Eight Inches

Sunday morning:

Yep, its March 30th, and we had another eight inches of very heavy snow overnight.  It was brutal on my back this morning.  Not to mention all the shelters were buried in snow, so it was brutal on the cats too.  People keep saying, this is the last one, that was the last one, but I am not so sure.  I do know in my heart that its not going to last forever, but it really has been a very very very long winter, and we are all sick of it.  I saw someone in the hood shoveling, and I thought 'this would make a great hot cocoa morning' - I imagined myself driving around with a thermos of hot cocoa and opening my window, and giving the guy a cup, and a smile.  :)  I am such a dreamer.  But it would have been a nice thing to do.  The guy shoveling could have been a very nice man, maybe old, maybe with a heart condition, who knows.  Everyone is battling something right?

I am in the middle of laundry.  I had some very wet towels to pick up and replace with dry ones at almost all of my 16 locations.  I shoveled and shoveled.  At my first spot on 7th, the large board must have come down overnight because it was buried under the snow.  I was able to see the inner workings behind it that I usually can't see because of the board, as I walked up to it and saw the black cat come out of one shelter, and another come out of another.  So I am glad they were using them, and that it provided safety and comfort for them.

Monday morning:

Well, I certainly got a good leg workout this morning.  The snow that fell yesterday was as hard as a rock walking on it.  There was no give.  It felt like walking with 50 pound weights on each leg.  There were more kitties out this morning waiting.  And lots of wet towels.  Tomorrow will be an even bigger mess because we are supposed to be in the 60s today, and there will be a ton of snow melt.  Oh, my poor washer.  I am hoping to survey all my shelters soon, to see what did and didn't make it through the winter.  I know there may be a lot of wet straw inside many of them.  It must be dry - its vital to keep the cats that use them warm.  And its nice bedding to nestle in. 

I finally received an update on Teddy - he is the cat I rescued from Parsells who had the rodent ulcer on his mouth.  He was fostered by a woman named Gail, who did such a great job getting him ready for his forever home.  He was a street cat, but underneath, a pussycat.  Such sweet cats out there that one might never know if they are not rescued.  I am so grateful for all the cats I've been able to get off the streets and into loving homes.  One cat at a time.  :)

Here is what his new mom has to say:
"Janine, I have been meaning to write to you but time always gets away from me :) Teddy is doing great! He spends pretty much the day with us downstairs and usually either sleeps in his favorite red chair or up in our room at night. He LOVES to play! He is constantly chasing balls and other random stuff that are the kids toys which is pretty funny to see. The kids just love him too; Ava is so gentle with him and Claire talks about him all the time. I don't have any pictures right now bc my phone won't send pictures but give me a little time and I can probably send one via email from my husband's phone."

Have a great day!

"Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men but from doing something worthwhile." 

Woot Woot!

Feeling a bit better today.  Nothing exciting this morning, was thinking to my self that I must get some of my shelters a bit more secured.  The one on Short Street is full of dirt, dug up by some creature over the brutal winter.  When its warmer out, and thawed, I will place a box crate down and a flat board over that so that I don't have to deal with wet towels, and dirt.  Same with my Fourth and Pennsylvania spot.  Until they tear the house down.  Every year I think it will go, and I have a feeling this might be it.  This morning there were at least five cats there.  One of them being the grey with white, who is still limping.

And on Third and Pennsylvania, I did feel the kitty - picture on yesterday's post - and I do believe she is pregnant.  I will have to shoot an e-mail to the girl that runs ACPR to see if they will take her and I will then grab her in the morning tomorrow.  I would hate to have her have the babies on the street.  Unfortunately, I have one too many being fostered in my own house right now and cannot take any.  My only other option is to grab her and take her into the clinic to have the babies aborted.  I would then still need a place to keep her before, and after her surgery.  Is anyone willing to  help out here?  She is friendly.  Unfortunately, again, I would have to return her to the street after that.  There are just so many sad cases like this. 

Candy

On the bright side, its getting warmer, and easier for the cats to live out there.  But there are some that still are begging me each day to take them.  Especially Candy, on Hayward.  And she is so pretty too.  She will make someone a wonderful pet.  Please spread the word about these homeless animals.  They are counting on you.

