Hippity Hop

No, Easter is not on its way, but the Bunny on 7th Street is always around. Mr. Bunny hangs with the cats I feed on the lot there. He is very cute, and not sure what he eats, but the cats are very friendly with him, and he is there each morning. He is a big bunny, not your wild one you see early in the mornings. He is a house bunny, but he has survived through the winters too, as I have seen him for years there. Driving off from that spot, I picked up a dead raccoon from the street. There was a woman and man who hollored out at me and told me I was crazy. Thats ok I told them, I know I am! I just wanted it off the street so that other people wouldn't keep running over it. I would do that for any animal, including squirrells! I then met Gina at Niagara Street to try to trap the two kittens in the boarded up house. No luck. We tried. We even went in the house there, as someone had gone in over the night hours. Its pretty bad in those kind of houses. I am so sad we were not able to get them. I don't know what I am going to do....

Craigslist

This site is odd..... I posted on there yesterday about trying to get people to foster some of the sweet cats I feed each day that really need homes. I must have received 10 responses, but they were very strange. The way their names were labeled in the e-mails sent to my e-mail address. Just all lower case, and mostly were spanish names, and they all had a link which I couldn't open, and most said god bless, and they didn't say too much. You have to wonder of the legitimacy of these replies. I have only recieved one bite from it all that seems legit, and we are trading e-mails with pictures of the five kitties I need to get homes for quickly. I pray it works out, and maybe she will take two! In the meantime, at Niagara Street, where I picked up a dead cat last week, and rescued a baby kitten, the other two kittens are now motherless as I now have come to realize that may have been her mother dead on the street. I saw them huddled on the steps this morning practically on top of each other. One ran after into the house after I got out of the car, the other sat there until I got very close, and it was meowing. These poor babies can't be any older than 6 weeks old. I've got to get them. They are so tiny, and in such danger. This is where Officer Lalka and Officer Muller met me last Sunday morning but I didn't think they were that young so I told them not to try to get them but to open up the door board a bit so they could get food. What a bad decision that was. They don't have a mother to protect them! I need help trapping them!! I dont' have a small trap! Help!! PS, the two pictures, one is of the red malnourished young kitty on Hayward Street, the other is of the two baby kittens on Niagara Street.

Readers Suggestions

From Julie: I bet each of your blog readers (and even friends/family) could foster just one cat/kitten. It is very rewarding to help an injured or malnourished kitty and not too time/money intensive. Craigs list would be helpful in finding their permanent homes once they are spayed/neutered.

Thank you Julie, what a great suggestion. I am really diligent on capturing the really sweet cats first, then get onto the real work of getting the other shy ones off the street and stop the breeding. I could really use some volunteers to get the really openly sweet ones out of the way, so I can get the others.

And thanks Julie, I did post on Craig's list the five I am really trying to find quick homes for, and had one reply already! Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Morality

I am really searching for answers here. There are so many sweet strays out there, and half of them look at me when I am done putting the food down, and I swear they are asking me to please take them out of there. My heart breaks a little bit more each day. My heart is huge, so it can handle tiny breaks, but its really doing a number on me. I have been struggling with the idea of catching at least one a day, half of them would just go into my carrier, and bringing them somewhere, where I know they would most likely be euthanized due to the already overcrowded shelters. But what kills me about that is that these cats are adoptable! Half of them let me pet them, and scoop them up for gentle hand hug! But it kills me to know I am leaving them for another 24 hours to survive amongst the other cats that are all competing for space and food. There are many cat fights going on, I see this when I go each morning, some of them are bloody or their skin mangled. I know some rescue groups would tell me not to do this, but they aren't doing what I am doing! Not many other people in Rochester are - they don't see what I see! I need some good advice.

Desperate Measures

Its getting Worse. Its getting REALLY worse out there. This morning, when I went to the back of the lot on Central Park near 2nd Street, where Julio owns the house that is being renovated, who has throw my stuff out before, but we spoke last week about it, where Benny and Whitey hang, I was astonished at what I witnessed. I saw at least four kittens and five or six adults back there. Starving. I couldn't believe it. All scrambling to get food, of course not the kittens, they ran and watched at a distance. We as humans are responsible for these creatures. We owe it to them to care for them, and take them out of their misery. I can't do it alone. I also know I have to mention here, on this blog, that I don't think anyone reads, that I am going through food and money left and right. I am now using up a 25 pound bag of dry food a day to feed these cats. I would love it if someone could find it in their hearts to occasionally buy a bag for less than $10 and leave it for me sometime. I also need help with trapping. ANYTHING anyone can do to help. I have NEVER asked for help financially - and still have a hard time asking for food help. But we've got to take a stance, as a community, to help! I can't do it alone! On another note, I am going to court this morning to watch the trial of the dog killer who starved her dog to death last winter. She let it starve in brutal harsh cold conditions in her garage. Pray the judge does the right thing and gives her jail time. Thats the only justice there is. Otherwise, she will get slapped on the hand and lose bus fare for having to go to through this. She and all other abusers are wretched monsters. Above, I include a picture of a cat named Charlie that I rescued from Hayward Avenue. Before, and after I got him. My friend Gina gave him a home where he is now king of the castle. This cat was a mess when I rescued him, a very big tom cat that was out in freezing harsh conditions for a long time. I am so proud of him.

