Pictures!

(CLICK ON THE PIC TO MAKE LARGER) I had the camera out this morning. Took pics of my usual suspects - all beauties, all waiting for vetting, and eventual adoption! Just need the funds! Yesterday we received torrential rains (again), its just seems never ending here in Rochester this spring. So this morning I changed a lot of soggy towels. Nothing out of the usual happened this morning - the days are getting longer, its lighter out earlier, which means I am hitting the road around 5:15 a.m. now, but it should be 5:00 a.m. - the darkness is my friend! :) I forgot to mention, this past weekend, Saturday morning, it was absolutely pouring out. But off I went! (smiley face - ha!). Anyways, there was a man at one of my spots on the road next to his truck that had a large container with him, he shouted to me that he needed a gas can. Well, trusting Janine, and cautious Janine (and crazy Janine!), told him I would get him gas but it wouldn't be for a while, until I finished up my route. He handed me $10 - I was shocked. I knew this was a genuine need. It was pouring and pouring out. I did the rest of my spots, drove home, got my gas can, filled it up with 2 gallons ($7.47), returned half an hour later - still pouring - and I have never seen someone as grateful as this man was. He thanked me over and over, I handed him his change - he told me to keep it, I said "No, just be kind to the animals!", he assured me he would, and leaned toward me, kissed my face and told me he loved me! I think I renewed his hope that there truly are decent people in the world! And all that in the dark, at 6 am.!

I am leaving for Colorado tomorrow morning, for a mini vacation and will have no access to computers. My sweet Heather will be feeding our outdoor babies, and I thank her once again for her fearlessness.

I leave my blog for the remainder of the week with this quote:

"I am the voice of the voiceless;

Through me the dumb shall speak,

Till the deaf world's ears be made to hear

the wrongs of the wordless weak.

And I am my brother's keeper,

And I will fight his fight;

And speak the word for beast and bird

Till the world shall set things right."

Lovely! XO

Introducing --- BARNEY!

Isn't he a BEAUUUUTY! And a personality to match. Its amazing how you can take an animal off the street, that has been living amongst filth, disease, crime, danger, and it turns out to a very gentle and sweet animal once you show it some love and caring. Barney has been through the ringer. He has open wounds behind his ears due to a mite problem, and his ear tips are frostbitten, so they are a bit torn looking, his pads and 'arms' have lost its fur around it due to living in an open, probably rat infested basement of an abandoned house. Barney has barely any teeth left, his molars gone, his back teeth worn down or missing. He has a scar above his lip. But is he the SWEETest, and prettiest little guy I've rescued since Smokey #2, who I kept. Smokey was abandoned in the fall two years ago on Hebard Street by a woman, because he was spraying, because he was not neutered. After a very harsh fall, and a very cold winter, I managed to save him before he turned semi-feral, and before he had any more fights to survive. Smokey now loves me like no other. Except Boris and Cinnamon! :) If any one knows my brood at home, they know what I mean... But I can see that Barney is going to make a very good companion for someone someday. He is healing as we speak. I am so thankful to be able to care for him before I go away. Thank you Heather for taking over from here on Thursday!

Come Monday

Thats a song title. I think by Jimmy Buffet? Weekend updates: I rescued Barney on Friday on Friday and he tested negative for leukemia. Yay! On Saturday he was neutered and totally vetted. He was in very very rough shape. His teeth, his ears, his coat, he was just a mess. But he will slowly come back from near death to a happy and healthy kitty. I have two great pictures of him, and I will share them sometime later this morning. Check back. When you see his face, you might think of Yoda, from Star Wars. He is absolutely adorable. Not a big cat, he is a small grey kitty, and as sweet as can be. I have spent time getting him out of his shy stage, and he is doing wonderful.

Buttons, on the other hand, is still at my sisters until I come back from a trip later this week. He is very scared as he has not been socialized like I would be doing if I had him at my house. He is hiding in a closet, but is still a sweet kitty, you can hold him, kiss him, everything and he won't hiss or bite you. He is a good boy, and I can't wait to get him to socialize him more than he has been.

So, thats all great news, compared to sad stuff - someone mentioned to me that they found my blog hard to read due to sad stuff, and I was a bit sad about that myself because I think I try to show some positive out of all the sadness out there. What can I say folks, its reality.

