Posted by Darcy on September 6, 2009, 9:17 am
76.179.224.224

Hi Everyone ~ Hope all is well with each of you. Hard to believe that summer IS over. Today we go to our annual trip to York Animal Farm, always the weekend before school starts. Which also means, Tatiana, turns 7 tomorrow!!! How time flies!!!! Too, too quick. Thomas will turn 13 in November & yes, already Trinity will be turning 1 the first week of December. How old does that make me feel!!! And with all of those numbers tossed out there, just means the inevitable... I'll turn the big 40!!! OUCH.... Ok, here is my problem, sorry so long. Over the last year or so, there has been an abundance of cats in the neighborhood, mostly my back yard - because yes, I feed them. Since then, and perhaps some of you remember this, Thomas was able to catch one of them, little black kitty in our shed. The kids named her Pepsi, and due to having 6 fur babies of my own, the kids the baby etc, we brought her to AWS. She was cleaned up & adopted out. Lovely story. Happy ending for Pepsi... However, someone in the neighborhood is bringing cats here & letting them run free OR they've been left behind when someone moves out (for sale signs everywhere, so sad) - I don't know 100% what the exact story is, I'm just guessing. The bottom line is, they are here... With that being said, I don't know if they are feral, as they don't 'hang out' together. And will not let me get close to them at all. Over the summer, one of the kitties I've been feeding got hit by a car (we live on a road where everyone speeds, and our house is on a bend - I don't know how many times I've called the cops due to speeders - having 2 kids in school & watching people drive like that is a nightmare!!! Thomas & I were able to get her - she was badly hurt, but alive. The kids named her Oreo, we brought her to the Animal Hospital in Biddeford, after scurrying the neighborhood to see if this was ANYONE kitty. No one claimed her, just said that they seen her all over. She made it that is all we were told, since she was not ours, they would not release any information (what is THAT, at least we cared enough to ask!!!). Last week my next door neighbor Siamese kitty was hit in front of their house - their daughter & granddaughter have been staying with them this summer. I told her not to let them out, the traffic & wild animals in the area (fox's, fishers, raccoons etc). Sad story for such a beautiful kitty, that used to come into my back yard as well. There are 3 left that I definitely know about & see and feed daily. Now the weather is getting chilly out, I have no way of getting them to safety. I've left my shed door open, so they have shelter when it rains & at night. BUT, where I do feed them - along with that comes, the 4-5 raccoons, 2 skunks & sadly my little possum friend got hit a couple months back. Realistically I can't leave a trap - I have NO clue what would be in there. I know the lady down the road is trying to get the raccoons & bring them to Grey Wild Animal Farm. I can't get close to them - 1 yes, but I've only pat him once - I really can't leave the shed door open when it snows, plus it is not insulated well enough for them to remain in there safely. It's just a shed... I know for sure that they are no longer 'house kitties', one of them is very thin, we've named "Creepers" (looks a little like my Mystic, who is still greatly missed)... That one is around the most, from very late at night and up very early in the morning just sitting there looking in the patio doors waiting for me to feed him/her. Poor little thing has matted fur. I'd try to keep that one if I could catch it!!! (Jared is still allergic, and just tolerates my little furry gang). The other, "Spaz" - is a gray & white kitty, with a gigantic head & huge eyes... Actually quite silly looking, but beautiful at the same time, hard to explain. The other one is fairly large, a tiger, which Tatiana has so name "Tiger" - also matted fur... HOW do I get them to safety, without catching a skunk??? I worry for them, and most of the time leave the back lights on to scare off the foxs/fishers - the skunks & raccoons are no longer afraid of me, and let me sit there & watch them eat all the kitty food, while its cool for the kids and myself to watch them - the sad reality is, they keep building, they keep tearing down woods and ruining their homes - they are literally in our back yards. And NO ONE is buying these houses, or condos - (which is now where my childhood playground used to be - aka THE WOODS). So, I'm feeding all of them & hopefully the lady up the road will help get the raccoons to safety without scaring away the kitties - but HOW do I get them??? I can't call animal control, where they might be wild, I dread the worst. When we took Pepsi up to AWS, we had to tell them she was NOT feral, or they wouldn't take her... Ferals have such a bad name - but with time & love can be quite lovely... I know - my Midnight of 15 years WAS a feral... So, any suggestions? I won't stop feeding them so they 'just go away' - I've fed them too long & have grown attached, besides that would be cruel & as a animal lover - no way, won't do that. And trapping would be extremely too risky... We'll be leaving for the day - the kitties have fresh water & food to get through the day - I'll put more out when I get home tonight. The shed door and my heart will be open for them. If any of you have a any suggestions at all of catching these babies & getting them to a good home I'm all ears... Thanks everyone - sorry so long, I'm convinced one of you has a solution... Take care of yourself & loved ones - Paws & Purrs to you all...

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