Quick Note

Day off today, lots of cleaning and running around - vet appointment for Earl too.  Its going to be a very hot day today - 91 and sunny - so getting my stuff done early.

I wanted to share that I picked up another dead cat this morning off Central.  The poor thing was still warm.  People around there just don't seem to care that they've taken a life, and they just go on their way.  I knew something was in the road as my car approached, and sure enough there she was.  I also saw a large truck just behind me, and cars behind that.  It is a narrow road so cars cannot pass.  I  wasn't going to let cars run over it over and over again, so I stopped in the road, got out quickly, put my hand up to the drivers behind me and grabbed a towel, and got the poor thing off the road.  After moving my car, getting back out to gently wrap her in an old towel, I drove her and disposed of her humanely.  My point of telling you this is please, never go past a dead animal that is in clear contact to be run over again and again.  Please do the right thing, always carry a towel, and at least remove it and place its body under something, in a safe place.  Maybe I sound crazy to most of you, but this poor animal's carcass deserves some common compassion after its innocent soul has left this earth and gone to heaven.

TGIT - Thank God Its Thursday!



EARL



Its a Friday for me at work.  I have a vacation day tomorrow.  Even though I shouldn't, because there is always a ton of work that I need to do, but I also need a day off.  I didn't plan it so well, I thought this was actually the holiday weekend and I would get four days off, but Memorial Day came a week early!  I have plenty to do though, it just never ends.  I have a vet appointment for Earl.  Earl has been spraying away and I just don't know what to do.  He is bullied by most of the other cats, so I don't blame him - I have a few 'time out' rooms for some others to go in so that he can walk around without being 100% scared all the time, and he has plenty of time in his own room with the door closed, but its not working.  I wish we could just have surgery to remove whatever gland it is that produces it, but I will look into anti-anxiety drugs for now.  He actually needs a home with no other kitties.  He is still available for adoption.

Sharon, a friend, sent me a link to a website that spotlights rescues, and I took a few paragraphs from it, because it mirrors my beliefs, and I needed a break today from writing.  I took lots of pictures this morning too, so I will leave those with you also - they are just some of the kitties I see every day out there that wait for me for their daily dose of food - just click on the picture to make it larger and look for the kitty in it - sort of a Where's Waldo?

"I am continuously astounded as to the depths of depravity that people in our so-called civilized society will sink. Defenseless, innocent kittens (and puppies) dumped and abandoned in parking lots and fields. I have heard reports of cats/kittens tossed from car windows, incidents of horrific torture (cat covered in glue) and animals sealed up inside plastic bins and tossed in the garbage. We ourselves received a call from the local police. A mama cat had been suffocated inside a plastic bag. In another bag were the cat’s still alive newborn kittens. Unfortunately these kittens did not make it. Victims of yet another stupid, cruel and dare I say, sociopathic owner. Truly I ask, what sort of demented mind can justify this kind of behavior? This is not the sort of actions that a decent, normal person would do.

I realize that these stories are disturbing, but we must address these heinous actions if we are to make any headway in getting through to the people who think this is morally acceptable behavior. How a person treats other living creatures is a very telling testament of that person’s true character. Roll this little tidbit around in your head: virtually every serial killer started out by killing animals.

If everyone would attempt to convince even one person to spay or neuter their pet, it would go a long way towards solving the problem of too many unwanted animals. Hundreds of animals are euthanized monthly because there are simply no homes for them. With the low-cost options available now, there is really no excuse to allow your pet to breed. If you can’t be bothered to spay or neuter your pet, then I beg you to reconsider whether or not you really should have a pet at all. Become part of the solution, do not become part of the problem.  Our greatest wish is that someday we will be put out of business. We can dream, can’t we?"

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!  :)

The Drenched Wench & PETA

That would make a great name of a small pub in a tiny town somewhere in Scotland, wouldn't it?   Another dream of mine, maybe not the pub, but a restaurant perhaps, in Scotland, living on a farm.  Anyways, thats what I was this morning, for sure.  It absolutely poured.  It didn't just rain, it poured.  I was soaked through and through.  The rain coat that my mother bought me a few years ago, somehow the sleeve ripped, and its not usuable anymore, so I removed the hood, and put that over my newly flattened hair, only to have the humidity inside the hood make the hair haywire once again.  But the hair stayed dry, just every piece of clothing on my body was soaked.  I hope you all thought of me at five this morning!  :)  Most of the kitties that come out for me each day to greet me and await their breakfast were no where to be seen today.  Its twice as miserable for them.  So, I was done complaining once I peeled off my clothes for the dryer when I got home. 

An update on Pedro, the bird, which by the way, I think is 45 years of age - can you imagine?  their lifespan can be between 60-90 years!  - they could outlive us humans!  Maree says:  "we had to leave the bird with the vet in Buffalo last night, she took her home with her and called thru the night to say she was holding on but it is critical. Joe sent you a pic of the egg they cut out of her, it is the size of a regular hard boiled eeg and surgery was o/k. but not great as her stomach is still infected :( . Right now we are just waiting to be told what to do next. I thank you for your prayers, I know they helped get her at least this far."  Poor baby, please continue to keep her in your prayers.  Picture above, not sure if you can make it out too well.

