Gandy Bridge Beach TNR Mission #1

GANDY BRIDGE BEACH TNR MISSION – October 30, 2008

Thursday's events played out more smoothly than most TNR's I imagine. In spite of our pre-conceived notions, the evening was filled with numerous surprises that luckily were captured on film. Enjoy the unfolding of our TNR…

Sue and I pulled off of the road and onto the eroded, uneven mess of what we refer to as Gandy Bridge Beach. It was 10:30p.m. and we were the only vehicle in sight. The light from our headlights bounced through the darkness like we were in a ship on angry waters and we squinted into the tree lines hoping to glimpse the steady shine of eyes glaring at our arrival. It wasn't long before we came to the place we knew the colony called home and we parked H.A.L.O. 1 a few feet away. Donned with flashlights, cat food, ski masks (I'm kidding) and the agenda at hand, we operated in silence as if the evening ahead had been orchestrated out of a secret service manual. I swear I faintly heard the mission impossible soundtrack wafting across the water. As we quietly began pulling the traps from the van, I wondered how long we would be there. I had brought along my chemistry book in anticipation of ample study time, similar to a sting mission…but in my haste, I had forgotten the doughnuts and coffee.

With the plan in place to bait the traps first and then place them in different areas, Sue and I peeled back the can lids of cat food and began the aromatic task of placing the "bait". As the air filled with the odor of sardines and other cat delights, the silence was broken with an unsuspected welcoming "meowwwww".

With the traps lined up right next to us, we stood in frozen awe as we looked up to find that we had been watched the entire time by the colony only a few feet away. A few had even decided that we seemed safe enough to approach in order to get to the food that they had watched us fix for them. Suddenly that mission impossible soundtrack seemed to disappear.

One by one a few of the younger ones circled around the trap sniffing at the food they could see inside. Within the first 20 minutes of our arrival, four cats walked into the traps right in front of us. (You'll see the pics). We looked at each other in partial amusement, relief, and shock. We wondered out loud if the others would be so accommodating as we looked in the direction of the mangroves they called home. Most had retreated back into hiding after watching their litter mates get swallowed by the metal food boxes we brought. We placed the kitties into H.A.L.O. 1 and covered them with towels and blankets to help calm them. We had made sure to bring our Healing Touch for Animals Music cd and we had that playing as well to assist in relaxing them (don't laugh, it works).

With six traps left to fill and approximately 20 cats peering back at us from their hiding spots, odds were in our favor that more would be hungry enough to take the chance. Both of us agreed that remaining calm ourselves and just filling the space with positive energy would make it a much less stressful situation for everyone. The dominant male of the group, we named him Goliath, kept a watchful eye (he's blind in one eye) on us as it was evident that he had given his family a warning to be careful. We assured him that we were there only to help and promised that everyone would be returned home.

One small cat in particular seemed to be a little less feral than the rest. We named her Isaac (before we knew that he was a she). Isaac had the sweetest little meow, seemed to have a little trouble walking with her back legs, and was ferociously hungry. So hungry was she, that I sat on the ground and held a can of food in my hand and she ate right out of my palm. Whether it was merely a food driven disregard for her own safety or if she knew I meant her no harm, I'll never know, but she let me pet her little head and stroke her frail, spiny back. Her body seemed more worn than the others, more tired, but there was a beautiful spirit about her. She was trusting. There was something special about Isaac. I promised her she would find rest and relief where we were taking her and I gently placed her in the van with the rest of her family.

By the time 12:30 had rolled around we had all but one of the traps filled. A few had sniffed around but moved on knowing that the tempting bite of food inside would cost them their freedom. Goliath was still standing guard as if warding off any that dared take the risk. He was determined to preserve what was left of his colony. There was no doubt that Goliath was the father of a majority of the cats living here. His stature alone demanded submission from any who crossed his path. Even his blind eye gave him sort of a "Black Beard" the pirate kind of charm that I'm sure the ladies swooned over.

