Mystic Elsie Missing in Leesburg Florida

Missing Cat in Leesburg, Florida -- Mystic Elsie went missing Sunday, July 21, 2019. She is a spayed, with tipped left ear, black and white female cat. Her body is white with large areas of black on her top back. She is a very sweet and shy young cat.

I have cared for this little cutie for almost two years. She was approaching her second birthday and seems to have just up and disappeared out of the senior park. I don't want to think that a nearby neighbor somehow nabbed her and that she is no longer with us.

Mystic Elsie Sitting in My Front Yard Garden in Leesburg, Florida

I pray to God if something nefarious happened to Mystic Elsie that she did not suffer. I've also been praying that she will return ... so I haven't been quite able to convince myself that a neighbor "took her out!"

Mystic Elsie Sitting in My Front Yard Garden in Leesburg, Florida

I had worried a lot about the safety of Mystic Elsie because she was just so conspicuous with her activity! I know the nearby neighbors would see her walking up my driveway and sitting in the front yard garden looking up at my kitchen window, waiting for me to see her to know she was hungry!!!

Mystic Elsie Sitting in My Front Yard Garden in Leesburg, Florida

A few months ago I had contacted a woman from LEASH and secured a TNR trap. I trapped her and took her to the Lake County Animal Care facility to have her spayed. She is A030402 and was spayed on March 13, 2019 through the Caturday program.

When I brought her home from the Animal Care facility, later that same day, I kept her inside in my Florida Room for four days to see if she could acclimate herself to being an indoor cat. I really hoped that she would want to stay inside so that I could provide her with a better life than outdoors. She did not handle being kept inside and wouldn't eat. I was heartbroken that I'd have to release her back outside and hope for the best!

Mystic Elsie Sitting in My Front Yard Garden in Leesburg, Florida

I have cared for community cats for nearly twenty years, starting with a feral colony in Deercreek Country Club in Jacksonville, Florida. At that time, I had the support of my husband as we probably cared for up to 4 dozen cats. It was there that we learned of what some neighbors will do to community cats and I don't mean good things!!! Several of the community cats which had been spayed and/or neutered were trapped by an outside trapper. Supposedly, he relocated them to Ormond Beach. I can't help but think that wasn't where they were taken!

Mystic Elsie in My Front Yard Garden in Leesburg, Florida

I am heartbroken thinking about what might have happened to Mystic Elsie. I recently told a nearby neighbor how I worried about her because she was such a sweet thing and just so conspicuous with her activity.

MYSTIC ELSIE AS A KITTEN

Mystic Elsie as a Kitten in Leesburg Florida - March 31, 2018

In addition to having Mystic Elsie spayed, I was feeding her a couple of times a day. I know many nearby neighbors could figure that out without me telling them that. I just can't comprehend that someone could harm such a sweet animal.

Mystic Elsie as a Kitten in Leesburg, Florida - April 11, 2018

In hindsight, I should have intervened earlier to have Mystic Elsie spayed and brought inside as a pet. I have a senior female tabby cat named Boots who is just turning 11. Boots is the kind of cat that needs to be in a single cat household. That would be the reason I held back on trying to bring in another cat like Mystic Elsie!

Mystic Elsie as a Kitten with Litter Sibling Black Cat - May 9, 2018

Please God bring Mystic Elsie home ... I miss her. Please God don't let me know that my instincts are correct in that a neighbor harmed her. I need to get this thought out of my head; i.e. "What did YOU do?"

Thinking back over my time here in this senior park, I have heard a lot of stories about neighbors harming the community cats. A cat was found under a vehicle nearby after eating poisoned food that a neighbor put out. She told people she was allergic to the cats and had them walking through her carport ... so she decided to poison them!!

Another nearby neighbor told me how she knew that people in the other side of the park were trapping and killing the community cats. She learned that before she moved into the park over seventeen years ago!! She had a couple of cats and was warned to keep her cats inside.

I recently heard about how the TNR cats, because they have tipped ears, were being trapped and then dropped off in the Ocala National Forest!!! I'm telling you, it's sickening what's happening here.

This senior park has been touted as pet-friendly, but that just isn't so for community cats.

OTHER MISSING CATS

I moved into this senior park in December 2015. I've gotten familiar with well over a dozen community cats, and probably closer to two dozen. I've often wondered, "where did they go?" when I realized, "gee, I haven't seen that cat in a while!"

Gray and White Male Cat Missing - Probably Father of Mystic Elsie

There was a cute male cat that used to roam around the yards from the park office over through my yard and about a block area. It was a dark gray and white cat that obviously resembles Mystic Elsie. In that photo from August 2016 you can see his coloring. Many times, if I went walking over to the park office, I'd see him approach me as I walked, and then stop and look at me. He was quite a cutie! I'm thinking the last time I saw him was maybe September 2017 ... he just up and disappeared and then I realized "gee, he was just gone!"

