. For assistance please call me at 602-717-2287 or call the Spay Neuter Hotline @ 602-265-7719 (SPAY).

I need fix'n too!

June/July 2014

It is now summer in Phoenix and the trapping can be brutal. However, this year, I decided to do mostly morning trapping as it is much more bearable (for me) and cooler and safer for the cats in traps. It has worked out quite well so far. I get up at 4:00 AM and usually start trapping by 5:15 AM. The good news is the cats are out at this time enjoying the cool mornings too - well until they get "abducted b an alien" (at least thus us what they think)...

I have been focusing on a couple of Mobile Home Parks (MHP's) spending many mornings there waiting with the drop-trap. While waiting I have listened to many great audio books while drinking coffee instead of sweltering in the heat in the evening - and I can be home watching Gunsmoke reruns too!

There were two big clinics in June, one at AHS and one at Dr. Kit's mobile. There was a big AHS clinic in July also. These actually required that I trap in the AM the day before and hold the cats until the next morning. The reason for this is that I have to be at the clinics early and I want to make sure we have enough cats for the clinics. Thankfully Suzie does a LOT of the AM transport for large clinics. 

We make a great team and these clinics are always full...sometimes too full and cats have to be taken to other clinics to be fixed. 

The photo at the left is of some kittens discovered under a house. I tried to trap there early one morning but the dumpster divers in the adjacent alley made too much noise. Then one "Pilgrim" came by looking for his shoes! ...was drunk of course. The dumpster divers were fighting over the stuff while others came down the alley in route to the Circle K for breakfast. I have only caught one cat there - there are now 15 more to TNR. This one might be too much of a challenge as there is no time of day or night without foot traffic...not too mention the neighborhood (21st Ave. and Van Buren)

Below are some highlights of summer trapping:

These guys are now fixed!

Got him after several attempts with the drop-trap!

Nothing about TNR is easy...A lot of people think you just go trap the cats and get them fixed Unfortunately, it is not that simple Trappers have to deal with difficult and demanding caregivers, neighbors who hate the cats, heat and cold, lifting, transporting, and aftercare in 110 degree weather. Catching the last cat(s) is also a challenge, especially after fixing 30 cats in the colony and trying to get the last illusive Tom. I have TNR'd over 100 cats in this MHP over the last three years. Almost finished but note quite...

April/May 2014

April and May 2014 have been very busy months! I do not think I have ever had to handle so many litters. I think my theory is correct - the more free-roaming cats we sterilize, the fast the remaining cats breed to keep the number in tact. Even Dr. Anderson says he believes he is seeing more fetuses in the pregnant females.

I TNR'd 149 cats in April and May is off to a good start. Last week, I TNR'd 76 cats. This was not quite a record but close. The last week of April was trying as I trapped in Maricopa, a rural town 60 miles from my home. This required three round trips to Maricopa. It would have been four trips but I got sick the day the first group had to go to the vet and the caregivers had to hold the five that they trapped the second night. Over the three nights I caught and fixed 24 cats from this location - a wonder as the wind was the worst I'd seen! Below is a photo of the release.

Release in Maricopa

"Hangman"

In March I drove 60 miles each way to Tonopah to trap two cats. One was a full-term pregnant female and the other her "boyfriend". Had them within five minutes! The lady was in a wheelchair and really needed help. These are the special moments that make this often thankless job worthwhile. 

The first week of May was trapping "nirvana". A couple of weeks ago I had stopped by a mobile home park where I had trapped about 60 cats in 2011 and guess what - I saw LOTs more cats. I could not get this one out of my mind so I solicited Suzie to help trap. 

We were going to help one caregiver the first night then another the second night. Well, fortunately we brought extra traps and ended up at four different places and caught 23 cats! The second night we caught 25 cats which included three pet cats belonging to several of the feeders. This resulted in having to go to two vet clinics. Thank you Arizona Spay Neuter Clinic for taking the overflow without an appointment! 

When I did the release on Thursday morning I caught three more cats on the other side of the oleanders E. of the MHP. But it did not stop there! the next morning I caught 10 more cats there when releasing the three from the day before. So what started Monday night was finished the following Saturday morning. Both of us trapped at several other spots during the week as well and I ended up doing a total of 76 cats!

This photo shows what I saw when I drove up the first night to trap at this MHP. Unfortunately we did not get ALL the cats and will need to go back to finish up. Thank god for the drop-trap...                           

Waiting to be fixed

What was interesting is how few of the original cats I'd trapped in 2011 were still there. The cats we trapped were all new, young cats. In addition there were at least three litters. One litter, found behind the driver in the photo, went directly to a rescue group. Two other litters had to go back un-sterilized as there were way too young to fix. The last photo shows the mom cat at the vet with her kittens in the trap. At least mom is fixed and if the kittens survive we will go back and snag them. All liver under the trailers and conditions are not the best. All had lots of fleas! I hate putting litters back out there but we just do not have any choice when there are so many and not enough fosters and rescue groups willing to take them - especially this far in to kitten season.

If you are feeding feral cats and need help getting them fixed, please call me @: 602-717-2287 or email me @: pekalish@gmail.com

The Spay Neuter Hotline provides traps and a vet appointment for a tax-deductible donation. Trapping assistance is available for those in need.

