Jackie Dale-TheCatMother/Cat Trapper Updates, Cats to Rescue, TNR Time

Mar 29, 2025 | 2025 Articles, Animal Rescue Adventures, Jackie Dale, Pets, Reedley News

Cotton-Winery Bully
I left off my last column with an incoming cat from a winery a few miles from my home. The 10- pound male cat was incredibly beat-up and smelled REALLY bad. It was, of course, the unmistakable smell of hormone-charged urine. Obviously, the dude, now named, Cotton, needed to have outside accommodations. Even then the smell was permeating the entire area. I took him to the vet for a check-up and a cursory exam revealed nothing more than lots of minor injuries from constant fighting. His age is estimated to be 8-9 years. His aggression to other cats was apparent as he would growl at any passing cat and he was also spraying his kennel to the point where I had to line the walls of the kennel with pee pads. A week later I was able to get him in in to be neutered. He slowly began to smell better and spray less. Even his massive jowls seemed to shrink a little. His aggression towards other cats is still there, though. One day I accidentally left his kennel door unlatched, and he got out. He proceeded to relentlessly bully my 13-year-old male who, frankly, wouldn’t hurt a fly. My son attempted to pick him up and Cotton bit him. So armed with a pair of falcon gloves, I grabbed him. He is actually quite friendly, he just didn’t want to get into the carrier. Once we wrestled him into the carrier, he was returned to his quarters where he is doing just fine. Although he is sort of on the older side, I’m hoping the rescue may take pity on him and help find him a nice home.

Eclipse-rescued cat

Update on the 12
Another addendum to the 12 cats I had to take in when the man unexpectedly passed away. The update is: three went to rescue, one escaped into the yard where he/she is doing fine. The remaining eight cats are occupying my huge catio. I was told that of the 12 cats, all were fixed but one. Here is the caveat; no one knew which one had not been fixed. So one day I go over to the catio to see one of the orange males attempting to mount another cat. “Well,” I thought to myself, “there is my unfixed female.” I was somewhat confused about the orange cat. I took a good look at his rear end and there they were, in their big furry glory. Obviously there were in fact, two unfixed cats. Then there is a second complication. The unfixed tabby and white female has a double. Yes, there are two cats who look very much alike. Unsure of my next move, I gave it some thought and decided the male cat would tell me where the female was located.

TNR Cat Caught in Mid-Meow

Sure enough, the female was hiding inside one of the heated cat houses with the male sitting right outside the door, just waiting. More thinking. I went and got a trap. I opened it and balanced it in front of the only way out of the house. I then worked my hand into the house from the top and when the startled cat ran out, she ran right into the trap and I dropped the door down! Now, I have to corral the male cat to get him fixed. They are finally trusting me enough to allow me to pet some of them. One day, I will just scruff him and usher him into a carrier before he knows what’s what.

Lots of Cats Rescued

Missy-Alone for a Year

I had several people message me about a cat in a nearby town. The owner had died. A YEAR AGO, and the cat had been alone all that time. For part of that time, there was also another cat there, but the relatives were able to find that one a home. A relative who lived nearby had been feeding the cat daily. Now the relatives were saying that if another home could not be found for the cat, they were going to euthanize her. I agreed to take her, and arrangements were made for me to pick her up. When I arrived, they took the carrier from me and went to another room to get the cat. I was a tad worried that they cat was not as friendly as I had been assured that it was. They gave me a donation, enough to cover her spay and vaccinations. They asked where she was going, and I explained that she would spend her first few days in a large kennel. As I was walking to my car with “Missy,” I was unable to refrain from adding, “But it is so much better than being dead!” The look on the lady’s face was priceless as she stammered out, “Oh, yeah, um, I guess so.” I mean she used the threat of death to get someone to take the cat so … it’s all fair play in my book. The cat turned out to be really sweet. She was also already fixed, so she needlessly went under anesthesia due to the erroneous information I was given. Missy has since gone to the rescue.

Along with Missy went a sleek black cat named Quincy. Quincy is a friendly stray rescued from the streets by a friend. I also had just taken in a kitten that someone had found and posted on Facebook. I gave my number, but several days passed so I assumed someone else got the kitten. But not the case, the lady called, and we arranged to meet. I was glad we did. The kitten is absolutely over-the-top cute. So cute in fact, that when I sent his photo to the rescue, they wanted him too, even though he was not yet fixed. Five cats went out that week!

I have not had the opportunity to sit down and count out my stats for the past year. However, since December 18 of last year and now, I have sent 43 cats to rescue. These have included a blind cat, a cat recently abandoned at a church, and Athena, the water splasher.

Kitten Found in Road

I recently accepted a late-night intake from another rescuer. The tiny kitten had been found in the middle of a road. She had no supplies or knowledge of bottle feeding so she brought it to me.

Fortunately, she called around looking for a nursing mother cat, and The Cat House on the Kings was able to take in the tiny boy. I had one more adult intake, a nice male cat, another street rescue. When I put him in a bathroom, he did one of those amazing leaps where it looks like they are scaling the wall. He was clearly unhappy with the INDOOR situation. I set him up outside in a big kennel and he seems much more content. I see this cat as having been an outdoors cat his entire life.

TNR Time
This week I trapped for an elderly couple that I met in the veterinarian’s office. They had some strays show up and needed assistance. It was a challenging project. There were at least five other cats that had already been fixed. Of course, those were the ones that kept going in the traps. They would let the cat out, but each time I had to go back to the house to reset the traps. Multiple trips later, I had trapped four cats. One of the cats had already been neutered and the lone female was pregnant. The woman was upset about that. I told her that I didn’t know and I couldn’t tell. And did she really want a bunch of kittens running around? No, she did not.

Kitten Found in my Yard

So as I wrap up another month, my son-in-law comes in and ask me if I am missing a kitten. I tell him no, and he shows me a gorgeous white kitten. He said he heard a meow and when he opened his door, the kitten was just sitting there. Bear in mind, I live in a remote area. Friendly kittens don’t just appear out of nowhere. Unfortunately, my cameras don’t cover every single square inch of my property. No doubt someone skulked around in the dark and dropped it over the fence. My SIL is keeping the kitten as playmate for their other cat.

DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS GREATLY APPRECIATED!! I can’t operate without them. If you would like to make a donation, I have a PayPal account jackiejoy@hotmail[dot]com You can also support the post office and send donations/supplies via good old snail mail to Jackie Dale P O Box 1859, Reedley, CA 93654.

You can check out more animal rescue articles in KRL’s animal rescue section! Join our Pets Facebook group to help keep up with our pet articles.

Jackie Dale is a freelance writer who lives in Reedley with her husband of 27 years, Frank, and their 2 children. A former ballerina, Jackie now teaches yoga and fitness classes privately and at local area gyms in addition to her cat related duties.