Nuts

It was a really crazy day yesterday, Sunday. It began with my normal feedings, and changing towels after the rain on Saturday, which as usual was the first thing on my mind when I woke that morning, cause its so stressful for cats to not only be in the environment they are in, but to have it wet and damp on top of it. They have enough skin conditions without it being worsened by wet towels, at the certain spots that I do have towels, which the the spots I have shelter for over their food, which is very few. I went to the Niagara Street home and inside I heard mewing. OH LORD. Not again. So, I finished up my rounds, and went home. There, my poor Toonces, I had discovered the night before, had a very swollen back foot/toes. I called my trusted Mom, who told me yes, you should bring her right in, and no, you shouldn't wait for the vet to open on Monday. So off we went to the Emergency place on White Spruce Boulevard. Four hours later, she came home with a bandaged foot. Her toe may have to be amputated. But we will see how it goes this week. Poor thing was in terrible pain, so I am grateful for places like this, even though they literally charge an arm and a leg! and maybe a toe!. Meanwhile, during all this, I had placed a call at 6:45 to Animal Service League as I knew this would be my second favor I would call upon from my angel friend Officer Elaine Lalka. They told me to call back after 7 am. which I did after I arrived at the animal hospital. Sure enough, she got the message and called me back, and met me over at the house on Niagara, and brought her big guns with her, Officer Muller from Humane Society. I feed very bad for what I did afther that. I told them not to get the kittens, but to just leave an opening in the door for them to come out to get the food. I don't know what I was thinking except to say I knew it would be a hassle for them to get these two frisky kittens. I hate to have any one hassled for my sake. What a stupid way of thinking. I regret that decision so much. Needless to say, there were the kittens this morning, out on the porch, eating. Its been a horrendous week again just seeing all the kittens at the spots I feed. I don't know what to do, I wish I had more help in trapping these cats, and finding a home for the red kitty on Hayward, Benny on Central, and Stripes on corners of Goodman and Central. I NEED HELP, in more ways than one!!! :) What a weekend!

Prayer

I realized what a downer I sounded like earlier, so I came upon this to lift my spirits!

May the sun bring you new energy by day,
May the moon softly restore you by night,
May the rainwash away your worries,
May the breeze blow new strength into your being.
May you walk through the world and know
Its beauty all the days of your life
~Apache Blessing

Hell

Well, not really, but its just plain miserable outside. I usually know if its raining before I get out of bed as I have a skylight that helps, but because of the heat and humidity, I turn on the fan every night, so I didn't know it was raining, for how long I don't know either, but it was when I got up at 4:45 am. this morning. Yuck. I knew I was in for some miserableness. I got drenched, and my hair exploded, so much for the $30 wash, blow dry and straigtening I got last week. But my problems are minor in comparison to the poor babies out there. They really need better shelter. I have to think of something! Their food gets soaked, and they are soaked. Its just sad all the way around. I placed food bowls where I shouldn't have, on people's porches, and I am sure I will pay for that, or they will, somehow. Its supposed to be like this all day. Rotten, rotten. I will be exchanging a lot of towels tomorrow morning. Miserable. I hope something happens to brighten their day, including mine! Sorry for the downer post today!

