TGIF

Vacation day for me folks.  Shopping, cleaning, running around as usual.  This morning was uneventful in the hood.  Lots of kitties out there though, and lots of food being left for them.  They are hungry.  I still need help!

Maybe today, someone will comment on my blog - do you like it?  Is it boring?  Suggestions?

Have a good weekend!

PS, Monday, pictures from my friend Yesenia's trip with me from last Tuesday.  Can't wait to see the shots she got.  :)

Indoor Cats

BUBBLES!

MISTY

TWO TOES

A quick update before I get to the gist of today's post.  All six kittens were delivered back to my house last evening.  They are the CUTEST little things EVER!!!  But all still sick, two or three very.  A very kind person who runs a rescue offered to take them off my hands and get them all better!  She is a Godsend!!!  She came and got them (temporarily!) and left me with three of them.  They are ADORABLE.  One is so rambunctious!  She is a helion!  The other two are both males, and on the shy side, although coming out of their shells at each time I visit.  Above are a few pictures I was able to get.  Will keep you posted!

I am stealing this article written by a veterinarian (Dr. Stuart Gluckman) who writes for Pet Pride of New York, Inc.'s newsletter. Anyone who knows me knows that I am totally against letting cats outdoors, but a lot of my friends, and family, believe otherwise, and thats ok, but I stick to my guns when adopting cats out.

"In 1999, one of our largest studies on cat longevity determined that 20% of America's cat population was greater than 10 years of age - and 5% had reached the 15 year mark.  Compare this with the feral cat that, sadly, has an average life span of only 4 years.  Our so-called indoor/outdoor cat certainly far exceeds the feral's time on this planet; however, they still live 3-5 years less than their totally indoor cousins.

What accounts for this dramatic difference?  Other cats are perhaps your friend's greatest enemy.  The feline world is highly territorial and your cat must fight for his or her portion of the neighborhood.  Even when victorius in battle, there are often wounds to attend to.  At the very best, we have an abscess to treat with the appropriate antibiotic.  At the very worse, we have acquired a life threatening infection of leukemia or feline immunodeficiency virus from the bite of an infected cat.  The list continues with a host of parasites - roundworms and tapeworms from making a meal out of a rodent, lungworms from ingesting a snail, heartworms from the bite of a mosquito, and hookworms by merely stepping on a contaminated area of soil. Vomiting, diarrhea, anemia, asthma and even sudden death are among the many disorders that can result from these parasitic infections.

If you are in a more urban area, we have to realize that rarely has a cat won its battle with an SUV.  Most of these unfortunate felines never make it home.  The ones that do require extensive help are often left with a major handicap for the remainder of their lives.  If you are in a rural setting, we have to deal with predators such as coyotes and free roaming dogs.  These poor cats just get listed as missing, for they never make it back to your door.

Poisoning is another serious hazard that awaits the outdoor cat.  Many plants are on this list - those of the lily family probably posing the most serious threat.  Often other animals are falling ill to an intentional toxin (e.g. rat poison), only to be ingested by our cat as an easy but possibly toxic meal.  Sadly, our cats, in an effort to maintain their incredibly clean appearance, often ingest a variety of chemicals that they have come in contact with.  Antifreeze is perhaps the most classic example of this as are fertilizers and chemicals that are used on lawns.

If I were to account for all the reasons one brings their cat to an animal hospital - other than routine vaccinations and the ailments associated with old age - 90% of these patients would have no reason to be seen had they just remained happily within the confines of their home.  This statistic alone should serve to convince any cat owner to 'just say no' when Mittens is meowing at the door."

In my years of rescuing animals from the street, and keeping many for my own, they have never ever wanted to go back out doors again.  In the winter, especially, they avoid an open door due to the cold - they never want to experience another homeless night again.  They are allowed to sit in windows, watch the birds, chirp at the birds, watch the squirrells, all from the protection of being behind a window in a warm, safe home. There is no reason to ever let them back out again.  It is not depriving them of their 'natural instincts.'  My cats do just fine with the endless supply of food on the floor, the many toys on the floor that the humans have to dodge in order to not break them, and the furniture that their little claws love to rip to shreds.  Speaking of, I think its time for nail trimming in my house!

Have a great day!

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

A couple of different things to note this morning.  This is a picture of Jackie, my friend from grammar school, who worked as security for the recent Italian festival Rochester had last weekend.  She had her picture taken with one of Rochester's own, homegrown celebrity, Lou Graham, from the band Foreigner.  Nice. Jackie is also one of my adopters, having adopted Bittens in the early summer this year, now named Skye. Thanks Jack!