Have a great day!

"Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty - they merely move it from their faces into their hearts."

Hump Day

One day closer to my weekend, because I am taking Friday off.  I love my three day weekends.  I get to clean my house on Friday, and enjoy Saturday and Sunday without the hassle of a deep clean which takes up half my Saturday to give me really only one full day before I go back to work on a Monday.  And I am fanatical about cleaning my house on the weekend.  Even though I spend HOURS doing it - the mundane things like changing bedsheets, laundry, cleaning bathroom, back bedrooms, litter box areas, vacuuming, doing the wash and hand scrubbing the kitchen floor - I still could spend another week cleaning out closets, getting rid of old clothes, getting rid of old magazines (I've got literally hundreds of cooking magazines - you feel guilty throwing them away because you think you will need a recipe or two that you wanted to try). 

And yes, I am still sick and miserable.  I even thought about calling in to work today, but I feel total guilt, so I most likely will go in.  I don't know why I feel guilt, maybe it was because my mother, growing up, was like a drill sergeant when it came to sickness.  Unless we were on our deathbed, we went to school.  Which is why I had nearly perfect attendance record in grammar school.

OK, this is a cat blog.  Enough of my stuff.  It was 15 degrees when I left the house this morning at 5 am. - I took some pictures at the start of my shift until the camera read 'memory full'.  Oh well, sorry, will clean them out and restart again tomorrow.  Here are some of the spots I took pictures of:

Two kitties waiting here, you can see the eyes of the black one in the background

The above shelter is on Central Park near Fifth, where those wretched people who keep breeding cats live.  This is where I recently found Bittens, in the bitter cold snow driven morning.  This shelter Kris, the art teacher friend of mine, and husband concocted.  Its some old shelf or something, and inside is filled with straw, and there are a few totes next to it that I am positive a cat uses, that I am also surprised haven't been trashed yet by hooligans.

The above is on corner of Third and Central.  This fluffy girl, I still can't tell if she is preggers, I don't think so, but I can't really hold her - I am unsure of her.  She is not eartipped.  I feed on the front porch here, and in the back porch. I have two nice wooden shelters set up on the back porch, two tote shelters on the front.

Tuffy

These are the last of the pictures from this morning.  This is on Third Street.  Look who is there, its Tuffy.  And you can see the tote shelter the girl made who is a senior and is doing a project/presentation on homeless cats as part of her grade at school.

These are the pics I got before the camera conked out.  Can you imagine, I still had another 12 locations to drive to...    ugg.

Have a great day.

"Many of life's failures are people that didn't know how close they were to success when they gave up."

Ahhhhh CHEW!

Taking a break with the blog today folks.  I got a cold from my 6 year old niece who came to stay with her Auntie on Saturday evening.  Thanks Sister, for sending her over sick and not telling me! 

I didn't take a break from my feedings this morning in the hood.  All of them were waiting for me.  In fact I counted EIGHT at Baldwin.  They were all hungry, and I was glad to feed them.  Its SO rewarding to do this.  Really, it is.  Its not fun getting out of bed at 3:45 am. so I can get my day started and wake enough to go out in the dark at 5 am., but once its all done, its a good feeling.  And I couldn't feel as good as I do if I didn't get the occasional food donations from the few of you who do.  Thank you SO much for your kind donations.  I can't do it alone.  My pockets are far from deep.

Have a wonderful day.

Monday

Well, its snowing out again, its about 17 degrees out, and I am sick of it.  But most of all I am sure the cats are sick of it.  I can gt back into my nice warm car, and go back to my nice warm house, but these cats can't.  I think it will be winter forever.  Its sad, because the end of March to me means robins chirping, sun shining, weather about 50-60 degrees on average, April is fast approaching which I think about April showers will bring May flowers.  But it just doesn't seem that way this year.  I am wondering what kind of spring and summer we will have.  If I recall correctly, I think last year we went from winter to summer in an instant.  I know it will be here, and we will all be complaining that its too hot, which is just the human thing to do, and we will all remind ourselves that we would rather have it hot than what we've experienced since November, freezing!

