January 29th!!! Tina W.!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to TINA W.!!!  You, Tina, are the star of the day!  Thanks for helping me to feed the kitties this morning with your donation to the Feed a Cat For Christmas Campaign.  Its winding down, another week of people helping me to feed all the kitties I feed in the hood.  I go through three 2-gallon bags, and then some, of dry food, and way over a case of wet food - actually, a little more than 7 LARGE sized Yogurt containers, that yes, are filled up each morning when I return from feeding, ready for another day.  The amount is staggering.  I really couldn't do it without help, so thank you very very very very very very very much (yes, I could go on...  :)) for all the support I have received.

As you know, cats are a passion of mine. But another group that I'm passionate about is the elderly. There are currently 1.4 million older Americans living in nursing facilities and many of them experience a lot of loneliness.

A friend recently suggested something that will support BOTH of these groups--by providing food to the cats and brightening the day of a nursing home resident. For each $5 donation, I will send a one-of-a-kind "paw-decorated" valentine to a resident of St. Ann's.  All proceeds will go to feed and care for the cats.  Just be sure to put "Nursing Home" or "St. Ann's" in the "Send a note to seller" box on PayPal.

Another friend has generously agreed to sponsor the first 25 Valentine's Day cards for St. Ann's Nursing Home residents.  I'm challenging you--my friends and supporters--to share the love this Valentine's Day and provide another 75 cards to the folks at St. Ann's. Just $5 will brighten the day of someone, and provide homeless cats with food and medical care.

The kids at Gates-Chili Middle School will be making the valentines cards (thank you Mrs. McBride!). You can also purchase one and have it mailed to anyone you choose.  Just be sure to note the name and address of the intended recipient in the "Send a note to seller" box on PayPal.  If you would like to put in the mail to me, or email me, again, please note recipient and address.  

Thank you so much for your support for this very important, yet crazy mission I am on, to help Rochester's homeless animals.  

January 28th! Kristen K.!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to Kristen K.!!!  Thank you Kristen, you've done more for me than a donation to the Feed a Cat for Christmas campaign.  You actually adopted two female cats from me at the same time!  Thank you so much for doing that, its a rarity these days.  But on top of that, you helped me to feed some very hungry, and thirsty kitties today.  Lots of em.

Trixie and Alice (pre-adoption)

At Niagara, black and white kitty that has/had the URI sounds much better, but sure does drink a LOT of water.  In fact, I put the Clavamox in each of the bowls - don't forget, there are about seven cats waiting there to eat - but this kitty goes straight to the water.  Wish I could put medicine in water.  I am hoping he is or has gotten enough meds to help him through this nasty infection he has.

Buttons, at my house, the Short Street rescue, seems to be doing a bit better also.  Didn't think it would  happen.  She is so loving and sweet, enough to trust me for a split second twice a day when I have her pills to shove down her throat with a piller.  GOD she sure is a sweet cat.  I just love her.  She is SO gentle and sweet.  And demure.  (can you tell I am in love with her?)

I was reading something from a cat behaviorist, and found the questions, and answers, interesting.  My cats do most of these:

Why might a cat yowl when it's by itself in a room?

Cats learn specifically how their owners react when they make particular noises.  So if the cat thinks, 'I want to get my owner from the other room,' it works to vocalize.  They use straightforward learning. 

Why do some cats treat one human member of the household differently?

They're much smarter than we give them credit for:  They learn what works with what person.  They know if [one member of the family] is prone to get up at 4 a.m. and give them some treats.

Why do cats knead us?

They are using behavior that they would use toward their mother—all the behavior they show toward us is derived in some way from the mother-kitten relationship.  The kitten learns to raise its tail, rub on its mother, and knead and purr.  Grooming is what mothers do back to kittens.   So they're using bits of behavior already in their repertoire to communicate with us.  There aren't very many behaviors—maybe half a dozen. 

Can you train cats?