Jack and Lou (Graham - Foreigner)

Bittens aka SKYE

At my 11th spot this morning, on Second, I was greeted by two very smelly visitors in the back behind Paul's house.  Mr.a nd Mrs. Pepe LePew.  I slowly backed away, not wanting to be sprayed, and not wanting Paul's house to be sprayed, and decided to come back after I finished up the next few spots.  After finishing up on 7th, I started to drive down Bay to Second and spotted a dead cat in the road.  I turned around, parked, and got a towel from the back.  I picked up this poor animal, a once beautiful muted calico, with its guts hanging out, and placed her under a bush.  I used to cry, but don't usually anymore.  I am becoming desensitized in many ways.  I also noticed two young guys, running, one of them carrying what looked like a board in his arms.  It certainly appeared to me that they were up to no good, in the still near darkness.  I also noticed a 'woman of the night' watching me as I picked up the dead cat.  I wonder what she was thinking watching me.

I have a grave situation that I need to figure out, and quick. Maria, the kind girl who, in a pinch, took the six kittens and has housed them in stable rooms in a barn attached to her home. The rooms are very damp, and musty, the very wet summer conditions we've had here adding to that.  I went there to bring some new eye meds to these still sick kitties, all with URI, and heard them still sneezing, wheezing, and two with very bad eyes. 

I was advised that I need to get them into a dry, warm environment, which means I think I need to take them back to my house and place them in another bathroom upstairs where it is hot and dry.  This is truly a hardship on me, due to me being stressed as it is with all the cats in my house not getting along, and not having much experience with kittens, let alone SIX sick ones.  I am begging someone to help, at least take two off my plate.  I could also use someone with expertise to look at their eyes and tell me if they will heal.  They don't look good. I am so worried about these babies. 

Have a good day.

I have found the paradox

that if I love until it hurts,

then there is no hurt,

but only more love. 

~Mother Teresa

Cats Galore

This morning, I had the honor of having a girl come with me on my rounds.  She drove from the other side of the city, and arrived at my house at 4:30 this morning (she didn’t want to be late!).  We sat inside sipping coffee while I gave her the run down on what she could expect when we went out to leave at the usual time of 5 am.  She is also the girl that took most of the photos at the fundraiser, and of course brought her camera along to snap the kitties on the route.  She snapped away, and I can’t wait to see what she took.  Hopefully none of me.  J  It was pretty uneventful, so she didn’t get to see people, but she sure did see a lot of cats, and at one point, she became quite sad.  In retrospect, I have become a little more hardened to what I see, but when I see other’s reaction, it opens up what I try to stifle, the heartache knowing these animals are out there, trying to fend for themselves.   I reminded her of the positive, that I have rescued at least 30-35 cats so far since January – that’s a pretty good number.  And there will be more in the future, if we can just spread the word.

The kittens that my friend Kristin rescued from the man who lives near the college – the man that still has over 30 cats I believe, even after her rescuing a total of 11 baby kittens – are all still sick.  Three were turned over to Kitten Korner Rescue after Kristin bottle fed them for well over a week, two are at my one friend’s house – they were brought to the clinic on Saturday, but were so sick they could not give them their wellness shots, which is what we still wound up paying for, and we also paid for their meds, plus leukemia tests.  All in all, those two kittens cost $150.  And they still need to go back to get their shots, and be spayed/neutered at some stage.  The other six that I had in my bathroom for a week, they wound up costing $266 for their meds and check up, and still need all their shots, and eventual spay/neuter.  The cost of rescue is enormous.  Those six kittens, who are being kept in a horse stall on my friends property, are also still very sick.    A friend in rescue suggested that there might be room at Lollipop for adoptables – Lollipop is the kill shelter we have here in Rochester – because they had a big adoption event recently.  I had an acquaintance a year or two ago who works there, and who successfully helped me adopt out many adult cats that I brought there, and knew the ins and outs of the place, and I reached out to her to see if there might be a chance to get the kittens in – not even mentioning their illnesses.  I mentioned this to the girl that is fostering the six, and here is what she said:  

“I am not opposed to surrendering them to Lollypop, because it's really hard to find adopters, even for kittens...but I know that Lollypop will NOT take them while they are sick. This is highly contagious and I'm sure they would be pts. That said, I'm willing to keep them until they're better, and although I'm religiously washing faces and administering meds, it is slow going. And they are all in various stages of the upper respiratory gunk, so maybe that's why?? I've been spending as much time as I can handling them and petting them; Two of them are very scared. They run away from me and the bigger white guy won't move from his spot when I'm in with them. It breaks my heart because I love them so much, and putting them up for adoption to the general public really scares me. But I'm sure it's the best thing to do.

The Salt and Pepper female with the striped tail is swirling around me right now. And when I picked her up she was purring! So far I've gotten 3 of them to purr, but again, SLOW GOING! 

I was concerned that the 2 smallest ones weren't eating, so I got some turkey baby food and also chicken broth. And of course those two weren't at all interested but the good eaters gobbled it up!!! Then I saw the little guys eating the dry food and drinking water. The mosquitos are bad here, so I am rubbing dryer sheets on the blankets & bedding. It seems to repel them. “

I just received word back from the girl at Lollipop, and here is what she said:

“Ironically, you actually caught me in my last week of Lollypop Farm. I got a great job opportunity randomly arise, so Friday is going to be my last day there.

