my wu-chi blog » captured critters

Duck, Duck, Goose

ja — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 01:33:56 +0000

Linda has 3 ducks – 2 males and 1 female. The two male ducks look exactly the same except for one difference. One of the males decided not to moult all of its feathers off of its head. I call him the afro duck for he has a big poof ball on the top of his head.

When Linda and I go to work in the garden the ducks immediately start to follow us in hopes that they can go into the garden and eat some bugs. I have noticed that they have started searching farther away from the duck pond for food. The other day they were out next to the clothesline looking for food. This is about 100 yards away from the pond and the furtherest I have seen them go so far.

Unfortunately, they have found the cat food area and now frequently visit the area in hopes of finding scraps. This also means that they found the trap we have sitting next to the cat food area with cat food in it. Earlier this week, Linda found two ducks trapped in the trap, which must of been very tight for a full grown cat takes up most of the room. I then found one trapped in there on Friday and another Saturday morning. They are persistent. Needless to say, the trap door is now kept closed.

The updated critter count is now as follows:

Porcupines: 1
Raccoons: 1
Wild Cats: 3*
Possums: 1
Ducks: 4**

* – one cat was captured twice
** – the ducks are the ones on the property and there are only 3 of them

You again!

ja — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:46:41 +0000

Last night I went out to the office and as I approached the cat food area I was startled by a sound (for it was dark out) and then saw a white and grey blur run away. I instantly knew what it was – that darn cat that we have already caught twice! I told Linda that if we catch him again, he is going for a long ride before being let go. Apparently 3-4 miles is not enough for this feline with a taste for free cat food.

Captured Critters

ja — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 02:41:12 +0000

Well, last night we caught another cat. Well, not really another. It was the same cat that we caught about 6 weeks ago. And man, he was not pleased.

As soon as Linda picked up the cage and put it in the truck he made it clear that he did not like us. I took him for a ride to release him and when I opened the trap he just stared at me from within the cage refusing to get out. I think he said something like ‘I’ll kill you and your family, too’. He had some kind of bad accent that I couldn’t place. Anyways, after he made his intentions clear, he scampered out of the cage and sauntered away.

The updated critter count is now as follows:

Porcupines: 1
Raccoons: 1
Wild Cats: 3*
Possums: 1

* – one cat was captured twice.

Captured Critter Count

ja — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:14:20 +0000

Last night the trap next to the cat food caught a possum. Yes, it did play dead when I went to look at it. But once I picked up the cage to put it into the truck, it moved like there was no tomorrow. Which, actually, it might have been afraid was true. But alas, I took him down some back roads and released him to which he quickly climbed up a tree and hid.

The following is a list of critters that have been caught in traps on the ranch since I have been here. I will update this list as we catch more. Given that we have caught 3 animals in the past 10 days, I expect that there will be more.

Porcupines: 1
Raccoons: 1
Wild Cats: 2
Possums: 1

Wildcats

ja — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:12:23 +0000

Linda noticed recently that the cat food bowls were wiped clean every morning which is usually a sign that raccoons are eating the food overnight. She set a trap and a couple days later caught the culprit. Although, it wasn’t a ‘coon, it was a wild cat. The other cats were making noise because they did not want to go near the food with that cat sitting in the cage there. It was kind of like, hey can you please clean this place up so we can eat. So Linda took the cat down some back roads and let it go.

In case you are wondering, yes there are wild cats in the area. Bear, Linda’s oldest cat, walked on to her property shortly after he was born. Luckily, though, they do not come around here very often.

But I could be wrong for we caught another wild cat a couple days ago. It has been getting down around freezing lately, so before I go to bed I go out to the office to see if there are any cats that want to be let it for the night. One night last week I went out and saw Blossom sitting on the doorstep to the office so I went to let her in. As I got closer I noticed another cat approaching from the other side of the office, only it was not one of Linda’s cats. Blossom saw it and took off to chase it away. Apparently she did not chase it far enough for two nights later the cat got caught in the trap.

While I am talking about cats, here is a little update on Linda’s cats.

Blossom is the one that got in a fight with something else and hat to go to the vet for shots and surgery. We quarantined her for about a week so we could give her meds and let her wounds heal. After she was let outside again, she was glad to be free, but was very wary of being near anyone. Her wounds have healed up nicely and all of the fur that was shaved off her face has grown back. I have nicknamed her Ms. Drooley for when you pet her she drools like crazy. I never new cats could drool. Linda holds her a certain way so the drool does not get on her clothes. I could care less about the drool getting on me. I guess after seeing my friends kids glerk all over them, a little drool is nothing.

Bear is the oldest cat and I have nicknamed him Squeeker. When he calls to you, you can see that he is calling but you cannot always here it. If you do, it sounds like it is from a little kitten and not a big male cat. I understand now how people feel when they are around me and see that I am talking but do not hear anything that I say. To be honest, I do not always here what I am saying either.

Sprout is the alpha male and, therefore, a pain in the butt. If you start petting one of the other cats and he is around, he comes running and knocks the other cat out of the way. I sometimes return the favor so he can get a taste of his own medicine.