Hello Feral Friends-
So much has happened in the last two weeks that I can hardly remember details to share with you.
I'll start with a call on 5/21 from a really groovy gal named Diane Yob who initially contacted Vicky's Pet Connection, who was then refered to me and Amy.
Two kittens were stuck in the ceiling of a porch on Fuller Street. They were feral and not having anything to do with anyone who wanted to help them. But they yowled all night long and neighbors were getting concerned for them.
Mom was going up and down and feeding them, but it was pretty imperative that we get them to safety before they hurt themselves trying to get down.
Gabby came over and rigged a platform that extended under the eaves so that we could set a chipmunk trap on it for them to go into. We baited the trap but tied it open so they would get used to going in and out of it. When we had time, we would set the trap to spring and catch the little buggers.
The day following all of this, I got a call at 11pm at night saying that one kitten had tried to jump down and actually fell down and ran under a car parked on Fuller. Diane and Shannon (who I call The Kitten Whisperer) were working to get the baby out from inside the hood. They contacted the owner of the car (a college student named Dave) who we told would not be able to use his car until we had the kitten out. He accepted this fact (just try not to) and was actually willing to have me drive him to and from work the next morning if need be.
At the very same time, two doors down, the other kitten had walked into the trap suspended from the eaves. It was tied up so it didn't spring shut, so when called by the person who rents the duplex, I ran up and stuffed it with towels and Diane and I managed to clip the tie and take the kitten down to safety.
It takes a village....you have heard this one before! And it did. Someone (a genius acutally...not me) had the idea to use large tarps to cover the car completely. With Dave's permission, we did this...though had the poor guy protested, we probably would have anyway. Then we took the trapped sibling and the mother who we live trapped earlier and put them just ouside of the car while still covered with the tarp. We baited another chipmunk trap and waited it out. We waited and waited and waited. Shannon meowed, Diane crawled under the car with a flashlight and we waited some more. Finally after about 2 hours, the kitten went into the trap. Little baby was so light that it didn't spring the trap so I tip toed up to it and sprung it. Mission accomplished...we had our porch kittens!
Diane took mom to C-SNIP the next morning and had her fixed along with a tomcat that lived in the neighborhood and likely was the cause of the kittens! Now mom has recuperated and is back running around the neighborhood, but won't be having anymore babies to leave stranded in porch ceilings.
And the kittens are with Ranger Brenda from Sandy Pines Resort getting socialized! Yes, it takes a village!
Here are pix of the babies getting bathed by Amy Pietras and my neighbor Jonelle Kettman!
God, this sucks!
Amy and a wet, but clean kitten!
Jonelle drying kitten!
Clean kittens who don't appreciate any of the heroics of the "village" that it took to save them!
