GENERAL

Catch, fix (spay or neuter) and release. I heard some talk about it again on the radio. Take 40 cats all 1 year in age. Give them their shots, fix them and make sure they are completely healthy. Place 20 in a house that they can't get out of and nothing can get in. Place the other 20 with tracking devices outside. Give both groups food and water. Within 5 years most if not all the outside cats will be dead. Meanwhile most if not all the inside cats will be alive and healthy. Catch, fix and release is like giving someone on death row a heart transplant. At least on death row they die quick. Cats are not rabbits. They are in the same animal group but cats can defend themselves. This allows them to sometimes get away. They don't come out of these battles unscaved. The cat may heal but often times die several painful days later. Diseases are another major killer for outside cats. Look up the facts. Most outside cats live only for a few years. Its their ability to breed that keeps outside cat populations so high.
What should be done? In my opinion and not shared by most is this. STOP feeding outside cats. The more food feral cats get the more healthier which means the more and larger litters they will have which just adds to the problem. Look at it through a sinics eyes. You feed 1 cat that within 2 years has a litter of 4, then 5, then 3, then just 2 kittens for a total of 14 cats. Then that cat dies. Meanwhile those 14 are producing kittens that will also add to the problem. So why if they breed so fast are we not over run with cats. BECAUSE THEY DIE THAT FAST! Think if that one cat had died humanely all the generations that would never had been born to suffer and die horribly.
What about leaving cats out? Totally against it. We have had several rehab-ed feral cats and they never wanted back outside. I believe you should look at your home environment. What does that cat want to escape from? Are you using a litter it likes? Is the box clean? If you have more then one cat do you have a box for each one? Some cats need 2 boxes just for themselves. Is there a place it feels safe? Are you paying attention to your cat? "Cats need to hunt", no they don't! Get some toys that can help entertain them. Animals are like children they need companionship. Pets are not accessories like jewelry. Pets need more then a home. Pets need to interact with you.

OSCAR

Oscar has a thing she does that some cats do but not to her extreme. Oscar cleans you! Okay your probably thinking lots of licking. Have you ever watched a cat do heavy grooming? They drool or spit on the fur and chew that moisture into their coat then lick it clean. She does not nibble on your skin hard but you will feel it. You may also have to wipe off your skin of extra saliva. Oscar will lick your skin clean as you pet her. This to me is cute and I have no problems with it but some may. We have a cat at home that likes to wake me up by washing my chin. Especially if I haven't shaved! He will bite, then spit and if I try to move he locks his teeth on like I'm a kitten trying to escape. My wife thinks it's just adorable. I'll take Oscars nibble over our cats bite any day.
Oscar also needs her food intake monitored closely. She likes to over eat if allowed the chance. She is not fat now but I see her potential.

GENERAL

Generally I don't talk about myself. This is a blog about the cats. I got food poisoning from some bad liverwurst and having cats in the truck came in pretty handy. I started feeling lousy before I left the house and was sucking back saliva and had become quite devout by the time I went 30 miles. I had to  stop because I was to sick to continue. I laid down at a truck stop and started thinking my prayers were answered because my stomach settled down. About an hour or two later I awoke with my mouth filling with vomit. With only a second to react, I grabbed the only thing handy, the cat's litter box. Volley after volley I hurled. Feeling a little better I grabbed for some paper towel to wipe my face and as I did I looked right at the cat Oscar. She had been sleeping on the cabinet that is comparable to a night stand. It's in that cabinet/night stand that I keep the litter box. She was just sitting there looking at me. I just wanted to lay back and die! But as sick as I was I knew I couldn't leave it like that. So I got up and took her box to find a garbage can. Lucky for me there was one just several trucks away. Pored out, cleaned out, wiped out and refilled I passed out. This time however I put my garbage can next to the bed. I've had food poisoning several times and I wish it on no one. I spent a day and a half not being even able to drink a sip of water without loosing it. Oscar left me alone until I started to feel better, and then she was back to her pet me, hold me, feed me, play with me self. If it weren't for that cat box I would have been cleaning a lot more of a mess!

OSCAR

Oscar is still on eye meds. Now shes on drops instead of ointment. Makes it easier to give because she didn't like seeing the ointment coming into her eye. One of the best things about Oscar is that she buries her poop. Of course she digs to China and piles the whole box of litter on top of her stuff but at least she buries it. I've had cats in the past that never buried anything. Then only used the box once I started driving with no way to stop so I had to live with the smell. Yes I use a covered box but some cats can produce stuff that if not buried will fowl the air.

OSCAR

Oscar is a very friendly cat that is more kitten than adult cat. She chirps when she's happy and purrs often. When you take a break from petting her she will meow mournfully and reach out her paw, fingers extended to their maximum limit, making her paw twice as big and pat you very gently. She loves to play and be pet and held. Overall Oscar is great!

OSCAR

Oscar was left alone for the 1st day and she of course hid. The only thing I did was medicate the eye at night. I have dry food and water out always. She didn't come out at all. I medicated her in the morning and decided to open a can of food. She was instantly my best new friend. Rubbing on me and bumping my hands and arms and trying to get the food before I could put it in the dish. After putting her food down back to work I go. As I started driving Oscar jumped into my lap. Petting her is like petting a kitten, all over the place. I told my wife petting a fish out of water would be easier. Then she used my knee as a scratching post. As that pain was starting to go away and she was again rubbing and walking all over my lap she used my crotch as a scratching post. Oscar was very close to being declawed right then and there. The only thing that saved her is that I was driving. And of course she thought nothing of it and went back to cuddling me. Yes! she got a nail trim! All cats will get nail trims first thing. New policy!

OSCAR

Oscar is a medium sized female. At a glance she is gray with white mixed in. A closer look and she is a a tortishell, gray with white and orange. Oscar? Happy Endings shelter did not name her. She has a unique face that could be a boy or girl. I'm sure the owner was thinking she was a he thus the name. Some cats have no problems adapting to a new name however Oscar might. She not only knows her name but comes to it even when it's not dinner time. Even Shakespeare said "what's in a name?".
I have her because she has an eye infection. It's mostly healed but I've been told it can take 2 to medicate her. The truck is different. I can bury them in blankets and there is no place for them to go.

ZOE

Zoe had some visitors in the truck. I had a driver that got injured in Texas so I took a driver down to pick up the truck and then brought the other driver back. Zoe was in heaven. Pet and played with all the way down and back. She especially liked the ride back because the driver had broken his leg and had to lay down the entire time. Zoe was cured up next to and on him for most of the trip. When the other drivers were out of the truck she kept going to the bed looking for them.
Zoe is a day cat and so many people saw her in the window of my truck. "what a great looking cat", was a common statement. People enjoyed watching her attack the squeegee through the glass and attack the bugs flying around outside. Others had seen how when I opened the door she would be there waiting for me. As I climbed in she would climb into my arms and snuggle into my shoulder. She does not like being alone.
Zoe is healthy and back at Happy Endings shelter.