Cats In My Yard - Helping Stray and Feral Cats -

TNR One-Take Video

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Vanessa

TommyCat Lee shows up to teach Frostie Mac Creamsicle about Trap-Neuter-Return, TNR, the humane method of managing and reducing the number of feral and stray cats outside.

Frostie Mac is the eighth cat to be TNR’d from the Jose and the Pussycats Colony. TommyCat Lee was already TNR’d in 2012 from the Rockstar Colony.

Frostie Mac Creamsicle (white cat): Tuna? Tuna!

TommyCat Lee (black cat): Tuna! Are you sure it’s not a trap?

Frostie Mac Creamsicle: What’s a trap? Hmm, I don’t think so. Crap!

TommyCat Lee: It’s a trap!

Frostie Mac: What’s a trap?

TommyCat Lee: You’re trapped and next you’ll be neutered.

Frostie Mac: What’s a neuter?

TommyCat Lee: You will be fixed, vaccinated, recovered and then returned.

Frostie Mac: Returned where?

TommyCat Lee: See you here in a few days, buddy.

Frostie Mac: Wait!

TommyCat Lee: Trap-Neuter-Return!

Frostie Mac: Hmm, tuna!

Stay tuned for more tuna!

The TNR of Puffy the Feral Cat

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Vanessa

Remember Puffy McWonder Tail? Well, I trapped him Saturday night, and took him to PAWS Chicago for his TNR Treatment on Sunday. I named him well, because he was pissy, hissy, huffy and puffy the entire time. He would not stop lunging or growling every time he heard me or saw me peek under the cover of his trap. PAWS’ Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic was filled with rambunctious dogs, and Puffy was not fazed. You could hear him growling the entire time.

Here he is after being recovered from his neuter surgery, and he clearly wants out.

He even managed to get an extra lunge at me when I released him back into my yard.

I love it when the cats act like that because there’s no question to return them back outside. That being said, I have seen aggressive male cats turn into lap cats once the testosterone has completely left their body after the surgery. But in the meantime, Puffy clearly wants to be left alone outside.

Posted in Felines, James' Gang Colony | Tagged feral cat, feral cat colony, TNR, trap neuter return | Leave a comment

Hmm, Guess Who’s Going to Try to Get Another Layover in Omaha Again Next Month?

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Vanessa

I saw this poster at the Holland Center in Omaha last week. I was walking around looking for a Subway that still had a veggie patty in stock. This turned out to be pretty difficult.

Anyways, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the Popovitch Comedy Pet Theater perform before on Letterman. This would be a fun layover again if I can get it next month. All of the animals in this show are from rescues.

Posted in Felines, Flying | Leave a comment

A New Cat In My Yard To Be TNR’d

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Vanessa

I have a new cat visiting my yard! It’s been awhile. The current line-up of my James’ Gang Colony was established when I TNR’d Honey Bouncy Bear in May 2011. So far the cats have been pretty accepting of this new visitor. He’s been coming the last few weeks, starting late night, and moving on to dusk. He leaves as soon as he sees me but I managed to get a dark photo of him through my window.

Introducing Puffy McWonder Tail.

He definitely does not have an ear tip yet, and looks a little disheveled. Jim named him Puffy McWonder Tail. Jim is in charge of naming the cats in my yard, since the James’ Gang Colony is named after him.

Puffy prefers wet food so we’ve been leaving it out diligently to keep him coming back for more. I hope I can trap him with canned sardines in oil in a humane Tru-catch trap next week when I’m off work.

Yesterday he actually came during the day and was waiting for wet food with the other cats. He will not stay in the yard with me but I got a shot of him on the cat path. Can you see him watching me from back there?

And here he is in the rest of my winter garden. It looks so bare! I can’t wait to start planting!

Posted in Felines, James' Gang Colony | 1 Comment

Kitten Season

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Vanessa

Spring has sprung! To me this means the feral cats start going crazy and really enjoying themselves outside. We even named two of the cats in my yard Springy and Sprungy when we trapped them one April because we had no idea they existed. They just showed up late one night in our yard.

Since then just one of them has become a permanent part of the James Gang Colony and we call him Springy Sprungy, or sometimes Funny Face.

Springy Sprungy has begunny.

What spring really means to cat colony caretakers is that it’s the start of kitten season. Though at this point it seems like kitten season is happening year round. I feel like I have gotten the colonies in my area under control since I have not found kittens since 2009. At this point the new cats that are showing up in the colonies are really indoor/outdoor cats or dumped pet cats. I will still TNR them as fast as I can.

If you manage colonies and provide shelters for them chances are the mom cats will utilize those shelters. This is the family I found in 2009 at the Eleanor Rigby Colony.

Posted in Eleanor Rigby Colony, Felines, James' Gang Colony | 2 Comments

TNR Is Proven to Work in Cook County

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Vanessa

Many pro-TNR advocates came to today’s hearing at the Commissioner’s office. The numbers in this article speak for themselves: TNR works. There are less free-roaming cats outside ever since the Managed Care of Feral Cats Ordinance was passed in 2007.