Heaven

This morning was a tough one. I started out knowing I would have to replace several very soggy towels after yesterday's deluge of almost 2 inches of rain in somewhat short burst of storms that passed through Rochester. Which I did have to. They were all waiting for me, as usual, especially the kittens that now sit with their Momma on 2nd Street, so tiny, so innocent, so sweet. Their bowls are always empty. I hope they get their fair share after I leave. I went to the Hebard garage, where across from there I put food down bordering this horrible woman's lot where the kittens were born recently. Momma was there waiting, as usual, and this time, she did notice that I was placing food there, and after I finished up there, I am hoping her kittens were watching her and would go over for food and water. As I turned the corner onto Niagara Street, I saw something in the road. Yes, it was a cat I had been feeding there for over a year now, and even had her sister TNR'd. This baby had come to trust me, and would sit in the hole we punched out in the boarded window for their shelter last winter, and watch me place food each morning. As I went to my trunk to get a baby blanket out, a prostitute walked by and said bless you for what you do for these cats. That made me feel better, as I started to cry. I picked her up and placed her gently down, knowing I would bring her to the same place I do each time this happens, anonomously, but humane. I did lose it this time. Just a week ago I picked up a dead cat on East Main Street, the poor thing had even been TNR'd, I knew this by its clipped ear. But it was the fact that I looked into this innocent baby's eyes each morning - and she was still warm. The prostitute told me she had just seen it within the hour alive. So I knew it had just happened. Who can take an innocent life and not think a thing about it. What kind of monsters has God created. Will he show them their justice in the end? I know this baby's soul left as soon as it was hit and rose to heaven.

DO SOMETHING!!!

This morning was a terrible morning, not in terms of difficulty, but I saw way too many kittens out there, and I also think I heard newborn mewing on 7th Street, where myself and ASL rescued a litter of newborns from a mattress inside a house set for demolition the very next morning this past spring. It sounded like it was coming from a pile of branches too thick to look into in the back of that now empty lot where I've put food down ever since. Then onto Second Street where there are at LEAST 5 kittens about 6-8 weeks old running all over the place. In fact, a car went past me as I was watching this one kitten running across the road, and it didn't even apply its brakes. They just don't care. Then on Hebard, there are two black kittens living in the garage, and two grey and white living under a camper across the road from there that we HAD been feeding, where the woman that lives there just this weekend warned Gina to 'stay off her property'. I pray Mama has shown them how to get across the road and close to the garage to get something to eat and drink. In the meantime, as I turned the corner to feed on Niagara where newly named Mia, the newly rescued baby kitten with the broken femur was dumped on the porch last week - her picture is posted here, I saw Jessie, the older man who lives next door. Nice man, gentle ways about him. I think he is high half the time, but thats ok! He is nice. Anyways, I started to rant to Jessie what I had been thinking after my rounding this morning. These aren't MY neighborhoods, these are YOUR (not meaning Jessie) neighborhoods! You people who live on these streets should be doing something to solve the problems on YOUR street, in YOUR neighborhood!!! Why is it up to me? I shouldn't have to be doing this!!! If one person on each street would take some kind of action, we wouldn't have this problem!!! I wish they made a pill to put into food to sterilize cats. We've got to come up with a better solution that trapping!!! They do this for deer, don't they?

Sweet Relief!

I have been gone for a long weekend in the Adirondacks, and placed the care of all my cats I feed in God's hands. Also a few spots in Gina's, thank you Gina, but I don't think she had a lot of success in placing food down as she goes a different time of day, when 'they' are all out, and I go in the morning when 'they' are all sleeping still. 'They' meaning the bad guys. I did get a surprise call on Saturday while I was taking a walk down a rustic road in the mountains from Julio, the man who owns the house on Central who has been throwing my stuff away where I feed Benny and Whitey. He sounds like a decent man, and just doesn't like 'the flys' that come with the food. I do agree there are tons of flys attracted to where I place not only dry food, but wet food too. And with that comes maggots, but don't worry, I CLEAN!!! I found maggots only once on Niagara Street, and it won't happen again, now that I know what to look for! Anyways, Julio is willing to help me relocate my food across the street to another abandoned house, but I am hoping I can find a home for Benny QUICK, as he really is a lover boy. HE was VERY hungry this morning, I think out of all the places that haven't had me there in three mornings, he showed me the most hunger. Poor thing. But I can't tell you how good it felt to be able to go to my feeding spots this morning. Not that its a pleasant thing to do, but I layed awake last night from 2-3 am. thinking about the new kittens everywhere, and all weekend I thought about the places Gina wasn't feeding for me. Its hard. I need a fortune to start a sanctuary for these cats so that I don't have to go out like this and place my life in danger anymore!! And these cats don't have to suffer like they do as homeless animals do! Thanks for listening, if anyone reads this!!! :)

Insanity

What is insanity? Is it the guy that was hanging across from 320 Central Park in the median that was so messed up he was making gestures like Marcelle Marceau, the famous mime at 5:45 am. this morning? Is it the prostitute standing in the middle of Third Street staring down at the road, or her feet perhaps? Is it the guy that tried to sell me 6 chairs for $12 on Central Park at 6 am, with no chairs in sight? Is it the fact that the there are so many stories of sadness with these cats I feed, like the one with the gaping wound on its neck the size of an apple, and I don't know what to do? Or is it me, insanity, in what I do every morning. Who can answer what insanity really is! Update on the little baby I rescued yesterday: Broken femur near hip joint, too young to cast, and full of fleas, too young to treat. But the Angel Julie that has adopted her will nurse her back to health. I will keep track of her progress. But so glad I did find her. She was just a tiny baby.