Black and White young kitty on Hayward (unneutered)

Candy's backend on Hayward

It was a mainly quiet weekend - at my Hayward location, where Candy usually is, and another black and white kitty sometimes is at, Candy was there this morning, and the little black one was not.  I did my usual, holding sweet Candy, pouring the dry and the beloved wet food they all crave, and went on to my next spot around the corner on Chamberlain.   As I was pouring the food down there for noisy Lucy, the kitty that cries the entire time I am there from a distance, Candy showed up under my arm.  She ran all that way, and must have left the moment I did.  What a gal.  :)

At my Pennsylvania and Fourth location, there is a grey with white kitty that is usually there, but this morning he had a definite limp. 

At my Second location, there was the young black and white kitty greeting me at the car when I opened the door, and Tuffy was in the back, waiting. 

At Third and Central, there was the fluffy cat running to greet me.  She is a bit skittish so I am hesitant to pick her up to see if she is pregnant.

At Central and Fifth, four cats are there to greet me.  There is a brown tabby female there, new, with a plastic flea collar on.  Those women are at it again.  I don't know where they get these cats, but there is always a new one, with a collar.  Snickers and the fluffy sweet black one were there, along with another black cat that keeps its distance.

I counted six cats at the Baldwin location. 

Its crazy, so many cats.  Speaking of ....  take a peek at Bittens, the kitten I rescued about a month ago, who I am trying to find a home for.  Isn't she sweet!  I had my niece Hannah over on Saturday, and what a pair of cuties they made. 

Have a great day!

"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are

living our fears."

Buddy! Teddy!!

I love getting updates on the kitties I've rescued and adopted out to great homes.  This is one such story. Buddy.  Buddy was a kitten that I rescued from Grand Avenue back in 2011, and he was adopted out in spring of 2012 to just the nicest family.  He's recently had some teeth pulled in front.  You can almost see it in one of the pictures.  :)

Buddy Before Adoption

Buddy with his new mom!  (isn't she pretty!)

Sleepy Winston/Buddy!  

Winston (Buddy)

Winston/Buddy taking a nap after a hard day at work! (look at that cute tie).

Finally, I received word about Teddy!  His mom has been awfully busy with her two other little ones, the humans, so its understandable not hearing from her, but its great to know that things are going well so far!

Hi Janine,
Sorry I haven't written. Things have been crazy here - my child was being treated for cellulitis/allergic reaction to a shot last week so I have been pretty preoccupied. Teddy has been doing great. He was actually in Joe's lap just a few minutes ago cuddling. :) He sleeps on our bed sometimes at night but also kind of wanders a little and sleeps out in the hall or landing sometimes too. He is spending much much more time downstairs during the day with us too rather than sort of "hiding out". Overall, things are good, and he is doing great and we're excited to have him! Hope you are doing well, I haven't even gotten  a chance to read your blog or even be on computer lately! :)

Great news!

I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

 

"To everyone going through anything struggle or pain right now, keep your head up, and keep smiling.  God heals all."

Spring Has Sprung!

But has it?  G’day!  Happy 1^st Day of Spring!  The flowers are blooming and the birds are chirping!  Somewhere.  It was lightly misting during my route this morning – but it had rained steadily over night, so all my towels, at each of my 16 or so locations, all had to be replaced.  Some have two at each spot, so that’s a lot of towels, and a lot of washing and drying!  TWO LOADS!  When you think about it, not only does this ’business’ I am in cost a lot of money just to purchase food, but there is a lot of wear and tear on my appliances, and my car!  I had to have an inspection the other day, and I couldn't drive away from there without forking over $404.00 for new tie rods, and of course the inspection itself.  This morning, I am having the CV joint replaced, for a mere couple of hundred.  Joy!  On my other car, I need new bushings for the suspension (am I saying that right?) and two new tires.  Joy joy joy!!!  Its always something.

