Colony #16

Frankie is the most bold of the cats at the Ignatius colony. He comes right out to eat, and will get within a couple feet. He rolls around like a sweet boy, and will voice his displeasure when someone is late to feed. Frankie is best buds with Petey and Finn, but gets along with all of the other colony cats. 

Petey is a great kitty. He is always waiting to be fed and gets along with all of his friends. Petey was shy when he was evaluated, and did not wish to be touched. He does like hanging around though, and loves watching birds. We found that he is an avid mouser, as a mouse got into his kennel and he killed it, putting it in his food dish. Petey is a wonderfully goofy boy! A first-time trapper assisted in catching him, and we gave her the chance to name him. We thought he was a girl, so she named him Sweet Pea. We were surprised when he was neutered! His name became Sweetie Petey, -- Petey for short. He was in foster care for over a month, as he badly needed dental care. After he was healed, he happily returned to his friends at his colony!

Phoebe is an interesting character. At first, she seems like March’s shadow, following her where she goes. But she showed her bold side when a new feeder started, and she came out while March stayed behind. She also was already ear-tipped, so we really don’t know her history at all, or even her gender definitively! She is timid at first, but will follow the others if there is food. 

Fiona has two names. After we trapped her, we took her in to be spayed. When the receptionist asked for a name, I struggled to think of something gender-neutral in the moment. Since the month was March, a person in the waiting room suggested that for a name. One of the feeders wanted a more fitting name for her, so she named her Fiona. March goes by both names, depending on who is talking about her! Her best buddy is Phoebe, though she gets along well with all of the other cats. She hangs back more than some of the others, though she will come right out to eat if she is familiar with the feeder. Though she seemed very feral upon evaluation, Dr. Liz found she was already spayed. We would love to know all of their history; it seems they all have a story to tell.

Mama Choo Choo earned her name when she was younger. She was tricky to trap, and constantly was having kittens. She was the mother who ran the train tracks. Therefore she became Mama Choo Choo. After she was finally spayed, Mama Choo Choo disappeared for a little while, but now has settled at our colony on the train tracks. She is usually alone there, but occasionally Fritz will join her to eat. She seems to have retired from her days of running the tracks and instead settles into her shelter box. 

Kayla, also known as Princess Kitty, came to our attention when she showed up pregnant to her station. We quickly trapped her and had her spayed after she gave birth to he litter, She was extremely young and quite feral. Several of her friends have been pulled inside because they were friendly, but she still has a few that she hangs out with. One of the other cats does chase her away, so she is often fed separately from the rest of the group. 

Stitch was released at our station by a person from another group. Though his companion disappeared almost immediately, Stitch stuck around. Stitch is a quiet guy, and waits patiently for his turn to eat. He tends to hang out with Kayla or by himself. 

Ripley appeared on our route with an alarming lump on his back. We thought he may have an abscess or a tumor. Nope, we were worried for nothing. It was just a matt. The vet clipped it off while neutering him. After three weeks and a great escape in the foster’s basement, Ripley proved to be feral. We took him back to his home, where he has rejoined his buddy Salem. He is a big boy, weighing in at more than 20 pounds. It definitely made him a little scary when we were trying to catch him!

Yoko has an interesting story. Yoko was originally at a different station that was quite a distance away. She was known there as Shadow. Some time later she appeared at her current station, but we did not recognize her. After trapping herself, she was brought in for assessment and TNR. She was already spayed, but not ear-tipped, much to our surprise. She seemed as though she was once someone’s pet since she allowed us to hold her and pet her, but she was terrified for it all. After some time, it was decided she would be happier outside again. It was after we released her that one of our volunteers was looking through old photos and realized with astonishment that Yoko is Shadow! She is friendly to the feeders she knows, but her inability to cope in a shelter environment makes adoption unfeasible for her. She is quite happy outside, as she has been there for many years already.

Phoenix is a beautiful but scared girl. A long time resident of the boathouse, she has outlived several of her friends and resides there alone for the most part. She will not approach, but when we come to feed her we are lucky enough to get a glimpse of her beautiful self. She will sit and wait until we leave before she will come out to eat. She is older, probably upwards of 7 or 8. 

Friday was relocated to his station with several other cats that also could not return to where they were trapped. Unfortunately, their station became a common place for dogs to walk off-leash, and they all scattered. Friday, however, just moved down the road. He chases off almost all other cats, so he is primarily alone. 

Cinnamon has resided at her station for several years, and has become a bit of a celebrity on the feeding route. She was completely feral when she was first TNR'd, but in the years since she has become friendly to those who feed her. Cinnamon loves fancy feast and will accept head scratches from those she knows. Cinnamon is about 10 years old and has lived outdoors her entire life. She doesn't stray far from her colony and mostly lives by herself, though Friday will sometimes keep warm with her in the winter.