Hang on to your hats!

Its going to be another windy and rainy day today. I hope my shelters keep together. There is one that is very unsecure.... for Smokey on Central and Goodman. Of course when I pulled up this morning, Blackie came a runnin! Benny was not around this morning, I do worry about him. Hopefully though, he will have a home soon! I will be contacting the teacher who's students are making me shelters to see if they are ready. I have a few spots that really need them. They will be heavy duty shelters that will have hay in them to keep the babes warm. I hope they use them. I will also be contacting the police officer who is an animal advocate to see if she can find out the information on the dog on Eighth street that is placed in a garage day and night. I hear it every morning. Its sickening. I don't beleive Humane Society has done much. I don't mean to bad mouth, but they should have the decency to report what is going on to the complainant. My hands are tied each time I report something. Yet I hear the dogs cries and barking every single morning. I know God will protect.

Back to Work!

Its been a nice long extended holiday weekend off, and I am back to work today. I did not however get a break from the kitties. Yesterday, I received a strange phone call in the morning from a woman who had seen my name in the article printed in the D & C and wanted to tell me that although she didn't agree with my statement, she wanted to tell me that there were others out there like me who feed cats. I think this woman meant that she feeds at her own home, they come to her house and she either takes them in or feeds them outdoors. She doesn't drive around to other neighborhoods to place food and shelter down. I think this woman had a screw or two loose, but she still has a heart. I also think this woman is somewhat of an animal hoarder, which is another situation in and of itself. She mentioned having to deal with animal control a few times, and neighbors calling on her. But again, she has a heart for these animals.

Tweetybird

My mother had to put her kitty to sleep this past week. Kelly was my grandmother's cat, and became my mom's after my grandmother passed away. Kelly was over 21 years old. My grandmother used to dote over Kelly, and nicknamed him Tweetybird. The picture you see here was a figurine my mother gave to my grandmother, that looked identical to Kelly when he was a kitten. My mother could not find a picture of Kelly, so we used this instead!

The following poem is to honor Kelly. And of course all the other angels that have gone before him:

Rainbow Bridge:

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly, he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together...

Author Unknown

Kelly was a good boy, and gave many many years of love to my grandmother and then saved the rest for my mother. Live on Kelly, we will see you again someday!

Misery

Yes, I loved that fiction novel and the movie. But this was my real life morning today. Its been raining (AGAIN) since yesterday. Thought about all my babies throughout the day yesterday. I dreaded going out this morning, having to remember to cover my $30 straightened hair I had done this week which I can barely afford but need to do so occasionally rather than look like Bozo the Clown and his hair. I also had to wear my rubber boots so I could trudge through the muddy areas I have to trek through to get to my 'feeding stations'. They were all waiting for me. Hebard Street is now a ghost town in the morning, and have now pretty much stopped feeding there. I still wonder where Mama went. All her babies are gone, and she was alone. I hope she found a home somewhere. Benny was waiting for me on Central Park. He is such a cutie. No sign of Blackie this morning but Smoky was waiting for me, as usual. Really nothing to report. A very kind woman made a monetary donation this past week. We've never even met. Its such a kind act to do, to donate to someone anonymously like that. She doesn't even know me, yet she took that chance, to part with precious money. I thank her so much for that, so do the kitties.

Quiet Morning

It was a very quiet morning out there, but lots of kitties waiting for me. I skipped two of the 7 spots I normally go to, as I am trying to give myself a break until it gets bad out there. Of course, if it had rained, I would have gone to all of them, two I skipped need tending to when it rains, one I change the wet towels for, the other has an igloo for shelter that stays dry. As soon as I get some shelters that are being built for me by some students at Gates Chili, I will feel better knowing there is some warmth that some of these kitties might have. Benny was waiting for me this morning. You should see him, he comes racing down this long driveway that I pull up to the end of, and gets on his tippy toes for a pat on the head and a scratch on the neck. He really is a sweet sweet grey and white striped boy and I am praying I can find him a loving home. Blackie was there too, but I sometimes wonder about Blackie, where he goes to for days. But this morning he felt dirty on his belly when I picked him up. I wonder where these kitties go during the 23 hours and 55 minutes when I am not around.

