Former Members of Our Feral Family
(in order of most to least recent):

I hate to write sad stories, but these beautiful, unrecognized angels deserve some recognition:

Opal (a full tortoise with no white - absolutely beautiful girl).  Ruby's adult daughter, 1st in line to Alpha Cat-ship.  I never went looking for a cat to adopt (all my cats adopted me, and that's the right way).  But I always said of Opal that if I went looking for a cat to adopt, she would be the cat I would choose.  But she was a feral girl, un-tame-able, and was happy living with her family in our yard.  Opal came down sick on 10/20/2010 in the midst of a chaotic demolition of the house next door.  We were able to take her, inside her insulated cat shelter, to the vet.  There she had to be PTS, ravaged by, we think, poison from the construction site.  Miss you, Opal.  So sorry for what happened to you.

Garnet (adorable tortoise shell kitten like her Mom, Opal, but with white feet and a pink "J" over her right eye).  RIP 10/24/2010.  Garnet passed within a week of her mom, we think from the same poison.  They were always together, and whatever Opal did, her baby Garnet was right there with her.  And both were close with Grandma, Opal's mom, Ruby.  We called the threesome "The Jewel Cats."  We tried to catch her when we saw that she was sick, but she wouldn't let us get anywhere near.  Since the Alpha female cat-ship had passed through this family from Karen to her daughter Scrappy to her daughter Ruby to her daughter Opal, we assumed Garnet would one day be the Alpha female. The post has since reverted to Ruby, and will probably pass next to Cindy, Ruby's adult daughter from her second litter.  Miss you, Garnet.  So sorry.

Jack A. - b&w male like our Jack, Jack D., with moustache.  Very assertive, almost friendly alpha male cat in the making.  The first to come running for breakfast, the first to almost befriend me.... MIA early Oct, 2010.  Assumed RIP, because nothing, including running the hose, would make him miss his breakfast.  Miss you, J.A.  Where R U?

"Also"... because he came also.  One of few male cats allowed on Adolfo's porch.  RIP, hit by car, early Spring 2010.

* Grace (placed)- 3rd of 3 calicos from Opal's last litter Aug.2009.  Grace was blinded by infection and taken to foster care with a lovely lady named Janet who says Grace is the light of her life.

Chili (MIA, assumed RIP) 2nd of 3 calicos from last litter born to Opal before she was TNRed.

Cowboy a.k.a. The Captain (RIP, hit by car, July of 2008), Female, white with black cow spots, daughter of Scrappy and Cow.  Of our gang, the 3rd alpha female that we observed to take over from her mother.  We first called her Cowboy because she looked like her father Cow, and  because she was very assertive, we assumed she was a boy.  One day she pushed herself to the head of the pack, looked me in the eye and said, "I'm the Captain of this group.  You speak to me."  In April 2008, at about 6 months old, way too young in my opinion, she had a baby on my mother's back step.  She didn't know what to do with him, so she left him there.  That's when we knew a)- she was a girl, and b)- it was time to get the TNR* crew in here ASAP.  Cos once you take a baby off their hands, they'll turn you into an orphanage.  Young, impulsive, bossy thing that she was, The Captain was the first one to jump in the trap and go get spayed.  Poor Captain.  She wasn't a free cat one month when we heard she was hit by a car.  Jack, god bless him, looks JUST like her.  High cheek bones, long nose, wide orange eyes, even wears his black hair parted on the same side.  :)  

Hahn - a tabby male with very bold, swirling stripes and sort of crossed eyes.  Karen's son. MIA, assumed RIP.

Cow - (MIA, assumed RIP - no doubt hit by car).  See his story here and here.  RIP, The Boss of Cars.

Scrappy (MIA, assumed RIP): tabby/white female, daughter of Karen, 2nd alpha female we observed to take over from her mother.  Scrappy was the mother of many of the ferals after Karen including Sylvia and Ruby who later became two alpha females on different parts of the same street.  Like Sylvia, she had a bad lung condition.

Karen (MIA, assumed RIP):  the original tabby alpha female, mother of Scrappy who became alpha after her and many litters of ferals for about 5 years.  Karen is also the mother of Poor Lionel whom my mother adopted when he was found wheezing and unable to breathe on the lawn at 2 months old.

Ginny (RIP) & Rodney (MIA, assumed RIP) - brother and sister, kittens of Scrappy.   A beautiful pair, never were a pair of kittens closer.  Ginny was hit by a car and lived for a while, however severe nerve damage was more than she could survive.  After many failed attempts, and absolutely sick with worry over her, we were able to capture & get her to the vet.  She could not live in the condition she was in and had to be PTS.  Her brother Rodney waited and cried for her every day for a month at our door until one day he didn't.  This was such an upsetting story, all I can write now is a synopsis.  One day I'll write the whole thing.  Poor Ginny & Rodney.

Aunt Rose (placed):  a beautiful tortoise shell assumed to be Karen's sister, or close relative.  When Karen had Lionel, she would leave him with Aunt Rose any time she wanted to get away.  She and the other ferals would disappear for hours, and this pretty tortoise shell was always babysitting.  She was captured for TNR and kept by the rescuer who fell in love with her.  Congratulations, Aunt Rose.  So happy for you.