Thing 1

[Tambrey]

I don't know how much more I can take caring for the "Semi-ferals" and coming outside to find someone missing....only to find they have crossed the rainbow bridge while they were missing

I provide food...water...shelter.....everyone has been healthy....

Thing 1 just disappeared about 2 days ago...no idea where he was...hubby said he possibly could have caught scent of a lady somewhere and went wandering...
We went out to make a run to the city this afternoon and found him laying half in a water puddle across the street from our property...he was gone...we will never know what happened or where he has been for the last 2.5-3 days....he was FINE when he just disappeared....there were no markings on his body to show he was injured...at least externally...

Thing 2 sits and cries....Poof, their sister is actually letting me pick her up...

I really need to find forever homes for these babies before they are gone too....
I wish I knew what happened to him...it breaks my heart when things like this happen when I try so hard to keep them close by and taken care of....but I cannot keep them ALL in the house either....

Run free and happy now Thing 1...watch over Thing 2 and Poof...and Stripe (the 3rd of the calico kittens I want to find a home for)

[k9Karen]

I'm so sorry Tambrey. As you know, this is the danger with having cats outside, which is why this board works so hard to promote "indoor only". I know you do your best, and there are any number of things from cars, to animals, to infection or something toxic, to a congenital defect that could have caused this. Please don't place any blame on yourself - the only blame goes to the people who abandoned their pets originally thus creating this feral colony you try so hard to care for.

[Tambrey]

I know...but it still hurts when I cannot save them...and I have been successful in finding homes for more of the kittens this year, so that is good....I have the 3 kittens left and that is it...then I just have ONE female and 2 original males left of the ones I started caring for years ago...and a few that come wandering in and out and I always welcome them...
The female is pregnant...again....but I am hoping I can TNR her after this litter and then there will be NO more litters from this colony!!

And if she will let me handle her babies from the beginning, like she finally did with Thing 1, Thing 2 and Poof is starting to come around...that is how she got her name..she poofs up when we come near her...then I can hopefully find homes for them too...and thankfully she has small litters - 3 or 4 at the most....

Stripe is the only one I have not been able to really catch and HOLD yet...I can touch her briefly when she is eating and that is about it...so far...
I just keep trying....but sometimes it is really hard

[momPaws]

So sorry, Tambrey. God Bless You for doing this for them. I never see ferals here, but one day I saw the most emaciated golden cat walking across the neighbor's yard. I quickly went out and it had disappeared into the woods. I wondered if it was all alone in the world starving or sick...poor thing.

You can't save all of them, but thanks for trying to save all the ones you can Tambrey.

Kitten nose and kitten toes
Peaking thru the tall hedge rows,
Darting to and fro.
Kindness reaching out to love,
To spread His love from up above.
God smiles.

[Traci]

Maybe it's time to consider fencing off your property, like, at least, chain link fencing. Since you live off the street, even though rural, it's the same as being on a country road, vehicles are everywhere. Many times, pets get HBC and there are no visual marks, it's because blunt forced trauma causes a multitude of internal injuries (diaphragmatic injuries, brain injuries and internal ruptures and bleeding)

I'm so sorry. Safe and gentle journey, sweet baby

((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))

[k9Karen]

I know...but it still hurts when I cannot save them...

I understand. I'm quite sure I would feel the same way you do. I've had a couple of cats show up at my door over the years. One was so sweet - she would come running whenever she heard my car and would wait for me to get out so I could pet her. One day I found her with a terrible wound - I think she must have been inside a car engine - it was a clean cut, but the skin was hanging. She let me take her inside and wash-out the wound with peroxide and put some antibiotic ointment on it. She just purred while I took care of her. It healed beautifully. When we left, a co-worker of ours rented the house we had been renting, and I told her about the cat. She swore she would take care of it. If my DH didn't hate cats so much, I would have taken her with us. The other showed up where I am now about 15 years ago. She was a bit wild, buy my DD was smitten with her. I would call her and feed her every morning. I gave her to a co-worker, but she got out of the house and she didn't survive her encounter with a car. My DD was very upset with me for finding her a home and even more upset when she found out what happened to her. I'm quite sure I would do exactly what you're doing if I lived in the country and found myself in the same situation. I do love furry critters all all kinds. I would want to help them too. You do good work. Dont' be discouraged with one bad thing that happened - look at your successes - all those kittens that now have forever homes. Keep on keepin' on.