Yes.  Cats can learn what they're not supposed to do. If your cat has developed a habit [of jumping up on the kitchen table], there are limited ways to prevent it.  You could use a spring-loaded toy, so when a cat jumps up on something, the toy goes bang and up in the air—the cat doesn't like that and jumps down.  Another reasonably benign [strategy] is to use a child's water pistol.  But make sure the cat doesn't realize you've got it. Cats don't forgive, and once they realize a person is causing them anxiety or hurt, they keep away.

Thats it in a nutshell today.  Thanks for reading, and have a great day.

January 27th! WANDA R.!!!

COMGRATULATIONS!  To Wanda R.!  Thank you so much for your kind and generous donation to the Feed a Cat for Christmas campaign.  So very kind.  What a great campaign that was too.  Thank you to Wanda's daughter Carrie, for being the mastermind of this.  I have enough to feed the cats until February 3.  And then its all up to me again.  I appreciate every single dollar raised to help me feed over 90 cats a day in the inner city - Beechwood section of Rochester to be exact. 

As I was walking back to the car from the back of the vacant lot on Seventh, after having filled three food dishes and a water bowl, I thought to myself 'I wish I could do this every OTHER day'.  What would it take?  Then I thought, maybe I could do it at some spots, but not all.  I would have to get very large containers for the food, overfill, and water bowls too, but in the winter, the water freezes.  The cats depend on water a great deal in the winter, and obviously the summer months too.  But let me tell you, what I wouldn't do to be able to stay in bed one morning.  Ugggh.  Heaven. 

Oh well, I continue to trudge along.  No sign of emaciated kitty on Parsells, but guess what.  The black and white cat with severe URI - I've been treating with Clavamox for over a week now, it must be getting the doses I am placing in the wet food for all SEVEN cats that I am sure are eating there, because kitty sounds and looks much better!  Great news on that end.  And the shelter is still there.  We had big winds yesterday and overnight, and I only  had to rearrange one shelter, on Short Street.  Most of the tarps stayed in place, and kept the inside of the shelters high and dry. 

7th Street

2nd Street

I did not see comments from a few posts back.  Cammy was TNR'd over the summer last year, I believe.  At one point in the fall, I tried to rescue him, but he got away from my grasp.  THAT was when I had someone to take him.  The offer was rescinded after a while (I attempted to get him several times after but he wouldn't get near me for quite a while after that).  SWEET kitty on Parsells - again, I can only rescue when I have room.  Right now, I have sick Buttons at home, and will have to take Cuddles back from the Hermie situation.  While I still have cats that need homes, I feel terribly guilty when I rescue another cat like its not fair to the fosters, or if I am fostering myself, its not fair to my cats (although the latter reason has not stopped me yet!).  Unless its a grave situation, like the tabby that is skin and bone, or the black and white kitty on Niagara that has a severe URI. Then I need to help them.

As far as placing a shelter IN the crevice between the two buildings on Niagara, the crevice is only wide enough for a very fat cat to get through.  I have not seen a shelter yet that is 7 inches wide.  But the plastic lined tote is still near there, with a kitty face cut out on the side of it, thanks to Scott and Mary!

As I have stated a million times, no exaggeration here - the City of Rochester should have looked at this problem of overpopulation of cats a long time ago and established a program of free TNR for all feral cats - we wouldn't have the problem we have if this were done years ago.  Not to mention, established feeding stations around the city for them.  I don't know if this is a far fetched idea, but I was reading up on what cities across the globe are doing.  I found this interesting.

Italy[edit]

• Country of Italy (since 1991) - Since August 1991, feral cats have been protected throughout Italy, when a no kill policy was introduced for both cats and dogs. Feral cats have the right to live free and cannot be moved from their colony; cat caretakers can be formally registered; and TNR methods are outlined in the national law on the management of pets.^[62]
• Latium region, including Rome (since 1988) - Since 1988, killing feral cats has been illegal in the Latium Region, which includes Rome.^[62]

Singapore[edit]

• Chong Pang (since 2011) - A designated feeding station was set up in October 2011: "The station is the first in Singapore and was set up jointly by the Sembawang-Nee Soon Town Council, National Environment Agency, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Mutts and Mittens Foundation and Cat Welfare Society (CWS). About 40 such stations will be set up in the estate by the end of next month."^[63]
• St. John's Island (since 2010) - A team of volunteers from the Singapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals returned for the sixth time since 2010 to TNR about 40 cats.^[64]

