TRAP, NEUTER, AND … RETIREby Kathy Downey

The success of Trap, Neuter, and Return(TNR) is evident in MRFRS’s originalNewburyport feral cat colonies, where themedian age of our first ferals is 14 years old.This longevity is amazing, considering thatthe lifespan of most homeless cats, thosewithout the good fortune to be part of a man-aged colony overseen by compassionate anddedicated caregivers, might be only twoyears – assuming the cats survive the fragili-ty of kittenhood.

Our success has led us to a new situa-tion: colonies of mostly geriatric cats who’venever known the inside of a human home (ora human heart, beyond their caregivers) orwho were long ago abandoned and are stillliving the feral life. Like any senior citizen,these cats are beginning to feel the effects ofaging. Some might not see or hear as well asthey once did, and their bones might achemore with each New England winter.

This past December volunteers launchedan intensive effort to trap and retire the fiveremaining cats (who were long ago spayed orneutered) from one of our boatyard colonies.Very special MRFRS supporters – some whohave been the cats’ lifelong caregivers –offered to adopt these furry retirees.

The changing landscape of the boatyard,specifically the city’s plans to develop muchof the land into residential and commercialreal estate, became the impetus behind thisspirited initiative. But the emotional compo-nent between caregiver and cat, built uponyears of watching, observing, getting to know,and finally trusting one another (on the cats’terms, of course), became the heart of thisunusual undertaking.

The trapping team set and baited thehumane traps from morning till nightfall,coordinating with one another overlappingshifts in order to provide constant monitor-ing. To ensure success, volunteer caregivers

were alerted in advance to withhold the cats’daily breakfast and dinner, so the cats wouldbe hungry enough to enter the traps.

Cremora would be the first boatyardferal to be trapped and retired. In fact, sheseemed to be waiting for this event and gaveher complete cooperation. A chatty girl, thecreamy-coated, green-eyed cat mewed mean-ingfully while she watched the trapper setand bait the trap. Within moments Cremoragingerly stepped over the trip-plate, and this14-year-old feral sweetie simultaneously tookthe first step toward her new life.

The four remaining cats wouldn’t be ascooperative. Wintry weather had also set in,including a snowfall. A few days had passedsince Cremora was trapped, and although pawprints could be seen all around the baitedtraps, the cats themselves remained elusive.

Rachel got things going again. In pursuitof her taste for tuna, the longhaired silverbeauty became trapped cat No. 2. But herlife partner Jericho would prove more defi-ant and headstrong, and he wouldn’t be aseasily lured.

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Cat CurrentsCat CurrentsThe Merrimack RiverFeline Rescue Society

A nationally recognized,nonprofit volunteerorganization committed toensuring the health andwelfare of feral anddomestic cats and kittensby promoting proactive,compassionate, no-killprograms.

MRFRS Headquarters & AdoptionCenter63 Elm StreetSalisbury, MA 01952Tel: (978) 462-0760Fax: (978) 463-6826Email: mrfrs@mrfrs.org Web: www.mrfrs.orgAdoption Hours: Tues. thru Fri.11 am – 6 pmSat. 11 am – 4 pm Closed Sunday.Monday by appointment.

PETsMART Adoptions104 Andover St. (Rte. 114)Danvers, MA 01923Tel: (978) 462-0760, Option 3Adoption Hours:Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday:11 am – 6 pmThursday: 11 am – 7:30 pmSaturday: 11 am – 4 pmSunday: 12 am – 3 pm

PETCO Adoptions239 Nbpt Turnpike (Rte. 114)Topsfield, MA 01983Tel: (978) 887-7387Adoptions: 11 am – 3 pmLast Saturday of each monthand92 Cluff Crossing RoadSalem, NH 03079Tel: (603) 890-6905Adoptions: 11 am – 4 pmSaturday and Sunday

Danville, NH, SanctuaryVisits by appointment only.Please call MRFRS headquarters.

Cremora

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

“Small is beautiful”

Dear Friends:

With help from our wonderful volunteers, wehave started community-based feral cat res-cue programs in our hometown of Salisburyand on Plum Island. So in addition to ouradoption programs that help hundreds ofcats and kittens find homes and ourspay/neuter clinics that sterilize ferals fromall over New England, we have turned ourfocus back to our neighborhoods, showingcommunities how to help themselves pre-vent huge feral cat colony growth. Our com-munity volunteers have already been busy!

