So Many Kittens Underneath the Shed, Update 2
The last kitten was proving crafty. Every time I went down to check, the two traps were open and the gray kitten was nowhere in sight.
Finally, I went down and, from a distance, saw the gray kitten perched on top of the carrier with its mother and litter-mates. It was showing no interest in entering the trap. Could I maybe catch it?
The problem here was that we were under a time limit. Jen, the cat rescue volunteer, had a function this evening, and we had to get the cats corralled before that. Otherwise, the cats would have to stay in the trap overnight, which would cause all kinds of problems. We couldn't leave the occupied trap out at night. Other animals would certainly find the kittens interesting. We couldn't bring the carrier with assorted cats into our condo. So we had to get this sorted quickly, within the hour, in fact.
I slipped closer. The breeze was with me, blowing my scent away from the cats. The kitten hopped down from the trap and wandered back toward the shed, around the corner from me, which meant it couldn't see me. I sneaked up and peered around the corner. The kitten was sitting just in front of the gap beneath the shed where the cats had been living. No way I could move fast enough to grab it.
The mother cat caught sight of me from the trap, and she growled. The gray kitten, hearing her warning, backed up, but didn't quite go under the shed. It didn't want to be alone. It still didn't notice me. I waited, and waited, and waited some more.
Eventually, the kitten wandered back toward the traps. I held my breath. It tottered toward the middle trap, the one with its family, and I again wondered if I could move fast enough to snatch it up. Problem was, a mistake or miscalculation would let it escape and also freak it out so much, it probably wouldn't emerge from the shed for several hours. I tensed, ready to move, hoping I could pull it off.
The kitten abruptly turned and sauntered into one of the open traps. It stood halfway in, halfway out, nibbling on some of the food in the entryway. I was going to move on it, then changed my mind and waited a little more. The kitten took one step, and then another, and it was fully inside the trap, though it hadn't gotten to the trigger mechanism. I jumped out of hiding and smacked the trap's door. It fell shut with a clank.
The kitten totally freaked out. It hissed and spat and attacked the door, but the door wouldn't move. The other kittens turned into a squirming, spitting mass in sympathy.
I set the kitten's trap against the other occupied trap, lifted both doors, and managed to shoo the gay kitten in with its family. All the kittens were captured!
I called Jen, who was thrilled to get the news. She said she would come right over.
Meanwhile, one of our neighbors came down to talk to us. She was a very nice lady with a thick accent, and her name was Hoshi. She told us she'd been watching the cats and was hoping someone would help them. We were talking with her when Jen showed up.
Darwin and I helped load the traps into Jen's truck. Hoshi was concerned that the rescue group would put the cats down, and Jen assured her they didn't ever do that. Darwin and I made a sizeable donation by check to Feral Kitty Trappers, and when Hoshi saw that, she said, "Wait! I want to give money, too!" She dashed back to her unit and came back with some bills for Jen, who was happy to have both.
The kittens and the mother will spend the night at Jen's in a room in her house, and tomorrow they'll go to a foster caregiver. So we have a happy ending for all.
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Finally, I went down and, from a distance, saw the gray kitten perched on top of the carrier with its mother and litter-mates. It was showing no interest in entering the trap. Could I maybe catch it?
The problem here was that we were under a time limit. Jen, the cat rescue volunteer, had a function this evening, and we had to get the cats corralled before that. Otherwise, the cats would have to stay in the trap overnight, which would cause all kinds of problems. We couldn't leave the occupied trap out at night. Other animals would certainly find the kittens interesting. We couldn't bring the carrier with assorted cats into our condo. So we had to get this sorted quickly, within the hour, in fact.
I slipped closer. The breeze was with me, blowing my scent away from the cats. The kitten hopped down from the trap and wandered back toward the shed, around the corner from me, which meant it couldn't see me. I sneaked up and peered around the corner. The kitten was sitting just in front of the gap beneath the shed where the cats had been living. No way I could move fast enough to grab it.
The mother cat caught sight of me from the trap, and she growled. The gray kitten, hearing her warning, backed up, but didn't quite go under the shed. It didn't want to be alone. It still didn't notice me. I waited, and waited, and waited some more.
Eventually, the kitten wandered back toward the traps. I held my breath. It tottered toward the middle trap, the one with its family, and I again wondered if I could move fast enough to snatch it up. Problem was, a mistake or miscalculation would let it escape and also freak it out so much, it probably wouldn't emerge from the shed for several hours. I tensed, ready to move, hoping I could pull it off.
The kitten abruptly turned and sauntered into one of the open traps. It stood halfway in, halfway out, nibbling on some of the food in the entryway. I was going to move on it, then changed my mind and waited a little more. The kitten took one step, and then another, and it was fully inside the trap, though it hadn't gotten to the trigger mechanism. I jumped out of hiding and smacked the trap's door. It fell shut with a clank.
The kitten totally freaked out. It hissed and spat and attacked the door, but the door wouldn't move. The other kittens turned into a squirming, spitting mass in sympathy.
I set the kitten's trap against the other occupied trap, lifted both doors, and managed to shoo the gay kitten in with its family. All the kittens were captured!
I called Jen, who was thrilled to get the news. She said she would come right over.
Meanwhile, one of our neighbors came down to talk to us. She was a very nice lady with a thick accent, and her name was Hoshi. She told us she'd been watching the cats and was hoping someone would help them. We were talking with her when Jen showed up.
Darwin and I helped load the traps into Jen's truck. Hoshi was concerned that the rescue group would put the cats down, and Jen assured her they didn't ever do that. Darwin and I made a sizeable donation by check to Feral Kitty Trappers, and when Hoshi saw that, she said, "Wait! I want to give money, too!" She dashed back to her unit and came back with some bills for Jen, who was happy to have both.
The kittens and the mother will spend the night at Jen's in a room in her house, and tomorrow they'll go to a foster caregiver. So we have a happy ending for all.
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