Gimme Shelter!

 

Leo is a cat we rescued whose owner had died, and he is being fostered by Kim, who has three others I will be spotlighting soon.  An older gentleman wanted to 'foster' a cat to see if it would be a good fit, so Kim drove him from Honeoye Falls to Rochester and the man tried him out for the week.  Leo was terrified, so Kim had to pick him up and drive Leo back to her place this past Friday.  I think the man was so upset about Leo not eating and pooping all over, that he didn't want to try another.  We hope he comes around soon, because every cat has a different personality, and we have so many adult cats that need homes.  Leo still needs a home.

Here is a kitten that I have had for several months now.  Scooter is still a kitten, but he doesn't show well, I call him Mr. Grumpypants.  But he would love a home where someone could focus all their attention on him.  Here he is with Brady!

As I mentioned, I will be showcasing the kitties we have currently in foster care and hope to do this every week.  (Does anyone remember when I used to do this daily for many many years??)

I have a total of 20 shelters that are under my rescue in the Beechwood section of Rochester.  I've been doing this for over 30 years, and have fought a lot of battles trying to keep shelters for the cats from the inclement weather we have year-round.  So far this year we've had three shelters removed or destroyed, upon which we had to find another location.  One of the aforementioned spots actually doesn't have a shelter.  We snuck in a couple of totes at the first location during the dead of winter where we had a very bad cold snap and the house was vacant.  Looks like the slumlords are back and will be renting it out again so I need to keep an eye on those shelters because the last time they threw them out.  There are at least five cats there (Parsells Avenue) that have been depending on me for food for years now.

Of those, I stop at 13, my friend Esther stops at 6 - they are very close to her house, and my friend Tamera and her husband stop at one, just down the street from their house.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate them and the fact that they do this for me.  With my job, I would never be able to feed at all stops without them.  As it is, I have just enough time to get home and get ready to leave for work at 7:30 am. (another reason I feed early in the morning - 5 am.).  I also have a friend who traps for me when it's needed.  She is a huge help because I just can't do it anymore.  It's also very time-consuming from setting the trap, all in between, and getting the cat to the clinic to be on standby, which doesn't always happen.

I also appreciate Sheryl, who has been driving to my house from Chili every weekend (just about) for over 10 years now to go out with me to help.  I pay two others, Ann and Debbie, to help during the week.  I am so grateful to them also.

I guess my point is this:  I cannot keep doing this - it's getting to me... for many reasons.  Health, age, and financially.  Money doesn't come in like it used to, and it's actually dwindling at a faster rate than what's coming in.  I just ordered 10 bags from Chewy.  It costs me $190 with tax.  The cheapest food is Friskies at $15.98 per 16-lb bag.  Those 10 bags will last me just two mornings.  I have Chewy delivered to Esther - 8 16-lb bags per week at $170 per week.  If you add that up, that is what is going out, with not much coming in.

I am grateful to those that make monthly recurring donations.  They may not be great amounts either, but they make all the difference in the world when added up yearly.

If one person could take one of my spots, and another person takes another, and another... etc..., my life as I know it would be a happier one. 

On a better note, my little darling Baby Bea was adopted, but unfortunately, I just got word today that she is back to having a gut issue.  Her new mom will do everything possible for her.  I have forwarded all the vet info (she has been to FOUR different places with every kind of testing done for her known to man!) to her and they will get to the 'bottom' of it.  

Here are some very cute pictures of her in her new home:  (if you click on the pictures, you can zoom in on them)

Have a great day!

Everyone Needs a Kristin

I am fortunate enough to have a person named Kristin, who more than 10- years ago heard about me and had the ‘b*lls’ to drive downtown at 5 in the morning to follow me and see what I do out there with the cats.  She has been my rock ever since.  I now receive more texts, emails, and calls from people that need help and she is always willing to at least call these people and offer some slight solution.  Every rescue needs a Kristin!

Observations:

There are far too many people walking in my neighborhood drawn to their cell phones.  They are walking their dogs, their babies, or walking alone – heads down not paying attention to what's ahead.  Not a good idea.

There are mean people who do nice things, and there are nice people who do mean things.  There is no one on this earth, the nicest person alive, who hasn’t done or thought something mean at least once.