Sookie Sookie Sue

Well, I went to trap this morning at Hebard Street, and if I had no success there, it would have been at Second Street. But as I got to Hebard, and set the trap, the only things moving around it were two NEW black kittens that came out from under the garage. Not even old enough to neuter. And no sign of the new mother with the kittens across the street, the siblings of Little Orphan Annie. Now, where did they come from?? Are people dumping kittens? So, I put food out and went to Niagara Street before heading back to Second Street for a successful trap, and on the porch, sitting in a ball, was a tiny not much more than three weeks old kitten. I am naming her/him Sookie. The little one didn't fight me too much. Its almost like someone dumped the kitten there, left it, and it was wondering where to go or what to do. All by itself. And its back leg is injured. I am posting its picture on here momentarily. WHAT is wrong with people. Now the kitten is on my porch in a carrier all balled up. Sweet. Tiny tiny tiny. Need to find this kitten a home!

Meanies

There are a lot of mean people out there. I noticed this morning that under the tree, in a small park on Pennsylvania Avenue between 6th and 5th Streets, I place a paper bowl of water and paper bowl of food each morning because I saw a hungry cat there a week or two ago when it was terribly hot out - a bit more than what it has been! A wee bit! - anyways, someone keeps trashing it. WHAT is the harm in leaving that simple thing there??? I just don't understand the mindset of people, people like this I should say. Across from this spot are two homes that are immaculate amongst severe poverty. I just don't get it. On another note, I did not go to one spot today that I go to daily, on Hebard Avenue, where many kitties have been rescued from, including Smokey who I still have under my thumb waiting on adoption, and where little Orphan Annie was taken from. I am going to try to trap neuter and return the mother kitty, Mama. I have an appt. from Habitat for Cats, so wish me luck tomorrow! This all takes place at 5:30 in the morning, and I only have a certain window of time to do this as I have to get to work! Oh Lord, the things I do!

Despair

My own. I was thinking this morning, as I was out for the 45 minutes its takes me (and thats without running into anyone) to do the now 9 out of 10 spots I feed at beginning at 5:15 am., and this is in the summertime! I was thinking about what it would be like in the wintertime for me, and how early I will have to get up. Then again, sunrise isn't until much later in the winter, and I won't go in the dark to these places. I also wonder how long I am going to do this! Something needs to give! I know for certain that I am going to have to trap two cats from the Central Park location that are sweethearts, Benny and Whitey, and bring to a shelter. The owner there is throwing away my stuff every day, so thats not good. Usually I can compromise with these people - I tried, and the workers said they would talk to him, and he was OK about it for a couple weeks. I will attempt to go there today to ask him for two weeks, as I am going away this Saturday to Monday, and won't be able to feed any cats. I will ask him for a reprieve until then. That will be one less spot to feed at. Big whoop. If anyone is reading this Blog, which I doubt anyone is at this point, please consider adopting one of these cats, as they are going to have to go to a shelter, as much as I love them. I think I do this blog for my own sanity, just to vent what is on my mind, which is good for me, so thats fine if I am the only one on here! More on this at a later date. Its too much for me to think about right now.

I'm Back!

Its been a few days! I've missed my blog! Its been hectic having my step-son here from Australia! Plus I had a few days off, and its been BLOODY hot, too hot to come up to my computer in the upstairs of the house with no A/C! So, there have been a number of things going on, but not too much out of the ordinary. Yesterday chased away a pack of raccoons... are a group of raccoons considered a pack? Yes, there were six of them... a six pack! ha! They were caught eating at my feeding spot on Hayward Avenue. There is a red kitty there that is extremely thin, that waits now every morning under a car for me. Timid, a bit skittish, but did let me touch its nose one morning. Also, the spot where I put food and water on Central Park between 2nd and 3rd streets for Benny and Whitey are being trashed again. Will have to go over and have a chat again with the owner of the now being fixed up boarded up house. Not sure of how to convince him, but I have also made the decision to trap these two cats and take them to a shelter. I cannot find a home for them, and they are the two sweetest cats. They hate each other, but they love me. But they will not have anything soon if someone moves into that house. I must get them out of there. I had my car waxed by Paul yesterday. He is the black gentlemen that is allowing me to place food and water under his bush in front of his house at 54 Second Street. Nicest guy around. I really really like him. We chatted yesterday morning while he waxed my car in his driveway. Laughed and talked serious. As I sat there watching him, I was also observing the cats around there. He is a kind man, but doesn't want them to think he is too kind, because he doesn't want the rodents, etc. around his house. He asked me if I had any information on an exterminator, which I promptly did get from my Uncle who owns several properties around Rochester and surely has dealt with exterminators! I feel if I can get on good ground with Paul, he may let me build a little shelter there in the fall for these cats. I am posting a pic of the red cat on Hayward for all of you. Will name him Red for now. Happy Sunday everyone!

