A Couple of Pics

I thought i would share a few pictures here today. These are of one that I feed, and the other two are of the same kitten I trapped Tuesday and brought to the shelter. Its from Second Street, where there is an overabundance of them. Very sad existence. Today its raining out, and everyone is miserable.

Disappointment All Around!

I am very upset and disappointed this morning. I had a very rare appointment scheduled for a TNR at the clinic - Trap, Neuter and Return this morning. I first started at Second Street, where I did have a successful TNR a few months back. They were just not interested. I used some very nice, smelly sardines in oil - but they just weren't falling for it. Perhaps I've used the trap around them too many times and they are getting wise. I had just successfully got a kitten there yesterday. But this morning, there weren't too many of them around. I then went to the Central Park cats. Where Benny, Whitey, and seven other cats live. I sat there from a distance as I saw a cat go in and out and eat the sardines, but the trap didn't close. Are these cats smart or what? He obviously walked right around the part where if you apply pressure, the door will slam shut.
He/she went in there twice! After driving around for at least 20 minutes, back and forth to see if I was successful, I packed up, and went to my third and final spot, Hayward Avenue, where I have had great success in the past, and have adopted/adopted out at least 6 cats so far. Jack being the latest. Well, by this time, it was past the time I should have been home changing and getting work. Unfortunately, the sweet female pit bull was loose, so she was out sniffing the trap with the smelly sardines! Well, I got up the courage to get out and coax her back to her house, knocked on the door, where this HUGE man came out to claim her. She was pregnant, but he promised me she was not being bred for fighting. Her name is Miami. He told me the other dog got out, the male, and it always happens on garbage pickup day. I told him the dog was hindering my ability to successfully trap one of the cats here, especially the one with half its neck gone. Well, after several attempts to drive around and come back, still nothing. I had to pack up. I know I am a huge disappointment for Habitat for Cats due to the few coveted appointments they are allowed, but what can I do.

Betty

I just wanted to share a quick story and picture. My friend Cheryl has had cats dumped off at her house in Bloomfield because she has land and a barn. Now these people are sick to do something like this, but Cheryl has found homes for two of these cats, just within the past week and half, and one of the homes is hers. She has taken in Betty, a female cat. I just wanted to show you how well Betty is getting along with her other two cats Sunny and Jack. Its amazing at how adaptable cats are!

Another Prisoner of Love

Wet morning out there! I hate the rain just for the reason it causes miserableness for the cats. Or, can cats even feel miserable? I trapped another cat this morning. This one will go to the shelter. Its one of the kittens that the mother kitty had on Second Street. It’s the second of three she had that I have trapped. Its very quiet and scared right now on my porch. I have an appointment with Habitat for Cats for tomorrow, one of the precious few I get – its down to once a month now – and I am not sure which one I will trap, which spot I go to. Remember, each spot has over 3 cats, most have at least 8. I feed between 30-40 cats a day. Once a month for trap, neuter, return is just not enough. They reproduce too quickly. I must get as many off the street as I can now. There are just too many. Haven’t even seen the cat that was ready to burst two weeks ago. No sign of her or kittens anywhere. I struggle with this morally, removing cats from the street. I wonder if its better that they suffer out there – or go to a shelter where they most likely will be put to sleep. This kitten I have, about 4-5 months old, is close to being feral. The only thing that keeps it from being totally feral is that it shows itself when I pull up to feed. I wish I had a better solution.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

The kitty on the roof that was trapped late last week at the vacant house on Niagara Street due to the city boarding it up, and not checking to see if there were cats in there, is now now safe, due to Gina poking another hole through the board. Thank you so much Gina. I hadn't seen the kitty Saturday morning so thought it was safely down after jumping. She apparently still saw it up there on Sunday, and pounded through the wood that afternoon. I am so appreciative of Gina in my life. She understands me! Otherwise, still contemplating how I am going to shelter some of these spots I have for these poor animals. I've GOT to get a home for little boy Blackie - he is too sweet to leave out there! On a side note, my niece stayed overnight on Saturday because she loves kitties and rescue as much as I do, and as we were out on Sunday morning very early! (thank you Brenna!), some drove past, backed up, shined their lights on me, and asked what I was doing. I told them, one said he recognized me from Niagara Street. That was funny. And good, usually they drive past without stopping, as if they know me. But I am glad they were aware this time, and bothered to ask what I was up to. GOOD! A little police presence never hurts. I wish I had told them that but they drove away too fast. Next time...

