Puffy is a very fluffy, long-haired cat that comes to my yard irregularly to feed ever since I TNR’d him in 2013.

This past year he’s been looking fluffier than ever. His long-haired coat is magnificent, but starting to look downright disheveled. He’s not easy to capture on camera – he’s a true feral who only visits at dusk or later.

His fur looked out of control, but I had to wait to trap until summer when it is hot enough for him to be shaved. So I zip-tied traps open at the cats’ feeding stations and starting feeding from them to condition the cats to the traps.

It worked like a charm. Last week when I came back from vacation Chicago was nice and hot. I set the traps and quickly trapped Bouncy Bear and Dash by accident. I released them immediately. Eventually Puffy went in very early morning. He looked totally suspicious.

And upon closer examination, I saw I made the right call. His fur was out of control, with huge matts. He looked pretty good, but matts can be very painful – they can be close to and pull on the skin.

I took Puffy to Roscoe Village Animal Hospital, where I take all the feral cats in traps needing additional medical care.

Obviously, Puffy needed to be sedated for shaving. Since he was there, I asked them to update his vaccinations, and give him an exam. He was treated for fleas, but his ears looked clean. His teeth are surprisingly in good shape, so no dental was needed. And they gave him a full body shave.

Puffy, the Lion Cut King.

Doesn’t he look pleased?

He’s lucky I didn’t get him a dragon cut!

His vet bill was $393. If you’d like to make a donation to help cover his care, you can do so at the PayPal link at the top of this page.

I waited until the end of the day to return him back to my yard. Inexplicably, Funny Face started chasing after him when I returned him. Puffy doesn’t really hang out with the other colony cats here – he’s more solitary.

I finally saw him again here last night for dinner, and was really relieved to see that he was doing well, even if the other cats may be laughing at him. You can see the poof at the end of his lion tail. This time he appeared to be hanging out with Dash. Maybe they’re all making sure he is ok?

Hyde Park Cats is a volunteer-run organization that helps cats and kittens in need.

For the past few years they’ve produced a calendar to raise funds for the cats. The 2015 calendar is now available for a suggested price of $10 online or at these locations. I met Hyde Park Cats this year through our Feral Flowers Project at Forget Me Knodt. They bought flowers and attended our Feral Flowers Design Class. Then they asked if they could include a spread of Cats In My Yard for the calendar. Of course I said yes, and am so excited to see our James’ Gang Colony cats Funny Face, Bouncy Bear, Dash, and, of course, Mooha, on their July page. 

To learn more about Hyde Park Cats, please visit their site, their Facebook page, or email them at [email protected]

Who knew it could be so lush in the fall? Dash posed for me all over the garden.

Bouncy Bear photo bomb.

And then the sleet hit.

Ever since Dice’s death last week the cats in my yard were not acting the same. Although Bouncy Bear was around constantly hoping for wet food, Dash and Funny Face disappeared for awhile. Funny Face was quite bonded to Dice so I worried about him.

This week the colony cats seem to have regrouped and are again around a lot more. Autumn always makes me a bit sad because it also means the end of the garden, but this year I decided to try to embrace the changing season more. The Feral Flowers are trimmed back, the tomatoes are harvested, and I added pumpkins and gourds for decoration.

I also placed an extra straw bale in the  garden. It has turned out to be a big hit – the cats love to lounge on it.

Bouncy Bear falls asleep on it regularly.

Dash is kind of exploring the whole yard again on his own.

Funny Face is definitely more skittish again. I still believe he has a secret life outside of my garden, but I’m glad he comes for dinner. 

I took Dice, one of the cats in my yard, to the vet today to be euthanized. We are heartbroken.

Dice was the quintessential feral tom cat. He showed up in my yard at the beginning of 2009, and I trapped him easily and quickly that January. Here he is right after his TNR surgery looking a little rough.

That rough look never quite left him, and he pretty much left my yard for awhile for a few years. I would see him randomly throughout the neighborhood, on other blocks.

Until the James Gang Colony started, a few years later in 2012, along with Dash, Funny Face, and Bouncy Bear, and slowly formed an alliance in my yard, as the cats learned to come to me daily for their dinner.

Then Dice flourished with the attention and companionship, and became a healthy, fat, tom cat. Just look at those cheeks.

He was always a bit solitary.

Dice seemed to appreciate the meals, accommodations, and companionship with the other colony cats.

But many times he preferred to be alone.

He was especially tight with Funny Face. The two were always together these past few years.

But this year, after the brutal winter, it was clear that Dice wasn’t the same. He had lost weight, and seemed tired. I re-trapped him and took him to a vet for treatment and a full dental in the spring.

He seemed to bounce back and had a good run this past summer, but he continued to lose weight. I prepared the traps to re-trap him again.

This turned out to be unnecessary. I went out of town last Sunday for work, and when I came back into town the following Friday, I found him laying in my garden, meowing, with black mucus all over his face.

For the first time, he allowed me to touch him. When I got him to the vet, they determined that he basically needed round-the-clock hospitalization. Since he was feral, that was not really an obvious, easy solution.

At this point Dice weighed four pounds. The vet administered fluids, vitamins and antibiotics. We waited to see if he would improve crated in my house. He ate a lot, but barely moved, even to go to the bathroom. I tried to make him comfortable and keep him clean, but it was clear that even though I think he knew I was trying to help him, my presence and being in my house was stressing him out.

Rather than putting him through a lengthy hospital stay and a bunch of invasive tests, we decided to euthanize Dice today. He was the quintessential tom cat again today. He hissed, and then relaxed, and showed us his feral nature, even though he was barely able to move. I think Dice appreciated the love, and he showed us true dignity in facing such a death. His rough face softened and was at peace finally. I’m glad he allowed me to get to know him a little bit these last six years, and I hope I was able to make his life a little bit better during this time.

Forget Me Knodt hosts sold out flower design classes all year at her shop. In celebration of National Feral Cat Day and our summer-long Feral Flowers Project, Janessa from Forget Me Knodt will teach a class on how to design with blooms specifically from our garden, including zinnias, cosmos, allium and solidago arranged in mason jars. Each student will learn all about design and go home with their own bouquets.

Afterwards, we’ll talk about TNR: Trap-Neuter-Return, and I’ll answer any questions you may have about cat rescue and caring for a feral cat colony in Chicago.

DESIGNING WITH BLOOMS FROM THE FERAL FLOWERS GARDEN

Forget Me Knodt, 1313 W. Wilson
Tuesday, October 14th, 2014
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, BYOB Edition

Includes cheeses, meats and artisan breads from Baker & Nosh
$40 per student – limit 20 students

The majority of the proceeds will be used for food, shelter and medical care for managed feral cat colonies.

Call 773-944-1041 to sign up for your spot. $10 deposit required, and seats are first-come, first-served

I’m very excited about this event and I hope you can join us! It’s my way of being able to share the garden with you in person. I believe gardens and cats go hand in hand, and that feral cat colonies can be cared for in a beautiful way in our yards. The Feral Flowers Project would not exist without the help of the cats in my yard, including:

Bouncy Bear

Dash

Dice

Funny Face

And of course my very own pet cat Mooha, who was Chief Gardener, as she was chasing the butterflies and bees all summer long to make sure they pollinated every flower.