Well this makes a change

[thecatneuterer]

I've just started a trap/neuter/return job. Huge colony of probably 40 plus cats ...

Anyway the remarkable thing about this job is that all the people I've come across are pleasant, and friendly, and seem to like the cats. Two have even said thank you!

Bugger me. I usually get abuse and hostility. I genuinely can't get over it.

I can't understand why people would abuse you when you are helping the cats. Hopefully they won't be breeding any more and will have someone to feed them.

Are the cats living on same property where the pleasant people live? I'm used to thinking of colony cats living in old barns or abandoned buildings. Not shared with people.

I can sort of understand why some people don't want the "return" part of TNR, they just want rid (not me, I hasten to add). But given the option of left there to breed indiscriminately, and neutered so the colony slowly reduces, you'd think they would prefer the latter.

What sort of area is it?

Most trapping jobs I do are in the back gardens of terraced houses. In London we tend to get large blocks of around 60 gardens that can only be accessed through the houses. This is what makes life very difficult as we need to find people prepared to have us on their property over weeks and for many hours at a time. My colleague is currently doing a job where an owner had an unneutered female and admits to throwing her out in the garden six years ago. She's been breeding since. Ironically is the original owner who is complaining most about the cats and who seems to think it's our responsibility to take them all away - and she caused the bloody problem!

The hostility is normally because yes, they want rid, and they just won't listen. As soon as we start doing something then we are automatically seen as responsible for all the cats. People are remarkably difficult to reason with (ie, it's better that we stop them breeding than we do nothing at all) when they're angry/stupid/horrible and unfortunately many are all three.

This job is just behind a busy shopping area. It's quite a large area which is accessed by a small alley - this leads to the back of a number of fast food businesses and a butchers, the 'gardens' (dump sites) of some houses, some lock ups, the roofs of a lot of houses and flats, and a large dumping ground of mattresses, pallets, fridges and the like. With this job thankfully I can get access without having to go through any properties.

As for having identified feeders - I can't believe the number. The residents of some of the flats and houses (four separate families and individuals), two of the fast food businesses and the butchers. There is even a group of young hoodies who don't live there but who meet at night on the fire escape of the flats (as they said, because they are out of view there) to smoke weed. They were enthusiastically telling me about the different individual cats, and which ones had kittens and where, and which ones had health problems, and apparently they bring cat food as well as weed when they meet up :)

That should have said the FLAT roofs of lots of houses and flats - it's a huge expanse of flat roofs.

Some photos of the location to give you an idea

And this is one of the feeders arriving home. Some of them wait for him on the street

Well the original owner sounds delightful doesn’t she?.

There is even a group of young hoodies who don't live there but who meet at night on the fire escape of the flats (as they said, because they are out of view there) to smoke weed. They were enthusiastically telling me about the different individual cats, and which ones had kittens and where, and which ones had health problems, and apparently they bring cat food as well as weed when they meet up

Sorry OP but this made me smile.
When I was younger we used to hang around behind the Spa drinking cider. There were a couple of homeless blokes and their dog who used to hang around there too and we started bringing food for their dog (it didn't even occur to us to bring food for the men). We didn't really speak to the men - we just used to say hello, they used to tell us to shut up if we were getting rowdy, and we used to keep lookout for each other.
After a few weeks, the homeless men very politely asked us if we could please stop bringing food quite so often for their dog because he was getting too fat

Fluffy - yes indeed. That's the original owner of a different job though. I've no idea who is responsible for this colony.

There are some good people/those who care. It also goes to show why people shouldn't be judged on their appearance or behaviour. I can't understand the rude and unhelpful people either and despair of "owners" such as that of the poor female being thrown out.
I am now wondering if the cats are getting stoned on the weed fumes and getting the munchies?!?!

Appearances can be confusing.... Reminds me yesterday on train. Ravaged-face Bloke on train with lots of piercings in painful places (that was only his face I could see). Dead facial expression, skin head haircut, unshaven, never smiled. Not sure he even spoke.

He had two cute elderly friendly chihuahuas in a little front carrier pouch. Me & a gang of teenager girls were cooing over them. Scary-but-not man did not object.

@catneuterer I'm in awe of you and would like to offer help. I will PM you x

I truly despair of this world sometimes -abandoning a female cat outside and leaving it to breed for years, people hostile to helping homeless cats- but that there are people like you about gives a glimmer of hope. Does your organsation/branch have a donation page link?

thecatneuterer does this for Celia Hammond Animal Trust who do a lot of good work.

Thanks so much @HuggedTheRedwoods

There's a 'donate' button at the top of our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/celiahammondanimaltrust/

TCN you’re my hero!
My two torties hardly tolerate each other so I can’t take more. DD has decided to become a “crazy cat lady”. Her words!
I volunteer at a local shelter and support them. It’s not much. But you have inspired me to do what little I can.

thanks @thecatneuterer, donation made and positive thoughts sent that you start coming across more decent and pleasant folk out there! You certainly deserve it.