Seattle

Thanks Sharon, I'll take a look, but Miami is a different county and
quite a distance. (I don't have easy transportation.) Still, you never
know.


I am hoping they can help you network and find a rescuer or rescue org
closer-in. Meanwhile, let's hope the locals you have found will return
your call. Hound them for a referral if they won't lend a paw. Also talk
to your vet; you may be pleasantly surprised.

You may have to involve several rescuers/orgs/vet clinics in this
operation. You may be able to borrow a trap or two from one place and
get some free or low-cost surgeries from another. Some vets will
vaccinate at no charge if you provide the vaccine (bought mail order,
though I prefer to pay $5 a pop for my vet to do it with her stuff, which
I know has been handled properly). Surf the web for low- to no-pay
spay/neuter coupons. Check out the Ally Cat Allies website and look
under "Find Feral Friends," which lists orgs by state. Keep networking.



I'd still like to know what to do with the cat if I'm lucky enough to
catch one in my carrier? Will it be calm until an appointment can be
arranged, or go ballistic? Also, how fast do these cats tame down?
They're always wanting to get in the house. They know their brother's in
there, and they're friends with my big male, Squidly. If I just let them
in on the porch, would they adjust enough within a couple of weeks to be
handled so I could transport them? I could probably afford to fix a cat
every week or two until they're done... Maybe that's a bad idea, I don't
know. Hopefully today's phone calls will yield some help. :-)


The carrier trick is risky business but can be done. Have a vet in place
to do the surgery (with or w/o appointment; just agreeing to take on a
feral cat is the first challenge). We've had success with trap-wise cats
who have a devoted feeder by supplying an over-sized carrier and having
the feeder use the carrier as a feeding station. One cat, Lurchie (read
about her in the website) was trapped in a shelter/feeder the size of a
dog house that we converted with a slider door. A trap is best, though;
safer for the you, safer for the cat, safer for the vet.


My S/O is now telling me we should just say the hell with it and take
all four of them in. ACK! Even with only 4, I can't sit down without
shooing a cat. I had to chase one out of the bathtub to take a shower
this morning. (The water tastes better than what's in the dish,
apparently.) Last week I woke up with a weight on my chest and a tail in
my mouth. I can't imagine having 8, especially with 5 of them being wild
things. I think my S/O needs his meds adjusted. :-)


Oh, sweet S/O! But don't get me started on house ferals. You have to
respect your own limits. Ferals can become your friends; they can even be
"tamed," as much as each individual spirit will allow. Lurchie came to us
as a middle-aged feral (she had been born on UW campus). She never quite
became a lapcat, but she was soon content and glad to be inside at last,
warm and dry and never hungry. And never lonely; ferals are sociable
beasties and need the company of the feline kind.

Keep us posted.

Sharon Talbert
Campus Cats
Seattle