I stopped by to visit with Lillian after work yesterday - she got some new medicine for little Paddy/Pepper as she now calls him.  He is as sweet as can be, and now has pink gums!  He has a condition known as Stomatitis, and might eventually have to have all his teeth removed.  But Lillian was adamant about giving him his antibiotics, and other remedies, and for now, he looks to be pain free.

Thanks to everyone that responded with comments yesterday to my blog post.  It shows me that someone IS actually reading my blog, and that its not just my own little diary.

I was reading an interesting article in Psychology Today recently about PETA, an organization thats been around a long time, and a long time ago, I was supportive of PETA, I sent them money (before I had my own little rescue) but I was never one to stand in front of the (old War Memorial) Blue Cross Arena each time a circus came to town and drench myself in fake blood, or whatever, but they had aggressive sales folks calling at all times of the day for donations, and I helped out occasionally.  But I have heard really negative reports lately, and I will share with you parts of this article that I actually found shocking.  What I found to be most distressing is that the organization seems to have an agenda oriented against the keeping of animals as pets at all.

PETA was founded in March 1980 by Ingrid Newkirk (currently its president) and a fellow animal rights activist, Alex Pacheco. Its headquarters are in Norfolk, Virginia and it is from the state of Virginia that many of the complaints about PETA came to me. Most of these had to do with PETA’s animal shelter which is housed there. Many messages contained documents that were obtained from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) through freedom of information requests, and much the same information can be found on the VDACS website. In Virginia all animal shelters must report the number of cats and dogs they take in each year, how many animals were reclaimed by their owners, adopted out, transferred to other agencies, died of natural causes, were euthanized (killed), and how many the shelter held alive at the end of the calendar year. My correspondents suggested that the proportion of animals being killed by PETA was extremely high and was causing public concern in Virginia.

I verified the various reports that I had received against the official records from the VDACS then did the following simple set of calculations. For the last five years I added the number of dogs and cats euthanized and divided by the total number of dogs and cats taken in (excluding those held only for sterilization surgery which were classified as “other” by the VDACS prior to 2010). This gave me the percentage of dogs and cats PETA killed in a given year.

The official records indicate that nearly 95 percent of the animals taken in by the shelter are killed and less than 1 percent are adopted. I found this result to be quite distressing. So did the ABC television station WVEC, channel 13, in nearby Hampton Roads, Virginia. In 2011 the TV station engaged in some investigative journalism. They compared PETA’s euthanasia rates with other area animal control departments, shelters, SPCA's and humane societies that have open admission policies for animals. All had lower euthanasia rates.

Such statistics triggered a complaint to Virginia’s Agriculture Department and VDACS then commissioned Dr. Daniel Kovich to investigate and conduct an inspection of PETA’s headquarters. In his final report he noted “The facility does not contain sufficient animal enclosures to routinely house the number of animals annually reported as taken into custody.” Dr. Kovich went on to conclude that PETA’s “primary purpose is not to find permanent adoptive homes for animals.” He also determined that PETA employees kill 84 percent of the animals in their custody within 24 hours of receiving them—even though most are healthy and not showing any behavioral problems. Inquiries about how and if PETA attempts to actually find people that might want to adopt the animals that they received were not answered.

I believe that any rational person is left with the obvious question, “How can an organization that is supposedly dedicated to the ethical treatment of animals justify killing all but 5 percent of the animals entrusted to their shelter, with the vast majority of these executed within 24 hours of their admission—well before they can be assessed, or any attempts made to find adoptive homes for them?”

Perhaps the best answer comes from Ingrid Newkirk herself. In an interview with Newsday in February 1988 she said, “In the end, I think it would be lovely if we stopped this whole notion of pets altogether.”

Apparently Newkirk believes that one way to help achieve this “lovely” outcome is to destroy virtually all of the animals placed in PETA’s care before they can be adopted and become well-loved pets in any family’s home.

Never again PETA. 

Updates

Update on Cheddar, the kitty I rescued two weeks ago today.  Here is what his new family has to say:

"A I bought a spray to neutralize the odor and deter him from doing it again. I have been keeping him in the bedroom at night which it OK until about 5 am and then he meow's and jiggles the door handle unrelentlessly til I get up and let him free. So far the spraying has been only the one incident and really hope it does not happen again especially on any fabric cause I'm not sure I could handle that. He is a very affectionate kitty and my husband likes him alot but I feel so apprehensive about the potty issue. He is using his litter box so that is great. Hopefully he will calm as he adjusts to the house and dog. I will keep you updated. Not ready to give up on him yet -oh we renamed him Leo!!!!! ( the lion!!!)"

There is a photo of Maree, my friend who took in two of my babies from the streets, Big Red (now named Sandy) and Monkey (girl), along with a HUGE rottweiler named Cujo  - kidding, his name is Cowboy, and I think six other kitties.  She also has a bird named Pedro, he is some kind of parrot - forgive me for  not getting this right Maree, and Pedro has some sort of illness and she needs a hysterectomy but is too sick to have the surgery right now.  She is not doing well, and Maree has to feed and hold her around the clock.  Prayers for Pedro!