I received a call the other day from someone wanting to ‘get rid’ of their dog.  Those words make me bristle.  To talk about an animal that needs to be rid of.  I posted it and I received a message from an old friend that she and her husband would drive to Rome New York that evening and pick up the dog.  That dog, now out of a very sad situation, is now as happy as can be in a new home with people that love her and are able to care for her better.  I am sure she had love, but sometimes living situations are not the best.  I was glad I could help.

My last post I stated that I rescued the grey cat that had been hanging around Syd & Johnny's last fall, the one that got in my truck and happily ate the food I provided.  He would cry until we let him in the truck each time we pulled up.  Well, I rescued another grey cat thinking it was him that turned out to be a female.  Sweet, and homeless nevertheless, so it was a good catch overall.  She was adopted right away so that turned out, but this grey boy is still on the street, not always at the same location.  He will be the next rescue, hopefully.

Ten Lives Club took six of our cats a month or so ago.  We had been in touch, and they offered to help with any friendly cats we had, so we rounded up the cats, and off they went, thanks to Kristin, to Buffalo New York to hopefully find a good home off the street!

One last thing on my mind today.  I have had a cat named George who I spotted over 10 years ago in the Grand Ave/Stout area in the city.  He disappeared for quite a while, months, and when I saw him next he was thin as a rail, but he was alive!  That was back in the day when we didn’t have much social media, and I wasn’t able to get cats adopted like I can today, especially having my own not-for-profit rescue.  So I named him George and off he went to my house, hoping to get him adopted, but was never successful because he wasn’t considered a ‘pretty cat.’  He had what I called a hairlip – which I am sure is not the correct definition but his bottom lip fell down and exposed a lot of his gum.  People over the years have commented because it's very noticeable, but there wasn’t anything wrong with him except he had FIV, which means nothing anymore.  But he needed to always be an indoor cat because of low immunity.

George has been with me through thick and thin, he has been Grandpa to many kittens.  He has been a big brother to my other cats.  Mellow and unassuming.  He is now very sick and very old.  He is skin and bone.  He begs me by looking into my eyes and following me around, looking for food.  I give him wet food but it's not making a difference anymore.  His eyes are sunken into his head.  I know he doesn’t feel good.  I’ve decided to say goodbye.  I have had to euthanize at least a hundred very sick cats over the past 30 years and not shed a tear for most because I was so used to it, but this one has affected me deeply.  I will miss him, and it will be the hardest goodbye for me.  I love you, George.

(you can click on the pictures to see close up)

Today

A Message to Other Rescues

This is the kitty I've been searching for since summertime when I first spotted him on Bay Street.   He was so desperate he jumped into the car seat for petting.  

Months later, I spotted him blocks away on Second Street off Central Park.  The Mailbox Kitties is what I call the colony on that corner.  I had also had a vet appt. lined up for him, a foster, AND an adopter!  Had to cancel the vet appt.  The others went on with their lives.  Finally, Friday came around and there he was, and I grabbed him with a plan in hand.  

The foster said she would take him if I got him.  He was at the foster for the week, where one of the days was spent at Caring for Cats where the foster works, and we found out he was a she!  And already spayed!  

"Penny" is settling in nicely in her new home where she is loved by everyone.  

Kristin did a post for me as a guest blogger, and she delivers a great message for all other rescues:  

"Last week I spoke on the phone to a kind woman who has been reaching out to numerous rescues since last summer for help in dealing with the stray cats living around her home. When I told her I would come to her house to help her, she burst into tears. She was so relieved to finally have help, she couldn’t stop crying. I share this because recently, it seems that we are getting many messages from people who have nowhere to turn to with their cat situations and no one will return their calls. 

I can’t count the number of people in the last few months who have told me “You are the only person who has ever called me back”. It’s not easy to call everyone back, but Janine and I try to respond to everyone who contacts us - even if we aren’t sure we can help them. And what we are finding is that so many people actually just want someone to talk to, someone to help them develop a plan, or even just to know someone cares about them and what they are going through. People feel overwhelmed, alone, confused, helpless, and hopeless. More and more, we see we are helping people as much as cats and kittens. 

