I've talked here before about the story of PonyBoy and SodaPop, how they were rescued from a crazy-cat-hoarder-unheated-trailer situation. But I wasn't really sure of Tinks' story, other than that he was a feral kitten rescued from an urban setting in the city I work in.
So when the FC recently gave me the email address of the woman who originally rescued Tinks, I contacted her, letting her know how the Tinkster was doing. And she emailed me back, including some photos of him when she first rescued him, along with his story.
Here is what she said (unedited):
"I feel so good about Tink having a great life. He is the first cat I even came close to taming. He was sitting in my lap for morsels of chicken before he left me. What a great teacher he was for me. Of course, you know that I originally named him Tinkerbelle thinking he was a she. He is a Pine/Henry St cat. 1 of 4 feral kittens living in the back of a woodshed that butted up to a feeding station. Another woman, named Maureen who traps for the humane soc. , I think, or maybe acc, was sent out to nab a mom and kittens. In searching for them we found Tink and siblings. She wanted to trap them so badly but things got messy with another trapper and the humane society or whomever said no. Cat bodies were starting to turn up. Myself and the other trapper did some investigating to find out that 2 places were setting out antifreeze. One was where the wood shed was. The other trapper actually caught them. I took 3 kittens including Tink and she took one and who she thought was the mom. Having absolutely no knowledge of feral cats, just a feeding station of my own because I enjoyed the cats that were there and I was trying to befriend a couple of kittens that were regulars I was panicked by this entire poisoning situation. I ended up bringing in a multitude of cats for the fall and winter. I still have about 10 odd little adult misfits I assume will be with me forever. They were all housed in one spare bedroom and then the pregnant ones gave birth, it was a kitty Explosion. Tink loved the kittens and would come out to play during playtime but wouldn't let me touch him. The FC told me about CNY Snap and took many of the kittens for me. When I decided to switch the cat room in my house to another room Tink snuck out and refused to go into a kittenless room. We then became friends over chicken. He finally decided he could come on my lap to get the chicken and my world was altered. I continue to use SNAP as I am learning the art of trapping on my own now. I never realized that feral cats were wild animals before Tink. His siblings were much easier and trusting. I now am uncertain if they actually were siblings or just a bunch of kittens that stayed warm together. They were all so different. I am fairly certain I met his father the other night when I was trapping. He is stunning and regal, he reminded me of Bambi's father. He refused to enter the trap, but looked a lot like Tink. The other trapper said he has been around for years and refuses to be trapped. I will keep trying to get him to SNAP. I assumed all cats were just naturally tame and loving humans. Tink was my teacher. I couldn't believe how stubborn he was about trusting me.
Thank you, Thank you Thank you for giving him a chance at a great secure life. I am still not good at giving cats away, but honestly, I know he has a better life and it really, really helps. "
So! The story of Tinks, the woodshed cat.
So when the FC recently gave me the email address of the woman who originally rescued Tinks, I contacted her, letting her know how the Tinkster was doing. And she emailed me back, including some photos of him when she first rescued him, along with his story.
Here is what she said (unedited):
"I feel so good about Tink having a great life. He is the first cat I even came close to taming. He was sitting in my lap for morsels of chicken before he left me. What a great teacher he was for me. Of course, you know that I originally named him Tinkerbelle thinking he was a she. He is a Pine/Henry St cat. 1 of 4 feral kittens living in the back of a woodshed that butted up to a feeding station. Another woman, named Maureen who traps for the humane soc. , I think, or maybe acc, was sent out to nab a mom and kittens. In searching for them we found Tink and siblings. She wanted to trap them so badly but things got messy with another trapper and the humane society or whomever said no. Cat bodies were starting to turn up. Myself and the other trapper did some investigating to find out that 2 places were setting out antifreeze. One was where the wood shed was. The other trapper actually caught them. I took 3 kittens including Tink and she took one and who she thought was the mom. Having absolutely no knowledge of feral cats, just a feeding station of my own because I enjoyed the cats that were there and I was trying to befriend a couple of kittens that were regulars I was panicked by this entire poisoning situation. I ended up bringing in a multitude of cats for the fall and winter. I still have about 10 odd little adult misfits I assume will be with me forever. They were all housed in one spare bedroom and then the pregnant ones gave birth, it was a kitty Explosion. Tink loved the kittens and would come out to play during playtime but wouldn't let me touch him. The FC told me about CNY Snap and took many of the kittens for me. When I decided to switch the cat room in my house to another room Tink snuck out and refused to go into a kittenless room. We then became friends over chicken. He finally decided he could come on my lap to get the chicken and my world was altered. I continue to use SNAP as I am learning the art of trapping on my own now. I never realized that feral cats were wild animals before Tink. His siblings were much easier and trusting. I now am uncertain if they actually were siblings or just a bunch of kittens that stayed warm together. They were all so different. I am fairly certain I met his father the other night when I was trapping. He is stunning and regal, he reminded me of Bambi's father. He refused to enter the trap, but looked a lot like Tink. The other trapper said he has been around for years and refuses to be trapped. I will keep trying to get him to SNAP. I assumed all cats were just naturally tame and loving humans. Tink was my teacher. I couldn't believe how stubborn he was about trusting me.
Thank you, Thank you Thank you for giving him a chance at a great secure life. I am still not good at giving cats away, but honestly, I know he has a better life and it really, really helps. "
So! The story of Tinks, the woodshed cat.
2 comments:
What a sweet kitty!
Yeah, he's a cool dude.
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