Dominika
Some rescues are just plain outright challenging, y'know?
The mama cat, Dominika, (later found to be sweet and friendly) was clever enough to stash her kittens under overhanging rocks in a narrow, steep ravine behind an apartment building, which made any approach and set up to catch them very difficult. We were foolish enough to offer to assist in their capture once learning of this difficulty, and then once in - well - we were committed.
Rather than attempt to catch them one by one in a snap trap - which would have likely resulted in us trapping the mama cat first, putting the kittens at risk by leaving them on their own until we were able to catch them - we used another type of trap, one that we would need to drop using a rope. This required us to find a spot to be able to watch without drawing undue notice or alarm from the little family. This meant we had to stand there, essentially motionless, for long hours while we waited for the kittens to appear.
Our objective was to catch the kittens as a group first, and then the mama cat, who was in and out of the trap without any issue right from the start. The kittens were wary and some more so than others, which made the group shot nigh on impossible. After many days of watching and biding our time, and scrambling up and down the steep and narrow ravine to put food inside the trap, we were able to catch the kittens in two sets; the first group of three (the more confident of the kittens) and almost a week later, the second group of two kittens, including the mama cat. In the end, it was dark before the kittens would appear which made the steep climb down and out of the ravine especially treacherous. We survived relatively unscathed, although my right pinky finger would beg to differ. On one tumble down a slippery rock, I picked up a slug as an adornment for my hair, a gem to add to my trunk of war stories.
Three of the five kittens have since been adopted, although both Rianne and Murtaugh continue to languish in foster care (please see their bios on our adoption page). Dominika has since come back in the light and flowered under the lamplight of her foster mom's devotion. She was severely matted when we first picked her up, so we had to give her a full body shave, but her fur has since grown back in in all its resplendent glory. Her foster mom describes Dominika as very pleasant and quiet, which makes her a very easy pet to have around. She is also quite playful and really enjoys throwing hair elastics around to amuse herself. After that harrowing ordeal ministering to the survival of her five kittens, Dominika is entitled to some peace and quiet, in our view.
Dominika has been fully vetted, meaning she has been spayed, microchipped, vaccinated, tested for disease and treated for parasites. Give her quiet disposition, she would likely do best in a calm and peaceful home environment.
We ask for a minimum $160 donation for each of our rescued cats. A charitable tax receipt will be issued.
ADOPTION APPLICATION
Back to Adopt page
The mama cat, Dominika, (later found to be sweet and friendly) was clever enough to stash her kittens under overhanging rocks in a narrow, steep ravine behind an apartment building, which made any approach and set up to catch them very difficult. We were foolish enough to offer to assist in their capture once learning of this difficulty, and then once in - well - we were committed.
Rather than attempt to catch them one by one in a snap trap - which would have likely resulted in us trapping the mama cat first, putting the kittens at risk by leaving them on their own until we were able to catch them - we used another type of trap, one that we would need to drop using a rope. This required us to find a spot to be able to watch without drawing undue notice or alarm from the little family. This meant we had to stand there, essentially motionless, for long hours while we waited for the kittens to appear.
Our objective was to catch the kittens as a group first, and then the mama cat, who was in and out of the trap without any issue right from the start. The kittens were wary and some more so than others, which made the group shot nigh on impossible. After many days of watching and biding our time, and scrambling up and down the steep and narrow ravine to put food inside the trap, we were able to catch the kittens in two sets; the first group of three (the more confident of the kittens) and almost a week later, the second group of two kittens, including the mama cat. In the end, it was dark before the kittens would appear which made the steep climb down and out of the ravine especially treacherous. We survived relatively unscathed, although my right pinky finger would beg to differ. On one tumble down a slippery rock, I picked up a slug as an adornment for my hair, a gem to add to my trunk of war stories.
Three of the five kittens have since been adopted, although both Rianne and Murtaugh continue to languish in foster care (please see their bios on our adoption page). Dominika has since come back in the light and flowered under the lamplight of her foster mom's devotion. She was severely matted when we first picked her up, so we had to give her a full body shave, but her fur has since grown back in in all its resplendent glory. Her foster mom describes Dominika as very pleasant and quiet, which makes her a very easy pet to have around. She is also quite playful and really enjoys throwing hair elastics around to amuse herself. After that harrowing ordeal ministering to the survival of her five kittens, Dominika is entitled to some peace and quiet, in our view.
Dominika has been fully vetted, meaning she has been spayed, microchipped, vaccinated, tested for disease and treated for parasites. Give her quiet disposition, she would likely do best in a calm and peaceful home environment.
We ask for a minimum $160 donation for each of our rescued cats. A charitable tax receipt will be issued.
ADOPTION APPLICATION
Back to Adopt page