Not only was it wet, but it sure is dirty out there.   Would be very sad to see the conditions of my spots in the daylight.  Its pure mud, most of them.  You can see the muddy cat footprints on the towels in the dark, but you know that when they step onto the dry clean ones to eat their daily breakfast that I provide for them, its of some comfort to them, even if they don’t realize it.

The city is so dirty this time of year, when the snow starts to melt, and the ice, and the ground begins to thaw.  When you drive around, the day after trash day, you see trash bins on their side, with spillage from them all around.  There are a lot of people who could care less how it looks to others.  I can’t imagine living next to someone who’s garbage bins have been out for two weeks, with piles and piles of trash spilling out of the tops of them, or someone’s house belongings thrown to the curb, yet this is what you see.  And trash, everywhere, in people’s lawns, on their porches.  If only they cared… 

I am sharing some interesting reading about the aging of cats.  I thought you might like this too.  Most of my kitties are in their ‘prime’, and some are quite ‘mature’.  And then there is Bittens, who is just that, a kitten, and Celia, who is a ‘junior’ at the tender age of one.  They both need homes, please spread the word!  And lets not forget Fraser, my other 'mature' boy that I rescued.  

FRASER

This article is by Dr. Arnold Plotnik, a DVM in New York City:

Ages and Stages

A New Chart Helps Pet Parents Calculate Their Cats' Age in Relation to Human Years
by Dr. Arnold Plotnick published in Cat Fancy September 2011

Cats are living longer than ever before, and I suppose it is human nature to wonder how a cat’s age would compare to a human’s. In talking with many people, I’ve discovered that the myth that dogs and cats age seven years for every one year is alive and well. I don’t know exactly how this notion came about, but I suspect many years ago someone decided that dogs live, on average, ten years, and people live, on average, seventy years, so dogs age approximately seven years for every one human year. This myth has been perpetuated for years, and frankly, it drives me crazy. First of all, cats live longer than dogs; this immediately skews the calculations regarding cats. Second, if you think about it, it’s not uncommon for some cats to live to be 18 or 19 years old. By the seven-to-one system, an 18 year-old cat would be equivalent to a 126-year old person. It’s true that people are also living longer than ever before, however, I’ve seen many 18 year old cats. I’ve yet to meet a 126 year-old person.

Cats age faster when they’re younger, but this slows down as they get older. At 6 months of age, a female cat can already reproduce. (If you use the seven-to-one rule, a 6 month old cat would be equal to a 3 ½ year old person, and 3 ½ year old people cannot reproduce.). In my chart, I figured that humans can reproduce around age 15. At 1 year of age, cat bones fully stop growing. This occurs in people at approximately 24 years of age, give or take a few years. Using this information (and 23 years of veterinary experience), I tried to devise a more realistic cat-human age chart that ends the seven-to-one rule once and for all. I thought my chart was pretty neat, until the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the American Animal Hospital Association released their Feline Lifestage Guideline chart.

This new chart is great for a number of reasons. I like that cats are no longer classified simply as either kittens, adults, or seniors. As a feline practitioner, I always felt uncomfortable with this system, as I felt it was naïve and one-dimensional. Where do you draw the line between adult and senior? Eight years of age? Nine? I never felt comfortable calling an eight year old cat a “senior”, especially with cats routinely living to the age of 17 or longer. The new Feline Lifestage Guideline chart breaks the feline lifespan into six discrete stages:

Kitten: 0 - 6 months
Junior: 7 months - 2 years
Prime: 3 years - 6 years
Mature: 7 years - 10 years
Senior: 11 years - 14 years
Geriatric: 15 years and older

This separation really seems to hit the nail on the head. Rather than call eight or nine year old cats “senior”, the term “mature” seems more appropriate. I also love the "junior" classification. Previously, kittenhood was said to come to an end when cats turn one year of age. I see many cats that are 18 months old, and while not technically "kittens", they've still got that wild and crazy streak that makes me reluctant to label them as "adults". Calling them "juniors" is perfect.

Have a GREAT day!

Its a New Day... Rejoice!