In addition, I have not worked in cats since May 2013. I started the low-cost spay/neuter program last fall, and then through a turn of events became the Humane Education Coordinator. That all being said, I am not as in-the-know as I once was about cats and space.

I do know that we had an adoption special this past week, and we have a lot of space in the front. That being said, I think that this is because we have many, many cats who are not yet available for adoption. The last I knew, we were still pretty full in the back.

At 5-6 weeks old, these kittens would have to go into foster care anyway for 2-3 weeks before they are old enough to be fixed. They'll only go into foster care if we have the space to hold them when they come in.

I really wish I could give you more information, but all I can say right now is that there is no guarantee! You may want to wait a few weeks until they are a little older and then try again.”

  

So no, the kittens won’t be going to Lollipop.  But in my opinion, this is a grave situation, and I need more help.  They are just too much for one to handle, especially with them being outdoors and sick.  Please, spread the word.  If anyone can take two kittens, and help nurse them back to health, I would really appreciate it.  I am quite worried about the kittens right now.  Please, spread the word.  

"Courage and compassion are two sides of the same coin. Compassion without courage is not genuine. You may have a compassionate thought or impulse, but if you don’t do or say anything, it’s not real compassion."

Ignorance Begets Ignorance

Of all the things I carry with me every morning to go feed the city cats, the heaviest of all is uncertainty.  I have a great fear of finding my things trashed or stolen.  Of the 14 locations where I have set up shelter and food stations for the average of five cats per location that gather around when I am there, there are two that are now causing me great anguish.  It’s the Parsells location, where I’ve been asked to move, the same location where I’ve recently trapped and neutered/spayed close to eight cats, rescued baby kittens, and also rescued Teddy from last year.  I’ve had to move several houses away to a vacant porch of the duplex house, until the owner/landlord comes by soon and trashes it.  The second spot, on Chamberlain I was kicked out of on Friday.  I had been feeding on this vacant house’s porch all winter, with beautiful shelter against the harsh westerly storms, and by spring, the homeowner next door trashed my wonderful shelters on the porch, and boarded it up so that I could not gain entry again.  I left a note, told him I would do my best to find another location, and continued to feed on the side of the house with a lean-to board leaning against it to protect the two food bowls and water.  Every day recently someone was knocking the board over, and taking the little plastic tote I placed there.  I finally went over there on Friday during lunch to speak to the man, and try to work out some arrangement.  Two good people who read my blog, June and Gary, offered to meet me there.  It was good to have ‘back up’ in case I needed it.  I certainly was not expecting violence on that sunny day, but it was just nice to know I was not alone.

When I went to the door, I asked the woman who answered if I could speak to her husband.  I told her my name, that I fed the cats, and boy did she go off on me.  She began shouting in my face, told me to stop feeding there, and after I told her I would not stop feeding these starving animals, she threatened me by saying ‘I will throw the motherfng’food in your face’.  The man that came out was more calm, and after the woman told me that I killed her dog by having him come out, confront a rat, the dog bit the rat and had died, I told the man that his wife had some anger issues and was ‘out of control.’  He agreed in some way, but said that I had to stop feeding there.  He told me that as a homeowner, it was bringing the rats to his house.  I had no choice at that moment, knowing that the minute I placed the food there, she would come out and get rid of it.  So Gary packed up my most perfect board I’ve ever had (not sure where I got it from, but it was perfectly weather proof and perfectly sized), and I asked him to follow me around the corner on Garson.  There was an open field with a garage behind it, so I marched up there and placed everything, in the broad daylight, praying the cats would find it.  I thanked June and Gary for their presence and moral support, and drove back to work, being sure to go past the nut case’s house tooting my horn goodbye.  (yes, I can be bad – but that’s really as bad as I get in reality – although my mind can dream up all sorts of nasty stuff to retaliate against evil with).

I was quite shaken up when I returned to work, and dreaded the following morning.  But so far, so good.   I’ve tried to coax the cats, at least Casey has found the new location, and just this morning, there were some girls on the porch across the way from this ‘new spot’, and I pulled over before leaving, got out , introduced myself, and was met with kindness.  Phew.  I told her what I was doing, what happened around the corner, and she went on to tell me about a mother cat having kittens over there (at the ‘new spot’).  I asked her to call me if she sees the kittens around, and told her I would leave my information on her step tomorrow morning.  I thanked her for her kindness after telling her, and she agreeing, about the meanness of people around there.