I guess what I really want to say is, please reach out when people ask for help. Don’t ignore them, even if you think you have nothing to offer. Your acknowledgment of them is huge. Oftentimes, just being the caring voice on the other end of the phone means more to people than you would ever expect – even if that’s all you can give them at the moment. And what I have found out more often than not, is that we actually CAN help. Maybe all they need is to borrow a trap, learn about RCAC’s programs, or even just get a dose of flea meds. It really comes down to this:

do what you can, where you are, with what you have"

I would LOVE to feature YOUR message or story so please, help me to keep this blog going! 

Have a great day!

So long ago............

 I am getting sloppy with writing my blog posts.  I started this end of last year, so its old news, and I did not collect the pictures I wanted to include.  But I need to unload this now, so that I can start fresh.

By the way, today is January 24, 2024, and so far, we have rescued 2 cats so far (Kristin correct me if I am wrong?) with another three soon-to-be.  All we needed was another foster, and a few adoptions in between to free up current fosters!  :) 

I promise to get working on getting us all up to date on this blog.

Here is from long ago... (so it seems).

Its been so long I forget what has happened the past few months!  So many rescues and so much money…  so many wonderful fosters, and so many kittens still. 

I have a long list of fosters I want to thank:

Tamera - she still has a couple of adults – Lola, Louie, Smokey, and another, and she has Blake and Scooter still

Lonnie – she has Coco Chanel, Pebbles, Bandit, and Smokey – they are older kittens, but gorgeous grays and blacks

Kim – she has an ideal setup in her horse barn – two separate cozy rooms that cats have room to wander in – she recently had a cat that she was going to foster, well turns out the cat was pregnant and gave birth to four kittens to her surprise!  Those four kittens were scooped up right away by some friends of hers, so they will be going to good new homes (adopted in pairs!) next week.   She is also fostering an adult named Leo who is super sweet, and will have two more adults whose owner passed away.

Sheryl has been fostering Poppy and Lily, who by now are young adults.

Michelle – she is fostering Aiden, a beautiful white and orange boy

Val – fostering Bea and Beau who were bottle babies until Val weaned them at 4 weeks or so.

Blanca and Susheel – thank you for caring for our latest kittens, Tango, Mango, and Cali!

I am fostering Butter, who is by himself because his two siblings were adopted together, Peanut and Nina.  He is absolutely adorable but lonely, and becoming aggressive because he has no one to play with.   Butter was just adopted on Saturday!  I brought him to his new home and he has a new friend!   A nine-year-old pit bull big brother.  They are very smitten with each other.

Without these fosters, can you imagine, the number of cats that would be on the street if we didn’t rescue these guys?  If the females all got pregnant?  You know the numbers, it is staggering.

I know this is hard to keep track of, and you should see me trying to figure out who is who. 

I've had some bad breaks financially.  About a month ago, poor little Scooter was very lethargic after spending the night at my house away from the foster, along with Jackson and Blake.  I had to work that weekend, and all the vets were closed so I managed to find someone to drive him to Buffalo at the emergency vet there.  After two nights spent there – Friday and Saturday – and $2800 – they still didn’t have a clue and I have to say it was highway robbery.  Come to find out, after bringing him there, I still had to bring him to my normal vet at Pittsford, where they determined he had a hernia near his hind end, which made his tail seem sideways and was pushing into his intestines.  We brought him home thinking we would be giving him palliative care, and then a miracle happened.  The lump went away, and he is perfectly normal.  We are keeping an eye on him, but we are so in love with Scooter.  Now to get him adopted again.

Another financial setback was Val’s two fosters, Bea and Beau.  Bea was not able to make it to the litter box on time due to stomach issues, and was going all over the place on top of being very lethargic.  Poor Val had to give her a gazillion baths.  We took him to Pittsford where after test after test, very high temperature, he was tested positive for panleukopenia.  A very deadly and contagious disease.  It's like parvo in dogs.  Poor baby.  We brought him home, had to separate him from his brother, and had to keep his brother in a separate room so he wouldn’t pass it on to Val’s other cats.  Well lo and behold, today (and this was just last Friday), she is back to her old self and feels fine!  Running around like crazy.