A very dull, quiet morning out there.  Saw one ambulance with its lights on, but no sound.  Smelled one very fine skunk that had recently given off a whiff of its pungent, putrid scent.  There is nothing quite like the smell of a skunk.  My father used to have a pet skunk when I was very young.  He must have had it unskunked or something, because my memories of that skunk was of it being in his bathroom, for some reason, and I don't recall that smell as part of my memory.  He also used to have a horse, that bit my hand, because I did not hold the sugar cube I was feeding it properly.  He also had a dog named Friday, I believe it was a German Shepard - these are the few memories I have of my father, who passed when I was very young, and the animals we were introduced to as children, my sister and me.  (or is it my sister and I?  - I always get that confused!).  My sister occasionally reads this blog, and I would love for her to correct me, as she always does, plus she has the better memory over mine, and she is older!  Go figure.

Bittens, the baby kitten I rescued three weeks ago from Central, who was out in the 20 degree snowing weather we had at 6 am. that morning, was spayed yesterday.  She came out of it fine, and is a happy playful little kitten that needs a home.  My mother has neighbors that are looking for a kitten, and I was telling my mother, who thought she would just come over this weekend and take the kitten and if they wanted the kitten, she would leave it with them, without me meeting them, or asking for the small donation that I always ask for.  I told her I always asked for at least a minimum of $40 when I 'sell' a cat (her words), and because these were her neighbors 'who do a lot for her', she didn't think it was appropriate.  I told her that Bittens alone cost me just over $150 in total vet visits, and that $40 minimum was not asking a lot.  Anyways, we joked, because she said she would not take the cat over knowing this - I said - well just tell them that Bittens ran away.  We laughed.  My mother and I can laugh over the silliest, stupidest things, even though sometimes I want to shake her (but not hard Mom!).  :)

Fraser, Bittens and sweet little Celia all need homes.  Please spread the word.  Once I get them homes, I can rescue pretty Candy, who cries every morning for me to hold her.  She is living on Hayward, and the little unneutered boy who crawls out of the plastic tote shelter each morning to greet me.  They are next on my list.

Have a GREAT close-to-spring day!

Spring Fever

Fraser

 

I got an update on Fraser yesterday, from his foster mama - he is the little lovey that was so sickly looking, under neath the bench on Baldwin that I fed for the entire winter, until I just couldn't take it anymore, he had to be rescued, and Sheryl was willing to step up to the plate and love him until he forever home could be found.  She's done a great job, but we do need to find him a home!  He is Calvin/Cody's brother, and the family that adopted Calvin is not quite ready for a second cat in their lives right now, but I am working on them!  HA.:

"Fraser is making himself at home, although the cats won't warm up to him. He still runs off when I approach him but he wants me to follow him upstairs to give him undivided attention... Scratching, brushing his hair, teasing with his catnip mice... then stay so he can sit on my lap at the computer. He prefers his room to the hostility of the crew downstairs.
He's so much like a kitten, too. He wants to chase my cats, but usually as play (they don't see it that way)! And toys! He chases the laser, beats around the rattle balls, chews on all stuffed mice and rolls himself up like a hotdog in a rug when I give him a pile of catnip.
His fur is growing back, it's short in the bladed areas but the color pattern and silkiness is back. It's not patches of fuzzy cream undercoat anymore.
Someone will get a great kitty.
OMG. I just hissed for real at old man Tucker because he was hissing at me for... well I'm not sure.. He's just been crabby and on edge because the other cats pick on him, more lately because Fraser has them frazzled! Hahahahaaaa."

 

Sweet little Bittens, who almost lost her mittens if I hadn't rescued her off the very busy street of Central Park, is going into surgery this morning to be spayed.  I always feel SO bad when I have to starve a cat after midnight (in this case, after 8 pm), especially when its a baby kitten, but they cannot eat before surgery, just as we humans cannot!  She is a joy to have around, but I must find her a home too.  My cousin just lost her baby yesterday to spreading cancer.  She had her little Monk's leg amputated due to cancer six months ago, and gave him a great life up until now when the cancer spread.  Its heartbraking to put that much care, time, love and finances only to have them go.  I know lots of people who have done this recently - Carole, Pat - they are like children to us and its so hard to say goodbye.  There is such an absence...