Pedro and His Mum, Maree

  This morning, after doing my rounds and driving past what is going to be a new low-cost clinic for spaying/neuter near my home, I was thinking about how this building, and the clinic itself was being funded.  I thought, hopefully the vet that is going to run the place isn't taking money out of her own pocket, but rather the government steps in for clinics like this because after all, this is a societal problem, one in which the government, with all its (OUR) money, should be funding to gain control over the cat overpopulation in our country.  So, I was wondering about that, and if anyone knows the answer, please let me know.   At my spots this weekend, here are some of what I observed:  

Spot 1 - I see at least two cats here when I pull up, I think one is sleeping in the plastic straw-filled tote at night here on Parsells  

Spot 2 - I feed here every other day, I see a cat run out of this shelter as I approach it, almost each time, food is always gone here on Parsells  

Spot 3 - I feed three cats here on Stout- two red, one black (he is getting friendlier with me, rolls over on his back)  

Spot 4 - Lucy waits each morning here on Garson - haven't seen neck wound kitty in a while.  this house is going to be occupied this summer, I need to find an alternative  

Spot 5 - I see a cat that I think might be the one that was pregnant a while back, and it looks like it could be pregnant again here on Hayward.  I think I need to do some trapping here - otherwise, see two other kitties in this location - fluffy red, and calico, which has been spayed.  

Spot 6 - I see spayed calico run to the food after I get back in car - sweet white kitty was not there again this morning here on Baldwin 

Spot 7 - FIVE cats there this morning (by now I am on Webster Ave) - two that I know of are spayed/neutered.   

Spot 8 - Morgan (Captain) the one eyed kitty was there, as usual, along with the younger version of himself, both black and white kitties, along with a third grey tabby I saw this morning here on Short  

Spot 9 - I feed another five here, two that I know of are spayed/neutered.  I think momma cat across the street is still nursing the babies she had here on Sixth.  

Spot 10 - I feed a black kitty, amongst others here.  I havent' seen the orange sickly kitty or the Pumpkin lookalike in a few days... here I am at Pennsylvania and Fourth  

Spot 11 - I feed behind this man's house on Pennsylvania and Second, and there are always at least three kitties here waiting, one I had spayed on my last round of TNR  

Spot 12 - the usual spayed tabbies here on Second, along with the mean old black kitty, and the mean old fluffy grey  

Spot 13 - Cedric, Rolo, and a new one with a rubber flea collar greet me every day here - wondering when this house will be sold by the bank that owns it - grass is getting very long, so someone will be by soon to mow and hopefully not move my shelters in front and back here on Central  

Spot 14 - Tuffy is usually the only waiting customer here on Central and Third, but I know there are others lurking - this is where Cheddar was recently rescued  

Spot 15 - I have been giving the very sickly black kitty some meds the past two days.  He gets close enough where I can put the crushed pills in the wet food he craves, and I watch him gulp it down.  Little fluffy mama is still here each morning waiting for her breakfast.  I must get her spayed soon, no sign of her kittens, if they lived or not.  This is my final spot that I go to 365 days a year here on Seventh.  

Keep in mind, these are only some of the cats that partake in the 16 pounds of food I leave behind every single morning.  I know there are many more in the shadows just waiting, and hoping for a nibble before its all gone.  I could really use some food donations if anyone is able.  

Thanks and make it a great day!

Friday

Its Friday - a holiday weekend - three days off from work, but not a day off from feeding all the hungry sweet animals that I feed every day, 365 days a year, in rain, snow, heat and cold, no matter what, I am out there.  It was very very rainy and cold and wet this morning, and I tried to make the best of it for the cats at each of the `16 locations I stop at every day.  I changed a lot of wet towels, I place them down so that the kitties can have some minute bit of comfort while they chow down their only meal of the day, before the raccoons get to it, or the nasty evil people that own these abandoned properties come by to check on their house and trash the food and bowls, and any other small comfort I have left there for the kitties, like a little bed or a few towels made into a bed.  I still can't comprehend how someone would do that.  A threadbare water and food bowl, and a blanket.  How is that hurting you, or your property, and looking at the big picture, what else does this small furry animal have in its life, and you want to take it away, give it nothing.  I don't understand black hearts.  God will hopefully deal with people like this in the end, or karma will come around for them.  But I sure do hope people like this know suffering like these animals know, someday, somehow, in their miserable lives. 

OK, enough of that, lets get positive - the sun will come out, and its going to be a great summer!  I found out yesterday there is going to be a spay/neuter clinic coming to the area where I feed at very soon.  This is going to be a good thing for this area.  I have a dream...  Where all the cats in the Beechwood section of Rochester will be spayed or neutered, most will be adopted from the streets, and the problem of homelessness and reproduction will end.  I know it can be a reality, it just takes more people than myself to help out.  I hope you will consider ways that you can help out too.

