KathyM
Fish Herder
We've had a little stray cat hanging around for a couple of weeks. She has an embedded collar under her "armpit" (the danger of elasticated collars on cats!!) and we reported her to the RSPCA a fortnight ago. They said they'd put me on the list for a visit, but never came. I had my accident and couldn't really check for her as much as I wanted - Baz kept an eye out but he's nearly blind so didn't spot her about again, although food left down for her was eaten and she was incredibly scared.
Well the night before last I was able to start properly looking around, hobbling about. She was there. She was now hugely pregnant too and smelled like rotting animals from the embedded collar. I put food down for her and tried our usual routine of trying to coax her inside. She let me touch the top of her head gently, as light as a feather. But she ran when the food was too far in for her to feel safe.
I phoned the RSPCA again, who again said they weren't able to help with a trap and that if I could catch her (by maybe grabbing her by the collar, she suggested?!?!?!) they would come and "deal" with her.
I rang around yesterday trying to get hold of a trap so we could catch her, thinking the RSPCA would fix her up and rehome her and her kittens if they made it. Every professional I spoke to begged me not to send her with the RSPCA, as they are currently full and would PTS without even trying to fix her (which is understandable I suppose, but I wasn't told this).
Luckily, the rescue we adopted Dodge and Grace through came to the rescue. They lent me a trap last night and were waiting at their base for a phonecall from us so they could rush her to the vets.
At 9pm, she turned up and we were ready. At 10pm we hadn't heard the trap go, so went out to check. It was peeing it down with rain and the food was gone, but the trap hadn't closed. We relaid the bait, and waited again. Still no clatter of trap, so at 11pm we set it again. At midnight, the food was gone, but the trap wasn't closed. The rain was really pouring down now, so I didn't hold out much hope, but then I saw her under next door's car - wet and sore and afraid. I put the last remnants of the tuna in the trap and sat in the hallway.
Within five minutes, she had set the trap off, and she was in. She was frightened but gentle, amazing considering how sore she was. She spent the night here and set off to Hawroth Cat Rescue this morning, but not before my daughter named her Fay, meaning "fairy". When she left she was beginning to show what a sweet cat she is, headbutting fingertips for a stroke. She is a lovely cat who is only frightened through the pain of her injuries and the confusion of being left to rot.
Sara from HCR has told me Fay will be put up on their blog on their website, but that for now it's touch and go if she will make it - and if she does, she will be in the vets for several days before going into a foster home to have her kittens (if they survive).
Please please please keep your fingers crossed for tiny little Fay - the cat with the teeniest little paws and the bravest little heart.
And please consider supporting Haworth Cat Rescue in the amazing work they do:
http
/www.haworthcatrescue.org
I will update this when I hear any news.
Well the night before last I was able to start properly looking around, hobbling about. She was there. She was now hugely pregnant too and smelled like rotting animals from the embedded collar. I put food down for her and tried our usual routine of trying to coax her inside. She let me touch the top of her head gently, as light as a feather. But she ran when the food was too far in for her to feel safe.
I phoned the RSPCA again, who again said they weren't able to help with a trap and that if I could catch her (by maybe grabbing her by the collar, she suggested?!?!?!) they would come and "deal" with her. I rang around yesterday trying to get hold of a trap so we could catch her, thinking the RSPCA would fix her up and rehome her and her kittens if they made it. Every professional I spoke to begged me not to send her with the RSPCA, as they are currently full and would PTS without even trying to fix her (which is understandable I suppose, but I wasn't told this).
Luckily, the rescue we adopted Dodge and Grace through came to the rescue. They lent me a trap last night and were waiting at their base for a phonecall from us so they could rush her to the vets.
At 9pm, she turned up and we were ready. At 10pm we hadn't heard the trap go, so went out to check. It was peeing it down with rain and the food was gone, but the trap hadn't closed. We relaid the bait, and waited again. Still no clatter of trap, so at 11pm we set it again. At midnight, the food was gone, but the trap wasn't closed. The rain was really pouring down now, so I didn't hold out much hope, but then I saw her under next door's car - wet and sore and afraid. I put the last remnants of the tuna in the trap and sat in the hallway.
Within five minutes, she had set the trap off, and she was in. She was frightened but gentle, amazing considering how sore she was. She spent the night here and set off to Hawroth Cat Rescue this morning, but not before my daughter named her Fay, meaning "fairy". When she left she was beginning to show what a sweet cat she is, headbutting fingertips for a stroke. She is a lovely cat who is only frightened through the pain of her injuries and the confusion of being left to rot.
Sara from HCR has told me Fay will be put up on their blog on their website, but that for now it's touch and go if she will make it - and if she does, she will be in the vets for several days before going into a foster home to have her kittens (if they survive).
Please please please keep your fingers crossed for tiny little Fay - the cat with the teeniest little paws and the bravest little heart.
And please consider supporting Haworth Cat Rescue in the amazing work they do:
http
/www.haworthcatrescue.orgI will update this when I hear any news.
Makes me super crabby when things like this happen. 
They probably got her as a kitten and thought oooo, aaaah, how cute, and then she grew up and they tossed her out! Makes me all grumpy! That's why I'm really trying to adopt to people I know, so I make sure this doesn't happen to the kittens I've worked hard to raise. I can then check on their progress with their new ownders. 