Snowy Friday...

We had a light coating of snow in the early morning hours today. I actually love the snow. Its better than the rain! I wrote on my car as I walked the dog at 5:15 am. UGH! ha! Yes, its just begun, and hopefully will be over before we know it! All my babies were out this morning waiting for me. I sure do hope they find warmth somewhere during the hours, I hope they are able to cuddle up somewhere and sleep for a few hours a day. Must be so hard for them, but I know God is watching them. I am going to feature memorials to our lost babies in future posts. If anyone is interested in sending me a little blurb along with a picture of their lost baby, I would love to feature it here. I believe we all would like to share in the joy you experienced with your favorite pet. The first one being my mother/grandmother's kitty named Kelly. As soon as I get his picture, I will be posting. He went to kitty heaven yesterday, at the ripe old age of 18 or 19. Thats a lot of years for a kitty! Have a great day!

Pictures!

I went out this morning to change the very wet and cold towels from yesterday's storm, and the board at Central and Goodman for Smokey and Blacky was knocked over by the wind - on top of what was left of the dry food. They were awaiting! I must get some different type of shelter there, I know my friend the school teacher is building some with her students, I am just afraid of someone taking this. It’s the cats that suffer from stuff like that. I also have pictures to post of the guys I am trying to find homes for. There are just so many. I think I took pictures of maybe six kitties. Three reds, two blacks, a tiger and a grey stripe. I am posting pictures of the kitties that are somewhat new to me. One is of the kitty on Fourth Street where I posted a while back that a cat had been starving to death. I am hoping to find homes for these babies

Hump Day

Well, its a Wednesday, and it poured all afternoon, and all throughout the night into the early morning, and now its back to raining again. I think the one saving grace was that it stopped during my feeding hour - 5:45 am. to 6:30 am. I changed a lot of wet towels on the ground, of course they are probably soaked again because the lean tos I have against houses or building - the rain beats against them, and the water has to go somewhere, and that means down the side of the house, through the paper thin slat at the top of the lean to, and on to my towels I have under the board. Its the one dry place for those kitties for about an hour maybe! Of course they have porches to go on, or under, so I am grateful for those! We will have high winds today too, so that makes it extra tricky. I hope most of my stuff doesn't blow away! Tomorrow should be more calm, which is good. Otherwise, I must try to find homes for the three orange kitties I am feeding on Hayward. They are beauties. Sweet, and always hungry! Strays, for sure. I have also decided to stop feeding on Hebard Street. Haven't seen Mama there in ages, I know something is eating the food, but its not her. And its not eating much as there is still food there when I come the next day. So far I have stopped feeding at three spots. Behind the ballet company on University, on Niagara Street where Gina was arrested, and now on Hebard. Its sad, but you have to walk away from something when the odds are too stacked against you and law enforcement and owners of buildings are telling you not to trespass.

Humane Society

I reported a dog being mistreated last week, Wednesday I believe, and the 311 operator said - and I quote - animal control doesn't respond to this so you will have to call the Humane Society and she gave me the number - 223-6500. I called them and left a message - I called the next day to repeat that I would like a follow up call to make certain they received me initial message, because I hadn't heard back from them. Friday was a vacation day for me from work, and I did forget about it. Yesterday, Monday, I had a message waiting for me at work from Humane Society, and when I called - the woman didn't tell me squat except to say that it was an ongoing investigation. I kept asking her what she meant, and she kept repeating herself, and telling me she couldn't tell me anything. She also told me they had from 24 to 72 hours to investigate a complaint. I was astounded. Can you imagine, someone calls in a suspected animal abuse, and it could take DAYS to investigate it? The animal would have long suffered and died since then. What is wrong with this picture? I am not trying to paint a bad picture of the Humane Society, they are the only ones we have right now, and the only one I can turn to when I feel the need to, but Iwish they were a bit more lax with complainants, the good guys, the guys who are reporting the bad guys! I need answers!

