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08-11-2012, 08:23 AM
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#21
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: near Canadian border and near Mexican border
Posts: 1,142
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
Around here we have natural feral cat traps:
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We have had extremely high coyote activity about 1 week ago. Maybe the brightness of a full moon has aided in hunting ability.
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08-11-2012, 08:48 AM
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#22
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
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That is great, Nords. That said, my parents have been trapping and spaying feral cats in their colony for years and mysteriously more new community members have continued to show up (my parents put out a free buffet every day). So if your neighbors do not stop feeding, you may find this to be a Sisyphian task.
In a year plus here in CO, I have yet to see a single feral cat in my neighborhood. If the foxes don't get 'em, the coyotes do.
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"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell
Ezekiel 23:20
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08-11-2012, 09:43 AM
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#23
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,500
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brewer12345
In a year plus here in CO, I have yet to see a single feral cat in my neighborhood. If the foxes don't get 'em, the coyotes do.
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We don't have them here, either. I have no idea why not. I guess maybe our animal control unit is doing an outstanding job.
Also, it seems like people keep unusually good control of their tame pets here. Although I frequently see people walking their dogs on leashes, and occasionally see/hear dogs behind fences, I have never seen an unleashed dog here and only one cat running around loose during the past 10 years. It is so nice to live in a neighborhood where other people are this considerate.
I mentioned this to F. and he said this is due to an ungodly high fine for letting one's pets roam the streets, but I like to think it is due to having nice, considerate neighbors.
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Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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08-11-2012, 10:08 AM
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#24
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Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 23,036
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The only loose domestic animal I have ever seen in my neighborhood is the cat from two doors down. But he is a very friendly and well-behaved gentleman cat, so he is welcome in my yard. He would like to be friends with my indoor cat, but she doesn't want anything to do with him and lets him know that in no uncertain terms when he is on the other side of the french doors.
If I could only figure out how to get rid of the deer and squirrels who raid the garden, then life would be perfect.
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Living an analog life in the Digital Age.
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08-11-2012, 12:17 PM
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#25
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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Quote:
Originally Posted by W2R
I mentioned this to F. and he said this is due to an ungodly high fine for letting one's pets roam the streets, but I like to think it is due to having nice, considerate neighbors.
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Hawaii state law requires chips & tags on pets who roam outdoors, but we also put a high price (and hassle factor) on the cost of moving them to a neighbor island or the Mainland. So they're frequently abandoned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brewer12345
So if your neighbors do not stop feeding, you may find this to be a Sisyphian task.
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We're hoping that this feral feeding nonsense will stop when the new tenants move in. If not, we'll help explain the concept to the tenants. It might be as easy as flyers from the Humane Society put in their mailbox.
It's already a Sisyphean task because we live on the ridge above a gulch that's filled with farm animals. The rats also love our fruit trees. We can ignore most of that as long as the animals stay outside and keep quiet.
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08-11-2012, 12:30 PM
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#26
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,500
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nords
It's already a Sisyphean task because we live on the ridge above a gulch that's filled with farm animals. The rats also love our fruit trees.
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The feral cats probably think baby rats are yummy, I would guess. (?) That could be adding to the problem. If you ever decide to get rid of your fruit trees, maybe there would be fewer rats and feral cats. I am just guessing wildly, though, since I have never lived close to a gulch like that.
Here, there are lots of rats and nutria in the canals so I bought a house as far from a canal as possible. Still, I used to see rats sometimes when my backyard was full of banana trees. For the past four years since my banana trees were completely removed, no more rats.
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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08-11-2012, 03:52 PM
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#27
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,596
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nords
Hawaii state law requires chips & tags on pets who roam outdoors, but we also put a high price (and hassle factor) on the cost of moving them to a neighbor island or the Mainland. So they're frequently abandoned.
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Also, Hawaii has a lot of military folks. Sadly, there's a high concentration of abandoned and feral cats around most military instillations.
Military families move frequently and I suspect the problem is compounded in your area by the hassle and expense of moving pets from Hawaii to the mainland as you pointed out. Finding a chip in the cat you captured means it was most likely a family pet then was abandoned and went wild. Very sad.
Here's a link to the Department of Defense (DOD) website addressing this issue. You might consider passing this along to your local contacts Nords. The DOD recognizes the problem and advocates for more humane solutions.
Cat Herding on the Military Range | DoD Advocates Humane Cat Control
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I purr therefore I am.
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08-12-2012, 04:07 PM
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#28
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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Caught another one last night. Two cats in three nights.