This past winter, we rescued the BeachBoys from Salisbury Beach. Josh, Peter, andBuddy are three loving and beautiful blackand white shorthaired cats who spent toomany lonely and homeless winters on thebeach. We also rescued Cole. This jet-blackshorthaired fellow had lived on the beachfor years, exposed to the harshest weather.Cole tested positive for FIV and FeLV. A veryspecial gentleman saw Cole for the specialcat that he is and adopted him. He nowshowers Cole with all the love that this catdeserves, and that Cole went without for solong. Elsa is an old girl who one of our vol-unteers rescued after she found the pathet-ic creature half-frozen beneath the porch ofher beach cottage. Elsa is a very sweet catwho likes to talk. She is patiently waiting atour adoption center for that special personwho will take her home and love her.

So many more homeless cats onSalisbury Beach still need our help. We con-tinue our hard work to rescue all of them,even as those who are supposed to lovetheir cats shamefully abandoned them. Justlast week, a man stopped his truck on abeach road and dumped two cats beforedriving away.

A Good Samaritan witnessed the aban-donment. Unfortunately, she was not able toget the man’s license plate number; petabandonment is a criminal offense. The

woman stopped her car, picked up thebewildered cats, and brought them to ouradoption center. Her act of kindness andcaring prevented another feral cat colonyfrom beginning.

Our goal is to establish ongoing com-munity feral cat rescue efforts in eachMassachusetts and Southern NH town.Small is beautiful in the cat rescue world.Not only is each needy cat beautiful, butalso each small act of kindness that in turnhelps a homeless cat. Your support willhelp us inspire more communities to self-empower themselves to become humaneneighborhoods.

Thank you so much for helping us tohelp those cats in need of rescue.

Sincerely,

Stacy LeBaronPresident

P.S. For anyone interested in learning moreabout community efforts to help needy cats,I recommend joining the masscats Yahoogroup online. You can sign up by sending anemail to:masscats-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Mass Cats is a network of caring peoplehelping cats, covering Massachusetts andbordering states.

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MRFRS BoardStacy LeBaron, PresidentCathy Ahern, Vice PresidentLinda Noonan, TreasurerJanet Egan, Secretary/Clerk

Betty BronkPat ConnellySharon GilmanPatte GrimesJames LagoulisDaphine NevilleJeanne Pratt

Veterinary AdvisoryCommitteeDr. Matthew CallahanDr. Douglas DePieroDr. Regina DowneyDr. John GrilloDr. Mike Yurkus

StaffJodie BoudreauGaye DiGiorgioJenn DiRoccoJune GarveyJennie KozuchowskiDiane Wheeler

Issue 1 Copyright © 2005Merrimack River FelineRescue Society

Newsletter Credits

Editor/Writer:Kathy DowneyLayout: Vern Associates, Inc.Photography: Dave Williams& Patte GrimesAd Sales: Stacy LeBaron

Printing Courtesy of:

Salisbury, MA– 978-465-8747

Stacy and Ramses

FERAL CATS ATTEND MIT?by Kathy Downey

You would not expect to brush against feral cats under thevenerated dome of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. But during a weeklongexhibition last November, you just might have.

The feline-themed display was the culmination of a studyon the MRFRS feral-cat feeding program, conducted by aresearch team that included a Harvard graduate student andfive graduate students from MIT. Photographs, a video pres-entation, and research findings reflected the unique contri-bution to community by a group of dedicated MRFRS volun-teers who, every day, feed homeless cats.

An online search of community-focused volunteer groupsbased in Massachusetts led the researchers to the MRFRS.Their happenstance discovery intrigued them, particularlythe dynamic and diverse approaches and work that MRFRSvolunteers perform in rescuing feral cats. Researcher DanielAdams (the lone Harvard Man) says, “We were searching forcommunity groups who we felt were doing interesting thingsin the community context.” A soft spot for animals shared byteam members and a visit by all to the MRFRS headquartersconvinced the research team to choose the MRFRS as theirresearch subject.

Encouraged by the support and enthusiasm of their pro-fessor, MIT visiting artist Allan McCollum, the team collabo-rated on ideas and activities. Team members includedAdams, MIT researchers Oliver Lutz, Lilly Donohue, KaticeHelinski, Naveem Mowlah, and Nomita Sawhney.

