Cheeky

Very fuzzy photo of a black cat sitting on top of the trap

My eldest and I set up the live traps to start catching the feral cats in the woods. Five of the cheeky things came and circled all around the traps, even managing to steal some tuna (in oil) without springing a trap. One even sat on top! We eventually caught one, and our neighbor caught one so we had two to take in for the TNR (Trap Neuter Return) program. We are only allowed two a day, so this was a good result.

Torti in a trap
Torti in a carrier

Even better was that they were both tortoise shell and thus both female. I’d like to get the boys out of the baby making business too, but this was a definite reduction in the possibility of more kittens. The poor things were very scared. Neither one made a peep the entire time in our care. As instructed, we checked on them every hour, and we were able to change out pee pads without any attempted escape. In the morning, we set them free in their territory. It seems strange to let freshly neutered felines out into the woods, but they wouldn’t take any water from us, so most likely wouldn’t eat either. The shelter said they will probably hole up for a couple days before venturing out again.

Cozy and quiet in an internal closet, waiting release