The last post I wrote about doing things for cats described me crawling around under my house to make sure feral cats weren’t living under there (https://anyonecantakeapicture.com/2013/03/10/the-things-i-do-for-cats/). I do things for cats, all cats, because I love them. Stinky, smelly, cute, cuddly cats.

Shortly after that last post, I started participating in a humane feral cat program called Trap-Neuter-Return. I learned about it from an organization called Ally Cat Allies (http://www.alleycat.org/). They are a wonderful organization that not only promotes the well-being of cats, but also educates folks, like myself, on how to deal with feral cats, humanely. So, in order to help reduce the feral cat population in my neighborhood and to help these cats live better, healthier lives, I made some appointments and trapped a few of them.

The first one was a pretty little girl cat. I’m glad she was my first because the next two were scary!

While she was in surgery, the vet discovered an injury to her tail, which ended up having to be partially amputated.

But, she showed up the very next day to visit me, so her journey must not have been that traumatic. Part of the TNR program also involves clipping, or tipping, the very tip of their left year so that others know the cat has been fixed.

With one successful trapping down, I made another appointment. This guy was not very nice. I had seen him fighting with other cats so I expected him to be vicious, but he only hissed and tried to claw me a few times.

The next one was even worse. He constantly charged at me while in the cage, clawed to get out (can’t blame him for that), and was just overall unpleasant to deal with.

But, I did my part. One female and two males were sterilized and helped reduce the endless cycle. All three of them were fixed in May of last year (2013). I saw them for a few months afterward, but not since. They may have gone to other houses, may have been caught and not released, or may have passed. But each year, more and more kittens show up in my backyard, and I do what I can to help control the population.

Which leads me to my next post…on kittens!