Finally, I heard from Cheddar's new family last night.  Apparently, things were going well with the two adults, their sweet little dog and new kitty until new kitty peed in the woman's sandle.  She wasn't happy about this and I am a bit nervous that she is going to return Cheddar.  She had been keeping him in a bedroom for the first few nights, and that night she had let him out for the first time overnight, and it happened.  He has been eating drinking and using the litter box just fine, so I can't figure out what happened - I would WELCOME any suggestions that you may have, I need to share with this woman so that Cheddar can remain where he is - I don't know what will happen to him if he has to come back as he was not happy in my house with all the other kitties.  Thanks.

Have a great weekend!

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."

I am Whacked - Wednesday

 No one noticed my title from yesterday's post.  I've gotten my days mixed up, I was so sure today was going to be Friday!  :)

As I mentioned yesterday, I haerd from Harold's new family - if you will recall, they are the family of husband, wife, and son Brady who came to my house to pick out a new kitty - they had their choice of young Paddy and Daisy, older Earl, and newly rescued adult Harold.  They decided to give Harold a try because of difficulty in adopting out older cats, even though they had their hearts set on a young kitty.

Harold gave them a bit of trouble when they got him home, and as sure as I was that they were going to return him eventually, they were bound and determined to try to make it work.  And it has, and I am happy to report to you the latest and greatest on Harold.  I wish all my adopters could follow through with me and have the patience like these folks did.  Thank you Kim, Billy and Brady!  (and Cloe too!)


HAROLD

 Here you go... a picture of the handsomest boy in town! I actually just took this one tonight... he was just lounging in the doorway of the office, chilling out... he still doesn't have one "favorite" spot... he will flop down just about anyplace. He does LOVE the windowsill in our bedroom (I will send a pic of that after I send this email to you). He sits in that all the time. I am thinking we need to get him one of those 'slings' that you can attach to the ledge. He also loves laying in front of the sliding glass door on our lower level... it is shady and looks out onto a patio. There's lots of birds out there and he just hangs out there, watching the action... although I have also caught him napping down there too. He is a very sound sleeper... he will conk out just about anywhere. He does sleep on the foot of our bed at night now. He still gets up pretty early... earlier than we normally wake up... and sometimes he attacks our toes even if we are sound asleep... but that's okay. We absolutely adore him. He is so sweet and mellow and good-natured. He and Chloe get along fine now. They don't snuggle and cuddle with each other (not by a long shot) but they seek each other out and play and chase. She can be crabby and swats and hisses at him every now and then, but he doesn't care... he just tries to sneak past her and never swats back. If he ever does... whoo boy... will she learn a lesson!! He is strong and has super sharp claws... and he does NOT like having them trimmed... and he does not like being brushed or combed either. He loves his mousies... he plays with them every single day and doesn't care if they have catnip or not. I have watched him play with them for literally half an hour at a stretch... he loves it if we throw them, or he will play by himself... tossing them up in the air, rolling around on top of them... I think he purposely bats them under the couch or coffee table to he has to smush himself down to get them out. It's so funny to watch him. He also likes watching TV (see the pics). We don't have cable, we have an internet thing where you can watch stuff on demand... Billy has found several live webcams of cat rescue organizations and both he AND Harold like to watch (I admit, I do too... there is nothing better than a room full of kittens running around). Harold will either sit on the end of the bed or in the window and just be completely entertained... one time I had to tell Billy to change the channel because I thought Harold was going to jump right through the TV. I think he likes it here... as much as he loves sitting by the doors and windows, he never acts like he wants to go out. He does seem curious about the garage when we open that door (that's where he had his crawlspace adventure the first few days of living here) but he never actually tries to go out there. I think he is happy to be off the streets and live the life of a spoiled cat. He's such a good boy and we are so happy to have him... thank you for being our 'matchmaker'!!!

Hope you are well... I do check into your blog regularly now... I don't even know what to say other than you are an an absolute angel... what you do is truly a gift. I am constantly amazed and encouraged and saddened by your adventures. I wish I could take in 100 cats!!! I vow to you that if I ever win the lottery, you are one of the first people I am calling and giving a million dollars to! How is Paddy doing? I was so sad and shocked to hear about his diagnosis... I hope he will be okay.

That's it for now... rest assured that Harold is just fine... I promise I will keep you updated. I have 3 or 4 other pictures to send... they are kind of blurry because they are just taken on my old-school cell phone, but I think you will see that he is doing great.

Take care... thanks for Harold and for all you do for all the other kitties out there!!!

Kim

Thunderous Thursday

I received a Harold update that I will be sharing for tomorrow's post.  This particular adoption is unlike any I've ever had.  You could say it is the most ideal adoption I've ever had.   It is ideal because the adopter has faithfully shared occasional updates like this, and even if this were her last update to me, I would know 100% that this was meant to be, and I would never have any worries or wonder again.  I wish I had this with all the cats I've adopted out in the past - excluding my mother, sister and friends that have taken in kitties from me - I can see these cats when I go for visits - but there aren't too many folks like Kim and her family to take in a cat that was just rescued from the street the night before, and were willing to give it their all to make this cat feel wanted and special.  Even if he hid from them for days after arriving at their home.  My heart swells.