• Toronto (mixed support) - City bylaws provide broad authorization for the city to operate a TNR program.^[32] The city's comprehensive TNR program includes sterilization clinics and membership in the Toronto Feral Cat Coalition.^[33][34] Free sterilization for feral cats is offered to people who attend a workshop and register their colony with Toronto Animal Services.^[35] Free sterilization is also offered to low income cat owners.^[36] Nevertheless, Toronto Animal Services reported euthanizing 228 cats for being feral in 2013, as well as 512 cats for behaviour/temperament issues, and 213 cats for being orphaned.^[37] Toronto's mayor proclaimed a Feral Cat Awareness Day in 2013.^[38]
• Windsor (limited support) - Vouchers were given for discounted sterilization of 325 feral cats in 2014.^[39][40] One TNR volunteer commented, “The city gives thousands of dollars to the humane society to kill cats every year,” he said. “If they gave that to one of our animal groups, we could solve this whole problem.”^[41]

HOW TRUE - that last line.  If you want to read more, here is the link.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_governments_supporting_trap-neuter-return

Have a good day.

"If we could all hear one another's prayers, God might be relieved of some of his burdens." 

January 26th! RALPH!

CONGRATULATIONS to RALPH!  With your kind donation, you helped to feed a ton of cats this morning.  I was out in full regalia shuffling the streets of Rochester.  There is a lot of black ice out there folks, be careful!  Its balmy, in the 30s, but cold enough to freeze the water on the streets.  But I made it without slipping or falling, which is rare, as some of you know (I am a total klutz).  Ralph, you are the bomb. 

Each morning I have been hoping to catch the cat on Parsells that is skin and bone, in hopes of getting it to the clinic to be tested.  It did not look well on Friday or Saturday when it walked up on the porch as I was pouring food.  I haven't seen it since.  I am still going inside the apartment complex and feeding and pilling all those cats.  In response to Kristin's comment yesterday, the way the story goes, that I know of, is this:  Habitat for Cats did some trapping last year after mine and another girl who was helping to feed there pleaded for help.  There were way over 20 cats inside this gated complex.  I trapped many across the street, where I've built a small shelters for them (that they will not cross the street for), and even got a kitten through the fence into a kitten trap.  (I can't remember which kitten this was, but its someone's lover boy right now but I can't remember!) - (wait!  Its NOODLES!!!  :)  Noodles was adopted by Gary and June).  HFC wound up speaking to management because they were being threatened to leave the property.  Apparently management allowed them to trap, but that was it!  Remember, this is the place where the security guard came out once and demanded I stop feeding the cats under the fence.  So for now, it is not a cat friendly place as far as I know.  The shelter is still next to the couch.  I fed kitties and plopped Clavamox into their food again.  I think black and white sick kitty is sounding a bit better.  Not sure.  I can grab kitty if I had a place for him.

Noodles, is he not as cute as a button?

Buttons was sent home with famcyclovir???  and advised to continue the Clavamox I had already been giving her.  Even though I have been giving her a dose every eight hours for four days at least, this is what they advised.  But she is elusive and hard to pill.  And still sick.

Cuddles and Hermie are not making progress. I will need to get Cuddles out of there because she is not eating - day three.  I need to find Cuddles a foster place.  Hermie's foster mom, even though she has made great progress with him, is still trying to figure out what might work for him to lighten up a bit.  She believes he MIGHT be better off in a barn situation, although I hate the thought of putting a sweet animal, just because its scared, back out into the elements.  I am not sure what to do here. 

Then there is Cammy - fostered by Karen - Cammy is extremely overweight right now, and showing aggression towards his foster sibs.  I would love to find Cammy his own home. 

uggh.

Have a great day all!

"All the world is full of suffering;

it is also full of overcoming."