Crazy Morning!

Yes, it was insane out there this morning. Had to switch up my route as it started in the dark and there were some characters at some of my spots that I go to first because its a bit safer when its darker out. But I had to reroute my rounds a bit so I wasn’t off to a good start. I managed to get to all my spots, some of them troubled me. On Hebard, Mama cat that is very hard to trap, wasn’t around. I had a woman stop in a truck to tell me that I am feeding the skunks. I told her of my plight with Mama cat. She was nice enough. At least she didn’t scream at me. Then I went to Niagara Street, where they boarded up the house. There is now a cat on the roof again, must not know how to get out, which I guess would be to jump. These city people – they just don’t realize there are live animals in some of these places. Will look for kitty tomorrow to see if he figured it out. It’s a long way up, but he will survive if he jumps. Sad really. Then was going to trap a cat in a little park off Pennsylvania Avenue, the only one I feed, and bring to shelter, but there was a guy with his two pits playing there, so kitty was no where in sight. Left food anyway, and drove off. Then to Hayward where there is a cat that has had half its neck ripped to shreds by a raccoon. I am convinced of that, they are vicious. As I set the trap for that one, and went to the car to wait, I saw a fat little raccoon come meandering around sniffing the bag I left on the sidewalk next to the trap. I began to chase it away and as I watched it run up the tree I saw its partner in crime waiting for him. Monsters. I know they are animals too, but as I drove away after closing up the trap, knowing I wouldn’t get my guy because he already had entered the cage, took a bite and backed out as if he was very familiar with a trap, I thought about how they would go without eating as I knew these two bandits would be down from that tree in a lickety split as soon as I was gone! Arggh!

By the Light of the Silvery Moon....

Good thing I’m not afraid of the dark – its dark when I go out. This morning there was a beautiful full moon, but its not enough light to feel completely confident, but then again, I don’t like going out in the full daylight either so that people can see me, and what I am doing. I like it half and half I guess! I don’t have a lot of fear of things, except for the things I can’t control, like illness, and death. I love scary movies, the scarier the better, I like snakes, spiders, and speaking of spiders, Mr. Giant Hairy Scary Spider is back on the abandoned house’s porch on Niagara Street. In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve attached one here. He was MIA for a couple of weeks, I have no idea where he went, but I refused to go onto the porch while he was missing, I would place the food on the edge of the steps so I wouldn’t have to go onto the porch, as I said it is semi-dark, so I couldn’t see where the little bugger went to! Other than that, things were pretty quiet on the home front. No one bothered me today. I need to find little boy Blackie a home. He is my little one that intertwines around my legs when I pull up to the corner of Central and Goodman. He is a very sweet little boy that desperately needs a home. He reminds me of Betty, the stray that now resides with a woman, who has told me over and over how appreciative she is that Betty is in her life. He is so loving and kind – yes Betty is a boy! Some of these strays would melt your heart if you know how sweet they are and how they are living now.

And the Heavens Opened!

Well, I managed to get to all the babies out there before the rain came. And boy did it. Thunder and lightning too! The dude on Central Park, Julio, who lets is renovating a house there, and is allowing me to keep feeding behind his property, has just cleared out the back with all the brush, and weeds, and small trees, but he didn't throw my stuff away. Bless his heart. I left him a short note on the back of a paper plate yesterday and propped it against the door to the house. It said "thank you Julio! The cat lady...." .... No one lives there, yet. I don't know if he is going to sell, or rent, but I hope they like cats! I can't wait to set the clocks back so I can get out earlier. With the workload I have at the hospital, I am trying to get to work by 7:30 am, which I have been, but its such a rush to do it. I have to wait until at least 6 am. now before I start to see some light in the east. By the time I get home, its about 6:50 am. or so and its a mad rush to get things done and out. When the clock goes back, I can leave the house by 5:30 like I used to and be back and have some breathing room. Whew!

Critical Acclaim

I received a lot of flack for bringing home Kenny G. and cooking him breakfast Sunday morning, and giving him a new pair of socks, and a new jacket - an old one to me. In fact it was Jemel Mitchell's jacket - the ex-Rhinos soccer star - from when he lived with me for a winter. But you know, thats something that is just in me. I didn't think twice about it because I knew what kind of heart Kenny G. has. I consider myself a good people reader, and he wouldn't even step foot in my car if I had any doubts about him. He knows Gina, the girl who does what I do, and he thinks we are both just the best, most compassionate people he knows. I don't care if people think I am nuts. I would give the last $5 in my pocket if I felt the person needed it, and I just can't change my genetic makeup. Did you make me like this Mom? Or was this something I learned on my own as I got older? I wish I could remember my childhood to see if I had these characteristics in me way back then. Anyways, the kitties were all good, but I am starting to worry about the onset of winter coming, and how cold they will be. We need shelters! Help!

