Happy spring, Team TNR!

Oh, OK. I guess I am jumping the gun a tad there. After all, as I type this update, we’ve just gotten a good 8″ of snow here in central New Jersey.

But spring is an unstoppable force, so we know that warmth and wonder and dozens of daffodils are coming…and, along with them, a profusion of pregnant mama cats. That’s right; we’re on the eve of kitten season.

By this time next month, I expect to regale you with tales of tiny ones. In the meantime, though, our late-winter wonders have offered no shortage of stories.

This month returned us to the railroad. As you may recall, we’ve worked for several years now with a colony of feral cats at a little railroad station right here in Ringoes, NJ. (If you’re picturing Grand Central Station, think smaller. Now smaller still. This “railroad”‘s main events include annual Easter Bunny Trains and big journeys to and from Flemington, NJ, for a round trip of ten miles.)

At this point, thanks to the “miracle” of TNR, most of the railroad’s residents are spayed or neutered. There have been no newborns there for years now, a satisfying state of affairs. But, when we begin caring for a colony, we commit to them for life, so we’ve dutifully followed up with the caretakers about “our” cats.

In February, two of the railroad’s elder statescats were suffering. Darling grey-and-white Tina had something very wrong with her nose. When we brought her into Tabby’s Place, we discovered that something was cancer. We wrestled with how best to treat her. While we want to give her the best chance at a long, healthy life, we also want to love her in the way that best honors who she is. Tina is a true feral cat who delights in her outdoor life. But, forgoing all treatment could shorten her life tremendously.

An amazing option presented itself; a loving, extraordinarily patient family was willing to foster Tina, and to administer medication. Since Tina is one of Tabby’s Place’s TNR cats, we are providing all of her medication and follow-up care. So far, Tina is doing very well adjusting to the indoor life, and she found just the right family to cherish her as she is. They won’t force her to become a lap cat, but will love her for herself, allowing her to warm to them — or not — on her own timetable. It’s the best of both worlds for this courageous girl, and you’re helping to make it possible.

Then there was Fluffy. This handsome, debonair dude is a longtime railroad resident, and is known as the main man on the premises. But, it seems the big man on campus may have become a tad too cocky this month, as he got into a tangle with someone. (Cat? Racoon? Sasquatch? We’ll never know.) Whoever fought with Fluffy left him with an abscess and some nasty wounds. When we brought him in to take care of his injuries, our vet team discovered that Fluffy’s teeth also needed some TLC. Following wound care and a few extractions, our confident character is happily back home at the railroad. Once again, your generosity made his healing happen.

But this update would not be complete without introducing you to one of the strangest and most magnificent creatures we’ve ever met. Feast your eyes on Lanolin. (At left, you can see her the night we trapped her; above, you’ll see her after we’d tried to patiently socialize her for weeks. As you can see, she was having none of that.)

Named for her distinctively ovine appearance, our sheeplike girl was far more than sheepish; she was shocked and horrified by human handling. Much as we selfishly wanted to keep her at Tabby’s Place to admire and adore her, the most loving thing we could do for Lanolin was to spay her, help get her up to a healthy weight, and return her to a safe colony, to delight in all her days.

Sometimes this TNR business is brutal on our hearts. If we had our druthers, Lanolin, Fluffy, Tina and every cat, everywhere, would be cherished and warm indoors. But, if we truly love them, we’ll love them for who they are, not who they aren’t…and we’ll respect them enough to give them the life they love.

Thank you, dear sponsors, for loving our feral friends so generously and faithfully. You’re making it possible for us to give them the best of both worlds — human love and care, on their own wild and wonderful terms.

Happy spring!