Field researchers Adams and Lutz accompanied MRFRScaregiver/feral cat feeder Patte Grimes on her weekendrounds through Newbury, Newburyport, and Salisbury tolearn about this special (if not eccentric) community of catsand people. Adams and Lutz were specifically interested infinding out about the relationship between “feeders,” therelationship between feeders and the cats, the relationship ofboth to the community, and how serving breakfast and dinnerto colonies of homeless cats can be both humbling andrewarding.

As they followed behind Grimes in their own vehicle,they drove to places that Adams describes as “abandoned andforgotten landscapes,” observing that the atmosphere ofthese isolated domains reflects the independent spirits of theferal cats who live there – cats like Missie, Moose, Zorro, BigBoy, and Coastie (who a Coast Guard officer rescued severalyears ago after the cat’s paws became frozen to the river’sedge one bitterly cold winter).

Adams says that he and Lutz were awed by the mannerin which this “unique world of feral cat feeding” had drawnGrimes, along with her fellow feeders, into the cats’ worlds,leaving an imprint on both human and feline animal. Theynoted that, through her role, Grimes had become a part ofthese unexpectedly sublime landscapes and further became apart of a collection of individuals who had also dedicatedthemselves to caring for cats who the rest of society has for-gotten.

The researchers learned that all the cats had been steril-ized and inoculated against rabies before being returned totheir colonies, where Patte and her fellow feeders have pro-vided them with shelters and specially built feeding stations.They learned of the cats’ contributions to the community asefficient rodent controllers. And they absorbed the facts thatsupport feral-cat management as a proven method to stabi-lize homeless cat populations. But they had a difficult time,initially, understanding the unwavering commitment thatthese feeders exhibit toward cats who many people wouldturn away from.

“We were simultaneously amazed and baffled by thisgroup's work with the cats,” says Adams, “and left wonderingwhat motivates them.” Talking with Grimes, Adams and Lutzagree, helped them to understand that Grimes and her fellowfeeders share an intricately woven bond with these often-elu-sive cats who they love so much. And this bond, rather thansome vague moral obligation, inspires them to go out eachday – even in the most inhospitable weather or if a holiday –to feed and offer a kind, soft word to their feline friends.

continued on page 5

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Bart, almost 13 years old, is a real gentleman. Doesn’t jump upon furniture unless invited. Loves to be petted and talked to.

adoptme!

TRAP, NEUTER, AND … RETIRE(continued from page 1)

Miss Mocha Surprise made her startling debut one coldtwilight evening and became the next feral to be trapped. Butthe volunteer trapper had been playing a game of wits withWombat (and Wombat was winning!) as she and the large,striking gray cat tested one another’s will. The trapper satinside her car for over an hour and watched Wombat peer outfrom his hiding place between the stacked boat docks. Hejumped from his perch onto the trap where he remained forseveral moments. Wombat then alighted and walked allaround the trap, continuing his inspection and scenting thedeli-chicken bait – but not convinced enough to go after it.

Defeated for the evening, the trapper decided to pull thebait, trip the trap release, and resume this effort the nextmorning. As she placed her flashlight on the feeding stationbeside the trap, the trapper felt something brush lightlyagainst her leg.

In the darkness, the trapper couldn’t really say if she sawor imagined a dark shape rush out of the feral cat shelter.When she picked up the flashlight, however, and shone itinside the trap, she was startled to see a small brown tabbycat with a notched ear – the notch identifying the cat as apreviously trapped, neutered and returned (TNR’ed) cat, likethe other ferals. Miss Mocha Surprise had apparently beenasleep inside the feral cat shelter, an insulated doghouseknown as “Mickey’s Galley” (in honor of Mickey, the MRFRSbrave feral cat mascot who passed away several years before).Mocha became frightened when she heard the trapper outsideof Mickey’s Galley and bolted out … straight into the trap.

Miss Mocha was a bit of a surprise because her care-givers hadn’t counted her as an official member of the colony.She had been seen, on occasion, passing through the boat-yard but always kept her distance. Caregivers were neverable to get close enough to see if she was ear-notched, andthey presumed she might be a stray passing through. But shehadn’t been seen in many months. Adding to the confusion,Miss Mocha Surprise resembled another boatyard feral who

had died in the past year. So when the trapper looked downand found the little senior tabby inside the trap, both wereequally startled.

