Monday, May 31, 2010

Day Three of Captivity - Bliss

Its amazing how much this cat, that was dumped out onto the streets last fall by a woman who didn't like his spraying her house (he is unneutered), and has had to fend for himself for almost a year between the very mean streets of Central Park and Bay Streets, has changed in just two days. He was a very frightened, very dirty, but very sweet grey cat with the most lovingest gold eyes. I have now earned enough trust by him to actually pick him up without my fear of him scratching or biting me. He let me kiss him on the forehead, and I now hear him purr. He still hides when I leave the room, but he is now coming out when I enter it. I am so thankful that I am able to take him from that very scary environment, and place him into a loving and safe one for the rest of his life. Now there is still so much more to do. I feel like I am getting closer to someday having a sanctuary for the, at least, 8 cats that look at me each day longingly trying to escape the environment they are in. It just takes a kind soul to help, and a little bit of money, but it will happen. I am an optimist! Happy Memorial Day Weekend Everyone!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Smokey #2 - Part Two


Well, I did it! I picked up Smokey #2 this morning at 5:45 am., and he didn't put up too much of a fuss. Its now 1:38 pm., and he has not come out from hiding under the bed, but I did push the bed away from the wall, and he has allowed me to brush him. He absolutely loves it. I don't think his skin has been scratched in a very long, time, if ever, and he loves it. One of God's Angels, that I have been fortunate to meet, Gina, offered yesterday that if I could get 'our boy', she would take him. I now face enormous bills at the vets when I call for an appointment for him on Tuesday, but he will be worth it. He will now know what its like to have a permanent home. He has been fending for himself since last fall when this 'woman' dumped him off on Hebard Street because, being unneutered, he was spraying. He has been on a slow decline, and it was heartbreaking to watch. I am so thankful. He still doesn't know how good he has it. Pictures to come!!!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Smokey #2

Smokey #2 was seen this morning bleeding by his eye. He let me wipe the outside of his eye, he is now trusting of me, but I have got to get him out of there. I just have no where to take him right now! I must find a home for him. He is really sweet, and scared. Its almost as if he is saying to me, 'please, don't leave me here'. I just don't know what to do. I know if I take him in temporarily, he will cost me hundreds of dollars to vet him. And my other cats are already under stress due to Boris being ill. I just pray he is OK for now. I will get a picture of him as soon as I can to share with you.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

H2O

Water. Its a basic necessity. We all need it. Its the first thing the cats do is go for the water in the morning. Heck, its the first thing I want in the morning! In this brutal May heat in Rochester right now (I think my A/C has bit the dust), its survival for them. Here's an idea for you, buy some plastic bowls, keep in your car, with a jug of water, and when you see a cat in a questionable neighborhood, get out and place a bowl down and fill with water! You may be saving a cat's life with something as simple as that! And it might just be water than he hasn't had in days. Little things like that help! And if you don't have the nerve to get out of your car in 'questionable' neighborhoods, at least at your own home, place some bowls of water around. I have several birdbaths in my yard and garden. The birds love it. I also keep a bowl of water on my steps for the passing dogs that are walking by, and the squirrells need it too!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Besides the normal things that disturb me each morning, there are a few things that have been standing out lately. On Hayward Avenue, where I rescued Jack and Mama Girl, and found homes for Betty, and others, there is a cat that I first saw last winter, beautiful thick black fur, an Angora obviously, and I've been feeding it and seeing it sporadically, but this past week, about four days ago, I noticed it looked like a large piece of fur on its side had been shaved and the fur was hanging off its side. Since then I've wanted to trap it, it has no where to go, and hisses at me from a distance, and it came close to biting me at one point. But this morning, after not having seen it in a few days, the other side of its fur looks worn off. I have a feeling its very sickly, and I should trap it and bring it to a shelter. I think it might be better off there, could be euthanized, but I believe its suffering, so I will try to trap it in the next few days. The next thing that disturbed me this morning was seeing my poor Smokey #2 trotting along to get its morning food from me in front of the garage. His fur is getting very mangy, and he is frightened to death, but he has been allowing me to pet and scratch him for about a minute, which is better than it has been. I know I can get him if I only had a place to bring him! He is the one that was dumped by some 'woman' because he was spraying her house. And lastly, not not least!, is Smokey #1 on corners of Central and Goodman. I've been feeding him for nearly two years now, and he is so dirty, and flea infested, and just so pitiful looking. Won't fall for the trap, I've tried it. I know he would be a good pet, as a lot of them are that I feed daily, but there just aren't enough places for these poor souls!~ We need more folks to adopt them and give them tender loving care in rehabilitating them to trusting humans again! Well, its off to work, another day, another dollar!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Well, I've had a sabbatical for a few days, I was in Massachusetts visiting my dear Aunt Patty and Uncle Paul, and thanks go out to Gina, who did a few spots of mine on the weekend, and to my girlies Jackie, cousin Patty, and Mary, for coming over and doing the rest of the clan at home, and special thanks to Nurse Jackie for administering the insulin to Trouble! Mama Girl went to stay in a WHOLE house for the first time at good friend Jen's house, and she is considering keeping her. My eyes welled up as I saw her actually leave a room for the first time in a year, and be able to explore a whole house! She is loving it I think, but then why am I feeling tremendous guilt? This is the cat that bit me! My whole hand swelled up, and I was on meds for weeks! She has changed so much over the past year from a homeless cat out on the street, pregnant, to me rescuing her, and keeping her for over a year. She is not social, so I have had to keep her in various rooms around the house for the past year. But she has come to love me, and I do miss her. I hope this works out!!! Fingers crossed! Dog Thunder went to Petco Pet Hotel, and I heard he had fun, but he came home smelling like he rolled in something dead! I am going to call them today to see if they can fess up to what they put on him. I don't think I will use them again. Second time, and second time smell. Whats up with that?