As I drove around in the dark this morning, with the help of the moonlit sky, I noticed how sad and dreary these neighborhoods are, even in the dark.  And I thought about how there are a lot of people living in those houses, trying to make the best of their own situations, trying to create their own beauty, do the best for their children, and just try to get by each day.



Lucille on Chamberlain

 

And then I hear the cats crying in the dark, waiting for me to place their food down, and thinking how hopeless it sometimes seems.  I keep telling them, you are next on the rescue list, we just have to get Celia, Bittens and Fraser adopted, and then we can get you in.  Fostering is so important.  I really could use some help.  Spread the word!

Have a great day!

 "A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go

further than a great idea that inspires no one."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It was fairly uneventful this weekend.  A friend of mine, Kristin, has a friend who's daughter is doing a presentation at school in her senior year on homeless animals - I think that is the topic, Lia correct me if I am wrong?  She had to build something for it, she built me two beautiful huts, and she came over on Saturday and did a short interview with me, and went to some of my spots in the inner city and we placed them.   At one of the locations, on Second, a sweet young black male (cat) came crawling out of a plastic tote shelter that is placed there, so Lia was able to see first hand how some of these poor animals live, and thanks to good people who have made and donated these shelters, they have a warm bed to sleep in out there.

There were a lot of towels on Saturday - just never ending, it gets warm, then it gets cold.  When its warm, all that snow has to melt and its melting onto the towels.  I use the towels to place under the food where the cats stand so that they have some measure of comfort on their feet instead of a cold wet hard surface.  So my washer has taken a real beating recently.

So, not only do I feed, shelter and try to find homes for these street kitties in the Beechwood section of Rochester, which is near the public market, in case you didn't know, I also try to get each and every one spayed and neutered.  This has become a problem for me as of late.  I was lucky enough to be part of a spay/neuter grant through Lollipop Farm a few years back, and it allowed me well over 100 cats to be fixed for free.  We also were lucky enough to have a clinic through Habitat for Cats that I was allowed to bring cats in, when I was able to with transportation, luck, etc. for $50 which included all shots, and ear-tipping.  That clinic has since closed.  Then I was lucky enough to be allowed rescue prices when the new clinic on Bay opened up, but they sort of had me under the wing of Another Chance Pet Rescue.  ACPR has since had a change in their structure, and I am no longer able to participate in their pricing.  I have reached out to a few others that might be able to help me with this, but in the meantime, I wait.  I need to get the girl kitten I rescued three weeks ago, Bittens, in for a spaying.  I will be calling HFC to get into their Petsnippers program through County Line Animal Hospital in Ontario, NY - they can help me with this for just over $85 I believe.  I have already had Bittens in for her check up and initial shots, which cost me $70+.  So, you see, a lot of money goes into this if you are not part of a rescue group, or a 501(c)3 (?) not for profit.

Its Monday morning, its bitter cold out - STILL - 10 degrees - and I am sick of it.  I wonder when any of this snow will melt, I wonder when I will see my crocuses and tulips and daffodils and hyacinths, all the early spring flowers, come up in my yard.   I want Spring.

And the balance of the day to ye!!

TGIF!

An update on the two kitties I recently rescued from the street.  Although, I don't feel like I rescued them. The circumstances were:  When I rescued Lenny, who was desperate for warmth and love after living in this extreme winter we've had, I scooped him up from Central, and he was fostered at a friend's house.  After a a short time, Lenny was let out but was somewhat aggressive toward her cat, and dog, and she felt it best to give him back.  Around that time I had received a call from Scottsville Animal Hospital that htye had openings in their facility and would take one or two desperate kitties, and Susie came to mind as I thought she may be pregnant and I had run out of room at my house, and had no one to foster, so I brought them both in.  Susie was renamed Larrissa as they already had a Susie amongst their adoptables.  They are both still there, and these are their updated pictures.  Poor babies.  It breaks my heart they are in cages like this. Although I know their chances for adoption are greater than if they were with me.