After our first trapped cat (who we nicknamed "Cujo" for his charming ways) I could tell that #2 was more domesticated. It was calmer and it immediately started meowing instead of hissing & growling. It had still made a mess of the cage (overturned water & food dishes) and it had still pulled the covering sheet into the cage and shredded it. But it wasn't leaping back & forth and banging at the cage door and trying to reach through the mesh to take my fingers off at the shoulder. It's gray & black stripes with three white feet.
I'm an early riser, so once again the cat and I had a few hours of quality time together until spouse woke up. I managed to poke a chopstick into the cage to set up the food & water dishes and then add more to both through the cage mesh. The cat ate & drank a little but then knocked both dishes over and started trying to get out again. After spouse awoke we loaded up for the Humane Society. The cat meowed piteously every few seconds for the entire 30-minute trip and managed to poop outside the cage into the cargo area a couple times. (We'd lined the area with trash bags.) The cat got very agitated when we pulled into the parking lot. Did it recognize the place?
The staff took one look and said "Domesticated pet." Sure enough they found a chip and learned that the cat's name is "Boots". I don't think the cat's owner lives on our street anymore (and probably hasn't for years), but the Humane Society tries to contact the owner anyway. (They don't tell us who the owner is, and they don't tell the owner who trapped the cat.) If the owner answers the phone, I'm not sure what happens next-- whether the owner just gets a lecture or if there's a fine/penalty or if the cat has to be neutered before it's returned.
But even if the cat is returned to our neighborhood, I doubt we'll see/hear it again in our yard. The person who lent us the cat cage said that they had trapped several neighbor's cats once on their property-- just once. They'd recognize the cat by its collar/tag (or by its markings) and release it on the spot, and they said that they never caught the same cat twice. Hopefully the two cats we've turned in are smart enough to stay out of our yard.
We signed over the cat, got our cage back, and left as they were making the call.
We think the score is two out, three to go...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Purron
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Good website, thanks. I know that overseas duty stations briefly considered charging for pet transport in the 1980s, but that stopped in a hurry.
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Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
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08-14-2012, 11:07 PM
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#29
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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Caught another one last night. Three cats in five nights.
This one is orange & white, and he's been very curious. Last week he peeked in our lanai door and I chased him off. A minute later he was back, saying "Were you talking to me?"
Unlike the other two cats, he was very docile in the trap. He didn't knock over the food & water or shred the towel or hurl himself against the bars. He just laid down and waited until we loaded him in the car for the trip. A couple discouraged "meows", nothing more.
No chip, no name. No idea who owns him, but he's probably been feral for a long time.
The drive is about 30 minutes each direction, "all the way" to the other side of Honolulu. The cats meow continuously during the trip, even though we cover the cage with the towel to help them stay calmer. The staff at the Humane Society is quick & professional, but this whole routine is gettin' old.
On the way up the street we saw Boots' identical twin scampering away, so we think that there are at least three more cats still roaming feral & free. Looks like this will take at least another week.
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Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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08-15-2012, 07:46 AM
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#30
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nords
Caught another one last night. Three cats in five nights.
This one is orange & white, and he's been very curious. Last week he peeked in our lanai door and I chased him off. A minute later he was back, saying "Were you talking to me?"
Unlike the other two cats, he was very docile in the trap. He didn't knock over the food & water or shred the towel or hurl himself against the bars. He just laid down and waited until we loaded him in the car for the trip. A couple discouraged "meows", nothing more.
No chip, no name. No idea who owns him, but he's probably been feral for a long time.
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Poor thing. Sounds like he was just looking for a friendly home. He should be adoptable relatively quickly.
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell
Ezekiel 23:20
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08-15-2012, 07:55 AM
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#31
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 17,237
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brewer12345
Poor thing. Sounds like he was just looking for a friendly home. He should be adoptable relatively quickly.
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Agreed... most wild cats would not be coming close to humans.... and since he was calm, he will integrate well with a family...
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08-17-2012, 11:15 PM
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#32
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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We haven't caught any for three days, but we've seen four others in the neighborhood this week. (Cujo's & Boots' identical siblings, plus two other old-timers.) Our yard was probably regarded as territory for the first three cats, so maybe these next three are going to need a while before they come down to our end of the street.
But now it's happening again: I'm "on watch". When I was on sea duty I'd sleep with one ear open for loudspeaker announcements or a drop in the ventilation noise (caused by a loss of power to an electrical bus). I'd feel every angle change as we moved to a different depth or rolled from high-speed maneuvers. As a parent on shore duty I'd be listening for our baby's cries, or our toddler wandering around the house, or our teen sneaking back in from a late date. I'd get the same quantity of sleep but definitely at a lower quality.
