Here We Go Again...

Sharing this.  Webster was rescued by me about a month ago from Webster and Ferndale, I knew he needed to get out of this neighborhood, and he was too sweet to be homeless.  He was already eartipped, one of the ones I had neutered/spayed in a massive sweep last year - and I had a sweet girl that offered to 'take any cat, one that desperately needs to be rescued'.  Well, this is one lucky cat.  His mom ADORES him, and he is living the life.  What a lucky boy my/her Webster is.  And she didn't even change his name!  :)  Success stories - aren't they great?

Webster this morning - cozied up by the fire

This morning.  Uggg.  Snow.  Bitter cold.  Whipping winds.  Slippery roads.  Its here again, winter.  And its not even winter yet.  I think our close friends to the west of us, Buffalo, are getting it worse, but we are feeling the effects of a cold blast throughout the nation.  Can you imagine living in the Dakotas?  Even Minnesota!

The poor babies were all out there this morning, enduring the snow coming down and the cold.  I did the best I could to tighten up their shelters - the first spot on Parsells, there are only totes on a porch.  The floor of the porch was covered in cold snow.  I grabbed one of the two small sheets of wood I had in the truck and placed it over two of the shelters, so that the snow didn't cover the food I poured for them.  Their little feet still having to stand in the cold snow to eat.  At my better shelters, I place towels down so that they have some comfort like that while they eat.  Some of the towels were frozen to the wood floor they eat on, so I had to peel those off this morning and replace dry towels. 

At one location on Second, behind Paul's house, I have a large igloo filled with straw, and a door as a lean to against the back of the house.  There is a tabby that lives behind this door, year round, and right now, she only lays on a rug I placed there this summer.  I am sure its cold for her.  She would rather be snuggled in straw so I have to tighten up that shelters also.  Its hard to do when its dark and when you are trying to be quiet at 5 in the morning.  Especially being alone, as I don't always have someone with me to help.

There are several locations where there just isn't enough shelter.  I have two locations where there are over eight cats at times.  At one on Central this morning, Mr. Skunk was inside the shelter - which consists of several totes making it a semi square, with a board underneath, and a board covering all those, with a tarp covering all that, weighed down by cement blocks.  The skunk was under here where I had to get the empty plates to fill.  Some of these cats are territorial and will chase away intruders that they don't want there, which means the other cats are hoping to eat somewhere, anywhere, so I lay down food by the tree by the road.  In a snowstorm, this will surely be covered in a matter of minutes.  Last year, I had a great shelter built by Kristin and her husband, and that was trashed.  This year, we will make the best of it, with the new shelter nestled in the back of the lot.  This is also where Elvis and Tippy Toes live - both needing adoption, both great cats.  If I could get them out of there, the others could make it their home, sheltered for the winter months.  The skunk?  I have no idea where he went as I was inches from where he was - he is either deskunked, or he knows me by now.  I have not been sprayed this year (there were a ton of skunks out this past summer), thank God.

My needs?  BOARDS.  All types and sizes.  PALLETS - I need just a few to get the boards that I place the food on up off the ground for when the snow rises.  SHELTERS - I thought I had enough, but there are just so many babies out there that need them.

These are pictures from past winters that show you how the boards are used. 

Any and all help I can get is appreciated!

Have a great day!

“I shall pass through this world but once. 

Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness 

that I can show to any human being, 

let me do it now.”