“I SPENT EIGHT MONTHS CATCHING A COLONY OF FERAL SIAMESE”
Cat Man Chris tells of how he’s helped some pedigree cats that were probably dumped.
Chris Poole, originally from Nottingham, is the self-confessed ‘crazy cat man’ who goes by the name ‘Cat Man Chris’, and has lived in Florida, USA since 2008. He is the proud owner (or servant!) of internet feline superstars Cole and Marmalade, and works hard to help cats in the state of Florida.
When he discovered a location near his home that was populated with feral Siamese cats and kittens, little did he know he would end up spending over eight months patiently waiting to trap, neuter, and return (TNR) the whole colony.
PUREBREED PROBLEM
It all began in June 2020 while Chris was feeding a colony of feral cats at a local mobile home park near where he lives in the Sunshine State. One of the residents mentioned to him that her friend fed a colony of stray Siamese at her house nearby, but as the cats had not been neutered, they were breeding at an alarming rate, overwhelming the woman.
Feral cats are generally moggies but a colony of expensive pedigree cats is much more unusual. Chris explained: “Hearing ‘Siamese’ is something that would always break the heart of animal rescuers because often these purebred cats are abandoned. They may have served their purpose and were simply discarded.
“Even worse, when rescued from the streets, potential purebred cat adopters apply in droves. So weeding out those who don’t have the cat’s best interests at heart is not an easy task.”
THE NEW SIAMESE STREET
The location where the colony of Siamese were living was an unusual spot.The house has a big pond and a road on one side, then on the other side, a big wilderness area which meant that after eating, the cats and kittens would disappear into the brush quickly. It is also a dangerous spot due to alligators and other wild animals that can prey on the cats and kittens. The Siamese cats were not the only cats in the colony either, there were other community cats too.
The cats on ‘Siamese Street’, as Chris began referring to it, were also in need of medical attention. As with most stray and feral felines, they were fighting fleas and had sore and weeping eyes from infections. So Chris’s TNR mission began to get the cats and kittens the
Being called upon to help feral cats is par for the course for Cat Man Chris, but trapping a colony of feral Siamese cats was a new one to him.
help they needed.
He said:“This was probably one of the toughest spots in which I’ve had to work.
I know I spent well over 100 hours there, trying different methods/baits. I pulled out the regular traps, drop traps, catnip, early 5am starts, mid-mornings and nights.
“The lady left for work and fed them that early so I had to stick to their routine. Then I discovered a house a few doors down was feeding them too!”
On top of this, Chris also found that ducks and huge toads were also eating the food being left out for the cats so he had to chase them away from the traps, which would in turn spook the cats and they wouldn’t come back. “It was a nightmare!” he says.
CRAFTY CATS
Catching all these needy cats proved to be something of a challenge.The wily felines had access to a garage where Chris couldn’t reach them. When he was given access, they would hide under pallets just out of his reach. But in November, after much persistence, he was finally able to catch three little Siamese kittens who were soon rehomed with one of his partner organisations, The Runaway’s Animal Rescue.
His mission wasn’t over yet though. There was still the lead figure — the mother cat. As without catching and neutering her, she would just continue to breed more unwanted kittens.
“The property owner on Siamese Street told me about one new kitten, so I went over fully expecting not to see them, or to see them run off,” Chris explained. “But fortunately, mum and kitten were in one of the shelters. Mum quickly bolted but the kitten stayed inside, so I put my net over the opening and grabbed her, then I used her as bait to lure mum into the trap.
“Mum was truly feral and was trapped, neutered, and returned, but the sweet kitten was placed in foster care and adopted.”
Chris didn’t forget about the other cats at the location that weren’t Siamese though. There were quite a few that had been neutered already; he could tell by their notches or tipped ears, and trying to trap only unneutered cats also added to the difficulties.
Chris trapped five more community cats at the location, neutering and releasing them all.
He said:“The last cat, a black female, was trapped by the daughter of the homeowner a few doors down. I showed them how to use a trap and left them to it since the cats knew and trusted them. Cats aren’t stupid and it was getting to the point where the cats would see or hear my car pull up and then disappear.”
Now at least, there would be no more breeding. Weatherproof shelters were made and distributed in the area for the community cats’ comfort.
In the end, Chris counted up the feral felines and found that he had TN Red 10 kittens and four adults. Thanks to his caring and tenacity, all of these cats are now living healthier lives in the colony or in loving new homes.
I know I spent well over 100 hours there...