An Accidental Cat Whisperer

I don't consider myself as a cat person.  I have never owned a cat and don't know much about cats.  Yet, I have become a guardian for the community cats in my neighborhood.

I took action because the growing street cat colony in my neighborhood is concerning. Although the cats help control the rodent population, they should not become a nuisance to the neighborhood. Overpopulation of cats creates an unsanitary and unhealthy environment as well.

Neighbors complained but no one took action. So, I started looking into how I can be part of the solution. Through research, I found that the most effective way to combat feral cat overpopulation is by performing TNR (trap-neuter-return). But how do I go about it? How do I trap a cat? Where do I bring them for neutering? What do I do with the cats afterward?

Working with Homeless Cats Network, a non-profit cat rescuing organization, I learned to trap and care for the cats. A wonderful cat rescuer showed up on Day 1 with 5 traps. We trapped 8 the first weekend. The next week 7, then 5 then 3, etc... in all in the past 6 months, we have trapped and neutered 23 cats.

In addition to being neutered, these lucky cats also received shots, checkup and were micro-chipped. The cat lady brought them back to the neighborhood and. They officially became managed cats.

It is such an rewarding experience. I am still feeding and trapping the cats because I have to make sure the cycle is broken. It will be a ongoing thing.

For now, these feral cats and the neighbors are coexisting peacefully. I don't think I can ask for anything more.

Northern Lights, Fairbanks, Alaska

Northern lights (aurora borealis) is a natural light display in the Earth's sky, predominantly seen in the high latitude regions (around the Arctic).

According to Wikipedia, "auroras are produced when the magnetosphere is sufficiently disturbed by the solar wind that the trajectories of charged particles in both solar wind and magnetospheric plasma, mainly in the form of electrons and protons, precipitate them into the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere) due to Earth's magnetic field, where their energy is lost."

In plain English: the light that's visible to our eyes is a result of electrically charged particles colliding in the atmosphere.

For this reason, there is no guarantee that you will get to see auroras. And even if you see it, there is no guarantee that it will always be as dramatic and brilliant as seen on postcards.

On the night that we went on the tour (12/28/17), it was forecasted to be a level 2, which meant low activity. Nevertheless, the sight of beautiful emerald lights appearing in the night sky, was breathtaking no matter how faint.

I'm so happy that I was able to capture it with my camera.

How about those colors?  Green is the most common color of auroras. When particles collide with oxygen, yellow and green are produced. Interactions with nitrogen produce red, violet, and occasionally blue colors.

Was it worth staying out in minus 17 degrees Farenheit to view the auroras?  You bet!  And I would definitely do it again.

Thank you Mother Nature!

TNR 101

There are about 24 feral cats living on my street.  They might have arrived about a year ago.  I wasn't paying attention.  First there was one, then two, then four, then eight...  A neighbor was feeding them at first.  Little by little, the colony grew, and few other neighbors (including me) started feeding them as well.

My cat story started with providing water to a little black and white kitty on one hot day last year.  Later on, I bought a little bag of cat food for her.  She liked it and started showing up everyday. Words must have gone out in the colony because more and more cats started showing up for food.  I have about 10 regulars.  I went from buying little ounce-size bags of cat food to 25-pound bags now.  Yes, I have become a CAT LADY.

I started paying more attention to the cats when the little black and white kitty got pregnant earlier this year.  She was a kitty herself.  In no time, new kitties were running around on our street.  Over the summer, there was a cat population explosion.  So many cats!  So many kitties!!

Some neighbors start complaining yet no one did anything about it.  Well, guess what, someone has to take action, and that person is me.

I looked into TNR.  Trap-Neuter-Return.  A humane way to control feral animal population without hurting them.  But where do I start?   How do I start?

After some research, I connected with Homeless Cat Network based in Belmont, CA.  What a wonderful non-profit organization that dedicates to feral cats.  They hooked me up with a volunteer who does cat trapping during her spare time and they paid for the expense of neutering these cats.  WOW!  To reciprocate their kindness, I made a cash donation to cover some of the surgery cost.  However, I can never donate enough to support their good deeds!!