I have yet to hear from Cheddar's new family, I will try to contact them today.  Little Paddy/Pepper goes to the vet for a recheck of his teeth after his mom Lillian has been faithfully giving him meds for the past two weeks.  Fingers crossed his sore mouth is better, but his gums looked painfully red when I went to visit him on Monday.  He was diagnosed with Stomatitis, and was told that all his teeth would have to be extracted.  If that turns out to be the case, Paddy may have to come back to me, or find a new home, because it may be hard for Lillian to care for him, not knowing what to expect.  So we take it one step at a time.

All the kitties were out and about his morning and I got a few pictures.  There is one cat on Fourth and Pennsylvania that I believe is one of Vanessa's babies - one that I missed when I rescued her and her other two babies, Pumpkin and Magic last summer.  Here is his picture that he allowed me to take this morning - You tell me what you think! - First, a picture of Pumpkin -
 

PUMPKIN/CHARLEY



PUMPKIN/CHARLEY

 and now the kitty that is still on the streets:

Other sightings:



Sick Kitty on Seventh



Seventh Street Kitty



Seventh Street Kitty



All Quiet on the Homefront

These puppies are looking for a good home.  If any interest, please contact the following:

SusieQ Dog ResQ / Another Chance Ranch

www.petfinder.com/shelters/NY705.html

I have some pretty good news to share – Cheddar, the pretty fluffy red haired kitty I rescued one week ago today from Central and Third, who was then neutered the next day, and spent the next few days getting to know what it was like to live in a safe and cozy environment, was adopted on Sunday! Thanks to Another Chance Pet Rescue for allowing me to use a cage at their Adoption Days at Petco on Saturday, within the first ten minutes a lady came in and said she had been looking for a kitty just like him! I am still crossing my fingers that all goes well – they have a little doggie that they adore and she comes first in their house – so I pray that Cheddar is on his best behavior with their princess. So far so good, no news is good news!

On Sunday morning, my friend Kristin came over very early in the morning to help me look for the newborns that the kitten on Seventh Street had last week. We scoured as much as we could of that area, and couldn’t see or hear anything. I am almost suspecting that they either didn’t live, or mama wasn’t able to care for them the way a more grown cat could – maybe not enough milk, or not enough instinct to protect them. I didn’t see her yesterday morning, but Ithere she was this morning. She is getting closer each time, but still keeping her distance. And she almost looks pregnant again...  could that be possible?  It must be hunger that brings her closer to me as there is never a drop of food or water when I arrive in the morning. The injured black cat let me touch him this morning, as he hungrily gobbled up the food I was placing. I am so torn about this situation, as I know he is suffering, and I should help to ease that suffering. In an ideal situation, I would take him, have him seen by a doctor, nurture him back to health and keep him or adopt him out. But none of that is possible. I have nowhere to care for him nor do I have the finances.. So his fate would be to be put to sleep. Or to suffer and die a painful death on the street. I will try putting antibiotics in his food tomorrow if he is there, but he is not consistent either. I don’t like to see these animals suffer, and I will make the right decision when I feel its right.

Have a good day.

Coffee Talk



Spayed Female on Hayward

 I had a couple of good conversations this weekend with some of the people in the hood where I go to feed cats 365 days a year.  .  .  Yesterday, the gentleman who waves and calls out goodmorning to me a few houses down from where I feed on Pennsylvania and Second, called out to me yesterday morning and I meandered down to where he was watering his lawn and introduced myself.  His name was Jackson, from NYC, has lived here for couple of years now after he met his wife and moved into her house there.  He introduced me to his pit bull that was in the back, named Blue.  We chatted away, I told him what I did, and I left him my card and told him if he ever saw any pregnant females, etc, he could call me. 



Hayward Cat

 This morning, Paul came out of his Second street home to say hello.  He is the one with the dilapidated garage and I posted a while back that if I had the money, he would be one of the very first I would help out because of his kind heart in allowing me to use his back yard to feed the cats on Second Street over all these years. He was telling me how much the contractors wanted to charge – I heard numbers from $2500 to $4000 and that’s just to secure it. He told me they said if they placed a roof on it, it would collapse. He came out because he was concerned that I would be upset that it might be torn down and the cats wouldn’t have a place to go in. I told him that I was not concerned, that his garage was just a bonus, and that the shelters he allowed me to place behind the house were sufficient enough for them. What a sweet man. Always asking how I am, and always wishing me a safe journey as I leave. Love this man. And he is handsome to boot!




Webster Ave. Cat




Seventh Street Kitten Mama

 There is a house on Central and Seventh that has always had litter and filth strewn about and I’ve always wondered how people could live like that, day in, day out. I had never seen anyone outside of it – of course I am only there at the very early hours in the morning – but nevertheless, it’s a house that is occupied, so someone must see the trash all over the place. On Saturday morning I drove past it on my way to my last spot and saw a man sitting on the porch of this house. I thought about stopping my car and asking him how he could live like that, but thought better of it and continued. I thought to myself, we all occupy this earth. We are all responsible for the little plot of grass under our feet. Genesis 1 God said, "let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth" To have dominion means to be in charge of. That means that God has put us in charge of caring for his creation: earth, people, animals, plants - all of it. God is the ultimate environmentalist. He made it and he charged us with the stewardship of taking care of the earth.  I hate litterbugs.