So, as you can see, there are a lot of people in these neighborhoods who hate cats, and could care less about their well-being.  In reality, there is nothing in a cat or any animal that can be hated as they all behave naturally. If a person hates cats he hates a natural animal. He therefore must hate nature and as nature is the fabric of our world he hates the world but doesn't know it.  Truth.  That woman’s anger probably stems from a poor childhood that lacked security and there may have been violence in the family.  This is the way I see if for most of these poor black people in these neighborhoods that despise me, and the animals.  Violence begets violence. And one way of expressing anger is through violence.  Its hard for me to speak up for the cat in a hostile world heavily populated by ignorant people.  I get nervous, and don’t know what to say to people in the face of anger and hatred.  I lose my voice.  I am very bad at confrontation, and will do everything in my power to avoid it, but when it comes to my shelters, I have to do something. These two situations caused me a great deal of stress and sadness this weekend.  I must figure this out.

Have a great day.

"Iron, when heated and pounded, becomes a fine sword. Likewise, our true strength and potential cannot be forged without hardships."

Sigh of Relief!

Yesterday, after work, I went home to round up all six kittens in my bathroom, and delivered them to Maria, my friend in the country.  When she told me she was keeping them in a horse stall, I had my reservations, thinking ‘these are baby kittens, all sick, and they need warmth, love and socialization.'  What I found was the cutest little ‘room’, it reminded me of kindergarten for some reason, with toys, boxes, crates stacked up with little pillows inside, the floor was a black mat type flooring, it was humid and warm out there.  The humidity would be good for their upper respiratory ailment, I’ve been told.  Her son Tristan, who is going in the fourth grade this year, loves the little ones and spends his time playing with them.  They are happy as clams, most of them.  Two are on the shier side, but the other four are so rambunctious!  The next step is getting them healthy, then naming them, and then getting their pictures taken.  The final step is adoption!  Please, start spreading the word!

My friend Donna took in two other kittens (remember, these are all kittens from the Roberts Wesleyan College property, the man that was feeding and allowing to reproduce, over 30+ cats and kittens.  Those little ones will be going to the clinic today to be looked over, given whatever medicines they need, and tested for leukemia.  Donna wants to introduce them to her other kitties so that they are not as alone as they are in one room.  Their next step will be naming, picture taking, and eventual adoption!  Spread the word!  J

This morning, at my first stop, the plates of food and water were still on the new porch that I am feeding the cats on.  The food was barely touched, but it was touched.  I stood in front of the new location, looking toward the old location, and cat called for them.  I could see them waiting on the old porch, praying they were not starving because their food was not delivered to that spot yesterday, and hoped once again that they will come down when I leave and chow. 

At my Chamberlain spot, where the neighbor boarded up the porch on me, and stuck a no trespassing sign on it, someone keeps knocking over the wood that leans against the side of the house where I am feeding Lucy, and a few others.  These two locations have caused me so much stress.  I am going to try to go over today on my lunch to speak to this man again about what he is doing, and ask him to stop.  He has no right to do what he is doing.  Wish me luck.  I am dreading this.  I never seem to have the right words to defend these helpless animals.  Does anyone have any advice?  I need it!

"Never give up on something that you can't go a day

without thinking about."  

Open Letter to Brenda and Al

'Brenda, you should be ashamed of yourself, by allowing your boyfriend and living companion Al to suppress your love for animals, and Al, you have a black heart.  I hope someday you find yourself homeless and without food to eat, because then you will know what homeless animals feel like.' 

This will be close to the note I will be writing and mailing to Brenda soon.  Al called me last night and told me that I had to move my stuff from across the street from his house because of the 'rats the size of cats' eating the food, and he didn't want to chase away the tenants that he apparently maintains property for next door to the vacant porch I feed on.  I told him I would not stop feeding the cats, politely, and if I were to stop, he must help me in finding another location nearby.  I suggested his house, and he said no way, he didn't 'want his property ruined.'  I asked to speak to Brenda, and he said she didn't want to talk to me, or something like that.  Brenda on Parsells, this nice Puerto Rican woman was always showing kindness to the cats, and even fed them in in overhang behind her house for many years.  She asked me for help in spaying/neutering the cats in her area, and i did.  Her boyfriend Al hates cats, and has barely tolerated her 'habits'.  I think he has now put the kabash on it all for her.

SHORTY (Short St.)

PEGASUS (Parsells)

I just returned PEGASUS there today, the at least fifth cat I've spayed in this area in the past two months.  And I've rescued at least four kittens from there in the past two months.  Pegasus was the name change from Peggy, where I thought the cat I trapped yesterday was a girl. Surprise surprise, that is one long haired pretty boy!  :)  Pegasus was also treated for LICE.  Man oh man.

Anyways, back to these people.  Al told me about a vacant house about four houses from him, and that is where I left the food this morning, and where I let the newly neutered Pegasus back out.  I am sure these poor animals will have a hard time finding this food several houses away, and across the street from where their food source has been.  I pray they do, and I pray the people around there accept me placing food down.  I must figure out something soon, as I also need shelters for these animals.  Its terribly sad the way these ignorant people think, or don't think.  The lack of compassion for the animals right under their noses.

