On Sat, 04 Oct 2003 20:18:50 GMT, lid wrote:

Everyone at work knows I am the one who feeds the cats on the grounds.
It's practically a joke. I spend about $300/month on food and supplies
for these animals. I have, with the help of others NOT in my workplace,
spent close to $2000 trapping, testing, vaccinating, altering and
releasing these ferals back to their environment. Only one of my
coworkers has ever offered any assistance at all, which was okay with me
until yesterday.

Yesterday (my day off), I got a call at home from a coworker who
informed me that she had met and handled a small kitten in the parking
lot. I went and rescued the kitten, which was concealed in some
landscaping bushes. Found no other cats in the area; the kitten is now
being fostered at my home.

While searching for the kitten, I found a well-established, exposed
feeding center, complete with two plastic picnic dishes piled high with
kibble and a cut gallon jug of water. Without going into tiresome
detail, this setup is the same exact one I found almost two years ago in
another area on the same grounds. At that time, whoever it was caused a
HUGE upset at work (because of their poor planning and execution, and
the resulting unhygienic conditions, I almost lost management's
endorsement to feed the cats at my feeding station). This new station is
somewhat better, but it is still placed for the convenience of the
feeder, not for the safety of the cats. It is still in a place that
could cause trouble.

While I am ecstatic that someone at work seems to care about these
animals, I am nettled and vexed that they don't see fit to collaborate
or consult with me, or even simply inform me about it. I have been
caring for the cats in this area for more than ten years. Recently, at
least five of my regulars haven't shown up for more than a week. I'm
cranky about that to begin with. Now I find that someone else has been
feeding. Could that be why I haven't seen my guys? Could this new
feeding station be the reason for the sudden influx of newcomers?

How the heck can I keep track of the ferals in this area if someone is
feeding them on the sly? How can I budget for them? It just irritates me
no end that they wouldn't contact me about this. I know that there are
others feeding ferals at nearby facilities. There are probably 4 or 5
within a 1 mile radius. We all know each other; I'm in touch with them.
But not with the mystery feeder at my own workplace.

Just a rant, I guess. Has anyone else run into a situation like this?
How did you handle it?

Post or circulate a nice notice saying their help is so appreciated
that you would like a meeting to coordinate your efforts. Who knows,
maybe it will work. MLB