January 23, 24 & 25!!! Walt & Karon, Carrie P. & Cheryl W.!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to the three of you!  This weekend, and this morning, you helped me feed some very hungry and cold kitties.  Walt and Karon's donation to the Feed a Cat for Christmas campaign was made in memory of Kathy Rivera, a very active member of the cat saving community.  Kathy is sorely missed not only by her family and friends, but by the cats she cared for.  Carrie's donation was made on behalf of her mom. Thanks Carrie's Mom!  And thank you Cheryl W.  You all have been such wonderful support for me.  Thank you so much~!

Today was a very balmy 28 degrees in comparison to a bitter cold weekend.  I placed a shelter at the Niagara location, next to a couch near the trash, and its remained there for two days now.  I also discovered that the cats that are dwelling in the crevice between two buildings actually SCALE the wall there.  I looked up to see the sick black and white kitty walking straight down from a hole up above one of the walls.  He was desperate for the food and water he was about to receive from me.  I have been pilling the food dishes with a half of a Clavamox in hopes that the sick black and white kitty will eat one each day.  There are SEVEN cats there.  God help them all.  I did notice Sunday morning that they had used the shelter because of the footprints in the snow in front of the opening. 

Buttons - click on pic to zoom in!

Speaking of sick, Buttons, the rescue I have in my house, is very sick with something.  An upper respiratory, or something.  He makes this noise constantly, and can barely breathe from his nose.  I had started him on Clavamox when I heard this noise last week, every eight hours or so, but its gotten worse, so obviously the Clavamox is not working.  Off to a vet he goes ASAP today.  Poor thing.

I also had been feeding, Friday and Saturday morning, a rail thin tabby on my first Parsells stop.  He would come right up to me both mornings.  No ear tip.  Skin and bone.  I had every intention on rescuing him Sunday morning and getting him to the vets today to be tested, as he looks very sick, but he was not there yesterday, nor this morning.  Poor baby.  I pray he is ok. 

On a GREAT note, Murphy has been adopted.  Murphy goes to a home where he will have three female sisters, all of which I rescued and adopted out.  I am waiting for an update from his new mom.  I am forever grateful to his foster family, who opened their hearts to him.  UPDATE from new Mom:

"Murphy is an absolute sweetheart.  Both Mike and I agree we have never had a cat as lovey-dovey as he is.  His appetite is good and there are no problems with his plumbing. J

He spent most of the first 24-hours under the bed though it didn’t take much coaxing to get him out when we went in.  This morning he was much more comfortable and very anxious to see what is on the other side of that door!  Abby, Greta and Alice know there is someone in there…and Murphy has gotten a glimpse of at least a few of the girls.  We’re going to take it slow.

Thank you for rescuing him and trusting us to care for him.  I know that is not something you take lightly."

Cuddles went to for visit to Hermie's house.  Hermie is the very shy kitty that a friend is trying to bring around.  We are hoping that by putting Cuddles in with Hermie, he will come out of his shell a bit.  I didn't get the greatest update by my friend yesterday - Cuddles didn't seem very happy with this whole thing.  But hopefully today there will have been a breakthrough, fingers crossed! 

Speaking of Niagara, the apartment complex there - I was thinking this complex would have made such a great model of how the city and cat community could work together.  There would be shelters for the cats - of course proper and nice looking shelters, totally unnoticeable to the naked eye, and the cats would all be spayed and neutered, and they would eventually all die out, as colonies eventually do, but it would be a good role model situation for other apartment complexes to use as a start.  Wouldn't this be grand, if we had one of these.  Unfortunately, the Susan B. Anthony apartments, which borders on Central, First and Second Streets, near Bay, is a privately owned company.  I believe this structure was once a school - turned apartment building.    What a wonderful example it could be of how a community can work with the cats.  Too bad.  :(

Have a great day!

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring

what you have not; remember that what

you now have was once among

the things you only hoped for."

January 22! VALERIE!~

CONGRATULATIONS to Valerie!!  Valerie is a friend of a friend who works at RiteAid.  Word had spread around Christmas-time about the Feed a Cat for Christmas campaign, so a few workers there made a donation.  So kind, so sweet, so compassionate!  Thank you Valerie!  You helped me to feed many a cold and hungry cat this morning.

