Project S (VI)

While waiting for V to send back the first batch of cats for release at Site X, Grimlock and I spotted two white/grey cats (one male and one female) and a younger male cat (brown). One of the white/grey cats had got away during the last round of trapping. The two white/grey cats were hungry enough to hang around us (we kept shaking our kibbles container and giving them just a little kibbles to make them want more). The younger male cat wondered off to a nearby offbounds area.

At such last-minute notice, V was available to help us with the trapping. When he arrived (he came together with R, another fellow cat blogger :) ), he laid down some wet tuna food and managed to nab the male white/grey by the scuff of his neck. The female white/grey ran away and went into hiding in a big tree at their favourite hanging-out spot. So V prepared the trap. For a long time, the female white/grey didn't emerge from hiding. V spotted another white cat hiding in the tree.

While I kept watch over the trap from another side, V actually got hold of the younger male cat who earlier wondered off. No idea how V did it.

Finally, the female white/grey showed up. We kept to a far distance from the trap and watched, waited. I was holding my breath. She went for the food and viola, we got our third cat.

We spotted another female cat - a nursing mother. We decided to leave her alone because she probably has hidden her litter of kittens somewhere. Her kittens would still need her. We also saw a Siamese cat running across - this is the first time I'm seeing him/her.

While making our way back, we saw another pretty white cat with light brown patches on her back. She was quite alert so we had to use the trap. The Siamese came along too and checked out the trap. We got the white cat. The Siamese ran off. The white cat is slightly small in build (about five months' old) so V will check with the vet if it is ok to spay her. By this time, it started to drizzle and night had descended so we called it a day.

On this second round of trapping, we rounded up two males and two females.

The 'wonderer' (male)...

The first 'captured' cat (male) during this round of trapping...

The one (female) who played a waiting game with us...

(It got dark so I didn't take any photos of the young, female white cat)

Well, I don't think I can ask for more. Nine cats sterilised within a week. I think the trapping will get challenging because no amount of projection/planning will do for the cats' appearances, ie if-you-see-them-you-see-them.

I'm left with cat no. 5 (white/orange), the brown one whom we let off on 29 Dec, the tom cat, the nursing mother, the Siamese, a white who was hiding in the big tree (?) and possibly two litters of kittens >_< (if the nursing mother indeed has just given birth).

Update - 4 Jan 09: The second batch of sterilised cats (total of four) were released back at Site X today. The white/grey female cat was pregnant so she underwent an abortion.

This is the pretty white cat with light brown patches on her back. Strangely, she didn't scuttle off upon release.

In summary, four males and five females were sterilised this week.

I shall wait till after the Chinese New Year for the sterilisation of the kittens, as well as the other grown-ups.