Sam's Perilous Life as a Feral Cat
Sam’s Perilous Life as a Feral Cat
By
Janet S. Dumas
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In my eighteen years as an advocate for stray and feral cats, I have managed six feral cat colonies. A feral cat is a cat that is born outside and has not been socialized to human touch. The felines are the offspring of stray cats, feral cats, and owned intact cats whose irresponsible owners allow them to roam outdoors.? Feral cat colonies are comprised of both stray and feral cats. Most feral cats bond with their caregivers.
Sam has been an occasional member of my current feral cat colony, a front yard colony on my street.? He is an infrequent guest because he is out chasing females. ?I have been trying to trap Sam for some time. He proved to be a “trapping enigma”. He declined to enter a conventional trap and refused to go into the supposedly foolproof “trap of last resort”.? In 18 years, Sam is the only cat I failed to catch with the “drop trap”.? I desperately wanted to trap him for several reasons- To stop the impregnation of intact females, to make his life safer by preventing fights over females with other intact males, thereby decreasing his risk of injury, disease and death.?
After repeatedly failing to catch this kitty, I realized I needed to bring in “the big guns”, AKA divine intervention. I began praying to God, St. Francis of Assisi (patron saint of animals), and St. Gertrude of Nivelles (patron saint of cats).? My God Squad delivered, both figuratively and literally. Last weekend, as I entered my garage from the house, I saw a cat peering at me from under my car. It was none other than Sam. He hadn’t been to the colony in days, so I knew he was starving. I immediately set a conventional trap with fishy food and went back inside to wait. I returned 10 minutes later to find a very upset Sam in the trap!?
Sam proved to be the wildest, scariest feral cat I have ever encountered.? Once inside the guest room, this kitty put me on notice by growling merely at the sound of my footsteps approaching the trap.? I needed to keep him in the trap for three nights until the spay/neuter clinic reopened. Afterwards, the recovery protocol calls for 24 hours of observation before releasing the feline. Sam hissed, lunged, tried to bite and scratch me every time I tended to his needs. I could not have handled him if not for the “fork tool”, which goes through the trap and creates a barrier between human and cat.
The poor kitty had the worst diarrhea I’ve ever observed in a cat. His stool was pure liquid. I noticed some fighting wounds and draining looking eyes. My heart went out to this poor, vulnerable creature of God. That scary behavior is how he survives. Feral cats often fall prey to both animal and human predators. ?Cat haters shoot cats with pellet guns, real guns, and poison? them. Sam reminded me why I continue to do this work.? Writing this anecdote brought many tears to my eyes. I know this won’t be the last time I weep for a feral cat.
The spay/neuter clinic provided free treatment for Sam’s diarrhea, wounds and his eyes. They went over and beyond to help this needy feline. Sam has several chipped and missing teeth. They estimated him to be two years old.? I kept Sam at home for an extra three days to monitor the diarrhea. Thanks to God, the barrage of antibiotics did their magic. Sam was at the colony this morning. I was very happy to see him, and he was not afraid of me. I hope people realize the intrinsic nature of feral cats. They have co-existed with us for thousands of years. They feel pain, love, fear and emotion.? Sam is the 276th stray or feral cat I have fixed. I continue to hope and pray that people will be more responsible pet owners who spay and neuter their animals.?
You can read more about the feral cats that depend on me in the wild and the feral cats that share my home in my book, Blessings from My Cats. This collection of short stories explores the unique personalities of cats and the relationships we forged together.
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“My heart was touched by Blessings from My Cats, thank you, thank you for the lifeline you provide for so many cats and continuing to remind us of our spiritual connection to Animals.”
Radio Show Host-Sirius XM, Animal Intuition, past TV host of Animal Planet’s The Pet Psychic and Pet Psychic Encounters, Author, “What the Animals Tell Me”, “Cat Talk” and “No Sad Dogs in Heaven”. ?Sonya Fitzpatrick
Amazon: https//amazon.com/dp/1946044571
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