Rescue Animals

I want to say something about rescue animals. I have rescued many many many cats over the years, most I have found homes for, and most are or were but have passed on. I know people love a warm soft cuddly little kitten, but you have to remember this, its the adult cats that are more likely to be euthanized when they are brought into a shelter. And these adult cats, some are throwaways of society, some are lost, there are probably many stories, but when I rescue one, they are house ready. This means, they are so grateful to come in from the cold, they are the real cuddlers, because they have undying love for their rescuer. All of my cats are rescued, and they show their love for me in different ways. Boris, who is FIV positive and has kidney disease which is slowly eating away at him, is my biggest lover. He will sidle up to me and curl his arms around my neck as if to hug me. Whereever I am, he is there. When he looks into my eyes, and he does look deep into them, I can hear him tell me just how happy and grateful he is that I took him from behind a restaurant on a January morning when it was zero degrees, and gave him a warm and comfortable home to live out the rest of his life in. All my cats do, and let me tell you, I remind them when they are bad just how lucky they have it! There are at least four cats out there now who are just like Boris, but I have no homes to offer them, so this is the sad part of my daily feedings. These four are beautiful, sweet cats that are desperate to find someone to love them!

Zombies

As I drove up to the area where I feed Benny, Whitey and others on Central Park in the dark, walking towards me was a woman, and a man, but you could tell they weren't together, coming at me from different directions. I had already turned off the car and lights, but I started up the car, started driving toward them, rolled down my window and told them "hey, I am only trying to feed the cats, I have no money" to which point they turned around and started to go on their way. I did a u-turn and started to make my way back when I stopped and asked the guy, told him he was very good looking, and why is he out here doing this? I told him I could get him a job at the hospital if he wanted one, he laughed and said he just needed fifty cents to get a cab ride, or could I give him a ride to Norton Street. I told him 'look where we are, do you think I could trust anyone? I would love to trust him, and I am a kind person, but you just never know'. He was actually very nice, the few things he said to me. You can tell, the hooker, and him, they were definitely jonesing for something, their next fix. I really do care for these people. I would love to help people get their acts together. I wish I had the resources to do it. On another note, I reported a dog abuse once again, at the same location as I did early this year - a puppy pit bull tied to the back of the house, on dirt, no food or water, on a very hot morning. This time I heard a muffled dog bark where I feed on 7th Street, where a garage from 8th Street backs up to. I drove to 8th, got out and listened in the silence. I heard the dog sniffing and he was shut in this garage of this god-forsaken house. I called 311 but they told me I had to call Humane Society, so I did. Now I wait for a return call like I asked for. They need more help. What is wrong with Rochester that we can't fund for more officers for this type of work.

Morality and the Single Woman

I've mentioned in the past sometimes I struggle with a title, so play along, I like to be cute. Ha. This is not a cute post though. I've come to realize that some of my 'readers' arenot happy with the article that was published in the Democrat & Chronicle, Mark Hare's column last week due to the (and this was not a direct quote) fact that I mentioned I've trapped cats recently and brought them to the shelter, Verona Street, where they DO euthanize cats after a certain amount of time they've been there, if they have not been adopted. If this article had been written a year ago with me mentioned in it, that 'quote' would not have been in there. I fully believed that 'those places' I would never go to. Back in the day, I begged a friend to bring a feral cat to Lollipop for me. She was so shaken up over this incident, I was embarassed and ashamed that I had asked her. I have had to do this twice, and the last time, I could not stop crying, either to the man there 'giving up' his two dogs because he had no place to live (the only reason we spoke to each other was that we were in the waiting area for the place to open, and we were both crying, for different reasons but similar nonetheless). It is a horrible feeling to leave an animal ANY where if you have spent over five minutes at least with it. I will never do this again. Thank God for Kings, who is able to help me do this, while I go UNpeacefully off to work. And the reasons for me doing this, when I see the need to do it, is that this animal is either desperate enough that it NEEDS to get off the street, or it is too young, and I will NOT let a baby suffer in the upcoming weather. This baby has gone past the limit of socialization. And, domestic animals do NOT automatically return to their natural instinct and cannot fend for themselves. The alternative to euthanasia for almost every stray is a violent end, or a slow, painful death. Many of these 'throwaways' die mercilessly outdoors from starvation, disease, abuse - or as a food for a predator. Thats all I can say about that. I feel for babies and the elderly and the sick in humankind, and I feel the same way about animals. If there were a place I could bring these cats to, I would, but we lack the space in this city with the few shelters we have that are no-kill. And no one will adopt them. I've tried, but yet have successfully found homes for so many of the lucky ones. And I tell you, whoever might judge me, you do what I do EVERY DAY and tell me what is best for these cats.