Lenny

Susie/Larissa

So I just got off the phone with SAH, and guess who is pregnant!  Susie Larissa!  She is going to pop any day now!  I KNEW IT!!  It was so hard to tell for a while there, but sure enough.  And they did not spay.  She will have her litter in a safe, warm environment.  Little Lenny is losing some hair, so the doc will be examining him today for food alergies.  Can't wait to call in a week or so to hear what Susie's babies look like!  :)

Here are updated pics of the two kitties that I have that are available for adoption.  They are both doing great - I sure could use a foster!

Bittens Stalking/Hiding

Hey Lady!~  You need to wash this throw!  Its pretty hairy!

Celia - she loves this carrier!

This morning, I had forgotten my shovel, but thankfully, after I spent two grueling hours shoveling out the shelters yesterday, the weather was calm enough so that nothing was covered again this morning.  We are now expecting 50 degrees today.  Unbelieveable.  Then back to the 30s with lows in the teens again.  Crazy man, crazy.  I did see a few more kitties, including a sweet one on Baldwin, who lets me pet her, and Candy, on Chamberlain.  At Second, there is a very mangy looking black kitty with white, as sweet as can be, you can tell is lost and homeless.  He is unneutered, and looks to be not much more than a year old.  When I see the kitties, I know they OK, and will be fed.  A great big relief. after not seeing most yesterday morning.  I will try to get some pictures tomorrow.

Its Friday, I love Fridays knowing I won't be at work the next day, but I do know I will still be up at 4 am. getting ready to leave the house at 5 am. to feed 50+ cats at 16 different locations.  My body is aching and I am hoping its due to the shoveling I did yesterday. 

Thanks for listening to me whine this week.  I wish you a wonderful weekend!

"Stop waiting for things to happen.  Go out and make

them happen."

What can I say...

This morning was probably the hardest I've had in many years.  The hardest, the saddest, the kind of morning where I just wanted to cry, but I knew I had to just keep going until I finished, despite it nearing 7 am., having left the house at 4:45 am.  We had two feet of snow, and let me tell you, it was for real.  I've seen so much sadness in my years of doing this.  Wet cats, sick cats, dead cats.  But when you spend an entire year building up shelters for these animals, for me at the 16 different locations that I do, and to have each of them obliterated after one big snowstorm like we had yesterday, you really wonder how long you can continue.  At each shelter, they were either covered so the cat couldn't get in/out, or so packed with snow you couldn't see the dishes until you shoveled.  Packed with snow.  And even the tote shelters, the entrances had snow inside them.  I used at least 20 towels this morning - and brought another 20 home with me.  It took me at least 10 minutes at each spot to shovel a path to get to them, shovel a space for me to kneel down and clear it of snow, place food and water. They were not safe shelters for them during this storm, that some say was one of five major storms we've had in over a century.  I wish I had pictures to show you, but I was exhausted.

I will get over it, but I feel sheer exhaustion after this morning.  I wish I had help.  Kings was kind enough to stand there and hold the food and water while I shoveled (bad back), but that was it.  Thank you Kristin for the offer if you were able.

Sorry for whining this morning all.  But this winter has taken its toll on me.

Update from Teddy's new mom:

Hi! Just read your blog for the day and wanted to give you an update on Teddy. He is warming up nicely! He spent almost the whole morning downstairs and then another big chunk this afternoon with us. When he is downstairs with us, he often comes up to one of us, rubs against us, or will roll over on his back to have his tummy rubbed.  I am still trying to get Claire (18mos) to be "gentle" with him. She likes him so much and gets so excited that she sometimes puts her hands on him too hard instead of just a gentle pet. He tolerates it well but she needs to learn. Also I am very gun shy right now bc our last cat was so aggressive that I didn't let Ava anywhere near him. I am trying to learn to trust again, that he won't do anything aggressive towards us. It really affected me though :( We are really enjoying Teddy though, and he is becoming more and more playful. Loves to chase balls, toys, etc. 

Stay warm and safe!

Angela

I love this quote.  Have a great day everyone!

"What I do today is important because I am exchanging

a day of my life for it."

