Mickey J. Corrigan Talks About Dealing with Feral Cats

When we moved into our house, we knew the neighbor was a hoarder. What we didn't know was she hoarded cats. Feral cats. They lived outside in a covered porch where she fed them and they raised their families. The postal delivery person told us the neighborhood estimated she once had more than 50 cats. I thought there were only a half-dozen until one day I spotted them lying on the steps and realized that the one I called Tabby was actually six different tabby cats that looked exactly alike.

Living next door to so many cats was annoying. We don't have cats ourselves but we like them. Only there were too many and they used our yard like an outhouse. Then they decided it was where they preferred to birth their young. Usually several litters appeared annually.

      
So why didn't you get these cats fixed? you are asking. Well, the woman next door kept claiming she would trap and neuter her cats, but of course she didn't. After she died, her daughter made the same claim, but did not act on it. When the daughter sold the house next door, leaving the cats to hang out on our property, we decided to trap and fix.
Easier said than done.
In south Florida, where there are no harsh winters to reduce populations, there are millions of feral cats. They live on the beach, in suburban neighborhoods, and on city streets. Volunteers feed them, or they are left to their own devices, killing songbirds and lizards, rats and mice. The size of the population makes it difficult to find a humane trapper willing to come to your house. They're very busy. Once they do come, the job is hit or miss. Have you ever attempted to lure smart cats into cages?
We trapped several ourselves using sardines (they love them) and took them to a mobile unit to get shots and neutering. Then we trapped those same cats over and over (they thought it was worth it for a sardine meal). None of the other cats were interested in the cages, so we turned the job over to a licensed trapper. It took him two weeks, but he got the job done. No new kittens have arrived since.
Last night a cat was yowling around our yard, on the hunt for a mate. Fortunately, the local females are prepared.






Originally from Boston, Mickey J. Corrigan writes pulp fiction, literary crime, and psychological thrillers. Her stories have been called "gritty realism," "oh so compulsive" reads, and "bizarre but believable." Her novellas and novels have been released by publishers in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Salt Publishing in the UK released her satirical crime novel about a school shooting in 2017. Visit at www.mickeyjcorrigan.com

LINKS:
www.mickeyjcorrigan.com
www.goodreads.com/author/show/5828647.Mickey_J_Corrigan
http://mickeyjcorrigan.tumblr.com/








What I Did For Love: a breath-taking psychological thriller



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So when the father proposes, O’Hale has a choice to make -
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26 comments:

  1. Sounds like lots of good readings. Interesting to read about those feral cats, and it must be a hard problem to deal with. Have a great week, hugs, Valerie

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    1. Thanks, Valerie, and I hope you like the book!

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  2. Wow! That's a lot of cats! I rescued one, but had him neutered. There's no way I would invite that many cats into my yard!

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    1. Good that you did that, Sherry. We can't keep them out of our yard. When we moved in, we tried all the tricks and nothing worked. So we let them hang out where they wish.

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  3. i love cats:) i would like to read it:)

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    1. Thanks, Kathy. Let me know what you think of the book...

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  4. All the feral cats in my neighborhood had been trapped and fixed too. I haven't seen any kittens around here in a while.

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    1. Awesome, Mary, good to hear. The songbirds are safe.

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  5. Feral cats are a problem it sounds like. The book sounds good.

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    1. The cats can be a problem but people who dump their cats create it. Hope you like the book!

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  6. The books sounds dark, dangerous and fascinating.
    And a big hooray for anyone who helps the cats and their neighbours by limiting the breeding. Some days I would like to see some people similarly neutered.

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  7. Thanks for the advice. This story sounds intriguing.

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  8. Replies
    1. They are so cute but scared to let us get close.

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  9. Replies
    1. It is, isn't it? But the weather here allows feral cats--and lots of other animals like iguanas and big pythons--to prosper and reproduce all year, whereas in places with a cold winter they wouldn't last.

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  10. We have a lot of wild cats in our neighborhood. A neighbor brings them home from job sights he works on. He thinks they will have a better life in our neighborhood. The hard part is that they give birth and the population keeps growing. He doesn't take care of them- the cats just wander all over the place and it is upsetting. I wish he would take the proper steps if he truly feels he is bringing these cats into a better life than where they were when he found them. Thanks for sharing your story.
    ~Jess

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    1. Jess, we had the same problem with the owner/feeder of the cat colony as she was unwilling to get them spayed/neutered. We finally insisted and paid for the process and she was actually pleased. Not sure why she wouldn't take responsibility herself. But maybe you can do that in your neighborhood if the neighbor is okay with the idea.
      Good luck!

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  11. They are so appealing!

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