Black and White Male Cat Missing - Probably Brother of Mystic Elsie

There was another black and white cat that came from the same litter as Mystic Elsie. He had a bit more black than Mystic Elsie with his left leg being black and more black markings on his face. In the photo above you can see him in my back yard along with a gray tabby with white paws. I would see this black and white cat usually passing through my yard or in the yards behind me or across the street. I assumed it was a male cat. I'm thinking it's coming up on a year since I have seen him around! Poof, just vanished!!

MYSTIC ELSIE RETURNS 4 DAYS LATER

July 25th, four days later, I was more than a little surprised to be standing in my carport early morning and then hear a sweet little meow. I looked to the front yard garden, and there was Mystic Elsie. She usually gets her first feeding of the day at 7:09am. And, here she was, like usual ... BUT with an injured paw as she was limping. I'm not sure if she got fire ant bites or maybe stepped into a thorn from someone's garden.

Mystic Elsie Returns July 25, 2019

As I know a neighbor has put out poisoned food and killed a cat previously, every day that I don't see Mystic Elsie, I get concerned for her welfare! Since she went missing and returned, I am not seeing her like I usually do. She is later in the morning and sometimes not till early afternoon does she come by to feed. I'm thinking somebody has coaxed her inside and is keeping her. They probably don't realize that Mystic Elsie has a caretaker!!

UPDATE! It is January 19, 2020. I have heard much being said in our senior park by some of the residents claiming there are a lot of cats again. It has been mentioned that someone is now trapping the cats and relocating them. Another person has voiced their support offering that they have given that trapper $10 for gas money. I've heard about community cats being trapped and dropped off in the Ocala National Forest and now some mysterious island in Eustis, Florida. Such inhumanity to these community cats is more than a little concerning!

When I first moved in, several neighbors told me about a resident putting out poisoned cat food and poisoning at least one cat that was found dead under another resident's vehicle. I then heard about someone putting out dixie cups with peanut butter and poison in the bushes on the main boulevard. Somebody found a dead cat under a golf cart near the office and clubhouse. Another cat was found nearby the office that appeared to have been hit and killed by some vehicle.

Somebody has been trying to trap opossum. And then squirrels have been the target of trappers ... supposedly being drowned if not poisoned! Cats, and now opossum and squirrels OH MY. It doesn't stop there. Ducks!! Supposedly it is ONLY the Muscovy ducks being aggressively targeted after the golfers in the park complained about poop on their 9-hole golf course. The Muscovy duck eggs were being smashed. Someone remarked about not seeing any more of those Muscovy ducks. How about the other birds and ducks? I've personally seen a wood stork with a wounded foot ... did somebody put out some kind of trap that snagged that bird? We've also got Sandhill Cranes, Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks and Mallard Ducks ... are these people also stomping on their eggs?

It sure doesn't sound "friendly" to community cats, birds and wildlife in this senior park.

Stray Cats of Mandarin

Country Club Cats

Country Club Cats of DeerCreek: I've written quite a bit about those Country Club Cats of DeerCreek. Through my many web pages, you've gotten to know Bandit, Boots, Precious, Pug, and Tigger up close and personal. Over the years, I have worked with First Coast No More Homeless Pets in Jacksonville, Florida, to spay and neuter and return the feral cats to the colony. We also worked closely with Animal Care and Control along with St. Francis Animal Hospital and Wells Road Veterinary Animal Center to care for these cats.

With the finalization of my divorce, I gave up my home in DeerCreek Country Club to the ex. The care of the feral colony of country club cats subsequently fell upon his shoulders. DeerCreek is a gated community; I no longer have access to visiting or caring for these precious cats who were like family to me. In a sense, I have grieved for the "loss" of these cats. I can't possibly explain what it feels like to be separated from them.

Stray Cats of Mandarin: I have now moved a zip code away from DCCC. Keeping in mind, that I dearly miss those Country Club Cats, I am now visited almost daily by some new cats who seem to have found me! I call these cats, the "Stray Cats of Mandarin." First up, is Mr. Blackie. I met Mr. Blackie the first week I moved in. I first saw him last Summer, sitting in the street with an orange cat. Then he started coming to my back door. A neighbor tells me that he is a stray that the neighbors take care of; but I haven't found out if he has a real home.

Please meet another mister, Orange the Cat. Oh, I haven't yet penned a name for either of these two tomcats. It's interesting to see the interaction between the black and orange male cats; they have a mutual respect for each other. They don't fight with each other thankfully! Mr. Blackie is a bit more friendly, whilst Mr. Orange is a bit skittish.

The third cat is a beautiful white cat with a fluffy gray tail and a patch of gray on its left side with some gray markings on its face. I think this cat is a female and surely must be an inside cat that got out. Only two times have I noticed this cat at my back door.

Well, I hope you enjoyed meeting the Stray Cats of Mandarin. We weren't trying to sell you anything today, but just wanted to share a love and an appreciation for our feline friends.

By the way, perhaps you are a neighbor of mine and recognize these cats? I'd surely love to track down the owners. I believe both Mr. Blackie and Mr. Orange would benefit from neutering ... I'm guessing they need to be neutered judging from the size of their packages! Also, Mr. Blackie hurt his right paw and was limping for several days. Please contact me through my comments if you know anything about these cats or their owners. Thanks!  Love thy neighbor ... love thy feline friends too!