Baby kitten is doing very well at my mother's house.  She has such a good Mommy too.  Pictures below.



Penny



Penny's Lone Surviving Kitten



Penny's Lone Surviving Kitten



“Each morning we are born again.

What we do today is what matters most”

HFF!!! :)

I got through my rounds quicky this morning.  I was able to hold Red on Webster while another young black kitty looked on from behind the fence.  Hungry I'll bet.  The city workers came and mowed the grass, and the shelter has not been touched.  Yay.  This is the shelter that my creative teacher friends Darrin and Kris made the shelter out of a coffee table.  Very heavy, and probably the best shelter you can find.  Weather proof, and a spot to eat in front of it, inside.  The devil man next door has not bothered me in close to a year now.  My shelter on Hayward was also untouched, and I spotted a cat that could very well be the kitty that I first saw hugely pregnant weeks ago.    When I pull up to that spot its still not bright enough for me to see perfectly.  I wish I knew where she had her babies, and where they are now.  At Seventh, I did not see Mama Kitten anywhere.  Nor do I know where her babies are. 

It will be a busy weekend.  One mention, little Paddy is very loved now by his new Mom Lillian - she brought him to the vet a week and half ago, and he was diagnosed with Stomatitis.  I am heartbroken, and so is Lillian.  This means he may have to have all his teeth pulled at some point.  And the cost is staggering.  The vet quoted $1400.  She doesn't have that kind of money.  I feel like I gave her a
'defective' cat, but she assures me that she 'picked' him, so its not my fault!   Most of the research I've done on this all winds up with teeth being extracted.  If anyone has any other alternatives, or know how we can help Lillian financially with this, it would be appreciated!

Mom's cat Penny's kitten is doing well, still holding her own.  Eyes almost open, hopefully by this weekend!

Finally, I leave you with a wonderful video on YouTube that shows humanity at its best.  And how rescue is so important and vital to our furry friends in need.  I hope you can view it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Mgbgch6v42E

Been dazed and confused for so long its not true....

I am a total nut job when it comes to Led Zepplin.  I am a rocker from way back.  When I was growing up I always hung with the older crowd, and was very into the 70's music.  I still am today.  I can't get enough of classic rock, but then again, I love jazz, bluegrass, country, Marvin Gaye, southern rock,....  the list is really endless.  There are times I could listen to sweet ballads, even some classical.   But if Led Zepplin - Robert Plant are involved, I go into a zone...  I played this song this morning on my way to work, and had it full blast.  I swear, most of the people I passed were either too old or too young to know or appreciate the loud sounds coming from my car...  :)  Thats how I begin my workday, with the greatest music of all.... 

OK, back to cats.  I arrived home from work yesterday to the kitty that I trapped - turned out to be a female, which is GREAT, one less kitty delivering babies.   I got her nice and secure for an overnight stay at my place, I put food and water in the trap, and she did eat and drink over night, so that is good.  She is pretty feral, so there wasn't a peep from her while she was all covered up snug in the cage.  It was hard to let her back out this morning, but it had to be done.  Cheddar was also vetted yesterday, the works, all tests negative, and he also had his nails clipped.  They apparently were so long they were growing into his paw.  These poor street cats, they have such a hard life.

The female pregnant kitten that were were not successful in getting on time - I saw her this morning for the first time in three days, and she was definitely not pregnant anymore.  In fact, she came so close to me I was able to get this picture.

Momma Kitten on Seventh

I told you, she is just a kitten herself.  I am heartsick thinking of the babies she had.  This is the closest she has ever come to me, I was on my knees putting food and water in the shelter there, the bowls completely empty.  She must have been very hungry to get this close.  Poor thing.  Here are a few other pictures I was able to get this morning of some of the kitties I feed - if you click on each picture you can see them up close:


ROLO on Central

 

Kitty on Seventh



Cedric on Central

  


Sweet Red on Webster (he needs a home!)

 The Hayward Street shelter was still in tact this morning, I'll bet no one came by to work on the house.  But I am prepared each morning for the worst, thinking of another boarded house two doors down.  The calico still comes for her breakfast, but have not seen the pregnant tabby that was there for so long up until a week and half or so ago.

Mom's - or I should say Penny's baby is still doing well, and Mom reports this morning that she may be opening her eyes!  Can't wait to get pictures this weekend for you!

Whirlwind Wednesday

Well, it was a busy morning. The goal was for Laura to trap the pregnant kitten on Seventh St. and for me to bring Cheddar to her, she would bring Cheddar to one location, I would bring the pregnant kitten to another. Before I finished the first half of my route, I texted Laura to see if she wanted me to set a trap somewhere as a back up plan. Good thing I did.  Laura then phoned me and said she believed the momma cat already had her kittens. I hadn’t seen her for two mornings in a row, so she may have had them within the past two days. Laura said she heard faint crying and thought she had seen the mom and she wasn’t fat, so we concluded the babies were already born. That’s two moms I wasn’t able to get. So sad. But I did manage to trap a kitty on Pennsylvania, one of at least three I feed there, and I did turn Cheddar over to her as she already had a couple of kitties she was bringing to this clinic, and I will pick up Cheddar later. I had him overnight and I can confidently say this is a very very very good boy. A true cuddler. You can tell he is SO thankful to be off the street now. I had thought about putting him back after he was neutered, but I don’t think I can do it. Although its going to be very hard for me at home, as Earl has a hard enough time with the others in my house, here I have a new one and he is not happy about it. He is acting up terribly and I have to watch him every second, with his spraying, and attacking the others. I need to find a home for these guys – Daisy, Earl, Leo and Cheddar. Please help me find homes for them?

