damn it!

[Chanda]

darn it, I got something snatching cats at night; I've lost 3 for sure in the last 4-5 days, and one about a week to ten days prior to that.  the last 3 were snatched from around my feed building, so yesterday I put mesh panels up around the "yard" in front of the building, and a cat still went missing last night (and she's been around a long time and is saavy).   I do need to flip one of the mesh panels over, as the bottom may be too blocked for the cats, as it's the skinny end.  Damn it, this makes me mad and sad.  Always lose favorites to something like this.   I hate to lock them in the feed shed at night, it's just so hot right now, and the shed isn't cooling off like it should; it has a doggy door (cat sized).
I'll admit we have an abundance of barn cats due to drop offs and missed low cost spay/neuter clinics; but I still hate to lose even one, well there are a couple that wouldn't hurt my feeling, but of course they'll be here til the end, crap only happens to the favorites.   Did get that panel flipped over, and may just have to lock them in, but that also means any one I miss is locked out.   There is no evidence of foul play, no piles of hair, no nothing to show something snatched the cats; but it has to be something.  I know we have hawks and maybe owls, but I can't imagine they can swoop and snatch a cat in that small area around my feed building; and you'd think with a coyote and a especially a fox, that there'd be evidence of a snatching.
Feeling a bit bummed out today.

[Ryan]

So sorry Chanda , I hope they show up soon 

[Chanda]

So sorry Chanda , I hope they show up soon 

Thank you.
I wish, but I do not think that is going to happen.   One has been gone nearly 2 weeks.  This past weekend's losses were a cat with a mobility issue (and I though he was getting better, but still couldn't outrun something), a kitten (6-8 weeks old) and grandma kitty (if she could come back we'd be over the moon, she's too feral to be a house cat, but has come around enough to enjoy a few good pets now and again).

[Ryan]

Ill give you some hope by saying..... I had a cat before I got my boxer 9 years ago. I only had her about 3 months before my dog arrived. One day the cat just vanished and I was sure she had been taken by a fox or something.

When managing hotels and working night shifts, I returned home one night and was having a night cap of a glass of red. It was so hot and in the middle of summer , that I thought Id have it outside. I was flicking thru my phone and I looked up to see the cat looking at me on the back lawn. This had been about two years since she had vanished.

I still see her every now and then, running thru the back paddocks.

[Chanda]

I think you had too much red...   

We do have one cat that goes on walk about every summer for a month or two, the first year she scared the crap of us, but she's been doing it about 6-7 years now.  She doesn't get along very well with many of the other barn cats, but always comes home for winter.
It would be nice if the missing kitties would show up, but I'm two and two for possibilities: two are maybe could happen, two are not likely.

[dcwolcott]

Oh, I'm so sorry Chanda.  What a shame and kudos to you for trying to protect them.  I hope you're successful and figuring this out.  So sad.

[Chanda]

If the silly things would all go in the barns at night and stay there, they'd probably be just fine, but they are nocturnal and go hunting at night, so get nabbed.
Hopefully, no one else is missing this morning; can be hard to tell with so many plain black cats, but a little easier to tell with the tabbies if someone is missing and with the few that aren't tabby or black.   [My most favorite kitty is an old grey girl, I now call her grandma grey; she was in one of the first groups we ever took to a spay neuter clinic.   She must be pushing 9-10 years old now, maybe old; she sticks pretty close to the feed building, and I'm pretty sure she is always in at night.]

[Chanda]

Well, there is no coming back for the Siamese grandma cat that was the last to be snatched, I found her remains this morning, had to be her, even though there wasn't much left.  I don't know how I missed it yesterday, other than I sometimes go the other way around the building when heading to feed the geldings, and I'm often pre-occupied.  [I'll be burying her with mom's cat and another that was lost earlier, that I haven't had time to bury, yet.]
Sorry to bum you guys out, but had to dump my feeling somewhere.   

[Chanda]

having this sort of afternoon...   

It's been awhile since losing a barn cat affected me this much, but the last one lost was a favorite and had been around for years, hence calling her Grandma.   

[Chanda]

Still having a blue kind of day; but did get a little bit of corral cleaned.  Cleaned one area, right up to where a horse was standing and didn't want to move; will get back to it Friday, as tomorrow we go to town for a meeting.

[Anna]

I'm so very sorry about your cats Chanda. It does sound as though whatever is taking them is returning regularly for more. No chance you could set up a camera to see if anything is coming up real close instead of waiting for the cats to venture out hunting? Or maybe sitting outside with a loaded gun for a couple of nights - but then I don't suppose this would be much good if the cats are wandering further away. I can understand how you feel, it must be so frustrating as well as very sad. (((HUGS)))

[Chanda]

Thank you, Anna, I appreciate it.   We're trying to figure out what to do, including figuring out a place to lock cats up while we try to catch whatever is causing problems, but not sure with the number of cats out there that it would be very feasible.

On a better note, a cat I have not seen in awhile showed up this afternoon.  Doesn't look too skinny; and I think my MIL said she had seen a strange Siamese in her yard (they live 1.5 miles north), so hopefully, he's smart enough to stay in the barn at night and not venture out and get snatched.   [We only have a couple Siamese in the mix, so they are some what easy to tell apart.]

[Ryan]

I think you had too much red...   

We do have one cat that goes on walk about every summer for a month or two, the first year she scared the crap of us, but she's been doing it about 6-7 years now.  She doesn't get along very well with many of the other barn cats, but always comes home for winter.
It would be nice if the missing kitties would show up, but I'm two and two for possibilities: two are maybe could happen, two are not likely.

I thought Id had too much red too.

Im really sorry , does sound like somethings snatching them. Any chance of containing the cats and trying to set up a trap, for whatevers lurking around ?

[Chanda]

Im really sorry , does sound like somethings snatching them. Any chance of containing the cats and trying to set up a trap, for whatevers lurking around ?

Trying to figure out the logistics of locking them up and trying to trap or something, but we have lots of barn cats due to drop offs and a few missed low cost clinics.   Hopefully, the mesh around the barnyard area will help, but some are still too stupid to stay inside.

[Ryan]

Hope you can work something out Chanda, Im thinking of you