Fred - RIP

Yesterday was heartbreaking for me. After Fred was pulled off the street on Wednesday, brought immediately to a clinic to have neutered, was brought home and nurtured by me, I finally had him where he could let down his guard with me, and allowed me to pet and brush him, he started to purr for me. I had to bring him to the vet to be tested for leukemia before he could go to this girl's house for fostering and unfortunately he tested positive. Fred went to heaven yesterday morning. He was a good kitty. He would have made someone a very happy mommy or daddy. Its a shame we don't have enough people to adopt these sick babies as they can live out long lives. It absolutely broke my heart. I became even more determined to rescue these positive kitties from the street as they not only are infecting other cats, they will die slow and painful deaths eventually due to their weakened immune systems from being out in the elements and being exposed to fighting kitties, etc. So, I rescued Barney this morning, Fred's companion from this abandoned house. He will be tested for leukemia today or tomorrow, and depending on the outcome, he will be 'saved' no matter what. As heartbreaking, and as costly as Fred was to me, it was worth it to know these animals are not suffering anymore.

Gone With The Wind

Rochester certainly has unpredictable weather. We've had our share of wind and rain this 'spring'. I say that in jest as I don't think we have had spring at all this year. Our weather has been hell since last fall. We had an early start to winter and it just hasn't ended yet. In fact, it was just snowing lightly a few days ago. I have always been an optimist, but I don't know if its my age, as I get older, or this miserable weather, because I feel it will never end. I feel that the homeless animals will always have to struggle and try to survive against the brutality of our weather. If it was always sunny and warm, it wouldn't be so bad for these animals. Its very hard on them being homeless AND having to endure the elements.

Update on Fred, he was neutered yesterday, but I had to bring him home so that I can get him combo tested - for leukemia - this morning. I just pray he turns out negative for it. If so, he will have a home with the angel who originally offered. Otherwise, his new home will be in heaven.

Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head

If anyone was awake at 2 am. this morning, you would have heard the monsoon that passed us very very very slowly. We had torrential downpours that must have lasted literally hours, along with loud booms and major lightening. I normally LOVE storms. But doing what I've been doing for these past 15 or so years, feeding and trying to shelter cats, I hate them. I feel so bad for these animals out in this type of weather. Its scary enough for the cats inside my home, let alone the ones that have no home. Luckily, by the time I left my house at 5:30 am., the rain had subsided. My prayers were answered. I got to my first spot and it was drenched, along with all the others. At my third spot, where Fred, Barney and Poppi hang in the basement of the abandoned house, someone had come along and taken the lean-to boards that provided shelter against the house. I was so upset. Everything was soaked, and the boards were no where to be found. I must find replacements. They were good solid sturdy boards that were just the right size. The only good thing that came out of that was that I rescued Fred. Fred is the black kitty that has a severe wound on his head. There is a woman on my e-mail list that I've never met, but she recently reached out to me and offered to take one of my babies out on the street in. I immediately thought of Fred, but hesitated because there was the neck injury kitty I was trying to rescue, and the pregnant kitty on 2nd street I wanted to rescue. But I do not not see either regularly, and they are too elusive to trap. Anyways, this angel told me to call Habitat for Cats to get him into their clinic and she could take him this weekend. I did, they had an opening, and he is there now for fixing. I pray this all turns out well, because I still have Buttons to deal with at my sister's house - I need to get him adopted out. I do not like, nor it is fair, to have more than one rescue cat to be responsible for, especially with my upcoming trip next week. So, I thank my sister, and this new angel in my life, for taking the responsibility for caring for these cats for me until we can get them adopted. Such is life. There's always something...

What a mess it is out there!