We've had the trap conveniently (for us humans) located on the back lanai. Tonight we'll move it to the sidewalk on the other side of our familyroom where the cats frequently cruise past toward the gulch. Even though there are four more cats out there, if we don't get any of them during the next week then we might be done for a while.
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Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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08-21-2012, 11:33 AM
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#33
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Columbia, SC
Posts: 1,132
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Nords...A thing or two to be aware of...
According to this article, 10.8% of the US human population has this...
Toxoplasmosis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zoonotic Disease: What Can I Catch From My Cat?
Make sure you be careful...and wash your hands afterwards. You may want to print those links out and give them to the people feeding the wild cats, since it may help support your position on not feeding or attracting them.
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"I either want less corruption, or more chance to participate in it." Ashleigh Brilliant
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08-21-2012, 11:46 AM
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#34
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,596
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Redbugdave
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On the other hand, check out the diseases spread by rodents as reported by the CDC:
CDC - Diseases directly transmitted by rodents - Rodents
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I purr therefore I am.
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08-21-2012, 03:10 PM
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#35
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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It's been a week since we've caught a cat, despite trying different trap locations.
Something has been depositing cat-size poop in our driveway (which is only about 20 feet long-- the driveway, not the cat poop). Tonight we're going to put the cat trap on the front lanai (out of sight) and change the bait from dry cat food to canned tuna.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redbugdave
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Purron
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I wear gloves with the cage trap just so that their claws don't reach through the mesh and take my fingers off at the shoulder. (Remember the scene in "Cat People" as Nastassja Kinski looked on in horror?) And by the time the cats are done depositing various scatalogical fluids around, washing hands is de rigeur.
Same deal with handling trapped rats and dead birds, although my concerns there run more toward fleas.
The people feeding the cats are beyond redemption through education. They've made up their minds not to be confused by the facts.
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Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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08-21-2012, 03:37 PM
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#36
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,596
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nords
Same deal with handling trapped rats and dead birds, although my concerns there run more toward fleas.
The people feeding the cats are beyond redemption through education. They've made up their minds not to be confused by the facts.
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Good to be concerned about fleas Nords. They carry a multitude of maladies plus getting them in your home is a nightmare.
Bummer about the feeders. As an animal advocate with a particular soft spot for cats, this causes me some distress. I believe in trap neuter return (TRN) as it's humane and the evidence shows it's more effective than trying to kill feral cats. Even the DOD supports humane solutions and recognizes military communities often have a significant problem with this issue.
However, what they're doing is feeding but not having the cats "fixed" and vaccinated. This activity draws lots of ferals into the neighborhood, and since they're intact, they create a disruption and produce more homeless animals. Not a good way to convince the public humane solutions work best. Also not a good way to lessen the suffering of animals.
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I purr therefore I am.
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08-22-2012, 04:47 AM
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#37
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Columbia, SC
Posts: 1,132
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I just thought this was interesting about the program...something I did not know...
"The tip of one ear is clipped off so that feral cats that are spayed or neutered under the PetsMart Grant are easily identifiable. This is a requirement for the Petsmart Grant to pay for the surgery."
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"I either want less corruption, or more chance to participate in it." Ashleigh Brilliant
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08-23-2012, 07:34 PM
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#38
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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Nine cat-free nights in a row. Spouse thought she heard one in the street a couple nights ago, and we had that cat-poop incident in the driveway on two consecutive nights. But stinky tuna doesn't seem to be working any better than dry cat food, and we haven't had anything from any of the three locations that we've tried.
Cautiously optimistic. Maybe the survivors are too smart to stick their heads in the trap, but I'm beginning to think the critters have moved on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redbugdave
"The tip of one ear is clipped off so that feral cats that are spayed or neutered under the PetsMart Grant are easily identifiable. This is a requirement for the Petsmart Grant to pay for the surgery."
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I was in favor of being rendered infertile (at government expense), but I draw the line at having one of my ears clipped.
Although now that I think about it, a feature on public display like that might be a great way to pick up hot chicks...
__________________
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Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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08-23-2012, 08:24 PM
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#39
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 17,237
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A funny thing happened at work the other day.... I was talking to a coworker and she said 'we feed at least two feral cats and a raccoon'.
It just floored me.... she actually thinks she is doing a 'good thing'...
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08-23-2012, 08:50 PM
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#40
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Texas Proud
A funny thing happened at work the other day.... I was talking to a coworker and she said 'we feed at least two feral cats and a raccoon'.
It just floored me.... she actually thinks she is doing a 'good thing'...
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A raccoon? Wtf? How long before a skunk shows up as well?
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"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell
Ezekiel 23:20
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