Critters

Well, my hiking vacation didn’t turn as as expected but I did get 74 new Appalachian Trail miles.

I was able to hike in Great Smoky Mountain National Park the first week. I ran across a momma bear and her 2 cubs after Mollies Ridge Shelter while hiking from Clingmans Dome to Fontana Dam Visitor Center.

The second week, I attended the Appalachian Trail Conservancy 2013 Biennial Conference in Cullowhee, North Carolina. I was the hike sweep for 3 hikes during the conference.

Prior to the hikes, we scouted the trail heads for the hikes. During our scouting trip, we found an emaciated dog and took her to the Macon County Animal Control (828-349-2106) on July 19, 2013.

We named the dog Cullowhee and she is a Treeing Walker Coonhound. Time is running out for Cullowhee. I have contacted several rescue organizations but I have not received any responses.

To read more about Cullowhee, click here.

Next our cherished indoor cat Bolt got outside and the pet sitter said that she hadn’t seen him in several days. Bolt was trapped as a feral kitten so we knew he would not come to anyone but us.

To read about Bolt’s capture, click here. To read about his mother’s capture, click here.

The pet sitter was not able to trap Bolt. She was able to trap a possum and another cat though.

So, we left North Carolina to find our baby.

We saw Bolt on the porch after dark on our first night home but he ran away as soon as we opened the door. Fortunately, we were able to trap him on the second night. We treated him for fleas & ticks and then took him to the vet the next day. The vet gave him some fluids but said that he looked fine.

Bolt was outside for 10 days and we were worried sick about him. I think he is a little embarrassed about all the brouhaha during his “holiday.”

So, getting back to working out. I don’t want start any rigid training program at this time. I decided to just go through “Kettlebell Express” and do a new work out each week. I did the first work out tonight.

Can kettle bells help you get strong for hiking? Absolutely!

The Fundamentals Circuit, Week 1, Day 2

7 Rounds

Happy Halloween from Lord Bolt

The King-Sized Killer, Phase 2, Week 2, Day 2

12 rounds with 10 kg

My little workout buddies are finally starting to feel comfortable in the basement with me. But, I still need to bribe them with food to follow me to the basement.

Springer with the kettle bells

Bolt surveying the iron

Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit

Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit

Momma came by this morning to say hello to Baxter (left) and her kittens Bolt (middle) and Springer (right). Momma is a feral cat that we trapped, spayed, and released. The kittens were also trapped and spayed/neutered but we are keeping them as indoor cats.

Good morning Momma

To learn more about this wonderful feline family, click here.

The King-Sized Killer, Phase 2, Week 1, Day 2

13 Rounds with 10 kg

Update on Momma
Momma was clearly not happy being in her crate because she would meow every night around 2:30 AM and wake us up. We decided to see how she would do outside the crate so we opened the door on Sunday night to see what would happen.

She slowly crept out of the crate and then explored the house. Then she went a little crazy and tried to escape up the chimney. We were afraid she would get stuck so we kept our distance and eventually she came down. Then she went to the kitchen door and saw her freedom. She definitely wanted to go outside

We decided to open the kitchen door for her so she could be free. We did not think we would see her again for a couple of weeks and were afraid she might get hurt by the mean tom cat in the neighborhood.

Momma went out to the porch and meowed a couple of times and then went off into the darkness.

Momma appeared back on the porch within 15 minutes and was meowing to us. We opened the door for her to come in but she ran away so we left her outside.

On Monday morning, she appeared on the porch for breakfast. Then on Monday night, we fed her again and propped open the kitchen door for her. She came inside several times – each time rubbing against Baxter and checking on the kittens. She would run out the door if we tried to approach her.

She came for breakfast this morning and came inside briefly and then ran back outside.

Momma just stopped by for dinner. Momma is still deciding if she want to stay with us.

Momma eating her wet food

The King-Sized Killer, Phase 1, Week 3, Day 3

Phase 1 is done! 11 Rounds with 10 kg.

Kettlebell express cover

We had a breakthrough with the mother cat, “Momma”, on Thursday night – Terri was able to pet her without any hissing. I was able to pet Momma this morning under the chin.

Terri petting Momma

Promise Kept

We trapped the mother cat on Monday night. We have named her “Momma.”

She was spayed on Tuesday via the Briggs Animal Adoption Center Spay Today program. A van picks up the animal on Tuesday morning at the center and they are transported to Harrisonburg, VA for surgery.

Transport Van

The animals spend the night at the clinic and then are driven back to Briggs for pickup at 7:30 AM.

Post surgery cats at Briggs Animal Adoption Center waiting to be picked up.

Momma heading home

Momma is resting comfortably in the basement. We will let her decide if she wants to be an indoor cat.

Momma Resting

We started to handle the kittens as soon as we got them home. And yes we got scratched! But, now they both liked to be touched and will eat food out of our hands.

Springer playing on my lap

Our 26 lb Maine Coon Cat Baxter is telling the kittens to behave

If you want to read more about how we trapped the kittens then click here.

