Call of the Cats: What I Learned about Life and Love from a Feral Colony

Hard to read about all the litters born and then slaughtered, young and old by area predators (raccoons, coyotes, owls - anything bigger than a kitten) as he and his roommates fed the cats but waited so long to trap, neuter and spay. The females do NOT want to be breeding like rabbits, nor do the males want to be hormonally driven to fight and, alas, become injured and die in the process. T/N-S/R is the only humane course of action for these unique urban cat families. To not do so is irresponsible to the point of blockhead - the un-neutered and un-spayed are miserable and anxiety riven. It is cruel to allow young females to be impregnated every few months and bear kittens that will be killed and eaten by dogs, foxes, and other predators. It is cruel to allow the young males to struggle to defend their solitary lives by fighting for daily survival. Most cities have rescue groups and vets who will discount the spay/neuter services or even provide that for free, especially with the young ones.FYI: It is a myth that you have to take them in a kittens or ferals will not tame or become domesticated. As a cat lover and owner all my life, the journey of caring for ferals was sprung on me when a small colony was driven out of their protected wooded little space and settled in our fenced yard. We trapped and got each one their shots, spayed or neutered and then released them. The kittens came inside for good and within 2 months were love bunnies. Two adult males immediately tamed and lived happily on our large deck and yard, a young mother waited us out for TEN years, then tamed enough to come inside and became a loving lap cap. Her kittens and she lived to be nearly 20 - inside our home, becoming besties with our adopted domestic cat.But to avoid the instance of young being attacked and killed, older ones being attacked and infected with FIV, rabies and other fatal diseases, one must trap them ASAP at any age and tend to them as if the goal is to make them a member of the family, even if they are then released. Many ferals are wary, even for several years, as their instinct is to patently avoid all humans and if in the same space especially the human hand. However, once ferals bond with ONE loving person equally as patient as they are, they more easily can choose to cross over from wild to tame and then trust, love, become less anxious. It helps if they are allowed to bond with a domestic cat in the home.

I enjoyed reading this book; it's a quick read. There were many historical and educational tidbits as well as (I can only imagine) fantastical anecdotes embellished with raw emotion. The reason why I give this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because, as a cat lover and rescuer myself, I found it difficult to comprehend some of the author's actions in the book. While he did attempt to explain his initial neglect of (spoiler alert) TNR, for example, I just couldn't understand why a rational human being with a love for cats would let kittens grow up in the bush. Knowing of the abundance of predators, watching as kittens got snatched--how did that not immediately motivate him to halt the cycle, socialize the kittens inside, and try to find adoptive homes for them? Yes, we can't save them all, but that's why kittens from feral colonies should be plucked as soon as possible and adoptive families sought. In fact, the ideal age to ensure that kittens born to feral parents are properly socialized with humans is 4 weeks. By then, they are close to being weaned and only need canned food and formula mush for maybe two more weeks before being on regular kitten food. By 8 weeks of age, feral kittens are already much more difficult to tame--they will be fearful and unsure of human contact. Surely, the author could have saved far more cats if he had brought them in earlier and attempted to find other homes for them, rather than trying to keep them in the house he shared with his housemates.) That's just my perspective, as someone who has rescued ferals and fostered feral kittens (who are all now loving and adored indoors-only family cats). So, overall, I would say that if you're not very involved with cat rescue and don't know a whole lot about it, this book will probably be enjoyable, heartwarming, and the author will probably come off as an insane cat man. However, if you're involved with cat rescue, some of these stories will be frustrating, to say the least. Either way, it's a fast read. If you have felines in your home, you may appreciate them that much more, and keep them that much closer.

This is my absolute favorite book on cats, to date. It is beautifully written, with a lot of laugh-out-loud humor that blindsided me, mostly when in the middle of a very serious situation. The author lived way out of my comfort zone with these feral cats, which earned a huge amount of respect and awe from me.There is some excellent history of cats interspersed occasionally as well.I highly recommend it.

Received in a timely manner and the book is in excellent condition. Thanks.

I am not sure I can even begin to put into words how deeply this book is impacting me (I am on my second reading). I had never even heard of Andrew Bloomfield until I saw this book and reviews on Amazon. I was "led" to this book to read. I have had cats since childhood, barn cats, indoor ones, strays but little to no contact with feral cats (at least that I know of, they are very elusive). I adore cats as the animals they are with all their qualities of being cats. However his book and his writing drew me in, brought me along for the journey of caring for feral kitties, lured me into falling "in love" with the cast of characters (the cats themselves), and feel the love, relief, anxiety, and pain (from the tragic loss of some of them) and essentially changed me. He provides education, humor, and spiritual insights along the way, bringing together as well as contrasting where the "wild and tame" in all of us. I love this book and the writing.

As a feral cat rescuer myself, I found this book very interesting! There need to be more books on the subject.

Arrived earlier than expected. Fully satisfied.

I really enjoyed this book, it was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I’m not sure I could look after a colony of ferals as it would upset me too much but the people that do are true angels.... this book makes you realise how important trap, neuter and return is.... I also loved how the author is very spiritual in his writing. I hope this book is enjoyed by cat lovers the world over.

Beautifully written with wonderful insights and anecdotes about life, love, responsibility and of course the cats! Loved this book and hope for more from this author!