--I am Jaguar Julie, the Cat Lady!

2014 UPDATE: On May 20, 2014, I spotted another white cat hanging around my backyard daily. Upon taking a closer look, it appeared she was pregnant! Oh dear. Such a beautiful mommy cat who surely shouldn't be out roaming the neighborhood. I was wondering to whom this adorable cat might belong. Could it be the pet of the next door neighbor's son who lives miles away? That neighbor doesn't really like cats, so maybe she put the little girl outside? By the first of June, I realized she had delivered.

It was many days before the neighbor two doors down asked if I had seen the white cat. We talked about all that had transpired. Then she told me, "I have her kittens in my bushes." That was on a Monday. After all the commotion with the neighbor telling another neighbor and so forth and so on, mommy cat moved the babies. It was not until Friday morning that I was able to tail mommy after her feeding and rescue the little ones. Oh my, I am now providing care for the found mommy cat and her six little kittens in Mandarin, Florida.

September 11, 2014: I just received word the other day from Jen at ACPS to give me an update on the white mommy calico cat and her three female kittens. On September 5th, the white kitten and the calico kitten were both adopted by the same family. On September 6th, the orange female tabby kitten was adopted by another family. And, it has now been two weeks since the mommy cat got placed in the Wild Whiskers program. I am not allowed to know anything about the adopters of the cat and six kittens. That makes me real sad. I asked that my personal information be shared with them ... and I am thinking that information didn't get passed on either. Why all the secrecy? You know, we have had a number of pet hoarding cases with the animals being rescued. Do they NOT tell people adopting any cat or dog from the agency to protect the fact of where these animals came from in the first place?

I'm feeling a little sad in that I poured all my time and energy into the care of the seven felines, to ensure that they would have the best start on their lives. Now, I only have the satisfaction of thinking of them in the context of the time they spent with me. Nothing more; nothing less.

Some cats can be helpful around the office

My hubby shared this video with me as he received it from one of our friends up in Columbus, Ohio. As he doesn't usually send me too many videos to view, I knew it must be worth checking out. Well, this video goes to show that some cats can be pretty helpful around the office. Say, you have a paper jam in your printer? Or, maybe you need to adjust that paper tray?


Well ... just a little entertainment today ... not selling anything at the moment.

Don't call us we'll call you

The funniest thing happened the other day; not ha-ha kind of funny, but curiously ironic kind of funny. You see, I am one of those stone age type of gals who is NOT physically-connected to her cell phone. Yep, that's right -- I know you probably find this pretty surprising. My cell phone is used primarily in case of emergencies, like a fire extinguisher. In case I get a flat tire, run out of gas, god forbid I have an accident -- you know!

I am sitting at work, and I've been thinking for a few days that my cell phone has a problem. "It simply won't hold a charge and I never HEAR it ring." That's what I told dear old hubby. Hey, even our printer said so -- he told me he called me several times the week before yet I never heard his call. Yep, I saw a message from the printer saved on the phone, but I never heard it ring! So, back to I'm sitting at work, and THE PHONE RINGS! Yikes, loud and clear -- too loud in fact. "Hello," I say in my ever-so-sweet cell phone answering voice. "Lemmee speak to Sean!" the curt female voice shouts out. "Hey, ya got the wrong number!!" I respond.

So, I guess my cell phone does work after all. But, funny thing ... it was a wrong number! Figures, doesn't it?

P.S. That cat is working with me to promote First Coast No More Homeless Pets and all the fine things that they do in our community. Want to know more about them? Not only do they help with the spaying and neutering of feral cats in Northeastern Florida, but they are now providing vaccinations for domestic pets!

Country Club Cats of DeerCreek

Tigger the Country Club Cat of DeerCreek

Country Club Cats :: Howz about them? Have your heard the news yet about them Country Club Cats???

No, I'm not talking about a musical group or a bunch of golfers!

I'm talking about country club cats as in a feral cat colony that has overtaken the neighborhood where I live. For the most part, our country club cats are quite social and are relatively well-behaved. There are a couple of them who keep their distance.

Not all the neighbors are so positive or welcoming when asked how they feel about these cats. We have stepped up to do our part with managing this feral cat colony. In January 2008 one male was neutered and thus far we're just past April Tax Day ... we've had 5 females spayed already! My pocket-book is draining dry. Thankfully, I've sold a couple of Squidoo lenses [some call it flipping!] to help fund my spaying and neutering fees. It's not free, ya know!

Hmmm, I wonder if any of this is tax-deductible??? Well, poor poor country club cats as next up on our agenda is to capture the 3 dominant, male ferals. Now, I've gotten to know them fairly well -- I can actually touch and pet two of them, but the cutest one 'Papa Fluff' is still not comfortable with me getting too close. It'll be a sad day when we turn these 3 over to Animal Care and Control ... but we see no other options for our neighborhood. I am very sad about this!!!

P.S. Thank our lucky stars for FCNMHP in Jacksonville Florida!

You know, it is 2019 as I am revisiting this article and thinking back on Tigger the Cat. A Country Club Cat. He was such a sweet boy.