My mother’s surviving kitten, and we have to think of a name for this little girl, is holding her own. She is a miracle to us each day she lives. My mother is feeding her every two hours, and momma Penny is keeping her warm. We hope she is getting enough of both.

I was so disappointed this morning when I pulled up to one of my longest standing shelters on Hayward. I had spoken to the owner of this rented house years ago and basically had his permission to feed on the side of the house. This is the same location where the woman came out of the glass door head first a month or so ago from the house next door. When I pulled up, everything was put to the curb. I got out, and moved EVERYTHING back, and then got a paper plate and wrote a note to the man, asking for leniency, telling him this was the only home these cats had and that I was doing good there by having them all neutered. Along with my cell number. I pray his compassion kicks in when he arrives there today. He rents the house out with two separate apartments there, and I’ve never had a problem before.

I don’t know where I will feed if I go back tomorrow and everything is gone. This is the problem I have at the moment, each of my spots is in jeopardy, so I can’t place new shelters down until I can figure this out.

Have a great day!

Cheddar

Boy am I in over my head.  I had a vacation day last Friday, but you would never know it.  I never stopped running around the entire weekend.  I've gotten myself into a real pickle with saving cats.  I visited two homes that adopted cats from me - Pumpkin and Magic (Charley), and Paddy (Pepper), and took in two cats to Petco for showing.  That doesn't include a lot of running around in between, and this was just on Saturday.  I have a cat at home who is spraying everywhere now, and I have to keep him confined.  And guess who is confined in my bathroom this morning, after I had to kick Leo out of it - I am still bringing him in at night and letting him out during the day because there is just no room - Cheddar!  I rescued Cheddar this morning from Central and Third and he will be neutered tomorrow, along with his shots, etc. and he will be ready to go to a new home, but I have to find that first.  He is a very friendly, sweet and gentle boy and I am hoping he will be adopted soon, along with Earl, Daisy and Leo.  I need to get these four homes and fast.  Anyone that would be willing to foster one or two I would be extremely grateful!

I wish I could photoshop his face with a prettier background than my ugly bathroom background, but oh, if there were just a few more hours in the day...

Update on the surviving kitten at Mom's house - still hanging in there.  Although momma cat is moving baby around a lot, and we are now bottle feeding baby every two hours - thank you Maree for bringing us the formula, saved us a lot of time and running around!  Mother has decided to put Penny (momma cat) into the closet for now with lots of blankies, where its dark and quiet, and hopefully she will settle down in that for now before we resort to getting a large wire crate to put her and baby in.  Either way, she needs to stay with her baby in these critical first few weeks, so fingers crossed.

I was very disheartened this morning as I pulled up the Seventh Street location, where Laura has volunteered to try to trap the pregnant kitten there tomorrow morning, because I did not see the pregnant kitten.  This means either she is just hunting somewhere for the moment, or has had her babies somewhere.  And I always think the worst because of what I see every day.  I pray she hasn't and we can get her in time. 

Below is a picture of one of my locations I feed at - a house across the street - funny how things change in an instant.  This arson sign was not attached to the boarded door yesterday. 

Here is a kitty that hisses at me each morning, a very fluffy grey kitty on Second.  He has come to depend on me each morning for his breakfast, so I don't know what his problem is!  :)

Have a great day!

Rough Weekend

It was quiet in the hood this weekend, people wise, although just this morning on my drive in to work, I witnessed someone pulled over and being handcuffed on Culver Road.  That was the height of excitement, people wise.  In other news though, sadness abounds.  Don't read any further if you don't want to... 

One of my mother's two newborns - or Penny's babies I should say - passed quietly on Saturday.  We don't believe Penny is producing milk, or enough anymore.  So, after a frantic call from my mother very early Sunday morning, when she believed the other was being rejected because kitty mom had brought the surviving kitten into another room and left her there, we raced around to find a store open at that hour, actually a few stores, we found some cat milk, and I raced over with a dropper and we began to feed baby.  I was later advised to give it some Karo syrup, and I found some old corn syrup and we got a little of that into the baby.  Here it is, 24 hours later, and baby kitten is still surviving, after being hand fed every two hours through yesterday and the night, and still clinging to momma cat.  Seems maybe there is something to a mother cat rejecting her baby if she feels its dying, and then taking it back if its on the road to recovery?  Not sure, but all we can do is say a little prayer for this little baby to survive.   It was very sad though.  My poor Mom did not expect this!  The drive after my feedings brought more sadness after I picked up a dead cat on Bay.  It was a pretty bad hit to the poor black and white animal, but nevertheless, I scooped it up with a clean fluffy white towel and brought it to its final resting place.  I couldn't just leave it under a bush in that neighborhood.  It would have been thrown in the trash can, for sure.  To the person who hit it and drove off - karma - what goes around, comes around.  Thats all I can say...