DIVINE INTERVENTION

Yesterday was insane for me.  I also released Shorty, the little black 8 mo. old kitten from Short Street this morning, breaking my heart yet again.  To release a kitten is pretty sad.  Shorty is a boy.  The third kitty that I couldn't get neutered yesterday at the clinic due to having only two slots, and they went to Pegasus and Shorty, the Siamese, is now named Chandler and has been taken in under Another Chance Pet Rescue by Wendy.  If it hadn't been for Laura not letting me know early that she had gotten Shorty, I wouldn't have caged Chandler, and he wouldn't have had a chance like he does now.  Thank God for Wendy, she has shown me such kindness, starting at least six years ago when she took in a very beautiful kitty, one of my rescues from the early days, and made that cat her own.  She then took in a pregnant cat last year, Sassie.  Sassie was at Petco when I dropped off Chandler, and guess what, Sassie was adopted last night!  She still has two beautiful kittens out of the four she had available for adoption, and the other two have already been adopted.  Thank you Wendy, for giving this beautiful blue-eyed boy another chance!

It funny though, I had so much interest shown in this beautiful Siamese - how come not the others?  They all have their own beauty, but it seems the pretty ones are the ones that get more attention.  Its the same in humankind, isn't it?  I considered myself very pretty when I was younger, still am in many ways, not so much in others anymore, but lets not forget the not so pretties.  They deserve a chance to be loved just as much.

Just prior to dropping Chandler off, I had to give the six kittens a dose of flea treatment pills, deworming pills, and Clavamox liquid, plus one of the kitties some eye ointment.  (Thank you Kitten Korner Rescue for supplying me with the meds!).  Believe me, doing this for six kittens all clamoring under your feet is a tough thing to do.  I was out of my mind.  Here I had two TNR's on my porch, a Siamese in the basement waiting to go to the rescue, and six little kittens in my bathroom.  Never again can I handle NINE extra guests in my house!  Or can I.  Hmmmm.....  hopefully not in the near distant future. 

Have a great day!

"Accept what you can't change, and change what

you can't accept."

Calgon, Take Me Away

I am dating myself, but… it is what it is.

I have never had a more stressful week than the one I am having now.  I don’t mean to whine, and I know there are others that do this all alone, and I don’t know how they do it, but here is what I have on my plate:

1. Six kittens in my tiny bathroom, all with upper respiratory infections – I am treating each of the six, wiping their eyes, giving them their meds twice a day, and knowing they should have deworming pills.  Plus they are little devils.  Litter pebbles all over, they tore a whole roll of toilet paper, they spill their water, food, climb on shower curtain, and up the hanging bath towel.  They’ve knocked over the contents of the sink, ie. Toothbrush, paste, dental pics, soap dish, soap….  Uggg.
2.  One of the kittens has a really bad eye, the other eye is just bad – I don’t know what I should do about this.  this is all very stressful for me, I just can’t handle it.  I am afraid she will go blind.  I’ve heard of those things, and I don’t have the funds to treat the removal of an eye.  I’ve heard it costs thousands for surgery. I’ve received advice from good people, but I am stressing, nevertheless.
3. They still have fleas even after two baths, the third one maybe tonight when I get home – this is really difficult, with six of them. 
4. I trapped two cats this morning for the clinic, with a third trapped by Laura.  I am praying the clinic will take the third even though I only had two slots.  The reason for the third is I set the trap for a hard to get female on Parsells, and kept returning to see if she (or whoever – there are others) went in to the trap, but no.  She was sitting outside of it each time I went back).  So I went to another location – Chamberlain - where there is a beautiful Siamese unneutered male, friendly, that let me pick up and put in carrier – (by the scruff of course).  I then prayed that Laura had not arrived on Short to get the black seven month old kitten that I’ve been hoping to get, to ask her to try another time for me, but she was already there, and had already trapped him.  We could have avoided me getting the male if I had known sooner that she had gotten the kitten, but oh well.   So I am now stressing that the clinic will allow me three.  If they don’t, I will have to return the Siamese to the street, and he may never trust me again.  Pray they have a cancellation.  I will have pictures tomorrow of these guys.  (Update:  The clinic cannot take the third cat today - the beautiful Siamese, but will somehow get him in on Friday - that means he will go to my basement until then.  I will then have to return him, after two days of captivity and it hurts me to do this.  Its hard enough letting them go the same day, or the next morning.  If someone can take a Siamese, please let me know.  This is getting crazy, my house is too full.  I am going to scream.)
5. Someone is causing problems with my shelter that I have on the side of the porch that I used to feed and shelter on on Chamberlain.  If it’s the neighbor next door, I need to speak to him, and try to get him to understand my side, and remove the barrier to the porch that he placed early this summer.  I am so worried about the cats this winter, at most of my locations.
6. I still have not finished writing thank you notes to the kind people who donated to me for my fundraiser.  

There, my whine is over.  Again, I know there are others out there that do all this and then some, daily.  But they are surely stronger than I am.  Calgon, take me away.

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe....

