Feral TNRs and a new KITTEN CREW.
I am trying to TNR all the feral cats in the world.
Also, I got new foster munchkincrazypants… I assume you need to see them before we can continue.
Tuesday night, I went to score babiezzz– injecting myself with pure joy is addicting and brain-healing.
I took the kittens home, got them settled, then went back out to do my rounds… Wednesday is a TNR day. So I set my traps the night before.
I have permission from this person to be mucking about in their bushes… their property line runs lengthwise along the backyards of a whole bunch of houses that have very deep lots with a lot of trees, brush, old garages, playhouses that haven’t been used in years… feral cat heaven.
Wednesday morning I went to see who I caught overnight. I got four (above in the video)… Loaded them into the van… Went back home because I had to get Webster (my adult foster— here on my instagram) — poor guy had to have a vet visit AND he had to stay there all day because I was too busy to go back and get him until night.
My running tally of totally-identical-grey-cats I’ve caught at this location now is SEVEN… which is why the vet “tips” their ears… if I had caught these guys BEFORE, I would know and could release them.
I checked these guys 57 times because I could not believe I got THIS MANY MORE IDENTICAL!
So Wednesday night I went back to the shelter, loaded my four, now-fixed TNR’s into the van. Put Webster in the front seat… take off… then about 10 minutes down the road… the foster coordinator calls me to say that the people who found my litter-of-three just brought in their sister.
u-turn
I was late getting home, and as I was driving down our street, I could see that Paul had just pulled up.
I hoped he would go directly into the house like a normal person… but he is always so freakishly helpful, so of course, he came over to the car.
I always feel like he is DISMAYED when he is reminded that the person who will make decisions for him when he is infirm, drives around in a vehicle LITERALLY FILLED WITH CATS.
TNR stands for TRAP NEUTER RETURN.
TNR helps to limit the population of stray, homeless, and unwanted cats… these animals are born to a very hard life.
Our world is not set up for stray cats to be safe.
ESPECIALLY THE LITTLE ONES.
People do terrible things to stray cats.
Poison.
Worse.
Even if those kittens are rescued… if they are taken into a shelter, their chances of survival are low… 80% of the kittens who will be euthanized at shelters this year, and the year after, and the year after that… are born to the stray and feral cats in our neighborhood.
We can make a difference!!!
TNR does something else: it gives the animals waiting for homes in shelters a better chance… if we LOWER our unwanted-animal population, shelter animals will be more likely to be adopted than euthanized!
Our shelters are overrun, underfunded, and the animals are the ones who suffer.
If you are able to support a TNR group in your area, THANK YOU.
If there isn’t one, YOU COULD BE THE PERSON TO START ONE!
To the other crazy animal lovers— you are my people, and your existence makes me thankful.
ADOPT DON’T SHOP!
🐾💕🦁🍀🏡🐯❤🐒
I realize this post is not well-written and I do not care because I have ANIMALS TO SNUGGLE BYE.
xoxo,
VEB
HERE IS A POST ABOUT HOW YOU CAN HELP YOUR LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER!
May 25, 2018 @ 11:46 am
Thank you for your TNR work and your fostering. My parents did both for a very long time and it’s so rewarding and heartbreaking at times. Scritches to your furry friends.
Melanie
May 25, 2018 @ 11:50 am
Kudos to you!!! What dire statistics, and I hope that your efforts as well as your sharing will help. 😀
May 25, 2018 @ 12:05 pm
I have TNR’d seven cats, neighbors have TNR’d many others. I feed about eight TNR’d cats, six are a colony on the east side of my house, two live next door on the west side. The elderly neighbor who fed them had to go into assisted living, so I took over. Neighbors across the street feed three more TNR’d cats. In my area of Maricopa County, around 20,000 cats are TNR’d each year. It’s a great program.
February 6, 2020 @ 8:10 pm
Wow!!!! 20.000!!! Well done you!!
May 25, 2018 @ 12:11 pm
You are a very good person and your halo is wide!
May 25, 2018 @ 12:12 pm
KITTENS!!! Ahhh! pictures of fluff munchkins make my morning. These babies are gorgeous too! I can’t wait for videos! xAllie
http://www.theallthatglittersblog.com
May 25, 2018 @ 12:28 pm
I fear that if you and the Kitten Lady (Hannah Shaw) ever met it would be too amazing and pure for this world and you would cancel each other out. Good job to the both of you and continue the wonderful work you both do with TNR and fostering.
May 25, 2018 @ 4:12 pm
I’ve said the same! I hope VEB follows kittenxlady on instagram! (She would especially love Badger the Tuxedo now!)