The Kindness of Strangers

Last Friday when I got home from work, I was sorting through the mail and saw a plain white envelope with my name on it, no return address. I opened it and inside was a copy of the article from the Mark Hare column that I had been mentioned in the day earlier cut out, a sticky note and two twenty dollar bills. The note said "I don't think you are crazy, I think you are wonderful!" That completely touched my heart. This anonymous person sent money to a totally complete stranger because of her love of animals. I was just in awe that someone could do that. Thank you to whoever you are, you have reinstilled a dwindling lack of faith in mankind. This is not to say I haven't been blessed with gifts in the past from friends, and a few people who had never met me but had read an e-mail or two I sent along asking for help with adopting a cat, or posting dogs needing homes. These people have donated food to me and I am forever grateful for them to think of me, or I should say the animals, like that. It takes a very kind person to do that. On another note, Blackie was back in the picture yesterday. I have no clue where he could have been. He is a sweet kitty and deserves to be in someone's home. Benny too. These are two homeless angels.

One Day at a Time

As I sat this morning, the rarity of having a moment to do that, and watched the news, some good, some bad, and in particular a case of a man who murdered a family in Connecticut, I realized that wow, my problems seem so irrelevant in comparison to things going on around me. Maybe not irrelevant, but insignificant. And these poor cats I feed, they really do have it better in comparison to some humans when you think about it. They can come and go as they please, and they have me to feed them each morning. This opinion won't last long come snowfall. I am really trying to figure out how I am going to make these cats comfortable. I can put down a million shelters, but the snow will still cover them if I am not there each morning to dig them out. And the mean people who will destroy these shelters. I still have to figure that one out.

Update on Rescued Kitten

So nice to get these updates of kittens I've rescued! Please see the note I received from Mickey's new Mom!

Hi Janine, Here is a current picture of Mickey. She now weighs 2.5 lbs. She is sooo cute, and so naughty! Notice I said she...we think it's a girl. Vet appt is on Wed so we will find out for sure then. Her favorite thing right now (besides me) is the dog! She runs and attacks the dogs tail, and the dog lets her! When Mickey gets adult teeth, I think that may change. Take care!

Guest Post: My Niece - Brenna!!

Hi, I am Brenna Lahr! I love animals!!!! In my house I have 2 Dogs. Tucker, a German shepherd and Gus, a pit bull! I love them both so much! Then, I have 2 cats Tee a little cat because he was the runt and a Maine coon Lexie AKA. Lexus or sexy Lexie :) All of these animals are rescue animals. Also I just got a baby corn snake. If you have names comment them on here please. Then I have 1 small fish tank and a big fish tank. Whenever I sleep over at my aunts house we wake up around 4-5 in the morning. Then we get ready. She has to get so much food ready for the cats. When we are going to the 7 stops for the cats you have be careful about who is up and around you. One of the stops there is a grey and brown cat around 10 months old that I named him Dusty, because his tail id like a duster. When we were filling up the food dishes Dusty came right up to me and let me pet him and started purring. I would love to find him a home for him he is a love bug. I would take him but I have to much animals my parents say :( When I get older I would like to be a vet and foster homeless cats. My aunt has taught me so much things. She is my hero!

Beaming with Pride

I was so honored to be mentioned in a newspaper columnist's column yesterday, and the topic being about kindness and civility. Civility I am good at, but I am sure some of my close friends and family would be chuckling about the kindness part, especially when I get in one of my moods with them personally. Not that I am mean, just that I can be…….. A little persnickity? Would that be a good word to use? I will defer to my friends and family on that one if they read this. As far as the actual feeding of cats, I did see Mama this morning on Hebard Street, and then I saw the male that has been hanging around there scaring her. Its not a good situation. As I got back into my car I saw a truck heading down the street towards me, and to my (fearful) surprise, Wilbert pulled up to say hello! Music blaring (its 6 am.!). He is the gentleman that lives on the corner of First Street and Bay who has kindly allowed me to feed cats on his vacant lot next door. I wish the article had included the few kindnesses that I have been shown over the years. It would also include Frank, the gentleman who lives on Second Street who is going to allow me to place a shelter or two on the porch he has rights to in his rented apartment/house. Then there would be the teacher who's students are building me shelters for the cats. How wonderful for someone to take an interest in this and actually DO something to help. These are the few things I can think of at the moment, I am sure there are a few more, but I again, I am so grateful that I am recognized in some small way. I only wish someone could financially recognize me so that we could really get these cats off the streets and into the sanctuary that the money would build! Anyways, all in all, I am proud of myself for what I do.