Feral kittens get a new home

Well, my new workout buddies are resting tonight after being spayed and neutered on Tuesday.

Springer (L) and Bolt (R) cuddling

Here is the time line of events

July 7, 2012
The feline family appeared on our porch for the very first time.

Feral Feline Family

July 28, 2012 (Saturday)
My sister and I visited the Briggs Animal Adoption Center on Saturday to get information about the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. I told them that I have a family of feral cats living behind my house – a mother and her two kittens.

Two very nice ladies gave us information about their Spay Today program. One lady said that female cats can have up to 3 litters in a single year! This is why it important to try to trap the mother as soon as possible.

I decided to pay to spay the mother cat and to get her tested for feline leukemia and FIV. Each clinic charges a different price and the ladies recommended a clinic that picks up the animals every other Tuesday. After the procedure the animals spend the night in the clinic and are returned the following day.

So, now we had to try to trap the mother cat on Monday night.

July 29, 2012 (Sunday)
The family had been coming to our porch in the morning and evening for food. We did not put out any food on Sunday so the cats would be very hungry on Monday.

July 30, 2012 (Monday)
We did not put out any food in the morning or during the evening. The mother cat appeared several times on the porch in the evening and it was gut wrenching to see her and not put out any food.

We lined the trap (Havahart® Large 1-Door Trap) with newspaper and then put tuna fish on top of the newspaper. We put a small amount of tuna fish at the front of the trap and then dropped it in a line all the way to the back of the trap. A large towel covered the trap.

At 7 PM we set the trap near the woodpile which is the home for the cats. We checked the trap every 15 minutes using binoculars.

Around 8:30 the mother cat appeared again and we gave in and put out a handful of food. We must be the world’s worst trappers.

Usually after the mother eats, she calls the kittens to join her on the porch. We waited 15 minutes and then gave her some more food. She ate the food and then went to the corner of the porch and called her kittens!

Within 5 minutes both kittens were on the porch with their mother! Okay, the trap near their home obviously did not work. So, we opened the back door so the cats would leave the porch.

We got the trap and put it on the porch. We were both tired so we did not expect to catch anything tonight but figured we might as well try. Within 5 minutes all the cats were back on the porch.

First Bolt (brown kitten with white feet) approached the front of the trap. Bolt ate the tuna fish near the front of the trap and started moving inside the trap as Springer was near the front. Then Springer entered the trap and they both started eating the tuna while moving toward the back. Finally the trap snapped shut and the kittens started to run in circles in the trap. We quickly covered the trap again with the towel and took the kittens to the basement.

Two kittens with a single trap

We put a bowl of water and a little bit of food inside the trap. We kept our cats Baxter and Katahdin upstairs so they would not come into contact with the kittens.

July 31, 2012 (Tuesday)
I took the kittens in the trap to Briggs at 7:15 AM. I brought along a cat carrier just in case they wanted to separate the kittens after surgery.

I had to pay for an extra procedure since I had brought in two cats. Since we did not know the exact age of the kittens, we were not sure if the clinic would perform the procedures on them.

I must compliment the folks at Briggs! They are extremely organized and just very kind people.

August 1, 2012 (Wednesday)
Bolt had been neutered and Springer had been spayed. Both tested negative for feline leukemia and FIV. They both also received a rabies vaccination.

Bolt was in the trap and Springer was in the cat crate. I took them home and put them in the basement. I gave them both food and water and then I had to leave for work.

What is next?
We plan on keeping these kittens – they will be indoor cats. Now we are slowing working to socialize them to humans and our other cats.

The mother cat has been camped out on our porch since we trapped the kittens on Monday night. We have to decide when we want to trap her.

Update: August 18, 2012
We kept our promise to the mother cat – click here to read about her adventure.

Spinning: Maximum Results

Both knees felt great!

We have named the grey kitten Springer and the brown fluffy one Bolt. They just started coming to dinner with their mother around dusk. We have seen the mother nursing Springer but since both kittens are eating solid food we think it is okay to trap the mother at this point.

Springer (L) and Bolt (R) relaxing on the porch after dinner

The kittens are living in our neighbor’s woodpile. It’s funny because our neighbors have not seen the kittens!

Kittens in the woodpile

Feline Family Day 6

It has been 6 days since we first discovered the new feline family in our neighborhood. We do not know if they are stray cats or feral cats.

My sister sent me a link for Feral Cats: Frequently Asked Questions. We have already grown fond of this family and want to find a way to help them have a better life.

We have been putting food out in the morning and at night on our porch. We never leave the food out overnight. The mother cat has been coming for the food but we have not seen the kittens on our porch since last Saturday.

The family is living in a woodpile in our neighbor’s yard. Each night, the brown fluffy kitten comes out to play after 6 PM. We rarely see the other grey kitten.

Brown fluffy kitten

While we were watching the kitten play, we noticed that the mother cat was lying in the grass near the porch. Once we went inside she jumped onto the porch and ate her dinner.

Momma cat