Trapping on a farm: feral and semi-feral cats. During 2022, along with another charity we intervened to remove an estimated 80-plus resident feline colony living on a farm outside Bristol. Things were changing, and the cats were going to lose their secure home. We did it, with a mammoth commitment and effort from all involved. But my goodness! We never expected to find these dear little things - thank heavens we did. Their mummy cat seemed not much more than a kitten herself when first spotted; we were shocked to realise she had kittens of her own hidden away. We had just trapped two sickly kittens, then spotted another as it ran off. We could hear a little cry from a dark farm building and thought it was the little cat we'd just seen. The cries persisted, but so difficult to locate. We hunted the source of the sound. Next, a huge shock! Hidden at the bottom of large deep container in the pit of an abandoned milking parlour was... three tiny kittens. No comforts, just a coil of electrical wire for their bed. Of course, it became our priority to try and reunite mum and kittens; we couldn't take them without their mum. There followed a long and anxious wait for some hours as we staked out the trap. Yes, mum finally turned up and the trap worked! it was a pretty special moment to see them all safe and back together. The kittens, nicknamed The Munchkins, are being prepared for rehoming. One has needed some extra care, but all three are doing well. (fb)

First, Happy New Year to all our supporters! Here's an update on one of our main activities over the past year. For over two years we've been part of a small collaboration of charities working together to trap and re-home large numbers of feral and semi-feral cats living on sites on the margins of heavy industrial areas in Avonmouth, Bristol. .... The cats and kittens are trapped with lots of consideration to keep family groups together. They are then vet checked, neutered, chipped, treated if necessary. The environment they come from is so hostile and dangerous for the cats that they are not returned; much time and effort is expended to move them in small groups to suitable, safer locations. .... There's no respite for these poor cats without human intervention. They live rough because it's all that's available. We find many young female cats, pregnant again with young kittens at their side. So much suffering - from a recent case of an older kitten untreated with a broken leg that needed amputation, to cases of anti-freeze poisoning, run over by lorries, eye tumour, mammary tumours and so on. We very rarely see cats older than three years old. .... There’s little natural food on these industrial sites, and foraging among the machinery, rubbish and chemicals is hazardous. The cats are dependent on friendly human workers to feed and befriend them. .... Thank goodness, we’ve met some lovely people on these sites who really try to help where they can. Although the cats brighten their day, they are relieved to know there’s a long-term future for their feline visitors. .... Our commitment has been pretty much every day, all year - yes, even Christmas Day! - monitoring, setting up feeding stations, trapping, running to and from vet appointments, rehoming, travelling long distances to get the cats safely relocated. .... Just a few pictures from the hundred+ we've helped. Every one's different, some friendly, others cautious, some scared. None bad. (fb)