Talking about learning on the job.  In no time, I learned to set up traps and tend to the cats after trapping.  Yap!  I'm a part-time cat trapper now.  From the first weekend in September through last weekend (4 weekends), we trapped total of 18 cats!!  We do trapping on Sundays.  The volunteer takes the cats to the vet on Monday morning to be examined, neutered/spayed, vaccinated and microchipped.  She then return them to my street on Monday nights.  She did all the hard work!!  My job was mainly PR with the neighbors informing them what we are doing and educating them on the concept of TNR.

All the TNRed cats are marked with a tipped left ear.  This is so if they were picked up Animal Control, they will be released because they belong to a managed cat colony.  The microchip will ensure that they are returned to the neighborhood if they ended up in shelters.  In other words, these cats are safe from being captured and destroyed.

It has been a satisfying experience.  Most all the cats now that show up have little tipped left ears and that just makes me smile.

There are still few more cats to trap but I hope we are already making a difference. I'm so proud of myself for being part of the solution and not problem.

Good job, Suts (pat myself on the back)!!

Kindness All Around

It's fun eating at a communal table especially in Chinatown.   The seating is usually cramped, and everyone just takes any seat available.  Often, people start chatting with complete strangers and in no time, they are talking like old pals.

Today at the Little Paris pho place, I shared a table with two ladies. Since I was sitting near the wall, I passed them the chopsticks, condiment dishes and spoons.  One lady was getting everyone the condiments.  We exchanged pleasantries while helping each other. For few minutes, we were like a family eating together although we were strangers to each other. 

This reminds me of a little story.  One time, Mom and I shared a table with an elderly couple. I poured them tea because it seemed to be the right thing to do in the presence of older folks. They were thrilled that I was polite and respectful to the elders so they insisted on buying us lunch.  

It's nice to know that there are times and places where people are nice to each other for no other reason than just being nice.

Paper, Plastic, Insulated or Nostalgic?

(Yawn!!)  I got bored using paper/plastic shopping bags to carry my lunch day in and day out.  Yes, a great way to recycle shopping bags but they are either too big or too small. Moreover, I feel like a walking advertisement for these brands.

You don't like that?  Buy your own lunch bags.

Many years ago, I had one of the earlier insulated lunch bags when they first came on the market.  It was by Eddie Bauer.  It was pretty cool back then but ubiquitous now.  The bag was only big enough for a sandwich; bulky, and bulkier with a ice pack.  I used it couple of times and lost interest.  For one, I needed a shopping bag for this bag (with chilled sandwich inside), other snacks and beverage.  It defeated the purpose of having a lunch bag, no?  OK, a BIGGER insulated bag will work, but meh...

So I started a quest.

I know I want a nostalgic tin lunchbox, just like the ones I had when I was little.  Back then, almost every kid had one in their hands as we waited for the school bus.  We couldn't wait to open it and to check out what others had in their lunchbox.  In those days, lunchbox food was pretty boring.  Most of the time it was a sandwich, a banana or an apple.  Some had beverage in a matching cheap tumbler, but the drink would be lukewarm by lunchtime.  No pasta or other fancy food because we did not have insulated double-wall containers to keep food hot or cold.  And, no colorful compartmentalized food containers too.

I searched and looked and, lo and behold, I found what I was looking for.  

Ta-Da!  Isn't it cute??  It is the perfect size too.  I can fit my bento box, coffee tumbler and a small fruit.  OK.  It doesn't keep my food warm but that is what microwave oven is for.

I have been bringing my lunchbox to work almost everyday.  I feel like a kid as I walk to and from work swinging my lunchbox.  I was self-conscious at first, but, very quickly, I decided that what the heck, this is me.  This is the inner me.  I'm a kid at heart and I don't care!

A Simple Pleasure.

Few folks on the street have complimented my Joe Cool lunchbox.  One guy said that I may be setting a trend and that he would not be surprised to see more folks carrying one in a year time.

Can you imagine bunch of us grownups dashing through the streets, running to catch a bus, waving lunchbox screaming, "wait for me!!!"  HAHA!!  I would love that very much.


The action of putting the lunchbox down on the table, flipping up the latch and lifting the top to reveal what was inside was every kid's delight of the day.  I am sure today's kids feel the same as they peer into their state-of-the-art lunch bags.

Past and present; young and old; I think all of us will always be excited about our lunchboxes.

Somethings never change...