| My Houston neighborhood has been invaded by | | | | after asking a lot of questions of those who have |
| feral cats. At least twenty-five have made their | | | | done this before, I carted nine traps over to the |
| home at a foreclosed house that backs up to | | | | abandoned house on a Tuesday evening. I baited |
| mine, and now that it is mating season there will | | | | them with smelly food like human tuna and |
| soon be more if nothing is done. As defined by | | | | sardines (a very messy job) and then set them in |
| Alley Cat Allies, a feral cat is: "A cat who has lived | | | | various secluded spots around the yard and porch |
| his whole life with little or no human contact and is | | | | so that they could not see each other getting |
| not socialized, or a stray cat who was lost or | | | | caught. Four cats had entered the traps before I |
| abandoned and has lived away from human | | | | finished setting the remaining five. Other cats |
| contact long enough to revert to a wild state. | | | | were more wary, so I took the four trapped |
| Feral cats avoid human contact and cannot be | | | | felines back to my house to spend the night in a |
| touched by strangers." These cats do serve a | | | | heated room off my garage, waited an hour, and |
| purpose in helping to control rodent populations, | | | | went back to check the traps again. In the first |
| and the current thinking among animal welfare | | | | hour, one more cat was trapped. Several of the |
| groups is that a program encompassing humane | | | | cats had figured out how to get the food without |
| trapping, sterilization and return to their | | | | springing the trap, so I re-baited and moved the |
| neighborhoods is best for both cats and humans | | | | four remaining traps. Another hour later, three |
| to continue to co-exist peacefully. | | | | more kitties sat there, looking fearful and angry. |
| Several neighbors and I have been feeding our | | | | They, too, spent the night in a comfortable room. |
| little colony for a number of months, and I have | | | | The unoccupied trap was sprung with no cat |
| grown fond of the independent little critters, all of | | | | inside, so I decided that eight was enough for the |
| whom have their own distinct personalities. Some | | | | first night. |
| are braver and more approachable than others, | | | | Early the next morning, I loaded them all in my |
| and several will come within inches of me when it | | | | car and off we went on a thirty minute drive to |
| is dinner time, sometimes even batting at my | | | | the new Spay Houston low cost clinic. Even |
| hands if I am not dishing out the food quickly | | | | though I was a little late getting there due to rush |
| enough. All, however, run away if I try to touch | | | | hour traffic, they took them all in and told me to |
| them, and many will only come out of the | | | | return the next morning at 7:00 AM to collect |
| shadows once I have packed up the food and left | | | | them. Physically, I was exhausted and sore; who |
| the porch where they hang out. One brave little | | | | would have thought that setting and carrying nine |
| white Siamese mix was more friendly than the | | | | unhappy cats in traps could cause so much |
| rest, and would let me pet him and pick him up; I | | | | muscle pain in legs, arms, shoulders and back? |
| was quickly able to crate him and take him to a | | | | And, I am sure they were not feeling any better |
| local shelter where he went into a foster home | | | | about life. |
| for some socialization before being put up for | | | | I collected them the following morning, furry little |
| adoption. While I am sure that the rest of the | | | | balls huddled in corners of their cages, some |
| cats would be very happy to continue their | | | | hissing, some meowing and some just sitting and |
| current arrangement, there are several problems | | | | watching. I was instructed to keep them confined |
| from the human side. First, the foreclosed house | | | | for an additional twenty-four to forty-eight hours |
| will shortly be taken over by the mortgage | | | | if possible, to make sure they were eating and |
| company and I am sure they will not appreciate a | | | | there was no bleeding. In all, there were four |
| number of kitties running around the property. | | | | males and four females, two of which were |
| Second, the longer the colony exists without | | | | already pregnant. Most were fairly young. Back |
| intervention, the more cats there will be. Finally, | | | | we went to the heated room off the garage, |
| many neighbors are not happy with their | | | | where I set them all down on a plastic tarp |
| presence due to spraying, screaming and mating | | | | covered with newspaper, and covered the traps |
| behaviors, and several have begun to threaten to | | | | with a sheet. I provided them with food and |
| trap and kill them. | | | | water and left them to recuperate. |
| After researching various resources to learn more | | | | On the second morning after their surgery, all had |
| about feral cats, I have become the neighborhood | | | | eaten at least something and all seemed |
| proponent of a Trap/Neuter (or Spay)/Return | | | | responsive and alert. There was no sign of |
| (TNR) program. Basically, the cats are caught | | | | bleeding and I am sure they were uncomfortable |
| using live traps, taken for spay/neuter surgery as | | | | sitting in their little traps. One smaller cat had |
| well as vaccinations, parasite control and ear | | | | somehow pulled one of the sheet covers into his |
| tipping (where the top of the left ear is cut off so | | | | trap and balled himself up in it, and looked a little |
| that these cats can quickly be identified as | | | | surprised to have it pulled away from him. One by |
| already sterilized and part of a managed colony), | | | | one I took them out to the yard near the fence |
| then returned to their original location. Caretakers | | | | backing up to their "residence" and opened the |
| agree to continue to provide food, water, shelter | | | | traps. All looked relieved to be out in the fresh air, |
| and medical care when needed. This type of | | | | and all took off like lightning towards familiar |
| program can be successful in controlling local | | | | territory once the doors were opened. |
| populations and allows the cats to live safer, | | | | We will try again next week to capture additional |
| healthier and longer lives. The cats can then | | | | members of the colony and go through the same |
| continue their neighborhood jobs of controlling | | | | process. Little by little, we hope to get most, if |
| rodent populations, and their average life span | | | | not all, sterilized and vaccinated, so that the |
| increases from a mere two years to about ten. | | | | colony remains at a manageable size. Sterilization |
| Here in Houston, the only group that currently | | | | tends to alter a lot of the behaviors that annoy |
| helps people manage feral cat colonies is called the | | | | people...spraying, vocalizing and mating being key. |
| Feral Cat Assistance Program (FCAP). It is an | | | | Several neighbors have agreed to continue to |
| organization that works on limited grants and | | | | feed and keep an eye on the colony and to |
| funding, and their resources are stretched thin. | | | | spread the feeding stations around various homes |
| Through my ongoing work with the local shelter | | | | so that the foreclosed house can be put on the |
| from which FCAP is an offshoot, I was able to | | | | market, hopefully without cats as part of the |
| get our little colony on the list for their assistance. | | | | home's features. With any luck, this program will |
| Even so, it has been four months of waiting for | | | | be a win/win for all. |
| spay/neuter surgery appointments to open. | | | | For more information on feral cat colonies and |
| Finally, this past week, they were able to secure | | | | management, you can check the websites for |
| ten surgery spots and seven live traps for our | | | | Alley Cat Allies, the Feral Cat Coalition, the |
| little group. Neighbors added another two traps to | | | | Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and |
| the effort. | | | | the American Society for the Prevention of |
| Then, the hard work began. With limited help, and | | | | Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). |