Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

No, that isn't the type of exercise I SHOULD be doing, its the sound underneath my feet when I was walking out there this morning, into vacant lots, behind abandoned houses, and up onto boarded up house porches.  And there are a lot of kitties waiting for breakfast.

 

I feed so many cats out there, in the Beachwood section of Rochester, NY.  They know the schedule, and seem to be in anticipation when I pull up to their spots.  They come out, they look around, they sit and wait.  When I get to their feeding spot, I first take off the gloves, feel the towel or blanket I've set down, either change, or go ahead and start pouring the food - the dishes and bowls are always empty - and then remove the ice from the prior day's water dish and fill with the warm water in the OJ, or iced tea jugs I carry.  If I am lucky enough, I get to pat a head or two.  At my Hayward location, there is a sweet little calico kitty that allows me to pick her up and hold her for a minute or two.  She is very sweet, but homeless.  She is eartipped, I did her sometime early last year - had her TNR'd (trap, neuter and return).  She's an angel, and just one of the little kitties waiting to be rescued, and adopted.  Her name is Candy.

On Saturday, I pulled up to my Short Street/Sixth Street shelter - where I had to move all my stuff from the garage on Sixth due to Nathaniel moving into the house, asking me to move my stuff due to the inspector coming over, and now he still doesn't use the dilapidated garage it - its been nearly two months now.  When I pulled up I could see in the dark, between the two boarded up houses, that there was something that wasn't right.  Sure enough, some punk trashed my stuff.  He didn't break anything, thank God, but the shelters were pulled out and strewn around.  So, in the dark, I returned everything to its original spot, shook the blankets, replaced the tarp, and filled the bowls with food and water, all the while the kitties sat watching, waiting.  I can't tell you how upsetting this was for me, let alone the cats.  They have no place to seriously REST.  They must be frightened to crawl into these wonderful wooden huts and just relax.  How can they when scum come along and want to mess with it.  I need to call Nate and ask him if I can move my stuff back in the garage.  Its much safer for me there also.

Fraser

 

Calvin - who will soon be named Niles - Sunday Sheryl will be taking him to foster this week, and would like these names for both brothers.  For now.  We understand that names change often, so its all good!  Calvin/Niles had his tip of tail removed on Friday.  He had it wrapped, and will have the bandage removed today.  He also tested negative for disease, and was neutered.  He is a REALLY nice kitty, and they estimate him to be around 5 years old, if you can believe that.  He was once someone's kitty, but has been out on the street for a very long time.  He was a mess when I got him, but has slowly healed, and is such a lover boy now.  What a trusting, sweet boy.  I've now exposed him to a few others in my house, and he gets along great with other kitties.  That's a great plus too.  He is READY for adoption!

As of Friday evening, Gordie was not faring as well as I had hoped after nearly two weeks at his potential adopters house.  He has been in hiding.  Until I explained to them, they didn't realize that these cats need to have a small room, and time from the humans, to sit, and talk and pet and slowly earn their trust.  Gordie has been through a lot, and I should have explained that he would need to go into a small room and they would both need to interact with him as long as it took for his true personality to come out with them.  Loving and sweet.  Instead, he has been in hiding.   I am hoping to hear better news today after giving them the rest of the weekend to work it out.

Lenny is another case.  Donna and her husband brought him to their shed and he's been in hiding since.  They both work so don't have enough time to spend with him, but they are also trying to get him to bring him into their basement and try to work with him.  He was a love for me, frightened, but you have to have that interaction with them immediately, or its tough to gain that trust if they are allowed freedom to hide somewhere.  That is why a small bathroom is perfect for a new cat - to sit and talk and hold for a day or so.  They begin to trust you then.  And then you can introduce to other felines or canines in the house.  (UPDATE:  they have since moved him into a crate into their house and will begin the trust building this way.  This was on Sunday, I look forward to an update today).  I am trying to get Lenny in for neutering this week also.

So, there you have it.  Another day, just like any other day, in the hood.  And updates on recent rescues.  Its all good!

I wish you all a great day!

"Your talent is God's gift to you.  What you do with it

is your gift back to God."