The pictures below show why we have to take control of the overpopulation of kittens.  These are just some (there are six here) of the many many kittens that were taken from the man's house who lives on the property of Roberts Wesleyan College, where the students have year after year dumped their 'pets' to return home for the summer, and where there are still many many more left.  There are many adults, some pregnant, and kittens still, remaining there.  A friend of mine took these six on Friday, but needed a break after they were vetted yesterday at my vet ($277), so I took them to my tiny bathroom.  What a handful.  And they are sick.  They are being treated with Clavamox (that was the bulk of the bill - $162!!), but nothing for their eyes.

I have reached out to a kitten expert for her advice because as you can see from the second picture, there are some serious eye problems that probably should have been dealt with.  I am no expert with kittens, and six is a LOT.  I went home after work and had to bathe them, one by one, and that was hard work, let me tell you.  They were covered in fleas, still.  I also placed a tiny drop of flea med on their tiny little necks (which I was told you can't do due to their age - 5 weeks). The fleas travel up to the head when the water and Dawn dish detergent is invading their blood sucking little nests on these poor animals fur.

This is a real problem, and one that needs to be addressed.  I urge anyone to let me know if you have a contact at the newspapers, and/or can help to draft a note addressing this problem.  I will gather what you have, even if a paragraph, and try to expose this situation.  I think there is a rescue group that feeds the cats around RIT, I ask that you let me know if you know of this group too - I would like to see if they have addressed the problem with the administration of the college.  They must be held responsible, and make it illegal to own a pet on campus.  

These kittens are unwanted, right now at least.  We do need to find them homes.   These six, two more at my other friend's house, and the gazillion more still left at this man's house.  Their parents should have been spayed long ago.   The fact that cats are seasonal breeders giving birth to a litter in the spring and another later in the summer, adding to the numbers of cats and kittens for whom there are just are not enough good homes to go around.  And there’s a limit towhat animal shelters and low-cost clinics can do.  The biggest obstacle to reducing overpopulation may be attitudes toward cats at the level of both the community and the government.  People, for some reason, think that you have to take care of dogs, and cats are just cats, and that’s another problem!  Cat overpopulation is a community issue, and if the law forced people to take responsibility as they do for dogs, attitudes towards cats would begin to change.

Again, I urge any one of you with writing capability to draft something that we can get into the paper.  It needs to be addressed, and this is the first step?  What do you think?

"Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again." 

What a Weekend!

Boy, these three day weekends sure are nice, but can I pack em in.  In all honesty, I had about two hours on Friday where I had absolutely nothing to do, I didn't have to be anywhere, and I found those two hours reading on my porch.  How lovely that was.  I feel guilty though because I am still in the middle of writing thank you notes to so many wonderful people who made donations in one form or another for my fundraiser three weeks ago!  But I took a break, and read.   Even though the subject matter of what i was reading was about a serial killer in California back in the 80s, I still found it peaceful and relaxing, like never before.  I am into ghoulish stuff, maybe thats why I don't find it too frightening to go out in the dark like I do, each and every day, before the sun rises over Rochester.

To start with, the gazillions of cats and kittens at this man's house near Robert's Wesleyan College, who has been feeding, and allowing to populate on his property, the cats left from the students who go to school there (shame on you administrators of the school), six kittens were taken by one friend, and two by another, and will be fostered by them until we can find them homes.  One of the six bunch, is not doing so well.  All six will be transported to my vet, Laurelton, to be dropped off, and seen sometime this morning by Dr. Boehm before or after his surgeries for the day.  I am grateful to them for allowing me to bring all six babies in.  I will figure out the financial part of what will probably be an enormous bill, when I have to.  The other two are in hiding, and need socialization - but are the CUTEST little itty bitty kitties around.  I have not seen the bunch of six, but we will get their pictures.  In the meantime, here are the two that I transported out to my friend Donna's Friday morning:  I hope to get better pictures from Donna soon, these didn't turn out so well.

In other good news, a friend Julie has taken Sweet Pea - also on Friday - to reunite with her baby Luna, the little black feral kitten I rescued several weeks ago from Second, but the reunite has not gone as planned.  It funny how cats can forget about each other, even though they gave birth to it, or its their parent.  These two have been apart for a few weeks now - but I do know they will eventually like each other, and with everything, it will take time, and patience.

Sweetie

Sweetie, the other kitty from Short Street who I had spayed last week, who was very early pregnancy, has been shoveled around in my house, from room to room, just to give her a bit of variety, before she gets adopted today!  A sweet girl named Maria, my pasta queen, came over on Friday with her adorable two children, and fell in love with her.  They will be picking her up after work, and I will miss that little petite probably not even a year old muted Calico.  She is a sweetheart.  She growls at my other cats, and will have to get used to, and defend herself with her new canine brother, but that will all come with time and patience too.

George and Vanessa!~  My Kids...

So, thats it in a nutshell, but stay tuned for tomorrow when I tell you about my adventures on the street this weekend, and what the status is of my shelters, and the cats out there.  Too much to write for today's post!