Busy Monday!

Nothing really new with the cats this morning. Paul B. called me, by mistake on Friday, and said he would allow me to put a shelter behind his house on Second Street. That was very kind of him. I hope the cats take to it, although there still won't be enough room for them because of the amount of cats homeless on that street, and their personalities that clash. Pregnant Mama on Central hasn't been seen for many days now, am sure she has had her litter somewhere. The most memorable part of my weekend was running into Kenny G., the dude who followed me on his bike to the public market one saturday morning for some cash. He's a nice fellow, down on his luck, but very respectful to me, and kind. Kings and I were out doing our thing and there he was, as I was on the phone calling 911 because I was listening to the worst dog sounds... I thought there was a dog fight going on. There wasn't, turns out someone was walking their dog through another person's yard with dogs. Loud it was! Anyways, we wound up taking Kenny to our house, giving him a new pair of socks, and feeding him breakfast. Afterwards, we even let him sleep for a few hours in our spare bedroom. He was hungry, and told us that his son was killed by gunshots last weekend - he was 20 and attending MCC. Not sure of the circumstances, but he was devastated, and we offered to give him a ride to Unity Hospital to visit his dad, and we just wound up caring for him for a few hours instead! I looked at Kings and one point later on and said, are we insane to do this?, and he said 'what would Jesus do' - that put it all in perspective. I should have been a social worker! PS, Kenny was very very grateful for what we did, he didn't stop telling us how kind we are. And he never asked for a dime.

Its Friday!

Good thing because I don't have to work this weekend. I normally have been coming in on Sundays, but am having some work done in my kitchen on Sunday, so won't be. But the bad thing is, I still have to get up and go feed the cats. It was a soggy wet morning when I went out. So many hungry faces. I was going to try to trap a cat, but forgot the trap. I get up at 4 am. to get my day started, and by 7 am I am running like crazy, trying to tidy up, and get off to work. Its crazy, seriously. My weekday mornings are insane. If someone could film what I do, I don't know if it would be considered a comedy, or horror. Pregnant Mama on Central was no where to be seen again. Second day. I'll bet she's had those little ones. I feel terrible I don't know where they are. If their even alive. It was too dark to look around. Also at that spot, looks like some houligans were back there as there were branches and stuff strewn around that weren't there yesterday. Also, they moved my board that I put down for shelter for the food. I need a sanctuary!! I need to get these cats neutered so there arent' any more! Or at least not in the numbers there are now! Have a good weekend!!!

Blah

Uneventful morning... keeping in mind the upcoming rain we are supposed to get today, I had to place a few boards here and there to shelter the food from getting soggy. I did not see pregnant mama kitty on Central Park and Second, where she has been coming to eat when I get there. I even brought a carrier with me in hope of grabbing her. No sight of her. I feel terrible. I feel as if she has now had these kittens somewhere around there but I can't see them. Its a bad spot, really, in between houses - an empty lot, but there is a fence behind where I feed, so I can't really go past that to look. I was going to take a picture but forgot to. I will try tomorrow. A kitten let me touch its neck as it leaned down to hungrily gobble up the wet food I put down in front of it. Thats a first, usually he and the other two kittens steer clear of me. He reminds me of Sylvester the cat in the old cartoon. He is very fluffy too. Really really pretty black and white. Only about two months old I would say. On Hebard Street, the mama cat is definitely pregnant, but not as advanced as the Central Park one is. She just won't be trapped. I don't know what to do about that. I picked up one of her dead babies off the street, one was rescued (Little Orphan Annie) by Gina, and the other was brought to the shelter. I thought I had them all. Now she will give birth to a new litter. It just never ends.

