Catching Stray Cats

Four stray cats have been wandering around the house and when I started feeding them (you can't have a kitty go hungry) I knew I would have to try and fix them too. The Animal Defense League of Arizona has low cost ($25 per feral cat) or free if you fall in an area with their special program.   It is very important to fix stray cats so they don't reproduce more and more cats. They fight and breed when they aren't fixed.

I picked up 2 cages last Thursday for a Friday appointment and set the traps.  The traps are humane and the animals are NOT harmed.  John came home a couple hours later and announced I had caught a cat in the cage.  While he was putting his stuff away he noticed the back door was open.  Kali is an escape artist and learned to open a sliding glass door. Sure enough, the cat I caught was my well fed kitty and she wanted two dinners that night.  She looked up at me like "mom..I don't understand what's going on."  After releasing her I did catch another cat that evening and brought her in the next day.  It turns out she was already fixed.

When a stray cat is fixed, the left ear is clipped while they are under.  I hadn't noticed it on "Sunflower" ( I'm naming all the strays too) but now know what to look for.

I set the traps again today and caught Arabian, a beautiful orange but matted tabby. His ears are unclipped.   I know he doesn't understand why he's in the cage but it's better for him health-wise and all the other kitties to get him fixed.