# Hate seeing little footprints in the snow...



## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

its so cold here, below zero C anyway, we got aLOT of snow yesterday. And I see little kitty footprints, making the "rounds". The only good thing is i can see where he/she goes often enough to put some food out. I did that tonight. Then realized that my mom would see my footprints and possibly know i put food out again. 

But I put it at the way back of the yard this time. Her argument was what if we had our own kitties having peeing issues because of the other cats coming around to eat. But clearly, they come around anyway. and if they eat that far away from the house, with everything closed up anyway, shouldnt be an issue for scent anyway.

Maybe she just wont notice  lol

I hope the kitties know where to stay warm though. could even be someones indoor/outdoor... but there are strays around too.


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## amy22 (Jul 5, 2013)

Aww, I know how you feel, my heart breaks when i see those cat prints in the snow. Last year walking out to my car found bunny prints all down my driveway. When I got to the bottom I found cat prints mixed in and then no more bunny prints but cat prints leading back under the porch. The next day was a similar drama with bird prints. Then the snow melted


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

Hmmm, wonder if the kitty got the bunny and the bird, although that would be quite sad ( i know, its nature, but i would still hate to see it). Any red snow?

before it snowed this much i saw what could have been bunny prints... it was 4 feet, and with 2 wider spread then the other 2. maybe a squirrel too? Wasnt too sure, didnt appear to be birdlike though. 

mine seem to be just kitty prints, just wandering about. I cant tell where he comes from though, or where he hides.


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

I hate that there are cats out in the cold and snow, but I don't hate seeing the prints because it tells me that my colony cats are moving around and not trapped under a dumpster by the snow, freezing or starving to death.  I can also follow the prints to figure out where the cats are staying sometimes, which makes it easier to feed and keep an eye on them, not to mention trap them and get them fixed. 

I have a colony cat, an orange & white tom, that has been at my colony for as long as I've known there was a colony here. I've finally managed to establish a feeding routine with him within the last month, and, low and behold, he's actually _completely_ tame! I thought he might be semi-feral--he used to run whenever anyone approached, but within a month of establishing a feeding routine with him, I can pet him, scratch his cheeks, and pick him up! I didn't have a carrier with me on Friday, so I didn't grab him then, and I really regret it now because we got 20cm of snow on Saturday, and the temperatures have been in the minus teens.  I drove to the office on both Saturday and Sunday in the hopes of scooping him up, but he wasn't there either day. I'm pretty worried about him. Footprints would at least tell me that he's okay.


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

I always worry about the little feral I'm trying to catch when it gets down into the single digits at night. But she always shows up the next day,none the worse for wear! She MUST have another hangout,besides my friends house,someplace indoors!

btw,Galileo,looks a lot like my Robin Hood!


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## katrina89 (Jul 30, 2013)

I'm trying to focus on the positive this winter... I took in a stray teo months ago and he has been loving being indoors... lounging safe and warm... wish I could save them all

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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

bluemilk said:


> I always worry about the little feral I'm trying to catch when it gets down into the single digits at night. But she always shows up the next day,none the worse for wear! She MUST have another hangout,besides my friends house,someplace indoors!
> 
> btw,Galileo,looks a lot like my Robin Hood!


Yeah, she's probably found somewhere to spend the nights; if not in a house, maybe in someone's shed or something, hopefully. I've wondered if maybe my tame tom cat is being put up by someone who works at the hotel--it would explain why he's still so tame after having lived outside for at least a year and a half; but, I've seen him around late at night when I've had to work really late during tax season, too, so I don't know. I just hope he's waiting beside his food bowl for me tonight at the usual time.

Robin Hood is a good name for a male tabby & white; there's just something kind of jaunty and slightly roguish about the look of them.


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## katrina89 (Jul 30, 2013)

I think a common place is under warm cars... blocks the wind

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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

katrina89 said:


> I think a common place is under warm cars... blocks the wind.


Yes, it's pretty common for them to shelter under cars. Cats will climb up through the undercarriage and end up under the hoods of cars because it's warm, but it's a really dangerous place for them to be because of all of the moving parts that kick on when the car is started.

I have insulated feral cat shelters full of straw for my colony cats, so I hope they would use those instead. The tame tom cat is quite wary of people in general, which is why, with the amount of time he's been outside for, I thought he must be, at best, semi-feral. He tends to stick to the treed area beside the hotel. The only time I've seen him in the parking lot is at night when there aren't a lot of cars around, luckily.


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

A little bit OT, but, guess what? I just trapped my tame tom cat!!


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

dt8thd said:


> A little bit OT, but, guess what? I just trapped my tame tom cat!!


Good show! (English hunting expression)

When I visit my sister,on Sunday,I'll see Mocha and Jazzy,. Mocha and Jazzy were 2 strays (ferals?) that my sister rescued. They took shelter from the cold in a soda machine!


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

Also a little bit OT

Feral makes me think of Ferrell . I know someone who looks just like Will Ferrell in his Elf character! It's uncanny!


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## Claiken (Dec 18, 2007)

katrina89 said:


> I think a common place is under warm cars... blocks the wind
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


And this is why i lock and unlock my car several times before using my autostarter. would rather scare them a little than scare them alot!

not sure if they ever hide under there, i keep my car on the road... but just for safety I do that.


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