This is a repost of something I wrote months ago.

I am very glad to notice that some of the cats that visit our garden now have their ears nipped. For me, this means that neither myself or my neighbour are the only ones caring for the feral cats in our immediate area.

For those who don't know, if you see a feral cat with the tip of it's ear nipped, it usually means they have been neutered or spayed and cannot reproduce.  This denotes that they are part of a managed colony.  They have been trapped, neutered and released by some kind human souls.



They will usually look like the cat in the picture on the right.  I am delighted when I see this, as it means there are other people out there recognising the plight of the feral feline population and doing something to stop the reproduction of unwanted kittens.

Some consider this ear tipping practice to be a little extreme and suggest something like micro chipping. They don't consider that chipping is expensive and that this money could be better spent on neutering and spaying. The money that is coming out of the pockets of people like myself and my neighbour to curb the feral cat population in the name of compassion. I think it is a great idea as it is a reliable and obvious way to tell if a cat is spayed or neutered. It can save a cat from being taken to a shelter and put to sleep if no homes can be found and if scanning hasn't been done.  It can make it obvious that the cat is part of a managed colony and so being taken care of.

The cats that are looked after by myself and my neighbour, however, although they are neutered, do not have this ear nip.  We had hoped that we could get collars onto the cats while under anesthetic and this would show that they were done.  However, although we managed to get the collars on, getting them to stay on is another matter entirely! So far, out of Bubbles, Scribbles, Molly, Dolly, Pepe, Boris and Trixie, only Bubbles has retained her collar.

I worry that someone, not realising that they have been neutered and are being looked after by us, will try to get rid of them.  I have even considered trying to trap them again purely to have their ears tipped so that hopefully, they will be left alone. I wonder if this is something that I should do? .....

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From kitties to Cats!

Here are some photos of three of my adopted feral cats.

This is Bubbles, Scribbles and Boris when they were only a few weeks old.  Very cute I am sure you will agree!

Here they are with their mother Felix.  My little boy insisted on calling her Felix even though she is a female!

Here are Bubbles and Scribbles all grown up.  And so beautiful and handsome with it!

A grown up Boris.  He is not as handsome as this at the moment as he is on the prowl looking for females.  He has lots of scratches and scruffy fur. I am in the process of trying to trap him for neutering.

And I will leave you with one last photo of Dolly, another of my friends with her new kittens.  We haven't christened them yet but my little boy suggested Chip and Dale.

Check out my updated news over at http://www.thedailymews.com/catchat/Dolly_and_her_kittens.htm

There Is Always A Better Solution

My latest piece about the poisoning of feral cats is up over at The Mewsletter.

http://www.thedailymews.com/catchat/Always_a_better_solution.htm

I talk about how horrified I am to find out that this sort of thing still goes on.  I believe these animals have as much right to live as any other being. As spoken by a wise man 'be kind whenever and wherever possible.  It is always possible'.

I would love to know what others think on this subject.

There Is Always A Better Solution

My latest piece about the poisoning of feral cats is up over at The Mewsletter.

I talk about how horrified I am to find out that this sort of thing still goes on.  I believe these animals have as much right to live as any other being. As spoken by a wise man 'be kind whenever and wherever possible.  It is always possible'.

I would love to know what others think on this subject.

Shooting the Cats!

Please click on the link below to catch up with my latest piece in The Daily Mews.  It's at
http://www.thedailymews.com/catchat/shooting_the_cats.htm

And while you are here, I would be very grateful if you would vote for The Daily Mews in a web poll at
http://cats.about.com/b/2012/02/21/rca-vote-for-the-best-website-about-cats.htm?r=facebook

Many thanks!

Breakfast At My Place... Or the Neighbours!

It's been a while since I posted here.  Nothing much has been happening with the feral cats of late.  They are simply enjoying their lives.  And I am enjoying their lives too!

Each morning, when I come downstairs, the cats are lined up on the window sill awaiting their breakfast.  It's a great start to the day for them and a great start for me.  They always look as if they have just woken up, paws stretching and eyes bleary. Sometimes, before I get to put food out, they dash off towards the neighbours garden. This indicates they have had a better breakfast offer! They are clever cats. They always return in due course and I still feed them.  Their eager, expectant look is  more than I can bear. I just give them a little less, if I know they have been fed already by my very kind neighbours.

The picture here is of Bubbles, Boris and Scribbles waiting for breakfast in last years snowy weather.  I don't have any recent window sill pictures uploaded but that is on the list.

Incidentally, if you want to check out a fabulous cat related site go to http://www.thedailymews.com/mewsteam.htm
You can also find more of my cat related writing there at http://thedailymews.com/catchat/feral_heaven.htm