Oh! What a Morning!

OK.  So.  It started out with plans for Laura to trap Neck Wound Kitty on Short, and/or a torty kitty on 4th and Pennsyvlania with a black face, stumpy legs,and possibly pregnant, and for me to trap another kitty of my choosing.  Laura is expert at getting the hard to trap kitties with her drop trap.  I drove straight to Hayward from the house and set the trap for one of the three out of four remaining tabbies that are not spayed/neutered there, and in one went into the trap I had set, and BAM!  I had one.  I got the scared little baby in the car, left food for the others, and drove off to my Baldwin spot.

As I pulled up, I could see one of my shelters was opened at the top.  I walked over and saw a dead kitten lying there in the straw.  It must have been dead for days.  I don't know who opened up the shelter, or what happened to the kitten, but I immediately got a towel, wrapped the little kitten, not much more than two or three months old, and placed it gently into my car, knowing I would 'dispose' of it humanely after my rounds.  Poor baby.

I pulled up to Second and fed big old Tuffy behind Paul's house, and then getting back into the truck, looked around for the nursing grey and white 'kitten' to give her a nibble or two.  I spotted her, pulled back over to get out and a young Puerto Rican man walked over to me, pointing to the sign on my truck, and in broken English telling me about a kitten in a tree behind his house.  He mentioned that the grey and white kitty was the mom, and she had been pacing under the tree during the day, and that kitten had been up there for three days.  He motioned to his stomach, saying the kitten must be very hungry.  The kitten was WAY up there, and crying.  Of course I panicked, sent a text to a friend at RAS (Rochester Animal Services), and phoned Laura, who had just finished trapping the hard to get torty on 4th and Pennsylvania, and a young red kitty.  I asked her to come by, as it was just down the street from where she was, to help me assess the situation with the kitten in the tree.  She did.  She then told me something interesting.  There is a website called Catsintrees.com (or something like that because that did not work for me), which was started by someone in Oregon that has a national system around the country for people that rescue cats in trees!  I have to find that one, but in the meantime, she also told me about some mutual friends that know someone locally that climbs trees to rescue cats, so I sheepishly called them (I waited until 7 am) and woke them up!  But luckily, they weren't mad, and willingly gave me the number to call.  Just as I was calling, and ready to leave a voice mail, Laura called me to say she had gone back there with a ladder (bless her heart!) and that as she was walking toward the tree, a kitten was halfway up, heading up the tree!  It must be using the tree for safety!  I was relieved to hear this, but also concerned, because as the young man pointed out, there are three baby kittens there.  He saw two in the tree the other day, and I don't know where the third one is.

So, now, I am hoping that the clinic will accept all three kitties that have been trapped, because I only had two spots reserved.  Fingers crossed they've had a cancellation.  I also want to mention that each cat is $50.  If anyone would care to make a donation, please feel free by calling 585-288-0600 and tell them you would like to make a donation and to credit my account.  Janine Wagner.  Please don't feel obligated, but know you would be helping to end the cycle of kittens being born, and killed and/or maimed, or stuck in trees, like the ones today.

I could use less exciting Friday mornings.  Phew.  Have a great day everyone!

"One of the most beautiful compensations in life is that no man can help another without helping himself."