With the days getting longer, and it getting lighter out earlier, you can see so much trash in these neighborhoods I go into. These people live like they just don't care. I am sure some folks do, and I am sure they do try to clean up their own space, but there is just such a proliferation of debris that the wind will pick up everything around them and blow it back into their yard. I seriously wish, and would love a few volunteers to help, to get out there in the morning with a trash bag and some gloves and at least clean up the houses and/or property I feed at. I want them to know that I do care about my trash, and clean up after myself. Sometimes the wind will whip my paper bowls and plates around and they go into peoples yards and bushes, and I don't' want any more negativity to come from what I do. I remember one day driving to work and I noticed a guy walking in front of the hospital, eating something out of the white paper bag. I then saw him take what must have been his last bite of whatever it was he was eating out of the bag, and I saw him look at the bag, and then toss it on the ground. He didn't even crumple it up. He made a conscious decision to turn that bag into litter. Its a part of what is destroying this earth, and its part of what is destroying the consciousness of our youth. Its a tragedy, for sure.

Back to Work!

Yes, back from Boston, and back to work. It was a long week last week being away from my babies out there... but thanks to sweet Heather, my very brave and courageous friend who took over my feeding route. There are not too many people in the WORLD who are brave enough to do this. Especially AFTER going on my route to see what I do and see where I feed. It was rough weatherwise here too, so again, I commend Heather, because I am sure she had to gather a lot of wet towels and lay a lot down to make these cats as comfortable as possible under their meagher shelters. I had my own emergency at home on Saturday morning. My Trouble, a kitty that was left by its owners in my own neighborhood about eight years ago, and pregnant to boot, is diabetic! I give her an insulin shot every morning, and have done so for the past three or so years. Well that morning she was acting odd, and walked slowly into a wall. I called my vet, who thank God was open until noon on Saturdays, and got her in right away. Her sugar level was 16. Normal levels are in the low 100s. On first diagnosis, her level was in the 300's so you give her insulin to bring it down. Hers on Saturday was 16. She almost died. After many spoonfulls of Karo syrup, and a shot and a few pills of steroids, she is back to normal today. My poor little girl.

Pawk Ya Caw

Yes, still in Boston, thats 'park your car' in Bostonian. Its been adventurous to say the least. I walked a million miles yesterday, blisters on my little piggies, soaked them and lotioned them up last night in my hotel (TMI?), and they feel much better today. I walked here to class, the sun is out and it will be around 60 today. I feel invigorated compared to yesterday. It was miserable and rainy. Despite being exhausted from the day, and after hailing a cab from class back to the hotel, I walked, in the rain, to an Italian restaurant in the North End called Massimino's. The food was divine. Those Italians can cook. After a few glasses of cabernet, I headed back home where I bought my dessert, a Ben and Jerry's HALF BAKED icecream bar from the corner store, and headed to my room, where I had a rather restless sleep. Nevertheless, for some reason, I feel refreshed just being in new surroundings. Its a big city, Boston is. Lots of money here, and LOTS of restaurants and pubs!!! Love it. I spoke to Heather yesterday about her route in the morning she has been doing for me, and I swear, despite probably being drenched after getting home, she still remains upbeat and positive. I just love that girl. She said she didn't see many kitties out due to the rain, but she did see Fred who has the head injury. She did not see the baby at the last spot with the gouged out neck. Anyways, I must go, but I hope someone is reading this as I stated earlier this week I was going to miss writing on it, but I can't help myself! Have a great day Rochester!

Windy City

No, I am not in Chicago, I am in Boston, on a quick break from my work training I am doing here. Its a very windy and rainy day. I just want to thank Heather, my friend who unselfishly and untiringly has volunteered to feed the kitties while I am gone. I wish I could match her fierce determination for helping the animals. I don't have the words to properly thank her for going out of her way, fighing the elements of the rainy weather (here too!) and the potential danger I face each and every day myself. Thank you Heather! PS, Heather has reported there were not a lot of kitties out this morning due to the rain. But the shelters they have were dry. Hooray!~

Tuesday Morning

Sorry, not very creative title this morning. Its a scramble to post this and then get my work done so I can get ready to leave for a work trip this morning which will keep me away for the rest of the week! I will not have access to a computer either. (is this a blessing?) I will miss my Blog!!! The mornings are getting lighter earlier, so I am able to see and be seen. Although I am not saying I've been seen, but I can see more clearly than usual. And its a mess out there. I so badly want to grab a garbage bag and spend time picking up other people's trash. But would they care? I don't really think so. If they saw me doing it, would they join me? Or would they shoot me? ha. Not sure about that. At my last spot, there are two very sick kitties. The one with the neck wound, and the pretty white and grey fluffball with the upper respiratory. I tried to trap this morning, but no luck. Another pretty kitty got in and alluded the trap mechanism and happily ate the salmon until I scared him out. Also, at one spot, Fred (and his sidekick Barney the grey cat who I have not seen in days) has a severe head wound. To top that off, he is a very very nice kitty. Beautiful black coat. I want to grab him so bad. But its such a bad month for me with travelling and credit cards. I need help financially to help Fred. He needs a vet. I wish I could afford to help him. I wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy week!