Today's Newspaper Column - Democrat & Chronicle

I made it! and not in the arrest column!

Civility is Essential
to Building
Community
Mark Hare • November 4, 2010

The other day, city crews filled the Broad Street
planters with mums — deep purple, orange and
yellow. I am sure there are critics of such "frivolous
spending," especially so close to the onset of cold
weather. But I welcome the color and the civilizing
effects of flowers on our streets.

I welcome any activity that makes our community a
little more human — including kindness to animals.

Janine Wagner of Irondequoit spends $100 a week
on cat food — food she leaves for stray and feral
cats at several locations in northeast Rochester. She
knows that a lot of people think she's crazy. She
sometimes uses have-a-heart traps to capture the
cats. She tells me she has found homes for 15 or 20
strays (domesticated but abandoned) and she has
turned over feral cats to animal control. "I've come
to realize that euthanasia may be better than the
suffering they endure," she says.

Civility starts with simple acts of respect. People
scoff today at folks who worry about stray animals
when so many people are hurting.

But kindness is kindness. In my experience, people
who care for animals care for people, too.

Speaking and acting in ways — even small ways —
that improve the quality of our collective experience
has a civilizing impact on each of us. I don't know
that egotism and selfishness have reached all-time
highs, but I do know that too many people live
completely unfiltered lives — saying and doing
anything that comes to mind, no matter how hurtful.

Civility requires a concern for how our words and
actions affect others. I asked P.M. Forni, who co-
founded the Johns Hopkins University Civility
Project in 1997, why civility has declined and what
we can do about it.

Forni, a professor of romance languages and
literature, recently did presentations at both Monroe
Community College and Rochester Institute of
Technology. He has written widely on civility and
has authored two books on the subject, most
recently The Civility Solution: What to do when
people are rude.

The decline in civility, he told me, does not owe to
any single cause, but the informality of the Internet
has exacerbated the problem. "Sometimes
informality is the Trojan horse that smuggles
incivility within the walls of society," he says. Giving
people online anonymity shields them from all
repercussions from vile, uninformed and hurtful
comments and "does not exactly call out our better
angels," Forni says.

As a society, Forni says, we've instilled self-esteem
in young people, but not a sense of self-restraint.
And civility is not just a matter of saying the right
thing. "What we have to reform is how we interact,
how compassionate we are, how willing we are to
meet the needs and desires of others."

Most people are never called on to jump in a river to
rescue someone, but civility, manners and
politeness are not trivial "because they are the
everyday acts of goodness," Forni says. The kind
word, the pat on the back, the choice to let a driver
change lanes ahead of us — these are the acts that
help us be more aware of our humanity. So, too, the
planting of flowers and the feeding of animals.

These are not the best of times, but I hope we never reach a point where we cannot afford to do even simple things that "call out our better angels."

Nuts

Its been a crazy morning for me personally. I had to drop my sweet boy Boris off at the vets this morning. Now Boris has FIV, and is suffering from kidney failure - I rescued Boris maybe five or close to six years ago from East Main and Culver behind Lorraines restaurant. That was the first place I started to feed homeless cats - someone once told me she had seen cats behind the restaurant and that was the dreaded day I started to do this crazy business. I started to put food there and shelter, and fought to do it as the owners hate cats, and wound up hating me (it was mutual). I have rescued many many from there during that time, and Boris was one of the last. And I thank God I did because we had a stretch of several weeks where temps were in the single digits and below 0, and he was waiting for me every morning. He has been a wonderful pet since. He is my cuddler, and drooler, and the loudest purr on earth. Anyways, he is also very expensive! He is allergic to most cat food so has to be on a special diet of very expensive prescription dry food I have to buy at the vet. He should also be on kidney diet, but he doesn't like it, so I basically give him as much regular wet food as he wants. He is very thin due to the kidney disease. Recently, he has had a large sore under his chin and won't stop scratching at it, and is just basically uncomfortable. So he went to the vet, his favorite spot - NOT! I hope they can just give him a shot of antibiotic and he heals up fast. On another note, we found someone from work who would take Blackie, but when I went to get him this morning from Central and Goodman, he wasn't there, as he hasn't been in two days prior either. I worry about him. You worry about all the babies you see daily and then don't. I pray God is watching over him!

