I got involved in rescue big time about 15 years ago when we bought the shelter the cats let us live in. I was driving home and about to turn the corner when i swore I saw a black rabbit on someone's front porch! Turned out to be a feral kitten which i persued until I discovered a few more, and a mom, and that was my downfall. They were breeding in an abandoned house a block away, and I managed to trap with a carrier rigged with a rope etc. several cats to start. My most heartbreaking first rescue was Ginger who was a dainty tabby and white girl (not orange, but brown) who had a broken tail, a fractured hip, and was emaciated to the point of almost death. From there it was other local spots within walking diastance, and then all hell broke loose! I discovered a colony around a roofing company etc. area with many cats and kittens congregated and living in (at the time) a shed that was filled with bedding. I trapped most of the cats there with my carrier trap but there were some tough cookies out there (no pun intended). I persued one cat for almost four years, watching her get raped by the tom cats constantly, she suffered an inner ear infection which caused her to fall over all the time, and ended in total deafness. At this point I had learned about traps, but this one cat was a smart cookie! She'd feed off the actions of the others and if one acted scared, she'd bolt under one of the many trailers that were there at the time. Finally I outsmarted her on an Easter sunday four years later! I knew where she had her kittens (in a bin set into an MBTA bus), and it was planned out perfect. My friend Ruth fed the cats and gave the call when the mom was on her way back. I had already moved things in the bus so I knew just where to go, and we waited 10 minutes until mama had settled w/her babes....and WHAM! I shoved a towel in the opening of the bin, and put a trap outside the hole until (and yes it took a while) she went in the trap contained mama Cookie! Her 4 kittens were only about 2 weeks old and I took them home settled them in and a few hours later, Cookie was purring! I can't believe how sweet she is to this day. And always wonder about the TNR that is so common. I Have TNR one cat that I swore was feral (also local) that ended up with Ruth's neighbor & a total lovebug. One can never tell sometimes!