Mom and Kittens

Bengal Cats

Most of my friends and colleagues know I am interested in purebred cats. I go to cat shows and love seeing the different breeds, especially Singapuras, Abyssinians, and American Short-haired Classic Tabby's.  Some day, once I solve the cat overpopulation problem, I will get one of these gorgeous cats but for now I would feel somewhat guilty.

What amazes me is those I meet in the field tell me they "just got" or "are feeding" a Bengal cat. a Russian Blue or a big Main Coon cat. I have to refrain from telling them that these cats, in fact, are not what they think they are.

The photo below is of a Bengal cat, a cross between a domestic feline and an Asian Leopard cat. I saw one at my vet's office this morning and he indicated that they can have health problems - possibly related to inbreeding.

 Purebred Bengal Cat

These caregivers are confusing he cats they have with a Classic tabby. Classic tabby's are a variety of tabby cat with an open or closed bull's eye pattern on its sides, a "butterfly pattern" on the back of the neck, and an "M" above the eyes. More distinct patterns also have a two dot pattern on both sides of the butterfly pattern and two distinct stripes down the back.  This classic pattern is not nearly as common as the "mackerel" variety of tabby whose stripes often look like a fish scale pattern. Some stripes are spotted making some of these cats resemble Bengals as well.

Below is a photo of a classic tabby often confused with a "Bengal" cat

American Short Haired classic Tabby

Similar mistakes are mad with Russian Blue cats and Main Coon's...However, most Persian cats are pretty distinct. I have trapped what appear to be Persian cats that were de-clawed. Clearly these "pets" had either been abandoned or escaped and joined feral colonies.

Below is a photo of a Singapura! So let's get busy spaying and neutering so I can get one of these beautiful cats.

Singapura Cat with Kittens

Cat Sense

I love books about cat behavior and recently came across an excellent one called "Cat Sense" by John Bradshaw. What I liked about this book is his take on the evolution of domestic cats. It is essentially the archaeology of domestic cats. His premise is that humans are gradually eliminating tame behavior, the very behavior humans cultivated, from the domestic cat population. Great read, especially if you are interested in cat genetics.

March 2014

"Hello is this Pam? I need to talk to you about the cats I am feeding. I need your help. There are about 30 cats and the neighbors are complaining. Cats are pooping in their yard. You need to do something". This is a typical call I receive on a daily basis. Yes, everyone seems to have too many cats! Why? Because they did not fix the cat that showed up on their doorstep before one cat became 30 cats...No one seems to realize the time, money, and effort required to fix 30 cats as opposed to one cat. And, these calls become even more urgent when it is kitten season - then, of course, it costs even more $$$ to fix pregnant cats. Why did they not call in December?

OK I have to complain once in a while but spaying and neutering cats is not always advised, especially when veterinarians tell clients to wait until the female cat is six months old before spaying her. Cats can go in to heat as early as six months of age...Or, the caregiver had heard it was good to let "mama have one litter" before spaying or, my favorite, the kittens need to be weaned before spaying mom. I have direct evidence of a cat having gotten pregnant the day after she gave birth! My motto is "spay the cat when you can". This is because the worst thing that can happen to a cat is not being fixed.

Now for the good news! I TNR'd 222 cats in February 2014. Was a very busy month as February's always are! Had a couple of big colonies including two with 27 cats each and a 34 cat colony for the Dr. Kit's mobile on 2/20. Below are some highlights of these adventures. Thank you Dr. Kit for these wonderful free clinics so we can help caregivers in need.

The following photos are some highlights of these successful trappings. 

Why are there so many Tortie's out there?

Too many cats!

Waiting to be trapped!

Let's see who can get in that trap first!

All of the cats shown above are now fixed...

If you are feeding cats in the Phoenix area and need assistance 

getting them fixed - please call or email me: C 602-717-2287; 

pekalish@gmail.com

The last two photos were from cats in the 85051 zip code. 

Funding is available from the AHS to help cats in 85051 as 

well as other zip codes in that area of Phoenix and Glendale.

Week of 10 February 2014

Caregivers have have been feeding cats at this defunct poultry processing facility since 1954 according to owner's relative. There have not been chickens there for at least 15 years, but the cats remained, breeding out of control...And NONE of them had been fixed. They are now - or at least 43 of them are! 

Cats go in, out and under this house

The photo at the right is of the
original main house on the property.

The cats go in and out and several cats were trapped near where the trap is set in the photo. Suzie and I trapped 29 cats the first night and 14 cats the second night for a total of 43 cats. 

This place has been there a long time. The caregivers indicated that the property was originally occupied around the turn of the century. The outbuildings suggested that there was a lot of history here...The following photos show some of the place where more than 43 free-roaming cats reside. 

I returned to the location yesterday and saw at least four more cats that were not ear tipped. I do this by taking photos with my digital camera then blowing them up on the screen. Works superbly for seeing those smaller eartips. A drop-trap is in order - will be a real challenge with so many fixed cats. But we do not give up finishing colonies. Here is a photo of two - one not eartipped.

You need fixing!

The photo below is the truck used to bring chickens to the processing facility.

 Old poultry truck

Cats are fed under this truck and at other places on the property. We also
trapped at two houses of the same vintage across the street where cats are also fed by the resident caregiver/caretaker. I cannot wait to bet back and snag the stragglers. This is when "the going gets tough, the tough get going"!

Stay tuned for week of 10 February - Part II!