Back to today, Kristin just called after going to check on a situation that I was notified about and asked for her help.  She will go assess the situation and let me know the scoop before she does anything.  Well, we now have two adorable buff-colored kittens about 7 weeks old.  It just never ends.

I started the above weeks ago, my apologies.  Life gets in the way these days.

Updates:

Lola was adopted out

Coco Chanel and Pebbles were adopted out

Aiden was a foster fail

Tango, Mango and Cali have been adopted.

Have a great day, and stay tuned to an updated post with lots of pictures!

Giving Tuesday

NOTE:  I am posting some pictures of rescues from this year that have been adopted.  This is just a smattering of cats I've rescued this year...  Remember, I've rescued over 80, just 40 or so pictures here..  I could spend all day...

There is so much for me to be thankful for.  First and foremost are my donors.  Second, are the food donations I receive from friends and those I don't even know ..  Third are my fosters, and lastly my adopters!  Without 1, 2, 3, and 4, I could not do what I am doing.  And doing so for over 30 years.  Burnout?  Oh God yes.  I haven't had a day off since knee surgery.  Then I had to pay someone to do my route and I am very very grateful.  This was ...  three years ago?  Imagine having to get up every single morning of your life, in the dark, and go out to the car, sometimes in frigid weather, sometimes in rain and snow storms, and drive a few miles to feed the cats.  Every. Single. Day.  

I have 24 colonies, six of which Esther volunteers to do, and we do this every other day.  On the days in between, I still go out to two spots, one on Parsells Avenue, where the cats there has no shelter because of the despicable human beings that live there and won't allow a shelter anywhere, and the other on Fourth Street and Central Avenue, where there is a colony of cats that I feed under a church van that hasn't been used in years.  I have shelters hidden behind the fence on the vacant lot next door, but this is where I feed them daily.  Here, there is an evil person who comes along EVERY SINGLE DAY and removes the water and food.  There is no reason for this, it's just pure evil.  To take the water away from the cats on 90-degree days is utterly cruel.

My main goal when I started this long ago, was to rescue the adult cats I saw on the side of the streets, eating garbage and just trying to survive.  Most were strays, and those that people left behind as they continued their journey of moving from house to house with Section 8 assistance.  But in the past years, there has been an influx of kittens.  And my name is now, unwantedly, on a list that is given out by veterinarians, and other rescues no less, of being of assistance.  I get calls and emails asking for help to rehome, to help the kittens in the backyard, to help the injured, to help with everyone else's problems.  I sometimes pass on these requests to Kristin who doesn't have the heart to ignore them, whereas I am totally overwhelmed by the rescued animals I am already dealing with.

I have treated two kittens this year that have cost me a total of $3,000.  One was at the rip-off Green Acres in Buffalo because we had no other emergency locations to take cats to in Rochester.  The reason for that is because of staff shortages and greedy corporations.

From the streets, I have rescued close to 80 cats this year, with the help of fosters first, and then getting them adopted.  My vet bills are insane.  I am paying $1,000 + per MONTH at Rochester Community Animal Clinic.  Their prices have risen and I lose money with adoption fees because most times, the animals need to be seen for one reason or another and those visits are on average $200+  The food to feed these cats:

This is twice a week.  Over $300 to order food for me and food for Esther.

You ask, how long can this go on?  My friends and mom tell me all the time to give it up, but how can I do that?  Cats literally RUN to my truck.  They know the sound and they know my voice.  They cannot eat on their own.  Contrary to what others believe, they can't live on mice, garbage, etc. 

 

I am doing my best, but I need help doing it.  Please consider donating to my rescue today, tomorrow on Giving Tuesday, or when you have a spare dollar.  I accept food donations also and am happy to send my address so that it can be delivered, or personally delivered by you.

One last note, thank you to my paid volunteers who go out with me time after time, and those who had to take a break.  If I could pay more I would do it.  Since I broke my ankle (while feeding cats!) four years ago, my balance isn't great, so cannot trek the vacant lots anymore.

Please give from the heart what you can tomorrow, Giving Tuesday.

Many thanks,

Have a great day!

PS, My website needs updating!