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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Stowaway cat wants to go home


By Debra Speakes
Star Valley resident

I had my new internet service installed Monday November 19. The Dishnet installer called to tell me he was running late because apparently at one of the last stops he'd made before the weekend, a cat had gotten into his service truck, had been trapped there all weekend, and WOULD NOT COME OUT. I told him to come on out to my place; I had managed ferals and had a trap and we could try to lure it out with some nice tuna cat food into the trap and then I would take care of it.  At this point we were assuming it was an untamed feral cat.

The last place he had been was near the Pyle Ranch on the Control Road, but it is possible the cat may have stowed away at an earlier stop and he just didn’t realize it.  So she could have come from anywhere in the Payson area.

He came out to my house and took out the stuff he needed to do my install. The cat was at the very front left corner of the truck, on top of a pile of boxes, pretty much squeezed into a four inch space between the boxes and the roof. We cleared out room for the trap and I baited it and put it in the truck and we closed the doors and left it alone. 

I checked it awhile later and the trap was sprung but the cat wasn't in it. I moved out some more stuff to give it easier access and left it alone some more.

Still no dice.

I cleared off the side shelf in front of where the cat was, made a little tunnel from where the cat was to where the trap was, and started prodding the cat with a piece of pvc pipe.  I could see her left ear was tipped so I assumed she was feral and was careful not to get within biting or scratching range while I poked and prodded and pushed and coaxed to try to get her out. I got into the truck on my knees (ouch! textured steel floor!) so I could reach better and finally managed to shift her forward about a foot, whereupon I blocked her so she couldn't retreat and kept trying to get her to go forward into the cage.

The installer came by about then and realized she was now close enough for him to reach in and touch her. She started pushing into his hand, making it clear that despite the tipped ear, she was NOT feral, she was someone's pet. He got hold of the scruff of her neck and pulled her out and held her in his arms while I pulled out the trap and he put her inside it.

She's now in my garage in a big roomy cage with a litter box, blanket, food, and water and I pet her every day while I try to find her owners, who probably assumed the coyotes had gotten her when she disappeared for three days and are no longer looking for her.

I notified the Humane Society and Friends of the Ferals about her, I've got flyers up and an ad running in the paper and I called Trades n Sales with her story and put her pics on the Trades n Sales web site.

I will keep trying to find her owners for at least three weeks in case they are gone for the holidays.

The cat is a tortoiseshell with tabby facial markings and is eartipped, so she may originally have been a feral cat that has since been domesticated.  She is very sweet and I’m sure someone is missing her terribly.

If you know this cat, or know someone who is missing a cat, or know someone who wants a cat, please call me at 928-468-6167.  In addition to this sweet tortie, I have two other torties of my own that I am trying to find homes for since my other female hates them and I have to keep them separated.  These are indoor cats who have been spayed, one wants to be a lap cat and the other will make you laugh.

I will not give the lost cat to anyone until enough time has passed to allow her owners to reclaim her.

Please help me reunite this cat with her owners! 

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