Thursday

Just in case anyone is checking out this blog today, I am on hiatus.  :)

Will let you know updates as soon as I feel like it.  :)

Happy 4th everyone!  :)

xox

Spencer

Well, kitty I trapped yesterday – WAS ALREADY NEUTERED.  FAILURE!  A big whopping FAILURE!  AND apparently ear-tipped.  I guess I’m not so great at trapping as stated in my post yesterday.  The little guy spent the night on my porch and was released this morning.  You see, when I am out each morning, its dark.  So when shining my flashlight on a cat that is trapped, I try to do as thorough an inspection for the ear tip as I can.  And then I don’t ‘bother’ them until after they are returned from surgery and are on my porch hungry.  There have been quite a few cats that have been released immediately that already had eartips, most of those are the friendly ones just hungry for that tuna.   But with this cat being all black, and it being dark, I must have missed it.  I am actually going to call the clinic to ask if the cat was for sure eartipped.  So disappointing.  L  I am sure he was revaccinated and given flea treatment.  I guess that is worth the $60 he cost me yesterday.

Spencer

Look what I did again.  Another rescue.  Meet Spencer.  Spencer was a TNR from May from Pennsylvania and Second.  Just a year old if that.  The cutest little guy around.   Now I wouldn’t normally rescue another cat until all the cats I’ve rescued prior are adopted.  We still have Cookie, who is going to have to be in a one cat household.  Then there is Baylee, who is still sick with something, we don’t know what – it’s a breathing issue – but other than that is a sweetheart.  Then we have Penny, who is being fostered in Hilton.  Penny is the mother of the five kitten litter, all who have been adopted.  She’s a sweetheart, just very shy.  Then we have Jace and Lucy, the two baby kittens from Seventh Street, rescued after their two siblings viciously killed by another animal, their remains buried properly.   Mama was TNR’d the same day they were rescued, by the way.  These kittens are about 5 or 6 weeks old now.  Sweet little babies.  They are in foster care learning not to be afraid, and quickly coming around thanks to their foster mom!

BAYLEE

COOKIE

PENNY

JACE and LUCY

Spencer was rescued because a man reached out to me on Facebook expressing interest in adopting Cookie, as a companion for his female cat, Midnight.  After getting to know Cookie’s personality, I realized it might not be a good fit, but the man said he would be patient and wait until I found the perfect one.  I suggested a male might be better, and had several to choose from.  You see, there are at least FIVE cats out there right now READY to be RESCUED!  So it was a tough pick.  He was one out of the five.  The others are simply surviving.  They have no other choice.

So, say a prayer this works out.  Spencer will go to the clinic for a leukemia test today, and then to his new home on Saturday.  Pray he is nice to Midnight!

Have a great day!

"Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up."

TNR Tuesday

Today is TNR Tuesday.  I set a trap first thing at 4 am. on Seventh, and then one on Central, near Fifth.  At Central, there are at least five new cats - a few from the same litter that were probably born less than a year ago.  How many times now have I set a trap there?  Plenty.  Again, after doing my entire route, and coming back, nothing.  I stopped there midway, and saw a black kitty sniffing at the yummy tuna inside the trap, and it too, was not even around when I finally went back to get the trap, defeated.  So here we have Stewie from Second.  Not a happy camper. 

Stewie from Seventh Street

I always feel so disappointed when I don't use the allotment (two cats) I am allowed at the clinic each week.  I know that most times, they are able to fill those spots with the cats trapped by the experts, but then again - I shouldn't put myself down - I consider myself pretty good at trapping.   There have been weeks where I've trapped OVER my limit.  There isn't a lot to it really, its all up to the cat.  Then again, for the really tough kitties, expert trappers use a drop trap.  I am not that expert.  :)  Actually, the majority of cats going in to the clinic are rescue groups that do this continually.  I wish I had that kind of help.  I don't.  Its just me.  Again, I should pat myself on the back, because last spring and summer, I was able to get at least two, sometimes three each week.  Then again, the price was cheaper per cat.  Its now costing me $60 per cat.  Its way over my budget.

Hopefully, when my 501c3 goes through, that price will go down a bit.  I will be considered a 'rescue' group, but I will not be a rescue group.  I will continue to do what I do, on my own, until I drop.  I will just get some savings on food (taxes), and discount with vets, maybe.  Should be happening by end of July I would say.