Just to put this out there, I have enough Styrofoam boxes, but as you all know the stories of people trashing my many shelters out there, I still can use them, although no room here at the house.  If you have a spot to hold on to a few until I can use them, please do.  Thank you so much for that.

It was 12 degrees out there this morning.  We had at least four inches of new snow dumping after I got into work yesterday at 7:15.  I trudged trudged trudged through fields to get to the snow covered shelters.  Unfortunately, the shovel was forgotten, so I had to do a lot of leg kicks of the snow to clear a spot to set the food and water down.  Good thing I have free membership to the gym through work, and have just begun to work out again.  Wednesday was abs, yesterday was leg work.  I am dying today.  Abs and legs are KILLING me.  I always forget the workout I get in the wintertime trudging through the snow.  Oh well.  Its all good I guess!

I also forgot what its like if you forget to wear your gloves in temps below 20, and they come into contact with the snow.  You have a short period of time before frostbite sets in, but before that happens, yowsa!  It hurts!  I had to sit in the car and place my hands in a dry towel for a minute before I could drive off at my last spot.  Just think about these cats and their little pink pads on their paws.  I pray they are tougher than human hands.  Anybody know?

I will say one thing - there were four instances this morning, involving a total of 10 cats, that when I drove away from, I was deeply saddened.  I won't get into specifics, but there were three un-eartipped cats involved, and at Niagara, where I did place some Clavamox pills into the wet food for the black and white baby that is sick, as I turned around, there were SEVEN cats standing there.  It breaks my heart.  I fluffed away the snow, placed a towel down against the building near the crevice where they 'live', and placed three food bowls down and a water bowl.  BREAKS my heart to see and leave these animals.  Really.  I hope you all are considering fostering an animal, or adopting one of the ones I have available now so that I can make room for another rescue.  Please help me to spread the word about this plight in our very own city of Rochester.

Have a GREAT day!

"Show forgiveness,

Enjoin Kindness,

Avoid ignorance."

January 21!!!!! LYNNE S.!!!!!

Woo hoo!  CONGRATULATIONS to Lynne S. (mother of Sawyer, grandmother of Domino - two kitties adopted from me)!!!!  You are the star of the day, in mine and many cats in the Beechwood section of the City of Rochester.  Thanks for your donation to the Feed a Cat for Christmas (and beyond!) which helped me to feed over 90 kitties - for a day. 

They were all out in full swing, dodging the snow, but hungry enough to trudge through it to get to the bowls overflowing with food.  They are SO hungry each morning, and so happy to chow down on the delicious wet, warm food I give them.  I have found that the shredded canned food works best because there have been days where the pate type food will actually harden due to it being so cold out.  I have to set the containers in the snow while I do other things when I am at each shelter, and it adds to the hardening process.  The shredded stuff doesn't freeze as fast, and is much easier to pour.

These fellas below all need permanent adopters:

HERMIE!

HERMIE

MURPHY

CAMMY

BUTTONS

CUDDLES

I was unsuccessful at grabbing the sick little fellow on Niagara.  I pulled into the complex, first spotting a tabby eating something out of the trash receptacle there.  I grabbed the food, water, bowls and carrier and walked over to the crevice where I placed the food down yesterday.  There was sick boy, waiting for me.  But he wouldn't get close enough for me to grab him.  I would normally begin to place medicine in their food bowls, but there are so many cats, I can't be sure if the sick one is getting the medicine.  Clavamox.  I will try again tomorrow.  I really hesitate to rescue another cat due to having three cats unadopted thus far - Cammy, Hermie and Murphy/Simba - wait, and Buttons and Cuddles too!  - but knowing a cat is sick and living outside, in a crevice no less, I just can't turn my back.  I will keep trying.  This is why its so important to foster and adopt these sweet babies.  