Blackie

This morning I had every intention of trapping Blackie, the Blackie from Hayward Avenue. Blackie is a very sick kitty. He is the one I wrote about early on where I thought someone had shaved his skin on the side of his body, there was a large tuft of fur hanging from him. I think it was just the beginning of a bad illness. He has regrown the fur, but when he shakes his head, which is often, you can hear liquid. He also is very aggressive. I have to shoo him off when I pour the food down into the bowl. He will bite me otherwise. Well, I trapped him. He is not a happy camper, and I am not happy about it, but it just had to be done. I’ve wanted to get him off the street for a long time now. He is very sick, and definitely not adoptable. He is a biter big time. Has nipped at me several times. He will be going to the shelter this morning. God be with him! On another note, as I was driving down 2nd Street, a pretty young black girl up ahead threw her stryofoam cup into the street. I pulled over and she started to walk to the car and open the passenger door, as if we were best friends or something! I motioned for her that I just wanted to talk to her so she came to my side, and I told her I was feeding cats. She just kept smiling, and I boldly asked her, and I know I shouldn’t have done this, but I said don’t you care about your neighborhood, you just threw that cup down? She answered something and started to walk away and I said you are mean and she kept walking and as she walked by the cats where I feed, she lunged at them and said “these ugly ass cats – I don’t care about them….” And then she said “I’d be nicer if I drove a car like yours.”
Yep, here comes another generation of women who just don’t care. On a positive note, the Puerto Rican dude that lives across from where I feed on that street came over to ask me if I knew of a place that watches cats, he was going to Puerto Rico for a week in about a month and wanted his inside cat cared for. That’s great. A responsible man. I am going to get him the number for the bed and breakfast for kitties that Cheryl Corsi runs. Yay!

One Flew Over the Hawks Nest

Yes, I sometimes think I am insane, but this was a real bird I am talking about... I was on my way to meet my BFFs for a quick bite after work yesterday, and as I was going around the loop to get onto the expressway, out of the corner of my eye, there was a large bird, with very large wings, a brownish whitish color, and one wing was in the air. In those split seconds I had to look, I thought it was injured. I would have pulled over but there was a car directly behind me. I did call the wildlife rescue place on East Ridge Road and they gave me some instructions for when I was going to rescue it on my way home, which I told them I would try to do if I saw it again. Well, it wasn't there. It must have been feasting on its kill or something, or maybe someone else saw it and rescued it. Who knows. But did you know that hawks won't normally bite, but they do damage with their talons, which are razor sharp, so you have to be very careful with their feet! On another note, one of the seven cats I am feeding on Central Park near Second, where Benny and Whitey hang, there is a pregnant female ready to pop. I am sick over this. I don't know where she will give birth, and if she does, what do I do if I see them? Will have to check with my friend and co=worker at the hospital Julie who is a specialist in kittens. Thats it for now! Gotta get to work!

Remembrances

There is lots of new today, but to begin with, I was thinking about all the mean folks that have fought me along the way, feeding cats, and sheltering them. Do they really want to be remembered by someone, me, and their God, for being unkind toward their fellow man and animal? Will they ly on their deathbed and say, I did this and that, I acomplished this and that, and I didn't allow anyone to feed animals on my property. Is life really worth that? I think about life being so short, and in the end, what do you really have to show for it? Its how you are remembered, not what you have, or how you kept your property, or how much money you made, or if I was white or black. Stripes was almost found. The girl who was fostering Stripes for a week and then Stripes got out her window, she called me to say she had found him, and then the next morning she called to say she had the wrong cat. She thought it was him in the dark. I hope she does the right thing with the wrong cat, but wrong or right, they are all precious. Stripes remains missing, and I remain incredibly sad over it. On a more positive note, Jessie, the elderly and disabled black man who lives next door to the abandoned house on Niagara Street, next to the spider, and the house that I've rescued quite a few cats now in my life, including the recent kittens, Mia, Otis and Milo, has been evicted from his home by the State Health Department. We are going to try to help Jessie, number one his having an appointment this morning to get him into an apartment near Hudson and Ridge Roads. Can you imagine living in a roach and rat infested home? What is wrong with these slumlords we have. And Jessie tells me his landlord is a female! Well, I guess there are all kinds. We really hope we can find him a place for the small pension he lives on each month. He's a nice man, and at his age, he shouldn't be living that way. He has to be out by October 3rd. Wish him luck.

TGIF - Again

How come we wish our days away? I just want to win the lottery. First thing I would do is to hire a bunch of people to trap all the cats that I feed every day. I would then round them up in a warehouse, or large barn, with their own sleeping cabins, and hire a bunch of vets to come in and neuter them. I would then hire a bunch of people to come in with them 8 hours a day to spend time with them, socialize them, and become their best friend! I would quit my job as I would want to spend my time doing what I love, cooking, travelling, and taking care of animals. Seeing to their every want and need. Its getting into fall now, with crisp mornings, and I am going to begin my yearly stress of the onset of winter and what it will do to the kittens and adults that are out there that depend on me for food. How am I going to now shelter them. I hope I can find a way.