Thursday, May 20, 2010

I have often wondered how my life has gotten to this point, where I am constantly wondering if there will be enough hours in the day for all the things I have to do, and there never are, but feeding homeless cats, working full time, taking care of my own brood at home, plus keeping up my home inside and out is a lot of work! And what happened to ME time? Its not there anymore, and I wonder where it went. It all started with someone telling me there was a stray cat lurking, and now I am feeding over 25 cats a day. NOT that I see them all, but I know they are there. I've seen them over the course of days, but not all at one time. Its hard maintaining the precious relationships you develop in life when you have so little time. I hope the friends I've made along the way understand my hurried and rushed ways with them to be precious moments for me and I wouldn't trade those moments for all the homeless cats in China! (metaphorically speaking!)

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Colors

Now, I am not a prejudice person, never have been, and hopefully never will be. I firmly believe its not the color you are, but the way you were raised. Your values, your faith, love. Thats where compassion should grow from. But if you don't have that, you will never know compassion. The majority of folks living where I feed at are black and very poor. Some are kind to me, and some are not. I am not sure if its because they don't like whites, or they don't like cats, or is it a combination of the two? And why don't they? I can't figure it out - except to think its the way they were raised. There are some white trashy people also where if killing were legal, I am sure they would have had their barrel pointed at me a few time over the course of the years... This morning I tried to trap another kitty on Niagara Street, but to no avail. They are smart they are. They snuck inside to get the moist and smelly tuna fish but before the door could shut, they backed out, twice! I have been blessed with appointments at a clinic for trap neuter and spay for the month of May on Wednesdays, but have only had success once so far this month, fingers crossed for next Wednesday, the last in May. My problem now is, with this house demolished on 7th street, where there are fertile females galore, they have no shelter anymore except the rickety board I have leaned against the back with food under it. And its hard to know you will be putting an animal back in that very stressful situation. When I went there this morning, imagine a house that was once there, and where its basement was, is now a cesspool full of dark muddy water, and a mudpit surrounding it. It was not fun trudging through that this morning to get to the food. I pray that this post will make others aware of the need to help out just once in their lives to make this a better world for animals, in some small way.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The Beginning: My Mornings in the Hood





Let me begin this by telling you the origin and purpose of this blog. Who doesn't have a blog these days?? But as I left the house this morning at 5:45 am., doing what I've been doing for the last 10-15 years, before most of you are not even swatting at your alarm clock to shut off, I am feeding between 15-25 cats a day. Why? I often wonder, but the race to help innocent animals is clearly overtaking me. I've spent countless hours, and countless dollars doing this. My dream in life is to have every animal, dog and cat, spayed and neutered, and have a warm and loving home to live in. I firmly believe that if each individual in this country took some responsibility, we could wipe out the homeless and feral populations of cats, and unwanted dogs. If we just reach out to rescue organizations and reach in our pockets for $40, we could spay and neuter one animal,and that would be one unnessary animal that gets euthanized at a shelter, or starves to death outside, or gets hit by a car. And if we could each find in our hearts a spot for just one animal, it would give those millions of cats or dogs a home. But thats not going to happen, so I must continue my quest. I also hope I hear from others like me, who do things from as little as adopting a pet, to feeding strays and/or ferals like me. I would love to connect and get ideas from others. It will renew my dwindling spirit.

I can't take you as far back to 15 years ago where it all began behind Lorraine's restaurant on Culver Road, where I crawled under service trucks to feed and shelter stray cats for close to 8 years, rescued and found homes for many, including my own. I found my Sweet Boris almost four years ago, on a winter January morning with minus zero temperatures, after him coming up to me finally nudging my chin after about two weeks, knowing he could trust me. My sweet boy now has kidney disease, and is in kidney failure, and whittling away to nothing. But he still jumps up on the bed when I get in each and every night to cuddle with me under the covers, nuzzling his nose to mine, staring deeply into my eyes, then the purr as loud as the engine of a truck begins, and the drooling is just around the corner.

