Thursday, June 4, 2009

Run Forrest Run!

This little guy is one of the subjects of the May 13th post, "Sexless near Seattle". He's a long haired, absolutely drop dead gorgeous silver tabby. He ran around our farm with his mom, Beauty and his brother, Shadow for months before he "earned" his name.



Last fall I trapped the resident feral cat family for their trip to the Feral Cat Spay and Neuter Project, north of Seattle. Because they were/are feral, their neuters and spay were absolutely free. (Thank goodness for good people providing services for a good cause!)

Beauty, the mama cat, was first into my trap. "Dang it," I could hear her cuss. I transferred her to a standby cat carrier and provided food, water and a little litter pan. I moved her up into the hay loft where I knew the two brothers were waiting for her to return. Bait.

Shadow was next into the trap. BANG -- the trap door closed shut and he whirled around to see what had happened. I put him next to his mom and stuffed the trap with goodies to eat, water and litter pan.

I knew Forrest would be a more challenging trapping subject. He just had that confident feline air about him. The canned cat food was placed strategically into the trap. I hid nearby. He trotted right in, gobbled the food and left the trap to socialize with his family. WHAT? The darn trap didn't close. I tried again and again. Same results. I finally put the "bonus round" of canned cat food, the really stinky stuff, into the trap. My patient attempts were finally rewarded. Now a rather rotund Forrest waddled in for what I thought would be the last time and started feeding his face. I skipped over and pushed the trap door closed. Aha -- gotcha!




Fast forward to December when the raccoons are menacing our bird feeders (another story all together). Now neutered cats are safe in the barn snoozing and the same trap is sitting by the bird feeders...with some miniature marshmallows inside to tempt the 'coons. I hear a commotion about 15 minutes later and peek outside to see Forrest trying to get OUT of the trap! Goofy cat, you would have thought he had had enough of that thing a few months earlier. He hated that trap, why would he go back inside? But then again, have miniature marshmallows trumped stinky-canned-cat-food?

I try to rescue the poor, unfortunate cat by opening the door. He doesn't leave. I tip the trap on it's end. He doesn't leave. His pitiful yowling has brought Beauty and Shadow to the scene and, I swear, they're looking at him like he's an idiot to go into the trap after his experience last fall.

Finally he shoots out of the trap. His family yells, "Run,run!" He peels out for the front door of the barn with a small cat door at the bottom. In his haste, in his absolute horror, he dives his head at the door, the wooden barn door. OUCH. More tries. Shoving his head over and over, he tries to find the (totally soft rubber, different colored) cat door. He knows there's a door there, somewhere.

Beauty and Shadow scamper over and stand on either side of the cat door like sentries. (Gosh, they do everything but point to the cat door!) Forrest aims for the "target". He succeeds and disappears inside the safe barn.




I am hysterical with laughter by now...and have decided the little fluff ball has earned his name. Forrest, definitely Forrest. I chuckle and can't help shouting out to the barn, "Run Forrest Run!"

(See the real Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks, in the movie of the same name. I think you'll notice the resemblance.)

2 comments:

the7msn Thursday, June 04, 2009 7:00:00 PM  

Too stinkin' funny. Did he go after the bird in that last shot...or did he let the bird go after him?

Sue Friday, June 05, 2009 12:48:00 AM  

LOL!!
You can use that trap to terrorize them, I tell ya!
Very funny...thanks for my morning chuckle.
Sue

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