May 25, 2018 @ 12:35 pm
Your new babies are so cute and thanks for sharing about TNR. Before you I didn’t even know that was a program.
May 25, 2018 @ 12:53 pm
Could it be that these kittens are the cutest, to date???
May 25, 2018 @ 1:07 pm
TNR is an amazing tool. Over the last 18 years, my wife and I have personally paid to have over 100 cats and kittens spayed/neutered and either adopted them out or released the feral ones. It’s cost us around $15,000, but it is absolutely the right thing to do.
May 25, 2018 @ 1:27 pm
drives around in a vehicle LITERALLY FILLED WITH CATS.
#goals
Besides, Paul should know that if you take such good care of the cats, he will be in excellent hands should the time come. Unless he thinks he is less cute than kittens? Which: possible. Hm.
May 25, 2018 @ 1:29 pm
OMG. If I lived near you, I would totally take in the tortoiseshell and the orange kittens.
They are so sweet.
So is your husband. He is a SAINT. They should clone him.
May 25, 2018 @ 1:44 pm
Good job! My cat is a stray that I rescued. I was not able to TNR a cat last Fall but fed her, made her a bed outside on my swing and found a group in my area who trapped her, I paid for the vet and then she was fostered and then adopted to a home that promised not to let her be outside ever again. Cats should not be let outside even if they are fixed–they get killed by cars and are prone to getting sick. Please people keep your cats inside just like your dogs!
May 25, 2018 @ 2:01 pm
I feel ya! I do tnr in my neighborhood. Sooo many gray cats! 3 that I have officially made my responsibility. Several more who think I’m running a cat B and B. I guess I am.
Without tnr, we would be drowning in ferals here! As I catch them I try to explain that I am pro choice- it’s my choice to offer them a better life than constantly being pregnant! I was especially happy to tnr the cat who I have named Harvey Weinstein!
Keep up your good work!
May 25, 2018 @ 2:02 pm
I fail to see the issue your husband would have with a car full of cats. We have 7 rescues, most from the Camden County and Burlington County Animal Shelters here in South Jersey. Our kids moved out and we replaced them with cats. Our most recent kitten went into heat yesterday…she just couldn’t wait until her spay appointment next week! Silly girl…now her sister will probably go into heat too. Fortunately, they don’t go outside so there’s no concern about them getting pregnant, but I now understand what caterwauling means! Blessings on you for your TNR work!
May 25, 2018 @ 2:05 pm
What is it about feral shorthair grey clones?? The ones here (California) all seem to have yellow-ish eyes, too. Almost 100% of the cats I’ve trapped are either grey clones or black/white shorthairs. Except my Boo, one feral kitten I kept who is a perfect throwback from the crazy Birman breeder that lived in our neighborhood 20+ years ago and apparently let Birman blood somehow enter the feral lines around here. I trapped mama and the kittens, mama was the grey clone and had two black/white shorthairs, one grey/white shorthair, and this fluffy blue eyed sealpoint Birman clone. I socialized the whole litter and still have Boo and one brother. Yay you!!!
May 25, 2018 @ 2:27 pm
You are fabulous. You’re my hero.
May 25, 2018 @ 2:43 pm
I thought it was a splendidly written post! It contained everything I needed plus cuteness plus the excellent part about Paul’s possible future infirmity being overseen by you in your Cat Chalet with your Cat Rockettes and Cat Football Team and Cat Choir.
May 25, 2018 @ 2:59 pm
Thank you!!!! I had always planned to be a Cat Lady in my old age…but alas, it hasn’t worked out. I have rescued a few in my time, however. It is soul satisfying to see the precious photos of these kittens!
May 25, 2018 @ 3:16 pm
We just adopted two kittens from our local Animal Rescue League after losing our beloved 16 year old cat. Originally, we planned to adopt just one, but they were having a BOGO free special. Who can say no to that? 2 kittens are 5x more fun!
May 25, 2018 @ 3:50 pm
Hooray for TNR! Where we used to live in Georgia, we trapped and TNR’d at least 16 cats, and fed the whole colony. It was enlightening how hard outside feral cats have it. Our ferals all eventually succombed to being hit by cars, killed by stray dogs and/or coyotes, and FLV. The longest-lived, a mama cat, had her last litter before we managed to trap her, and then abandoned three of the litter at 3 days old. We found them and took them in, and they are now the sweetest set of kits you could ever want. 🙂 Most of that colony were either all white, all black, or tux. There was one all-grey one. Ours are an all-white boy and two all-black girls. <3 We love cats!