What's New, Pussycat?

It was a very emotional weekend. I posted on Saturday, so this is a follow up to that. I was lucky enough to be offered two spots at a Sunday clinic to Trap Neuter and Return. Heather and I trapped Saturday morning, got one semi-feral cat, and I got one on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, after some mad scrambling moving from spot to spot and a lot of time waiting, I got Buttons in my trap. Now, we trapped at Button's location yesterday, and the first victim was actually a cat that I TNR'd last year, so fortunately her ear was tipped and we were able to let her out. I was not sure that I had buttons, because remember, I am there when it is very dark out and I had never really seen Buttons in broad daylight, so I wasn't 100% sure it was him. Nevertheless, I brought him to the clinic with every intention of letting him back to the street in the late afternoon, along with the first kitty that Heather had helped me with. Later after I had arrived home from dropping off the kitties, I got a call telling me that the kitty Heather trapped was too sick to be neutered, and I had to make a very tough decision, one that was not though of lightly. He will be euthanized sometime this morning. Poor thing was just very sick and we don't have enough poeple who are able to step in and care for this sick animal. If we only had a sanctuary. Buttons, on the other hand - is a lucky kitty. After telling my sister about the whole situation (most of you should know that Buttons has been the cat that is highly adoptable - I've even been able to pill her every morning for her upper respiratory ailment - I've wanted to find her a home for a long time now), and her knowing that I am travelling for work this week and the end of the month, she offered to keep Buttons for me while I travel this month, and I will bring Buttons to Petco (thank you AnotherChancePetRescue!) each Saturday in hopes of adoption. I am thankful for this because knowing it was Buttons, I would have a hard time putting him back out in to the street. It was a crazy weekend!

Spring has Sprung

I think it has sprung here in Rochester. Going to be a decent weekend, minus a bit of rain. I am trying to get myself prepared for a work trip this week, which will keep me out of action in the morning, but a very dear person is going to fill in. This is the best thing I could ever hope for, and have dreamed about for years. Heather has been diligent in learning what I do, just out of the goodness of her heart. She is also fearless, like I am. Except for oppossums. Heather saw a dead one this morning near one of the spots, and she almost screamed. She has a very strange fear of them. Not strange, but ... it was uncharacteristic of her from what I've learned about her in a short period of time. No problem. I picked him up by the tail and moved him out of our way. Poor thing. Ugly little bugger though. We did trap a cat this morning, actually two, but the first had been TNR'd by me a year ago. So we let her out after seeing the clipped ear, and got another one. We will take her to a clinic tomorrow and then release her after the surgery. Hopefully we can do this almost each weekend, as there are so many unneutered cats out there. Wouldn't it be wonderful. We did see a very very pregnant cat from that same street, so maybe just maybe we can trap her tomorrow morning. Wish us luck. We will need it.

Please Do Feed the Cat

Thats a book title. I try to keep contact with all my rescues, and those that adopted them, for updates. Today I received the pictures shown here of Copper a/k/a Fluffy a/k/a Dusty. When I rescued Copper, I had no idea she was pregnant. A month or so after her rescue her parent discovered she was due and ready. Her fur was so fluffy it must have masked it! The second pic is of her two babies that were born. Sweet. I love this stuff, and knowing I did some good there. Her siblings remain at the location I picked her up from. In fact, there are six kitties, four of them look identical to each other, and one looks just like Copper. I got a lot of pictures this morning from a few of my spots - (you can click on a picture to make it larger) one shows Barney and Poppi, Barney is the grey one that is slightly injured that I would love to find a home for. Poppi is shy right now so I am trying to work with her. Another picture is of Button, who I pilled successfully for the third morning in a row now for his upper respiratory infection. He is a GOOD boy. Another is of the injured cat at my last spot who's neck is gouged out. As you can see, I wasn't joking. I tried to trap but he wouldn't fall for it. I forgot the strong smelling tuna or salmon, and I also only had ten minutes to try. He is smart. Try try again.

