The cat family

The attic cat family

A cat recently gave birth to three kittens in my attic. When I first heard the rustling around overhead I thought we had pests — was it a raccoon, opossum, rats?

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I was comforted when I discovered the source of the attic noises—a beautiful silver-haired feline had slipped in through a small space under my roof, and she and her three wide-eyed kittens had made themselves at home, right over my dining room. Well, they were so cute.

But bad things start to happen.

On Mother’s Day, my dog (a border terrier mix) Seamus and I are embarking on our walk when I spot one kitten atop the wall alongside my house. I walk toward the house to admire it but hell breaks loose. Momma cat and another baby cat are in the ground-level bushes. All within a second — they see us. Seamus sees them. I yell, “no!” but Seamus has already snatched the little one; it’s in his mouth and he’s shaking it like a rag doll. I am screaming and grasping unsuccessfully for Seamus’ face. Momma cat screeches and springs onto Seamus’ back. She pounds him about the head and face with one claw, attaches herself to his back with the other. Seamus drops the kitten and bolts, but the momma isn’t done. She rides him like a rodeo cowboy, all the while emitting this feline whisper-screech noise and whipping my dog until he finally throws her. I check on the kitten — it’s retreated back to higher ground — and scold my traumatized mutt.

A week later, the cats still are occupying the same spot, on top of, in or alongside my house, so I guess they were less disturbed than I.

A few days later, I see a young man in my neighborhood walking his dog. Suddenly he in the midst of a battle between dog and wild kitten. His German Shepherd basically eats this cat, but then man fights and pries the thing from his dog’s teeth. He tosses the kitten few inches from where they are standing, but instead of running, the kitty stands there, dripping in canine saliva, hissing at the dog, who’s going nuts. I feel sorry for the dog owner who looks petrified and stuck. Unless someone forcefully removes this kitten, the dog is going to digest it as he watches, powerless to stop the carnage. So I grab the cat, which, as expected, scratches the heck out of me, and I just sort of toss him into the bushes. Maybe, I think, the fiercely protective momma cat that beat Seamus will adopt this little orphaned mess. If that’s totally irrational crazy-cat-lady thinking, please don’t tell me. Just let me delude myself.

Point is, the cat situation is less cute now.

As dwellers in a neighborhood whose feral cat population — at least anecdotally — is problematic, what is our solution?

Via the City of Dallas, I learned that a nonprofit called Feral Friends operates the most successful feral feline population control program in our region.

The City Council adopted an ordinance to support the program.

It relies on volunteers who trap the cats, take them to a participating vet for sterilization, and then return them to their original environment.

Basically, the folks at Feral Friends loan traps and mentor new volunteers. Feral Friends volunteers sign caregiver agreements and are assigned numbers, and the organization tags and collects data and the trapped/spayed/released cats.

According to Feral Friends, “trap, neuter, return is is the only humane and effective method of feral cat management. It had been used successfully for the last 25 years in the United Kingdom, Europe and Africa. If ferals are trapped, sterilized and returned to their original location, their numbers can be controlled. The benefits of this program include no more kittens, healthier cats, less fighting and less nuisance behavior.”

They continue, “Our Team Feral volunteers work with concerned individuals to assist thousands of feral cats in our community. We are able to offer low cost sterilization, convenient clinic locations, and humane traps, along with education and support. As a result, people become active participants in the goal to make our community a better place for these cats.”

Read more about Feral Friends here.