Elizabeth Sighting

[Edwina's Secretary]

This summer there was a stray cat in my yard. ZippyKat suggested the name Elizabeth. She only stayed long enough to have four kittens in my window well. She left with two and we tried to save the two she left behind but were unsuccessful.

I thought she was still around and left out food until the night I saw the raccoon family eating it.

I saw her again yesterday. She looks soooo much like Edwina. Unfortunately she was in the yard of the only neighbor with whom we do NOT have cordial relations. In fact a couple of weeks ago I made a fuss through the alderman's office because he refused to cut his backyard -- which had no grass and just weeds -- over six feet tall. He cut the weeds and now I think Elizabeth was hiding in them.

He is NOT a very nice man and I am afraid what he will do if he sees her but I don't know how to get to her and not the raccoons. (There is a six foot fence between us.. So much for
tall fences make good neighbors...)

My husband tried calling her but she doesn't seem to know her name

Thoughts?

[Logan]

The only thing I know to do is pray for Elizabeth, Sara. Poor thing........

No sign of the kittens?

I wish I had a better idea, but I'm afraid any idea I have deals with food, and then you'd end up with the raccoons again.

Please keep us posted, and if you want me to, I can sic Butter on your nasty neighbor. Butter would win, for sure.

Logan

[Randi]

There's nothing like nasty neighbours - we had some! As Logan suggests, food would probably entice her to come, but then, there's the racoon family. I don't know much about them. Perhaps you could build a little house by the wall of yours and put a blanket in, she may go for that, especially if it smells nice around it (tuna like ) As we know, kittens like to hide and most like some kind of roof over them! Are you expecting rain? That would probably get her to move in.
You could build a cheap and easy one out of two polystyrene boxes; you can most likely get them at the green grocers. Tape them together and make a hole in one end, along the lenght of the box.

Well, this is all I can come up with. Hope you can work something out for her! Are the kittens around??

[toastco]

I'm with Randi. Build a littl house next to the fence. One of my neighbors did that one winter for a stray. She couldn't get it in the house and it was very cold. So, she fixed a outside shelter and put a blanket in it . She also put food in it. It worked! The cat came in
Mom to six cats and three dogs

[lizbud]

Edwina's Secretary,

Please forgive me if you've already explained this in
another post on Elizabeth but, how involved do you
want to be with this kitty? I mean, is your goal, to see
that she gets fed, or do you plan on first just keeping
her safe, fed, and maybe trapping her for a trip to a vet
for spaying? Randi & others seem to have some good
ideas for shelters for Elizabeth. Hope you can help her.
I'd love to see a picture of her. Thanks, Liz.

[toughCookie]

I agree with Randi also. maybe a little catnip, and a toy too. but the house and blanket is the best idea.

[emily_the_spoiled]

I have also found that sardines are very effective at attracting cats. If you don't want to put the sardines out, put the "sardine water" from the can over some cat food. This may attract Elizabeth and not your family of racoons.

[Cataholic]

I think you should cut a hole in the fence large enough for you to sneak through, and go over there when the bad people go away from home. I am not the queen of subtle behaviour, I am afraid. Make the hole easily repairable...and if the grass is sooo long, you can easily hide in it.

[Randi]

Originally posted by Cataholic
...and if the grass is sooo long, you can easily hide in it.

I can just picture Edwina's secretary crawling around in the grass with a can of sardine juice! - Edwina would think her secretary had lost her marbles

[Edwina's Secretary]

Edwina would think her secretary had lost her marbles

She wouldn't be the only one!!!! I am 5'8" tall (1.7 meters I think.)

I would need a good sized hole in the fence and ALOT of grass to hide in!

They have cut all the grass down so I'll need a new plan. I mentioned the sardine juice in a little house to my husband today...now he thinks I'm a bit nutty!

[toughCookie]

maybe you can call them and tell them they have won a contest of some sort, or that their name was drawn at random, and they must go pick up the prize that day, or lose it... then when you see them leave...get the cat! LOL just kidding but it would be funny, and if they are as mean as you say, then ha ha on them !!
LOL hey it's 1:30 AM here, it's all I could think of!

[NoahsMommy]

Hmmm.....is she people friendly? I guess I would put food out while you are home, in the day time and maybe you could watch the food. That way the raccoons couldn't get to it?

Let us know what you decide.