Sunrise, Sunset...

I love the mornings. I am truly a morning person, even though in an ideal world, I would love to sleep past 5 am. But I have a job to do. Several as a matter of fact! But one of the things I noticed this morning is how peaceful it is early in the morning. You can drive down even the most poverty stricken streets and feel a peaceful calmness about it. I feel sorry for people who sleep in late and miss half of the morning because they miss out on the purity of a day.

Anyway, to get back on track of this blog... I met a guy this morning by the name of Paul. He lives on Second Street and I had mentioned earlier in posts that I wanted to meet the person who lived in this house. I had gone one day and left a note in his mailbox to call me or I would stop back, but I had forgotten to leave my number, nor did I attempt to go back on a lunch hour due to my workload. He lives in the house next to the one I put food down for all those cats I took a picture of earlier. Anyway, he happened to have his door open this morning having breakfast and called out hello as I approached the feeding area. WHAT A NICE MAN. It makes it all worthwhile sometimes to do what I do when you meet a man like that. He shook my hand, used to work with the inmates at the Sheriff's Office, is retired, and obviously takes care of himself and his home. Its modest, but tidy. We talked about the cats and he told me he didn't have a problem with me leaving food under the bushes at his place. He has a soft spot for the cats, felt sorry for them, has called Animal Control to help, but they won't. He knows of the newborns running around, feels sorry for them. I told him I would help in the capacity that I could, but I could never fix it, all by myself. Never. There are just too many of them, and I can only get so many appointments or trap so many successfully. All by myself. I have no one helping me. I wish I did. A lot of people talk the talk, but don't walk the walk. Is that how the saying goes? Anyway, the only thing this guy asked for in exchange was to let me let HIM wax my car! So, will drop off there one morning this weekend for a couple of hours. He asked for nothing more in exchange. Just a kind man. Makes my heart soar when I look at the devastating sadness I face each day.

Hotter than Haides

I am back! Its been a long long weekend! I played and worked. Nothing too new to report on the kitties, except that I can't help but worry about Benny, as he walked me back to my car two mornings ago. He ignored the food I put down and walked all the way to the other side of my car while I got in begging me to take him. I have to get a home for him! Please ask around everyone! Sweet sweet kitty! Also, Whitey there is now letting me pet him. He was someone's cat, once. He is a sweetheart also. I really need to find homes for these guys! Blackie also, he is just a lover boy, along with Stripes. Met a guy named Mike this morning, nice dude, asked me if I was married. HA! He was out walking, I then saw him on Niagara. He said he liked cats and thought what I was doing was nice. Bless him! Told him to help spay and neuter cats!!! HA again!

Its a very hot week here in Rochester, in the 90s, and still in the high 70s at night, very hot to sleep especially when your central air is busted for the first time in the 17 years you've had it at your first home. But, I will persevere. But even my babies are listless, and lifeless. They even appreciate a fan when I run it. Cats and dogs are funny creatures.

TGIT

Well, I am so glad its Thursday, I have tomorrow off from work. I need it. Yesterday, as an update, I left work in late morning to go see if I could meet up with the owner of the vacant house that has been trashing my stuff for Benny and Whitey. I finally found some guys working inside the house, both nice guys - the one in charge's name is Jose Echevarria. After I went through my spiel about the cats, and asking him if he could talk to the owner, who was not there at the moment, he smiled and said 'you are just like my wife' - I knew I had made a new 'friend'! Anyways, sure enough, the bowls and plates were there this morning. One down, one to go. Now I need to talk to the man who lives in the house on Second Street to see if he will allow me to place food in his yard. Will go back there today late morning. Also, this morning an older man on a bike on Niagara Street motioned for me, I rolled my window down to talk to him as I was leaving from feeding Sasha and others at the abandoned house, and he told me they were getting ready to demolish the house. This is sad because this will be the second sheltered area that is not going to be there this coming winter. I don't know what I will do. I need to find a place to house these cats - at least provide them shelter during the winter. I need to figure out a way to raise money for a future sanctuary for these innocent creatures, and quick! Any suggestions would be most welcome. Have a great day!