Thanks for reading, and have a GREAT day!

Let me always,
count my blessings.

To be thankful for my family and friends.
To be thankful for the simple things that life has to offer.

To be thankful for the abilities I have.
To be thankful that I am able to work.

To be thankful for people in my life.
To be thankful for the laughter of small children.

To be thankful for the beauty of nature.
To be thankful for what I have.

By counting God's blessings rather than
my troubles, life is more rewarding.

The Girls...

Then and Now:

BITTENS

SKYE (aka Bittens)

Oh, my sweet girl.......  I miss this kitty so much.  My friend Jacqueline adopted her.  She was such a cutie. She came to me at 5:30 am. on a 16 degree morning in February.  She was barely surviving on a very busy, and dangerous street, Central Park.  She was only 4-5 months old.  I scooped her up and fell in love with her!  She is now one fat and happy girl!

SWEET PEA!!!

Well, lookee who we have here!  I scooped up another one this morning!  Meet Sweet Pea, not to be confused with Sweetie, the young girl I scooped up on Monday morning so that she could be spayed Tuesday morning.  Sweet Pea is the mother of Daisy and Piper, the two feral kittens that were also rescued a couple of weeks ago, and brought to a woman and her daughter who have a beautiful home in the country, kind of near Lollipop, who has fostered kittens for me in the past.  Well, she has once again stepped up and offered to take Mommy, to keep Luna (Daisy) company (remember, Piper escaped August 2nd and hasn't been seen since - I am sick over it, believe me).  I can't believe how lucky I am that I have found such wonderful people to take these cats in.  The desperate ones.  I had Sweet Pea spayed, knowing she was nursing, a month or two ago.  I knew her babies were old enough to eat the food, just couldn't get them at the time.  She waits for me every single morning at 6 am. on Second Street, even before I snatched her two babies.  She runs to me, follows me as I pour the food down behind Paul's house, and then runs back to the car before I take off, because she is too scared of the older cats behind the house.  My heart sank every morning.  So, she is being flea treated now, and I need to find deworming pill for her.  Anybody have one?  Or can you suggest where I can get one?  I don't believe my vet will just give me one without an appointment.  She will then go to her new temporary foster home to be with her baby daughter Luna.  Both will need adoption.

SWEETIE!!

Another bit of luck, I got a note from a girl who I will refer to as my pasta queen, she lost her kitty a few weeks back, and has been contemplating another.  She saw Sweetie from my pictures on Monday and wants to meet her!  So, she will be coming over on Friday (vacation day for me, thank GOD!), and meeting her hopefully new kitty!.  I had to do a bit of finagaling this morning moving Sweetie down to the dungeon while I made room for Sweetie Pie in the tiny bathroom.   Hopefully this is very temporary, and all will turn out well!

Nothing new and exciting for me this morning, my paper plates were left where I placed them on the porch of the empty side of the duplex on Parsells.  I never did get a call from the brothers who live on the other side.  I still need to find a place to shelter these cats Ive been feeding there, since my old shelters were destroyed just a house away, where I had been feeding for two years.  Sickening.

I got out to rescue Sweet Pea this morning, and a prostitute by the name of Shelly was walking by and saw me put her in the carrier, and said 'God bless you, you have been doing this for so many years!  You are going to heaven for sure... " and we both teared up as I gave her a hug.  I told her I was crazy, that these were the best years of my life and look at how I am spending them - that I should be partying, etc., and she said "but isn't this more fulfilling."  I said you are right, and wished her a good day.  Its nice to be 'touched' like that in the morning, this thankless job I have.

One final note, above is my first tomato! Anyone who gardens knows that feeling of excitement to bite into your first tomato of the season.  I grew this by seed in my basement at the end of the brutal winter we had, and my painstaking care has come to fruition!  Isn't she a beauty!~

I wish you all a GREAT day too!

"The purpose of life is not to be happy — but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all."

Hump Day

My Boy LEO

So, I brought two cats in for neuter/spay yesterday at the clinic.  Petey, the male, was full of fleas, and Sweetie was pregnant!  VERY early pregnancy because she is as thin as a rail, and no sign outwardly of a pregnancy.  She is also FeLV negative.  She is also SUPER sweet.  AND grateful she is still in a house.  I am hoping someone is going to step up and foster her, and fast.

Hi, I am super friendly, and need a home!

We had terrible storms last night, lots of rain, lots of thunder and lightning.  Poor Petey was in a trap on my porch overnight.  I think these cats are used to these storms, but he must have been extra scared not knowing what was happening to him.  I did release him this morning to the first stop on Parsells, where I had another surprise waiting for me.  Someone took the nice dog dishes that I used to feed these cats, it was all gone.  Its so upsetting to see this.  Where is the compassion in people?  Most of the folks in the neighborhoods I feed in could care less about these cats, and actually don’t like them.  They see them as nuisances.  I set two paper plates and a bowl down and filled them up for the hungry cats waiting, and released Petey, who shot off like a bolt of lightning when I opened the trap door.  Hopefully he will come back to that spot before the plates are removed again to eat, because he didn’t eat much overnight on my porch.  I left a note for Ronald and Donald, the two odd men from Texas, brothers, who live in the other apartment of this duplex house, to call me.  They are somewhat kind, and I need to find out from them who removed these bowls.  I will then have to figure out what I am going to do here.  I am tired of this.  Can’t people just leave them alone?  I am not going to let these animals starve – they are used to me, and used to their one meal a day.  I will not back down, I will not go away!

