Mimi had been on her own since the summer of 2005, but we first noticed her in December, when she would creep up to our porch late in the evening to eat the food we left out for strays. She was very shy and would dash off at the first hint of any movement in the house and not return to the food dish for hours.

Because of her size, of course I worried that she was a pregnant stray--ready to give birth out in the woods in the middle of December. So I lost no time in trying to trap her and fretted each night when the trap remained empty.

We removed the food dish from the porch and instead left a series of small dishes of cat food leading into the trap. For the first few days, the closing mechanism was disabled, so she could get comfortable with the idea of going into the trap to eat. That part went as planned but after I armed the trap, I was frustrated by her wary, delicate tread, which avoided the spring-plate as she stepped up to the food dish. I finally substitute a bowl for the dish, which would make her have to lean in further to eat. I watched expectantly as she entered the trap that evening, but a car passing on the road startled her and she was gone before she could eat her way into the trap. Even though I knew she would probably not come back until the next night, I replenished the "leading" food dishes and remained on watch. I was on the phone to Denny several hours later, describing my discouraging progress, when I saw her returning. In just a few seconds, she was in the trap and it had sprung!

I had set up a temporary room for her in the back vestibule--a place where she could be evaluated and get to know us a bit. As always, I never really know what I am going to find when I release a trapped cat--there is so little difference in behavior between a frightened housecat and a feral. I released her in such a way that she could hide in a cat carrier in the corner, then I put on the heavy leather gloves and reached into the carrier to pet her.

She didn't freak out, although she was understandably scared--having these huge rough hands coming at her. I spoke calmly to her and stroked her for a while. When we had reached some rapport, I felt her enough to ascertain that she wasn't nursing any kittens. That big fear alleviated, I left her to settle in.

More to come...