{"id":1616,"date":"2017-01-11T22:13:18","date_gmt":"2017-01-12T02:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/?p=1616"},"modified":"2017-03-22T10:38:28","modified_gmt":"2017-03-22T14:38:28","slug":"feral-cats-trapping-day-one-day-early","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/?p=1616","title":{"rendered":"Feral Cats – Trapping Day–One Day Early"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’d originally planned to start trapping again on Thursday because the forecast was for rain on Wednesday (today). \u00a0When skies were clear, however, I quickly decided to set out the traps a day early. \u00a0As I was moving the traps out of Wayne’s car and into mine before heading to school, I saw a Catbird silhouetted in a nearby tree and heard it’s funny “meowing.” \u00a0I told Wayne I hoped that was a good omen!<\/p>\n

I drove around to the back of the art building when I got to school. \u00a0I didn’t see any cats, so I quickly set up and baited the four Voices for Animals traps. \u00a0Within an hour, one of the white and calico kitties moved into the area. \u00a0She checked the feeding station and was disappointed that there was no food waiting for her. \u00a0So what’s a girl to do–other than sit in the sunshine and look pretty?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Her curiosity–and hunger–ultimately got the best of her, though, and she cautiously moved towards the traps. \u00a0Unfortunately, she tripped one when she\u00a0jumped on top of it!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Of course that scared\u00a0her (understatement), and she took off like a shot, and I thought that\u00a0was probably it for her<\/em> for the day. \u00a0To my surprise, she came back a few minutes later and after cautiously moseying around, she\u00a0went into a trap and was caught! \u00a0YAY! \u00a0First cat of the day, just a little more than an hour after I’d set out the traps!<\/p>\n

As fate would have it, she’d gone into one of the smaller kitten<\/em> traps, and even in the tight quarters, she was absolutely frantic. \u00a0She was flinging herself against first one end of the trap and then the other, almost flipping the trap over in her panic. \u00a0(I felt sorry for her, but I also couldn’t help but think of the Tasmania Devil cartoons!) \u00a0It was hard to carry the trap with her in it due to all of her\u00a0flipping and flopping and flailing, but once I got her in the back of my car and covered the trap with a towel, she quickly settled down.<\/p>\n

Before too long, the long-haired black cat showed up. \u00a0(I thought\/hoped this was a male–THE male of the colony–but the SPCA confirmed that it was yet another female!!)<\/p>\n

She first checked out the empty feeding station, and plopped herself down, as if looking for someone to take her complaint about the horrible service at this previously nice\u00a0restaurant.<\/p>\n

Finally, she\u00a0started to investigate\u00a0the traps. \u00a0Immediately I got excited thinking she was IN a trap until I noticed she was BETWEEN two traps….<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Then she\u00a0tried to get to the food from the outside<\/em> of each trap.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When that<\/em> didn’t work, she got frustrated and walked over towards the dumpsters….<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

She meandered around, sniffing the air, stopping to bathe in the sunshine, and then she went\u00a0back over to the traps. \u00a0She put her head and shoulders in one, and backed out of it. \u00a0She put her head and shoulders in the next trap, and backed out of it, too. \u00a0Ultimately she walked all the way\u00a0IN the next one, so YAY!\u00a0 Another<\/em> cat trapped, even if she WAS a bit of \u00a0“Goldilocks” at first!<\/p>\n

Oh, wait….!<\/p>\n

She was eating–just scarfing<\/em> down the food–but she wasn’t stepping on the freakin’ trip plate!! The trap was still wide open!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n