Mike The Model

This morning, I brought my trap along in hopes of taking the poor kitty with the severe injury on his neck at my last spot off the street. Unfortunately, he was no where in sight. Neither was the other pretty fluffy kitty that I saw there over the weekend and last week. She is the one suffering from a severe upper respiratory. I have not seen her all week, but I did see Red. I thought Red was a goner, but there he was this morning, trotting down the sidewalk after hearing my catcall. The last time I saw him he was hobbling, so I think he might be all right. I also managed to give Button another pill, after learning that I need to give him a pill for 10 days straight! This would be to clear up his upper respiratory infection. They all have it to some varying degree after this very harsh winter. Button is a real trooper. I wish I had scooped Button up when I had homes waiting, but glad I got the others off the street too, especially the pregnant kitties. Button is going to make someone a very nice companion, if they will give him a chance. He let me hold him, shove the pill in his mouth, gently rub his neck in order for him to swallow the pill, and didn't bolt when I let him go. This is the sign of a really nice kitty. No hissing, fighting, fear. Prior to getting out of the car, I saw Mike the Model heading toward my car. Mike is a drug addict, and a male prostitute that hangs in that hood. We have had a few conversations. He is harmless. But I am always cautious no matter what. Mike would have made a good model if he wasn't so down and out. Yesterday I was driving down a street around there, and a woman practically jumped out at me, and I opened my window to give her a stern lecture, telling her she scared me and that she shouldn't be doing that. She said "I thought you was my friend" - I told her I was her friend, but I was also feeding the kitties and she has to be more careful! She said, as a lot of the women there say, God Bless You! Most do have good hearts, really.

If you Can't Feed a Hundred People, then Feed Just One.

No rain today, which was a good thing, although I did pick up a lot of wet towels that were 'hanging around' my spots that were the bottom layers of the cushions I try to make for these cats under the lean-to's I've made. I try to make these cats as comfortable as possible, and that means building layers of towels to make a nice, soft bed for them. Yesterday, I managed to give a cat named Button a pill for his suspected upper respiratory infection. Yes, that is how sweet he is, he let me hold him and shove the pill down his throat, and then rub his throat until he swallowed the pill. Can you believe that there are cats out there, that are fighting for their lives 24/7, but are that sweet and loving that I am able to do something like that. But there are, and every day they are facing the worst of dangers. My last spot today I saw a cat, and that reminds me, I must bring my camera to take some pictures, but his neck is totally gouged. The wound is huge. But the bright side is that at another location, last summer, if you remember, there was a cat I named Curly because of his tail, and he had a major wound, just like the one I saw today. I actually had him trapped and he got out the other end of the cage. I didn't see him much after that, and then not at all, and I thought the worst. Well, there he was in full glory this morning. I couldn't believe it. I am sure he is not the healthiest, but there was no wound on his neck. It must have healed. So there is hope. But please consider a rescue cat. There are so many. I have three especially that are wonderful to me each morning, and I need to find them homes. I will try to get pictures tomorrow. I've named the grey and black as Fred and Barney. And of course Button is more than ready to find a new home.

Cat Facts Part II

Surprising Cat Facts - 10 Things You Don't Know About Your Favorite Feline

1. A domestic cat can run about 31 mph. Running fast is something usually attributed to wild cats, gazelles and greyhounds, but your house kitty is pretty speedy.

2. It is possible for every kitten in a litter to have a different father. Hopefully, she is spayed so there's no risk of an unexpected pregnancy.

3. Cats walk on their toes, which probably accounts for their graceful movements. In ballet there is a step called pas de chat -- the cat step. It's a little jump to the side, but in truth nearly every move your cat makes is lovely.

4. A cat's collarbone isn't connected to his other bones; it's buried in the muscles, which is how kitty can fit through small places. He's not boneless -- even though it looks that way sometimes -- but he is adaptable. A cat actually has more bones than a human.