I’m obsessed with the Cat Math of TNR. I want to highlight and quote here the most important point of this article, which is the TNR numbers:

“Rochelle Michalek, executive director of PAWS Chicago, another leading colony sponsor, said that since 2008,

17,500 stray cats had been sterilized and vaccinated in Cook County,

at a cost of $1.5 million — all of it privately funded, without any government contributions.

She added that colonies reduced an average of 41 percent over three years

and estimated there are currently 7,000 cats

at the county’s 1,000 approved colonies.”

I’m happy to have added to those numbers, and I know it’s working because more and more people are helping the community cats with TNR. Just last week I saw a “new” black cat up the street from me. Only he was not “new”, because he was already ear tipped by someone else! I’ll have to figure out what’s going on over here later. But we still have a lot of work to do. Let’s get trapping!

Posted in Felines, Mother Colony | Leave a comment

Feral Cat Colony Management 101

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Vanessa

Covered feral cat feeding station? Check.

Insulated feral cat shelter filled with straw? Check.

Outdoor heated water bowl? Check.

Ear tipped and TNR’d feral cats bonding over their love of wet cat food? Check.

Honey Bouncy Bear and Springy Sprungy know how to share.

Posted in Felines, James' Gang Colony | Leave a comment

The Audubon Society Advocates Killing Outdoor Cats

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Vanessa

Ted Williams of the National Audubon Society published an editorial in the Orlando Sentinel saying that people should put Tylenol in cat food and leave it outdoors to poison the outdoor cats.

If you are against this, sign Alley Cat Allies’ petition.

The Audubon Society responded to the public outcry and edited William’s story. They also put out a statement saying they do not support poisoning stray and feral cats with Tylenol, but they still advocate to trap cats and bring them to local shelters. They are anti-TNR.

I agree that indoor pet cats should be kept indoors for the safety of the cats and wildlife.

However, stray and feral cats are outside through no fault of their own. I practice Trap-Neuter-Return to help contain the colonies’ populations. I feed and provide shelter for the cats. Since feral cats are opportunistic feeders they will conserve their energy and look for the free handout, rather than spending time and energy hunting for food.

Birds and other wildlife also appear to be opportunistic feeders. I have seen them eat cat food that I left out. I try not to leave out cat food all day for this reason, but I have seen birds hop into my cat feeding areas looking for food. What if they were to eat cat food that was poisoned?

Posted in Felines | Leave a comment

Public Hearing on the Cook County TNR Ordinance

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Vanessa

There is a public hearing to review the 2007 Managed Care of Feral Cats Ordinance scheduled for Tuesday, March 19th, 11:30am, at the Cook County building, 118 N. Clark St., room 569.

The ordinance is to be reviewed because anti-cat groups such as the Chicago Audubon Society got the attention of Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin.

If you sent a letter to the Cook County Commissioners through Alley Cat Allies’ action alert page, you would have gotten the same email response I did:

“I am writing on behalf of Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin. You recently contacted him concerning feral cats.

In your email, you expressed concern about the Cook County Board of Commissioners passing an ordinance that was adverse to feral cats. I have attached the notice for a Public Hearing on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 11:30 am that is going to examine that issue. As you can see from the notice, the purpose of the hearing is to have a report from Dr. Donna Alexander, Administrator of the Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control, on the Department’s activities and the effect of those activities on the feral cat population. No ordinance will be passed at that meeting.

You are welcome to attend and testify at that meeting. To do so, please contact the Secretary of the Cook County Board of Commissioners at www.cookcountyil.gov/secretary or 312-603-6127.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you.

Brian Miller

Chief of Staff/General Counsel

Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin

118 N. Clark Street, Room 567

Chicago, IL 60602

312-603-6383

312-603-3622 f

bmiller@suffredin.org

From: Secretary to the Board Master List [mailto:SECRETARYMASTERLIST@LISTSRV1.CCOUNTY.COM] On Behalf Of Secretary to the Board (Secretary to the Board)

Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2013 4:07 PM
To: SECRETARYMASTERLIST@LISTSRV1.CCOUNTY.COM
Subject: Public Hearing Notice for the Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 11:30 a.m.

Attached please find a Public Hearing Notice for the Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 11:30 a.m.

Please feel free to contact our Office should you need additional assistance.

Secretary to the Board of Commissioners of Cook County

Cook County Building

118 North Clark Street Room 436

Chicago, Illinois 60602

(312) 603-6127″

The link they included does not work. I think they meant this one.

The email also included an agenda of the hearing.

I don’t fully understand everything on this agenda. Animal Care and Control officers do not go out and do Trap-Neuter-Return. Per the ordinance, that responsibility along with many other requirements, falls entirely on registered colony cat caretakers to do all the work.

I’m glad Dr. Donna Alexander, the Administrator for Cook County’s Animal and Rabies Control, will be reporting on the progress of TNR in Cook County. She seems to be the one to get things done around here.

I may have to work, but I hope to attend this hearing. I have 18 colonies registered with Tree House Humane Society and am glad to promote the numbers of TNR in Cook County.

Here’s two of the 39 cats that I’ve trapped so far from the James’ Gang Colony in my yard, Sugar and Finch.