Battening the Hatches



Here we go again, we just can't get a break.  We are expecting a blizzard today, with winds of 40 mph, and 12-20 inches of snow to be dumped from the sky.  I did my best to secure the shelters, but I am sure they will not endure what is to come.  I hope all those sweet precious homeless cats out there that I do my best to help each and every day will survive this hopefully last storm of the year.  Prayers!

 

I thought I would focus today on Larry.  Tomorrow, I will hopefully have an update on Lenny and Susie, who both went to Scottsville Animal Hospital several weeks ago.  Also, an update on Teddy in his new home, and Fraser, who has yet to be adopted.

 

This is the post when I first introduced Larry, the cat I rescued. If you don't follow it, you will just have to go back and reread the entire blog from the beginning!  :)

June, 2012

JUNE 2012

Meet Larry.  Larry is newly named just this morning.  He is a kitty that deserves to be named.  Well, they all do, but I have trouble thinking up names, and remembering them, I just see so many kitties each day.    Larry hangs around Pennyslvania and Fourth each day now with Sparkles, the girl who was very pregnant that was spayed and neutered, the same day as Laura.  Sparkles runs to greet me each day, despite the shelters I had provided for her, and others, for years, being stolen and trashed recently.  Larry was always waiting in the distance for me to leave after placing the food and water down.  Recently, after being told to move the last shelter by a very mean man who said he owned the property (boarded up house) (which I am having doubt that he does), I've been putting the food on the side of the house on this open porch.  One day, Larry was sitting, just where he is, and let me come near him to place the bowls down.  He slowly came toward me, I let him sniff my finger, and from that day, we've been buddies.  Larry is an older unneutered male, and very very sweet.  You can tell he is a stray that has been on the street far too long.  I would love to find Larry a home.  He is long haired grey with white spots here and there.  He now lets me pet and stroke him.  I could hear him purr this morning.  If you can click on the picture, you can get a more closer view of him.  Sparkles continues to keep her distance with me, but she is a sweet girl nonetheless.

My 'friend' Tamara, the Central Park prostitute was out this morning.  Tamara is not looking good these days, she is missing more teeth, and told me this morning she was recently diagnosed as a diabetic.  She always runs to me for a hug when she sees me, along with "do you have a quarter?"  She begged me for something to drink and I offered her a swig from the water jug I carry.  She gulped it down.  I wish she would get off the streets.  She is going to die there someday.

I have not heard from my cop friend, nor have I stopped at the crazy "Lucy's" house since Saturday.  I am very disappointed, not in my friend, or anyone, I know its a tough situation, even for the police, who I believe most are uneducated about animal issues.  Nor do they have the laws on their side (the animals).  I even offered to take this kitten.  But I have to let it go for now.  Its very upsetting to learn of a situation, and not have any control over it.  If I had my way, I would have continued to go 'under cover' and befriend her, and try to get the cat from her.  But not knowing what the situation is since Saturday, I can't take that chance with my safety.  She is dangerous.

I also ran into my other crazy 'friend' Marilee.  She was snooping around the house on Ferndale and Webster at 6 am. when I was on my way home.  She is definitely certifiable.  You have to feel bad for some of these people, they are fighting their demons in one way or another, and don't understand reality.  I dont' know how they live amongst society.  I should have paid more attention in my psychology class in college.

One final note.  Limpy, who has been seen for a few weeks now on and off, was not around this morning.  I am a bit worried about this because I found someone who is willing to help me trap Limpy.  She even has a drop trap, which is supposed to be a better way to catch these guys.  I am worried that Limpy will not be around tomorrow.  I always feel guilt when someone tries to help me with things like this, and there is no success.  I put very little food down, per her instructions, at both locations - the other just around the corner, where some of the cats at this spot go back and forth to.  So, wish us luck in the morning.  Maybe we can get some help for Limpy!

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."

March 2014

Larry Today:  Happy as a clam in his warm, clean home with my niece and her girls.  He has been through a lot, from the streets, to being fostered by Nancy after I got him cleaned up, to living in very dirty conditions in Wally's house for well over a year.  He is now safe and sound!

 

Have a GREAT day!!!