We considered calling it an evening. All the traps were loaded into H.A.L.O. 1, the cats were sleeping and it was audible that they all had upper respiratory infections…bad ones. Something kept drawing me back to Goliath. I walked to the edge of the mangroves and sat down next to the trap. I could see him glaring at me, the enemy who had taken his tribe. A can of food in my hand, I outstretched my arm and again told him that he would find comfort and relief where we were taking them and that I promised on my soul that I would bring them all back home here to the beach. I placed the can of food down on the ground about 2 feet in front of me. He approached it as though he had been watching Discovery Channel documentaries on canned cat food hunting in the wilds of Africa. He ate with such ferocity that I thought he might try to consume the can as well. I stood up slowly and he sat frozen in a stare at my movements. I reached in for the can and he backed away as quickly as he had come to it. I picked up the can and told him the rest was in there and pointed to the trap. I walked away and 15 minutes later Goliath was in H.A.L.O. 1 with his family, falling asleep to the hum of the van and the music cd we had brought for them. Friday was already upon us as we pulled into our driveway at 1:45am and soon they would have rest and relief.

6:30 am Friday, October 31^st, 2008

We arrived at the Humane Society early. We knew that the parking lot would soon be buzzing with other feral cat trappers with cargo just like ours. As a policy, the Humane Society requires that all feral cats brought in must be named and the traps labeled accordingly. So, Sue and I unloaded each cat and placed them on the feral cat patio where the wonderful staff brings them into the facility to prepare for their surgeries.

Goliath, Isaac, Chip, Salsa, Buster, Cali, Cashew, Ash, Simon, and Jonah

That is what we named them…

I would return at approximately 4:00 that afternoon to pick them up and take them to the home they would recover in. I received a phone call around 2:30 from the veterinarian at the Humane Society. She explained that while the surgeries all went well, the cats were all very, very sick and they needed medicine and approximately 7 days of recovery before being released. One cat in particular gave her great concern…little Isaac. Isaac's little body was infected with Feline Leukemia and Aids, something we couldn't cure her of and something that was causing her great discomfort. I had promised Isaac that where we were taking her she would find rest and relief and that is exactly what we gave her. Her beautiful little soul is dancing and frolicking with others who have gone before her over the rainbow bridge. We truly had brought her home.

The rest of Isaac's family, was provided with medicine that was kindly donated by the staff at the Humane Society, and they are all recovering nicely at a wonderful home here in St. Pete. The woman who volunteered to care for these cats while they recover is truly an angel and we and the cats are so blessed to have met her.

We will be monitoring their recovery over the next few days and releasing them one day this week.

Another mission is planned for this coming Thursday, November 6^th. There are still more that need our help and we'll keep doing this until the job is finished.

"Rescuing" is an interesting paradox…while it is we that come with the tools and the intentions to aid those who cannot help themselves, I believe it is we who leave having been rescued. For I have never been involved in a work that leaves me feeling more alive, more purpose filled, and having more passion than that of this. And that my friends, is a gift that most struggle to find.

H.A.L.O. would like to extend eternal gratitude to Sue R., Angela P., Jennifer M., Jessica K., Jeanine P., and the Humane Society of Tampa Bay for your generous donations and heartfelt support. Without your help this mission couldn't have happened.

To all of you whom emailed us with encouragement, we also are grateful, for without your support, we would have no one to share these wonderful happy endings with!

This mission will undoubtedly be ongoing for quite some time. If you can help by sponsoring even one cat, you are doing a great thing. In addition to the $100 per week that it costs to get 10 spayed or neutered, we need donations of cat food (wet), gas cards (we live in Pinellas Point..the most southern point of St. Petersburg), towels and sheets (to cover the traps to calm them during transport), and D cell and AA batteries (for flashlights and camera).

Again we thank you so much for your support! You are Healing Animals with Love!

Enjoy the slide show.

Warmest Regards,

Stacey Thomas, Founder of H.A.L.O.-The Planet's Animal Ambulance