Several feet away, Wombat sat and watched the eventwith an unmistakable – and victorious – smugness. Late thenext morning, however, Wombat could no longer resist thefresh deli-chicken that awaited him, and the kingly cat cau-tiously entered the trap. And the next day, New Year’s Eve,hunger finally conquered Jericho. The black and white tuxedoboy (Rachel’s companion) stepped over the trip plate for hissardine appetizer, becoming the last retired boatyard feral.

After trapping, volunteers whisked each of the five feralsto MRFRS veterinarians who thoroughly examined the cats andupdated them on their inoculations. Other volunteers providedthe cats with interim shelter in their homes, and Miss Mochaspent a week at MRFRS headquarters in the care of staff andvolunteers. Today all five of these former ferals are safely situ-ated in their permanent homes, receiving the kind of lovingcare and attention that had been missing from their lives.

Rachel and Jericho found a home together, which hadbeen a condition of their retirement being that the two catshave been inseparable for years. After an acclimation periodinside a “kitty playpen,” the cats are now free to interminglewith their new family’s other animal companions. The moresocial of the two, Rachel is acclimating more quickly todomesticated life. She even allows her new human guardianto pet her on the head. Jericho is still the independent maleand enjoys exploring his new home on nighttime reconnais-sance missions.

Miss Mocha Surprise and her guardian are getting toknow and steadily charm one another. Although Mocharemains a feral girl at heart, each week she becomes moretrusting and more comfortable in her new environment.Recently, she ventured out of her kitty playpen to inspect herroom, the home office of her guardian.

Wombat is the most stoic of the boatyard cats. Regal andimperial, he is not ready to drop his feral armor. He’s most

(continued on next page)

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(continued from previous page)

comfortable when ensconced in his quilted kitty-cube, insidehis playpen, from where he can watch his new guardian (andoccasionally swat her when she serves him meals and cleanshis litter box). Recently, Wombat’s low growls have beenreplaced with the occasional purr, and his body posture isslowly becoming more relaxed. He’s also feeling much bettersince he had two broken teeth extracted.

The little diva of the retired ferals is Cremora. To see herin her adoptive home, you would never guess that she spentnearly 14 years living in a boatyard. She craves human atten-tion, plays like a kitten, and gets along well with the otherhousehold cats, joining them each day in front of a large glassdoor where together they watch the squirrels and birds out-side. She’s even at ease around the family dog, a lovelyBorder collie rescue.

Although none of the boatyard ferals asked to enterretirement (except Cremora), neither did any one of themever ask to be born homeless or abandoned. Because the catswould have been eventually displaced from their environ-ment, given the pending development plans, and because oftheir age, the decision to retire them was relatively easy.

But this MRFRS feral cat retirement initiative would nothave been possible without the coordinated team effort andcommitment of all involved. Each contribution, even if seem-ingly small in itself, helped these special cats to find comfortand compassion for the remainder of their lives.

The special people involved in this successful effortincluded those who loaned traps, those who monitored andtrapped, those who provided transport, those who coordinat-ed veterinary appointments, our MRFRS veterinarians, thosewho provided interim care, and lastly, those with alreadyopen hearts who opened their homes to give these cats a lov-ing permanence.

Anyone who has been lucky enough to share a bond witha feral cat, however, knows that the true measure of successis no more homeless cats. Responsible guardianship thatincludes spaying and neutering, with a deep bond betweenall guardians and their companion animals, can end the cycleof homelessness – for the thousands of animals who findthemselves trembling and alone, without love.

5

FERAL CATS ATTEND MIT? (continued from page 3)

“One of the most interesting things I observed as weaccompanied Patte to all the different and strange sites washow she would always whisper while we were at any of theseplaces,” Adams remarks. He came to interpret Grime’s whis-pering as a response to the quietness and emptiness of theseferal cat landscapes, as if Grimes did not want to disturb theenvironment that she had grown to be a part of.

In performing the selfless act of feeding feral cats,Adams and Lutz concluded, Grimes and her fellow feedershave formed their own unified community. Not only are theyone another’s support network for the cause to which theyare so passionately devoted, many have also become goodfriends. And they have beautifully melded into the communi-ties in which they live, including the clandestine communi-ties of feral cats.

To commemorate this scientific study on the MRFRSferal-cat feeding program, the research team created specialgift bags containing a collection of symbolic objects, each ref

erencing the character of a feral cat, to be given to each feralcat feeder. “It was our hope that with these objects the com-munity of feeders could be further solidified … and couldfurther unite the feeders with their places [in the communi-ty],” Adams explains.