Recent Kitten Rescue

Wanted to share the following with you. This is from new Mom of Mickey, one of the kittens that I recently rescued - I am so thrilled I was able to save these babies in time:

"Well I am so glad I snatched him away from you before he stayed another day or you
never would have let him go! He is one busy, cool dude. He goes full blast thru the house. Over the chairs under the tables, thru our legs for about an hour, then totally collapses in exhaustion. He has to know where I am at all times, and usually only terrorizes the room I am in. When he gets tired, he will crawl up next to one of us and fall sound alseep. Yesterday, he got in a little trouble because he was digging in the plants. He understands when I tell him no. He will play and then start to bite me and I say no in a firm voice and he stops. Unbelievably smart! My husband loves to cuddle him but Mickey is usually too busy to sit still long enough. He is such a little fluff ball you just want to hold him. When he gets tired he crawls up and likes to kiss my face. He does that to my daughter too. I could go on and on for hours. The dog is getting used to him. He goes for his first vet appt /shots on Nov 10th. I think he might have worms as his breath is quite awful! LOL He weighed in yesterday at 2 1/4 lbs. Our old cat (died in August at age 17) was old for a lot of years so we forgot what it was like to have a kitten. Thanks!"

Makes me proud... Be sure to check out multiple posts I've done recently. One last night, another this morning, and now this one!

Election Day

It was suggested to me that I might want to put this link in my blog due to it being election day. Wish I had known about it before 6 am. this morning before I went out to vote, and then to feed the babies out there! Everybody get out there and vote, and if you are able, check out the link to see who the Humane Society endorses!

(side note: I just checked my blog to see if the link had posted, but it doesn't look like it did - hmmm... not sure what I did? - in the meantime, here is the website: humanesociety@hslf.org.)

Also sharing that this same person recently visited Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen. It's a huge farm that takes in rescued factory farm animals where they can live out their lives in peace and comfort. When you visit you are allowed to interact with the cows, goats, pigs, and fowl. It's really cool. To check out their website google farm sanctuary.

I've done multiple posts in the past 24 hours, check em out!

Hear Me Meow, Hear Me Roar!

Recently I heard from a family member or friend that this blog was too SAD to read sometimes. Thats OK to tell me, and normal to FEEL! For someone who could NEVER volunteer at an animal shelter, let alone walk into one without crying a thousand tears, its a very human feeling and emotion that once you have, thank God you never get over. The purpose of this blog, my daily thoughts and feelings in what I do is to create awareness, not sadness. I've heard there are others in this town that do what I do, but I am not sure about their existence. I know there is one other, Gina, that does what I do, but she goes on a totally different time clock than mine, and she experiences totally different situations that I do. Think about it, I go BEFORE the crack of dawn, she goes in the afternoon/evenings. She experiences the PEOPLE, the MEAN folks of the city that don't understand what we do. I go in the dark, when they are still sleeping. We both connect on a semi-occasional basis to discuss whats going on out there, thats the only way I know for sure there are others there doing what I am doing. A dream would be for me to have this blog reach far and wide to people all over the country,and maybe even the world, to know that there are people devoted to doing what I do. I have to say that I have had a bit of feedback from people who thank me for what I do. I welcome feedback and advice in trying to save a cat, one day at a time. It takes a lot of courage, devotion and determination to do what I do, and I know someday there will be a day where I don't have to do what I do, because all these babies that I deal with daily, and in my short lifetime, will be housed and fed and loved and cared for in Meowsville...