Trapping a Frostbitten Snow Cat

My friend Kholood told me about a cat her family has been feeding for the past few weeks. They provided him food, water, shelter, and a heater in their garage.

Early this morning I went over there with a trap. I didn’t see him at first, because he blended right in. He’s a true snow cat! But I definitely heard him. He screamed at us almost the entire time.

He ran around in circles, begging for the food. At one point he even followed Kholood into the house. Obviously, this cat is friendly, but he wouldn’t sit still with us. We set the trap and left. A few minutes later, he was trapped. He kept screaming in there as well.

We brought him straight to Tree House’s clinic. This is the first time Kholood has ever trapped a cat, and she had a lot of questions for Angela, who works at Tree House. Angela is a rock star – she’s straightforward, compassionate, and knows her stuff. We were happy to learn that Kholood’s address falls into their Petsmart TNR grant, so that most of the services are free. But because this cat is most likely friendly, and Kholood is willing to foster, they discussed all the options for him. Today he will get neutered, vaccinated, flea treatment, a slight ear tip just in case he ends up outside again, and tested for FIV and FeLV since he might eventually be adopted indoors permanently. Kholood named him Lunar.

We got Lunar just in time. Angela pointed out that the tips of ears were black, which, in these frigid temperatures, means the start of frost bite.

Any animal that has this should be brought indoors. Most feral cats have survived winters and build up a fur winter coat to help keep them warm, but Lunar is most likely dumped outside and not used to fending for himself.

Also, his looks are pretty rare for a true outdoor cat. He’s snow white, with one green eye, and one blue eye.

Fingers crossed that all goes well for him today. After leaving him at the clinic, I drove Kholood home and was dropping her off into her alley entrance. Her neighbor all of sudden pulled out of her garage space and ran right into my car! What’s that saying again? No good deed…? Luckily, no one was hurt, and I can still drive my car for now. Hopefully when Kholood picks up Lunar tonight their ride home will be uneventful and safe.