Grimes distributed the gift bags at the holiday feralparty, and these unusual “feral artifacts” – including a deco-rative pin, a mousepad, a stencil, and an adhesive windowsticker, all with a feral cat motif – were joyfully received.Feeders were especially delighted with the notched-ear oneach of the cat-cutouts, signifying a feral cat who has beenTrapped, Neutered, and Returned (TNR’ed).

Reflecting on their temporary stint as feral cat feeders,Adams and Lutz say, “was a chance to see how even such aspecific and eccentric activity as feeding feral cats forms abeautiful ‘place’ in a community.”

(Adams says that several team members are still drivingaround with feral-cat window stickers on their vehicles!)

Ethan is a 3 year old DSH black & white male. He is quite shy,but loves other cats and can co-exist with kids and dogs.

adoptme!

April 30 — 6PM MRFRS Annual FurBall/Auction.Fundraiser for the kitties @ Newburyport City Hall.

May 29 & 30 — 10AM to 5PM Visit the MRFRS Booth at theannual Spring Festival. Downtown Newburyport.

June 5 — 9AM to 2PM MRFRS Yard Sale @ Salisbury headqtrs.

July 13 and November 3 — 7PM Feral Forum. Lecture-orient-ed presentation that answers: What is a feral cat? How do Isocialize a feral cat? How can I become a feral foster parent? @Institution for Savings Lending Office. State St, Newburyport.

July 14 and November 9 — 7PM Feral Workshop. Hands-onworkshop for current feral foster parents and for anyone inter-ested in working with or adopting a former feral cat @Institution for Savings Lending Office. State St, Newburyport.

September 18 — 10:30AM to 4 PM Strut for Strays @ BartletMall. High St. Newburyport.

September 28 — 6PM MRFRSAnnual Meeting (Public invited!)@ Newburyport Public Library.State St. Newburyport.

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MRFRS CALENDAR

Cat NannyBarbara Wright

(978) 465–7167

Loving CareIn Your Home

Mama is a 6-year-old DSH tiger. She is very sweet and needs a quiet, patient home.

Elsa is a lovely 13-year-old female. Shewould probably like being an only kitty.

Terri– DSH grey tiger w/white SF,1 yr. She is quite sweet, but does not like other cats.

Zoe is a 9-year-old DLH tiger/coonfemale. She is looking for a quiethome with no small children.

adoptus!

Teeny Weeny is a shy 3-year-old female.She is FIV+ and would do very well asa buddy cat to another kitty with FIV.

12-year-old Pugsley is a very sweet, quietand loving guy. He gets along with theother cats and with older children.

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WISH LIST

9 Lives, Whiskas, orMother Hubbard cannedfood for feralsFood & water containersfor feralsDry food for feralsKitty playpensKitty litter (nonclumping)Small litter pansPooper-scoopers BleachBach Rescue RemedyLaundry detergentDishwashing brushesDishwashing soapKitchen trash bagsFloor mopsPaper towels/tissuesRubber gloves Surgical glovesCotton balls & Q-tipsPillowcases/sheets Simple GreenNature’s MiracleMissing Link supplementPet MagicFlea combsCatnip (in bulk)

The Merrimack RiverFeline Rescue Society

63 Elm Street. Salisbury, MA 01952978-462-0760

email: mrfrs@mrfrs.org

BULK RATEU.S. POSTAGE

P A I DNon-Profit Org.

Permit #11Newbuyport, MA

01950

The Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society requests the pleasure of your company at the

Eleventh Annual

Furball AuctionFurball AuctionSaturday, April 30, 2005 6–10 PM

Newburyport City Hall Auditorium60 Pleasant Street, Newburyport MA

Hundreds of auction items includingSporting Event Tickets, African Safari, Restaurants, Theater,Novelites, Art, and much moreRaffle and Quickie Board

Tickets: $20 in advance (available at MRFRS, Village Pet,and the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce)$25 at the door$18 for guests age 65+

Visit www.mrfrs.org for more informationMerrimack River Feline Rescue Society (978) 462–076063 Elm Street, Salisbury, MAand at Petsmart in Danvers, MA

Celebrity Auctioneers:Sheriff Frank CousinsRepresentative Harriett Stanley

(Tails optional)