All is Calm

Its a chilly, wet morning, but there they were, all my babies waiting for me. I fed them their favorite, wet food, and changed their filthy water bowls. I am starting to think about the shelter they will need for the cold weather, and don't know what to do. I have two shelters (that came from behind Rochester Ballet), but hesitate as they will be taken by the bad guys, possibly. My mission is to talk to Paul on Second Street and ask if he will allow me to put shelter behind his house. It won't bother anyone, but asking these people for a favor is near impossible. I have been plying him with my homebaked/cooked goodies for a while now,and I hope it pays off! I continue to mourn my sweet Stripes, who was 'lost' on Harper Street. Its day two that I haven't gone over there to call for him. I am still sick over it. Off to work I go. Have a good day! PS, the spider was not in his web this morning. Talk about the willies, I sure had them!!! Where did he go???

Mama Kitty

The cat on Hebard Street is extremely smart. She just won't fall for the trap. I didn't feed her yesterday, in hopes that she would be hungry enough to go into the trap I set this morning, but nope, she just watches from across the street. Although I didn't give it a lot of time this morning, I had to be at work at 7 am. That wasn't the plan, but what are you going to do when your boss asks you to be early to help out! So I gave kitty about 10 minutes, and had to leave. I did leave the little salmon that was in the trap, but as I started to drive away, I noticed a black cat come from under the garage and start eating it, so I had to get out and leave some dry food for Mama because she was starving. I didn't want to leave any more than the little bit of salmon in hopes that she would be now extremely hungry tomorrow morning when I had a little more time to wait for her to go into the trap. Nuts! But now I am wondering where that black cat came from, and is it related to Spooky, who I just rescued last week and am desperately looking for a home for. This is day one that I did not go to Harper Street off Goodman to call for Stripes. I got a call from a woman anonymously yesterday that Greece Animal Control picked up a cat that she thought matched the description of the ad I put in the paper for him. Its a bit far away, but you never know, so I am waiting for a call back from them!

Letter to the Editor

I am waiting to see this published in the Democrat & Chronicle - its a letter from the President of Habitat for Cats' husband who is a retired cop, and an animal lover. Its right on. Here it is:

Regarding D&C article of 9/1/10 “No Jail Time in Pet Starving”.

City Court Judge John Schwartz stated that he had never before been inundated by such a large hue and cry as he was from the public who were seeking a just sentence for Love Jackson who starved her six year old Rottweiler to death. I am outraged by Schwartz’s extremely lenient sentence and am confused about whether Judge Schwartz is merely arrogant in disregarding the public’s sentencing input or just plain ignorant and inconsiderate of how this defenseless animal suffered before its’ senseless demise. Fortunately, Judge Schwartz can only arraign and oversee preliminary hearings of felonies and not sentence felons because one must wonder if Schwartz would sentence a convicted pedophile to community service at a nursery school as he sentenced this convicted animal abuser to 100 hours of community service at an animal shelter where she may have more opportunities to abuse animals. I implore the public to remember Judge Schwartz’s lack of compassion and vote him off the bench so he can not repeat this injustice if one of their loved ones is victimized.



Walt Simoni

Itsy Bitsy Spider...

isn't so itsy bitsy! This has been 'hanging out' at Niagara Street for weeks now, and its usually too dark for me to get a picture of it, but I got one this morning, in the early dawn. This is scary. Don't get me wrong, I was born a tomboy, I've held many a snakes, allowed many a daddy long legs crawl over me, even slept in a bed in a hotel room in Texas with Daddy Long Leg Spiders with legs the length of my longest finger walking on the walls! But this guy, he is a big one. He has striped legs, and his color is black and maroonish... I think. He gives me the willies! When I go up onto the porch to place food and water down, I keep a steady eye on on him! Yuck! On another note, tried to trap the remaining kitty on Hebard Street, but she is so smart. Didn't leave food for her so she will be very hungry tomorrow. She will be pregnant in no time, so I must get her off the street. Still no sign of Stripes. I am very very upset by this, and will talk more about it in a later post. Have a great day back to work everyone!