These fellas below need fostering so that I can rescue them off the streets:

PARSLEY

NIAGARA KITTY

All animal rescuers share one common goal — find a loving home for as many pets as possible.   But sometimes before that happens, fostering is necessary.  It is so important to me  because fostering helps me to rescue these deserving animals off the streets and be cared for until they are adopted.   Living life on the streets is not an easy life for these cats.  Some cats are sick with upper respiratory issues, which many many do, and you may have to give them medicine.  Some require more socialization before joining families with multiple pets.  For those of you that are on the fence about adopting — maybe you don’t know how your dog or other cat will react to a new cat —fostering is the best way to go.  Word of mouth and this blog has been my most powerful tool to recruit fosters, but social media like Facebook has been a saving grace.   Bottom line is, you are saving a life by helping an animal get off the street, an animal that was dumped by some human most likely.  And fostering increases that cat’s chances at adoption.  You will be the first to discover its personality once they lose their initial fear.   It's tremendously fulfilling knowing  you’ve helped an animal through a difficult period in their lives.    So spread the word, open up your spare room, think about it.  There are a few out there that need our help, now.  Check out the pictures from yesterday.  There are just too many. 

Please spread the word.  Thanks for listening.

"Each and every day of your life make a conscious effort to perform an act of kindness.   By doing so you can make a difference."

January 20th! BESS P!

Congratulations to Bess P.!!!  Thank you Bess, for your generous donation to the Feed a Cat for Christmas campaign.  I fed a lot of kitties this morning WITH YOUR HELP!  It was not easy this morning getting up at 3 am.  I never really is, but I did it and do it every single day.  I round it off to 3, but the time is actually 2:45.  Its no wonder I am exhausted by 3 PM.

It was a quiet, brisk morning, and they were all in full swing.   Someone else tried to help feed at one of the locations, and it was that LUNATIC, whoever he or she is.  At Grand and Baldwin, this person placed a plate of what looked like ground meat, with KETCHUP covering it!  Ketchup.  Good Lord.  I know its good intention?  Unless they are trying to poison.  Didn't think of that.  Not sure what is up with that - someone offered a video camera, I just have to figure out where to place it so that its easily enough for me to take down and figure out how to view, but hard for someone else to spot and steal.  Thank you again Bess.  I appreciate it more than you know.  Someone suggested to get a Valentine's Day campaign going.  I like that!  I was never much into Valentine's day, not much of the romantic type, but the kitties love that day!  :) So maybe something to think about, the month of February?  I already have February 1st covered. 

I swear to God I just love you guys.  Those of you that read, and comment.  It makes my morning when I log in to write a new post and look at yesterdays comments.  I love that you all wrote about your own experiences with black cats.  I love that you take the time to comment, period.  It makes my day, seriously.  Thank you thank you thank you.  Good or bad, comment!  :)

Here are some pics that were taken this morning, some with a bit of commentary.  Its heartbreaking to leave these guys behind, really it is.  But the more you share with the world, the more cats can be saved.  Please help to spread the word. 

Grey Kitty on Melville

Shelters I've replaced after the good ones trashed - Melville

My Poor Parsley - Parsells

Petey - Parsells

Unnamed SWEET kitty I've been feeding for a year now - PARSELLS

Petey waiting for me to put food and fresh water down

Parsells Shelter behind house

Petey and Little Black girl kitten

Another Black kitty behind house on Parsells

Short Street

Mr. Whiskers #2 - Short Street

Buttons Brother - Short Street

Buttons Brother and Mr. Whiskers #2 - Short Street

New Kitty hanging around Short Street

Milly - Short Street

Niagara Cats

SWEET Niagara Cat - behind him is where these cats live - in a crevice
between two buildings

The Crevice

Niagara Kitty - he has a severe URI

The gate has been opened for several weeks in this private apartment complex on Niagara Street.  Due to the snow, and not being able to slide dishes under the fence surrounding the property, I have been placing the food right next to the crevice in which these cats 'live', between the buildings.  The kitty above has a severe upper respiratory infection.  I pray I can find this guy a home.  He is friendly.  Help me to get him off the street and some medical treatment.

Have a good day.

"Learn from yesterday,

Live for today,

Hope for tomorrow."

January 19th --- Sandra P.!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to Sandra P.!  Thank you for helping me to help feed the kitties this morning with your donation to the Feed a Cat for Christmas campaign.  What a success it was to help me feed cats for two months!  Thank you so very much Sandra!