Out in the hood, I see sadness all around, but I leave there each morning knowing cats are eating and drinking.  The weather is once again miserable - rain and cold all weekend.  I pray the pregnant kitty I was not able to get two weeks ago made it through her delivery outside on Hayward, and is safe and secure.  I sometimes don't know if I should pray for her newborns safety or demise.  There will be so many new mouths to feed, and it may not be me because they may not be able to find their way to one of my stops, so there is always that sadness.  I have an appointment set for this Wednesday if I can trap the pregnant kitten on Seventh.  She is still around, and very pregnant.  I need prayers for this one too, as I may be doing it alone, and I am not as confident about trapping as others are. 

"If you can find a path with no obstacles,

it probably doesn't lead anywhere." 

The Rain in Spain...

UGG.  Miserable out there this morning.  It was wet wet wet.  By the time I got done with my rounds, my clothes were soaking - but the one thing I protect is my hair!  God forbid the straightened hair I had done at the hairdresser last week gets wet!  The three TNR's yesterday were all female - two were pregnant, and the third one was just six months old.  I had to let them back out on the streets yesterday, and it is always very traumatic for me to do.  I hate that part.  I really do.  I didn't see any of them this morning, I hope they forgive me soon. 

Little Paddy has now been renamed Pepper, and he went for a check up last night, so I will call Lillian this morning to see how that went, but he is being loved more and more by his new Mom, so I am happy about that.  I still wish he had someone to play with besides her, like a furry brother or sister, but right now, he is good.

On Saturday I will be making a quick visit to see Pumpkin and Magic - Magic's new name is Charley.  Pumpkin had a temporary new name last week - Humpkin - he was getting a little too friendly with a stuffed bear.  :)  I have pictures sent by their new mom Jessica - they are such gorgeous cats.  I still have their Mom Vanessa, who is quite a beauty queen herself.

This morning I went to my mother's and took pictures of the babies.  Look at these sweeties!!!  :)  Penny is a very good mother, never leaving them except to eat and do her business.  She hops right back in to the warm little nest she's made.

I have Friday off from work, and most likely will take a break from writing on this blog - I sometimes find myself running out of topics, and pictures, and positive stuff for the few of you who actually read this, so enjoy a break from my 'stuff'.  :)

"To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body."

--Mahatma Gandhi

Strangers in the Night

OK, TONS happening this morning.

First off, Laura and I were able to trap three kitties today, two females, and the third was a kitten and we couldn't tell what sex it was.  It was new to me.  It funny how I never really see the strays and ferals that will come out after I leave, I'll bet there are more than I know of...  I had never seen this kitten before on Hayward.  I also trapped the calico that was happily eating out of my defective trap Sunday morning.  Laura got the pregnant muted calico on Baldwin.  A BEAUTIFUL colored cat.  I had never seen its colors before because it was always dark when I fed at that spot each day, but I could see from its silouette that it had quite the belly on it.  All in all, a great catch.  The bad part of this is there was no very pregnant kitty around on Hayward, nor has there been one since I saw her on Sunday.  Thats sad.  I wonder if she's had them somewhere.  I also need to work on getting the pregnant kitten on Seventh now.

On another note, a couple of months ago my mother had told me about a cat hanging around her house in Webster, in a beautiful neighborhood where you just don't find stray cats.  Maybe a moose or two, but not a cat.  This cat was a beautiful orange, and she would let it in on the cold winter nights and let it back out because her two kitties Mikey and Gracie weren't particularly fond of this orange cat.  Mikey and Gracie came from Third Street, and my mother was kind enough to adopt them.  Anyway, the past two weeks my mother has been asking for me to come check out the orange kitty, who she had been letting in more and more, because she thought she might be 'getting bigger'.  Well, I went over on Sunday and felt her belly, and I was pretty sure she was pregnant.  I was set to have her spayed and Another Chance Pet Rescue stepped in and offered to have her birthed and kittens adopted out through them, as my mother has no idea what she is doing when it comes to pregnant cats!  :)  The trade off was set to take place Saturday, and all would be well and my mother would get the cat back after it had her babies and was spayed.  Well, Mom calls me this morning while I am setting traps and tells me that at 2 am., PENNY (we've named the mom) screeched under the bed, and out a kitten comes!  I went over there and saw the kitten myself.  A beautiful red kitten, just like its mom.  I also noticed something that didn't look quite right.  Poor baby had a stillborn next to the live one.  It looked like it hadn't formed completely, poor thing.  I get to work and Mom calls me at 8 this morning to tell me she looked under the bed and another one was there!  This time a beautiful little black with red colors throughout was there!  Mom and two (hopefully thats all!) babies are doing well, and I will get pictures tonight.  Unbelieveable. 

Thats my story for today.  Tomorrow, updates on Cheddar, Paddy/Pepper, Pumpkin and Magic!  :)