Caring for Stray Neighborhood Cats

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Yesterday, the neighborhood took care of one of the stray cats.

My next-door neighbor, Smitty, had been trying to catch Glen in one of his traps so he could be taken to a vet. And he’d managed to catch him. He and I took Glen to a vet yesterday morning.

Glen had gotten in a fight with a cat named Tuna a few weeks ago. He had wounds in his side that were open from the brawl.

Easier said than done, the task of trapping a cat. Birds hop into the trap, eat the tuna hidden inside, and are so light that the lever isn’t activated. But early yesterday morning, the trap shut when Glen went inside.

Smitty and Tessa still have Darlin and her kittens inside their house. He said he had stayed up all night watching over Darlin, the young cat Glen had impregnated. She had just come home from getting spayed, and her kittens had already been taken care of.

Cat Taxi:

We put Glen in the back of my car and drove him to a vet who would tend to his wounds and also neuter him.

People move into neighborhoods, and sometimes they bring these cats with them. Or maybe the cats just find their way to us because we feed them and provide fresh water.

We see that they’re tended to when they’re injured. The cost of this care is typically divided among the neighbors. One person might work during the day, but still be willing to pay for the care. And another neighbor can provide transportation to take the cat to the vet.

The gray-and-white cat named Tuna seems to be sweet on my Daisy. When Daisy sits on the quilts on the green sideboard to look out the front window, Tuna stands on the wicker settee outside and meows at her. But he takes off when someone gets too close, or he sees them move inside.

Smitty plans to try to trap Tuna next. One cat after another, and there is no end in sight when it comes to spaying or neutering cats.

I guess this little cul-de-sac is targeted because we put food out. Maybe they have some form of cat language, and they tell each other about the street buffet here.

Porch Cats:

These cats live between our houses and around the neighborhood. Smitty’s porch has always been a haven for them because they know that food and water will appear.

Mark, on the other side of me, feeds them, as well as the man on the other side of Smitty. And now there’s me, of course, buying bulk cat food and making their care part of my day.

There are four houses and four porches where stray cats are welcome and can get out of the elements during inclement weather.

In winter, electrically heated houses are plugged in on the porches to keep them warm. They also go down into Smitty’s basement, which he’s turned into a sort of cat sanctuary.

I haven’t met all the nice people around here who can be counted on to chip in to help with stray cats. There’s a woman in a two-story house on another street who also runs a rescue of sorts.

I’m not sure how it works. Smitty told me about it. He has lived here for many years, so he knows everyone within a few blocks.

So yesterday, I provided the stray cat taxi to ferry Glen back and forth while Smitty provided directions to the vet. We went back and picked him up in the late afternoon.

Glen was sleepy, but the vet had closed his wounds and neutered him. No more tomcatting for Glen.

As we all know, the saga will continue. There will be more stray cats to deal with. More trapping and taking cats to the vet.