I ponder many things

I have come to realize, and it hits me every now and then, that all animal rescuers are not on the same page as I am. I keep a lot to myself sometimes as I don't want people to think I am crazy, or off my rocker. And sometimes I wonder if I am. Other times, I think I am the most normal, compassionate person I know! A bit neurotic at times, but just the same! I am the type of person who when turning right, I move to the farthest I can to the right before I take it so the person behind me can move along without too much delay. Others don't do this. And how I like my bags to be stuffed at Wegmans, very heavy and loaded. No more than three bags! I challenge each checkout person to load everything into three bags!! OK, I am going off on a tangent. What I am trying to say is that there is a girl out there who has pretty much told me to stay away from an area where I had been feeding and sheltering kittens and cats for almost two years now. I was told by the building's superintendent that I had to get the shelter out. I was told by the director of the company that is housed there that she and the neighbor company's owner that they would take care of the cats. These cats are starving. I have seen no sign that they are being fed. I have not gone there in a week now praying that I am wrong. That somehow they are feeding them. I was told by this girl that belongs to a rescue group, she apparently has been in contact with these business people, that all was well. I then asked her if I could speak to her, to find out how she knew this information first hand, and she never wrote back. Is it politics? What is it? Why wouldn't she call me? Wouldn't she want to confirm that all was OK with the cats, firsthand? So more restless nights over this one. I have come to know these cats, and they me. I have sheltered them with a large igloo and handmade 'house' for almost two winters now. Now they have nothing. I would like to know how they are helping them. And secondly, whats with the building superintendent? These shelters were no where in view. How come some people want animals to suffer for no reason? Or maybe not want, but don't think about that animal and how it will suffer if you remove the small safety they have in their life. I just don't get it. Do you?

All Quiet on the Homefront!

The days are getting shorter... it's still somewhat dark at 6 am! I have to leave the house at 5:30 in order to get to work on time, so its scary out there at that time, but I am manueuvering my way to certain spots where I feel more comfortable in the dark. It was quiet, all my babies were accounted for. I went to Harper Street to call for Stripes again, but to no avail. He is still missing. But this time the posters were up, I hope we find him. Because of his sweet disposition, I firmly believe someone dumped him on Goodman and Central where I rescued him from, where I fed him for months each morning, and he doesn't deserve this. He needs to be found. Its Friday, and I am thankful... its been a very long week! TGIF!

Prisoner of Love

Here is a picture of a little peanut I trapped this morning, who I transferred from trap to carrier easily enough but when I went to put water in for him/her, it escaped and is running around on my porch. Its not the tiny little kitten where its teeth sinking into you would feel like a bee sting, its a little bigger than that so I am a bit nervous. I've been bitten before, and it was NOT fun. I had to come to work regardless, so I am hoping Gina, who promised to take the kitty, will have better luck than me when she comes this morning to get it. I am so so happy to get this one off of Hebard Street. All that is left now is Mama cat. I will have to get her out of there, but she is very leery of traps. I also successfully trapped a kitty I now call Sophie yesterday, who went to the clinic via a Habitat for Cats appointment, and turns out she was a lactating female, who I believe is the mother of four kittens from Second Street, two of which I brought to the shelter last week. I feel good about that at least she is now neutered and cannot have any more kittens. I went to see if I could spot Stripes on Harper Street, and no luck. I am extremely upset about this one. I did place an ad in the D & C and am hoping to have some 'bites'. UPDATE: Kitty is in the carrier! YAY! Thanks Kings!!!

Habitat for Cats

Two things on my mind this morning. I successfully trapped a kitty on Second Street as I had an open appointment for a TNR - trap-neuter-return - and there were at least seven cats hovering over the sweet smell of salmon inside the cage - first one of the remaining two kittens went in and successfully grabbed its share without setting it off, and finally an adult. I've named him/her Sophie, but don't know the sex yet. Its off to the clinic for its surgery, and then will be released back on the street this afternoon. I pray for its health - I feel its too soon to release them the same day, but what am I going to do... Finally, Stripes is still missing. I am going to call the D & C and pay for a posting in the paper. I went over there again this morning calling out for him, and also spoke to two people I encountered as I was driving off, to notify them in case they happened to see him. I am absolutely sick over this. I rescued that cat from a bad environment, found him a temporary home with this girl, and then he escaped out her window. Its a very terrible thing for this cat. I pray she spends the time looking for him, and putting fliers out, which I did not see, in her neighborhood.