There is another cat on Second, I've named her Sweet Pea, she is the mother of the two kittens I recently rescued.  Both kittens were semi-feral, but I think I got them at just the right time.  One is the black kitten - Moonbeam, who is being fostered by a wonderful family in the country, and the calico kitten, Piper, was also brought to her a week later.  Unfortunately, and sadly, Piper escaped her cage, and hasn't been seen since.  I am heartbroken, but comforted by this woman who tells me that her property is like a paradise for cats or kittens, with lots of mice, hiding spots, etc.  She has a barn on her property, and does keep food out for an outdoor kitty or two.  I pray this little one is doing good.  Sweet Pea has been alone without her kittens for some time now, and each morning, when I pull up to feed behind Paul's house, I've been coaxing her to come across the street to these shelters where I usually am feeding Tuffy, and a couple of other female adults.  She finally is following me, but Tuffy was there this morning, which he hasn't been recently, and hissed at Sweet Pea.  Sweet Pea didn't want to have anything to do with Tuffy, so she followed me back to my car, hungry.  I've been placing food under a tree for her, but the landlord of the house there has been removing them.  I must find her a home.  She is a darling little grey and white kitty not even a year old.  I must get pictures of her tomorrow!

I want to thank Donna, the one person who stepped up yesterday to offer to foster a kitten, one of the kittens I mentioned in yesterday’s post.   Please spread the word, these animals need our help.

Thanks for listening, and have a great day!

"Before you talk, listen. 

Before you react, think.

Before you criticize, wait.  

Before you pray, forgive. 

Before you quit, try."

Sweetie and Petey

Petey

As I lay in bed this morning, at 3:20 am., after having woken each hour just about after going to bed just six hours prior, I listened to the rain hitting the skylight above me.  I thought, ‘oh I don’t want to get up!’ – of course I didn’t have to get up til 4, but between the cats, and my arms falling asleep all night, what else am I going to do – I am a terrible sleeper.  But I lay there, and drifted off again, only to be jumped on by Daisy, my little spoiled brat, who wanted me up, and as usual, like clockwork, it was actually the time I needed to get up.  I thought about the rain, and then I thought about my hair, and then I thought about the other cat I needed to trap in the rain, to make the slots I have booked for the clinic this morning. 

 

Sweetie

Remember, yesterday, I scooped up a muted calico girl that I’ve named Sweetie (from Short Street).  She was easy.  I knew this morning I had to get just one kitty, but am never sure I will get one, especially in the pouring rain.  As I set the trap at my first spot on Parsells, the cats that were hovering on porches to protect themselves from the rain, wearily watched me.  I drove off to the next spot just down the road, came back, and voila!  There was a little tabby kitty in the trap. That was easy!  Mr. Big Ears, I named him Petey (from Parsells).  So, Petey and Sweetie will go in for spay or neuter.  I know Sweetie is a girl, but not sure about Petey.  He was pretty scared, and somewhat feral.  I didn’t want to disturb him too much by trying to get a look!  Each time I went in to see Sweetie yesterday and this morning, the more I am having a hard time thinking about letting her back out.  She will lay in my lap and as I stroke her, she purrs.  How can you put a cat back that is that loving?  And most likely grateful to be in a warm and safe environment?  How can you?  But I already am over my limit with George and Brady! 

 

Just some of the Roberts Wesleyan College Kittens

We need fosters.  We need them desperately.  My friend Kristin is trying to help a mentally unstable man who lives near Roberts Wesleyan College, who is inundated with cats left by the students on campus.  It probably started with just a couple of cats, and then multiplied, and has turned into a very sad situation. There are now over 40 or so cats, and kittens galore.  Apparently most are friendly, including the baby kittens, and now we are all trying to help in whatever way we can.  My way is to implore each and every one to take a look at their life, and see if you can fit in a kitten or two to foster.  They aren’t usually hard to adopt out, but they need this shelter now.  I know I am always begging you to adopt or foster the cats that are waiting to get off the streets, but this situation I believe is more dire.  Think about it!   It was also pointed out that the administrators of this campus also need to be held accountable for allowing students to have these animals, and then to leave them to fend on their own.  SHAME on you, students and administrators alike!

My needs:  Tarps (the kind where rain can't get in), heavy, deep bowled dinner plates, paper bowls and plates (deep bowled).  NO towels, sheets or blankets, please.

Have a GREAT day!

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything,

but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. "