5. Your cat will respond only to catnip (an herb in the mint family) if she has the catnip gene. Not every cat is born with this gene, and it doesn't show up right away, so don't expect a young kitty to respond to catnip the way an older one will.

6. Thirty-two muscles control a cat's outer ear, and he can rotate it 10 times faster than a dog. In fact, kitty can rotate each ear 180 degrees.

7. Cats have scent glands in their cheeks, so if your cat rubs against you she is "marking" you as hers. She really does love you. She'll also mark furniture and clothing this way. Everything she likes is hers. It's also her way of leaving her "mark" to say that she was there.

8. Cats can move their jaws only up and down; they can't move them side to side like a dog or human.

9. Cats whiskers are extremely sensitive. They not only help the cat locate where she is in the dark, but how the cat moves them is an indicator of the cat's feelings at any given time. The top two rows of whiskers can move independently of the bottom two rows.

10. Cats are obligate carnivores. This means they must eat meat. So even if you're a vegetarian, you need to come to grips with the fact that your cat can't be. He will get very sick and die without meat in his diet.

As you probably already know, spending time learning more about your cat is time well spent. In fact, these cat facts are just the tip of the iceberg. Your cat has much more to tell you if you pay attention, watch and learn. As the late Ernest Hemingway said, "A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not."

The Rain in Rochester Falls Mainly on the Shelters

Get it? I hope you all do.... Or I may be older than I thought... It was a very wet morning, pouring rain out there. I was soaked by the time I got to my last spot. Didn't see too many kitties out there due to the rain. The two I did see are the ones I want to rescue desperately, but have to find them homes first. The black and the grey one. A wonderful girl named Heather found a pre-made shelter and we brought it to this location on Saturday morning and lo and behold, there was the grey boy inside on the blanket I placed in it. He wasn't even scared when I peeked in. He is a good good boy. Same as the very pretty black one. Both nice kitties. They don't deserve to be out there, they need a home, desperately. They will give someone all the love they could want. Rescue cats are the very best of the best. Sunday morning, I found my first spot trashed, again. Those poor animals are just so stressed out, its terrible. I am not sure who is doing it, but I would love to catch them, especially if they are kids. I have my speech all prepared. Its just so cruel to the animals. Until I can rescue these animals at this spot, I will continue to place a shelter there for them, and continue to place food down, until I can think of something else. I am sure whoever is doing it is young and it happens mainly on the weekends, when they are out of school. With the sporadic nice weather we have had (rain or snow free), these inner city kids need some type of fun, and I guess this is it. At another location, where Buttons is, is a pretty tabby that is limping. I have not seen the very sick kitty in two days now, at my last feeding spot. I pray God is watching over these little angels. In the meantime, I continue to try to make their days as comfortable as I possibly can.

Utter Failure

This is the way I felt this morning. Well, maybe I shouldn't use 'utter', but failure for sure this morning. I have failed in love, friendships, finance, but I am not a failure as a whole. But I do feel failure at its best when I have hold of a cat that I am trying to rescue, and it gets away. This has really only happened once before for me, with Red. I have 'trapped' many times, but I with Red, and the cat this morning, I would just use a carrier, because up until the point, the cat trusted me. I tried to 'grab' the very sick pretty long haired white and grey spotted kitty while I got him to the point of coming close to the food I set down, and I had her half in the cage and she started to majorly struggle. As I was holding her, her belly felt round. The point is that once you scare a cat like this, they don't forget. Red it now half feral, and this poor cat... I don't know, I just felt so bad this morning. She was sneezing as I left. She didn't run far, but she ran under the porch, visibly shaken. I won't give up. The following is some information sent by a friend that some of you might want to read about, and pursue if you have the determination to really help animals (dogs in this case) in some slight way.

Janine - Have you heard the story of Patrick, the pitbull puppy that was starved and thrown 22 stories down a garbage shute in New Jersey. There's a grass root movement to change animal abuse laws. If you do a search under Patrick's Law you'll find it. I thought you might want to let your readers know about it. This may be the catalyst that will finally bring about meaningful changes to our current laws. Thanks. Kim

I end this with an inspiration quote: I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love. ~Mother Teresa

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!