From then its taken off to about 9 feeding spots today. I know. Crazy.

Lets begin last Sunday. I awoke to a beautiful morning, was out about 6 am., and I was setting down my usual food and water on a filthy porch strewn with drug paraphalia, bird droppings, childrens shoes, pieces of wood from the door being kicked in, at a grafiteed, boarded up house on 7th street. It was set for demolition the next day, this I knew by the gigantic piece of machinery in the driveway. As I was doing this, I heard the most dreaded sounds you can hear, faint mews coming from in the house. I went to the Jeep to get Kings, my trusted lookout, and asked him to come back with me with the flashlight. We crawled through the kicked in door and proceeded to look around, holding our breaths at the rancid smell, and hearing the scurrying of cats around the dilapitated house. We noticed a mattress in one room, but it was very dark from being boarded up, and we couldn't hear anything, so I was hoping that I was hearing things.

We went back to the car and I just had to call 311, I couldn't just leave it alone. They told me to call the number of the Animal Shelter that opened at 7 after I explained my situation. I went home, had my breakfast, and called at 7:05, to find a recording. I called 311 back and got a very nice operator this time, who took the time to get ALL of my information, told me the shelter was not open to the public until noon, but that officers did start early, and she would relay the message personally. Within the next 30 minutes I received a call from an angel, Officer Elaine Lalka. She asked me to meet her at the house within 45 minutes. Once there, she summoned two Rochester police officers so that she could legally enter the house. Once she came out, she was carrying 5 newborn kittens that didn't even have their eyes open. She had found them in the mattress! The mattress in the picture of the demolished house! She lovingly placed them in her carrier, and told me that they may have to be euthanized if I couldn't take them, but I knew that I couldn't, and that would be the most humane thing to do in this already overcrowded world of homeless animals. I moved my feeding area to the back of the lot, hoping the wrecking crew wouldn't hurt it, and praying for the adult cats left in the house and that they would get out. I also left a note for the crew for the next morning warning them of cats in the house! I drove home sad, but rejoicing in the fact that I saved five babies from a horrible death. Within 30 minutes of being home, I received a call from Officer Lolka that the kittens were going to be on their way to Another Chance Pet Rescue where they would nurse them and care for them. God does show himself in many situations like this to me. I am so grateful.

Tuesday 5:45 am: - off to the Ballet Cats (Rochester City Ballet building on University Ave) where Kings and I cleaned up some trash behind the dumpster on Sunday, where I have to crawl in every other day to feed and check on the shelters we have back there, a little easier to navigate, and doesn't stink so much. They come a running when they hear and see my car. Fed them, then proceeded to my second spot that I go to every other day, which is Hayward Avenue, off East Main. As I turned from East Main onto Chamberlain, I spotted a cat, which I proceeded to pull over, get out and place a bowl of food and water down for it, but from a distance, it was paying no attention as it was licking itself. Hopefully it will eat before it rains today! I then went to my normal spot where I placed food and fresh water (I think a racoon lurks because the water is always filthy!) and spotted a cat I've never seen before watching me. I then took off for my next spot, corner of Central and Goodman, where I still haven't seen my Smokey #1 around in a while. There is a new stray hanging around there. But before I got out of my car, I spotted something in the road, so put my car in reverse, and backed up to discover another dead cat. Someone, as usual, had hit it and left it there. I got out, got a crisp clean children's beach towel from the back, and wrapped it gently around the kitty, and placed it in my back seat. Had to open the windows, the fumes were terrible. Off I went to feed at Smokey #1 spot, and then had to stop on the corners of 2nd and Central, as there are two sweet kitties there now waiting for me each morning, and then onto Hebard Avenue, where Smokey #2 was dumped last winter by a woman who didn't want him because he was spraying her house. I didn't see any of my kitties there, but placed a bit of food down for them under the garage where some of them use as shelter, and thank God its there, especially during our brutal winter we had, and the storms we get in the spring, that is until the owner fixes the door and then we have a problem! Then onto Niagara Street, where Sasha was let back after being neutered last Wednesday, and did not place any food down, just water, as I am going to try to trap there tomorrow because Habitat for Cats is allowing me Wednesdays in May to do TNR - Trap Neuter and Return - on any kitties I can. Then onto the second to final spot, 7th Avenue, where the house was finally demolished yesterday. What a site. No sign of kitties. They are scared to death from losing their home. I pray for them.

I promise that my close to daily postings won't be so long. There were just some things I had to clarify before I began this unknown journey. I have many people I will thank along the way. All of the Angels in my life. I will also be posting pictures, as soon as I can figure out how to do it!