It was a miserable morning.  We had quite the snow here by the lake - they call it lake effect.  I think there were at least four new inches on the ground by the time I hit the road.  I was miserable the entire time.  Trudge trudge trudge, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle.  Great workout for the legs, for sure.   Although I was thinking, if its this much effort for me to trudge to the shelters through the snow, can you imaging the workout for these poor cats? 

My worst nightmare came true this morning, AGAIN.  I butt dialed someone - it must have been 5:15 am.  I was HORRIFIED.  This is not the first time its happened.  My cell phone is kept in my zipped up pocket, and occasionally, if I am bending over and doing something and something hits the exposed key pad just right, bam, it dials, and usually the last number that was either dialed out, or called me.  Not only that, but I did not even know I was dialing this person.  I found out because all of the sudden, as I am behind an abandoned house, in the dark, my phone rings.  The conversation went something like this:

Hello?

Janine, you called me, I am just calling you back, I couldn't get to the phone on time.

OMG!  I am so sorry!!!  (feeling horrified!)

And I tried to end the call as graceful, and QUIET, as I could.  I've felt like a schmuck ever since, even though this person said it was OK.  I HATE my phone.  Its an old-fashioned key pad phone.  No smart phone for this chick.   So sorry to all of you that I have mistakenly called at an unGodly hour of the morning. Uggh.

CUDDLES!

Little Cuddles is cuddling away in my bathroom still.  She is 100% disease free, and good to go to a warm and loving home.  She loves scratchies on her head, and has already discovered the litter box!  Amazing how these animals know where to 'go'.  :)  Sad, but the person that wanted a girl cat made it clear she does not 'like' black cats.  And this was on Martin Luther King day that she told me.  Ironic, eh?

Did you know that black cats have the lowest adoption rate and the highest euthanasia rate?  Black cats are most often ignored by many rescue groups because they are so hard to place.  These cats are often left waiting in pounds or shelters with hopes of finding a loving home, only to be destroyed once their time is up.  We should not discriminate by color.  Here are the top ten reasons to adopt a black cat!

10.  You can always find your black cat in the snow.  Kidding, hopefully your cat is not allowed outdoors.
9.  Black goes with everything!
8.  Black cats are distantly related to the black panther.  They are majestic, mysterious, incredibly loving and loyal and intelligent.
7.  A black cat will match any decor.  You won't have to redecorate your house to coordinate with your cat.  They are totally willing to pose on gold velvet, white velvet, pink velvet, or your couch to add taste and beauty to any room of your home.  They'll perch on the chair, sleep on the rug, curl in the middle of the bed.  You name it, they're willing to go to great lengths to help make your home beautiful.  They are that kind of cat!
6.  Black is beautiful!  There's the deep, auburn shaded black, the blue black, the black with tiny white highlights here and there, the sleek black, the fluffy black, the black with bunny-soft fur, the black with yellow eyes, the black with green eyes (CUDDLES!), the black with grey eyes.  Black is not just black, there are many different kinds of black cats as there are cats!
5.  Bad luck, schmuck!  When you love a black cat, luck is on your side!
4.  Black cats have more fun.  You only thought blonds had more fun.  Black cats are fun-loving, playful, full of spark and energy.  They try harder to make up for the image they somehow got as dull and dreary.  They're like the sun streaming in a window on a rainy day, they're just plain fantastic.
3.  Black cats are loving. Look, they know their reputation - scary.  They've seen the illustrations - skinny cats with nasty long teeth.  And they're nothing like that.  They go overboard to be as affectionate and loving as any fluffy white, pink-nosed bunny kitty could be, and you get all the other benefits too.
2.  Love knows no color!  Your cat doesn't care what color YOU are.  Or your hair.
1.  The #1 reason to adopt a black cat is that black cats are least likely to get adopted!

LEO

Midnight!  (BRAT)

I have two of them!  Midnight and  Leo - and they worship the ground I walk on.  :)  Please spread the word about Hermie and Cuddles!

HERMIE is MEOWING

Have a great day everyone!

"You'll love the feel of my soft velvet fur

You'll love the sound of my rumbling purr

Once I have loved you You'll never look back

The reason for this...

I AM THE BLACK CAT"