Have a good day.

"All we have is all we need.  All we need is the awareness of how blessed we really are."

Happy Monday!

Birdie Sparky and Poppy when first rescued

Well, what a weekend.

First things first.  For those who have never read this blog.  You are lucky.  Ha ha. 

I’ve been feeding Rochester’s homeless kitties in the Beechwood section for nearly 20 years now.  Its gotten much larger than when I started, now up to – what I can count by seeing the actual cats – 70 kitties each and every single morning.  There isn’t a day that goes by that they are not fed.  I’ve had six mornings off since April 2014 when I took a three day weekend out of town, twice.  I go through 30+ pounds of dry food each morning, and way over a case of wet food (over 40 cans).  Every day.  I go out into these poverty stricken neighborhoods at 4 am., in the dark, when the criminals, and those that don’t care for the cats, are sleeping.  It’s the safest time of the day.  In blizzards, pouring rain, I am out there.  Think of me if you ever wake from your comfy bed at that time.  I am out there.

In the spring and summer months, I trap, neuter and return once a week, two cats each time.  I’ve rescued over 10 cats so far this year and found them homes, since January, although I need to check that.  Could be more.  Last year I rescued and found homes for nearly 80.  All that is funded by my own pocket, and a few individuals that help me out occasionally by sending me a check, or by donating to a clinic where I seek the medical attention of a sick cat, or the clinic where I have these cats spayed and neutered.  I don’t have a 401c3 yet, but am working on it.  I figure it should be set by end of July (fingers crossed).  I am always in need of donations, but they are far and few between.  All of the above costs me well over $10,000 a year.  Well over.  If I never saw another cat again, it would be wonderful, but for now, they are hungry and in need of human help, so I continue to do what I do.  I don’t look for pats on the back, I only strive to get the word out to more people about the problem our city has.  I need help and so do they.  And I write this blog so that people are aware of what is happening under their noses out there.  To show the importance of spaying and neutering.  Its vital.  To be more aware of what is happening in your own surroundings, your own neighborhood. To report neglect, to help by sheltering, feeding and caring for the homeless animals around you.  Its starts with you.  It can end with you, with your help.

Well, I adopted out the last of the five-kitten litter from Karnes Street yesterday.  Momma Penny is still waiting for a permanent home.  The woman that adopted Birdie and Poppy is a sweet woman who fell in love with them instantly, after losing her furry ones recently.  I am thrilled with this adoption, as the last one didn’t go so well with Sparky.  I can only pray Sparky is being loved and cared for.  Actually, I do need to follow up with the woman to be sure she has had him neutered.  She has not been in contact with me and has made it obvious she doesn’t care to.   Its taught me a great lesson, to never hand a cat over to a stranger without getting to know them first.  Never ever again.

Jace (front) Lucy (back)

We now have two new kittens – Jace and Lucy – both rescued from Seventh Street.  Then we have Cookie from Central Park, and Baylee from Bay Street as well.  Baylee’s breathing issues are better, but still there.  Cookie has healed nicely since her surgery where she had pyometra – an infection of the uterus.  Her only problem now is that she doesn’t like  the other cats so she is separated, which makes for a very lonely existence for her being in a room by herself all day.  AND SHE DOESN'T PLAY.  I don't know if she has ever played, ever.  Any suggestions anyone?  I feel so bad for her.  Must find her an only cat home.  Please spread the word.

COOKIE

BAYLEE

That’s it in a nutshell.  Gotta get to work!

Have a great day! 

PS, September 17^th, third annual Meow and Chow!~  Details to come soon.  

RESCUER'S ARE ANGELS

Tail tucked between your legs,

Confusion in your eyes 

I know it's hard to understand

That someone heard your cries.

When loneliness is all you know

And pain is all you feel

And no one can be trusted

And hunger's all too real.

That's the time the Lord sees you

And lets you know He's there

That's when He sends His messengers

The hearts that love and care.

Yes, rescuers are angels

You cannot see their wings

They keep them neatly folded

As they do their caring things.

The medicine to make you well,

Good food to make you strong.

And finally to help you learn

That hugs are never wrong.

The perfect place then must be found

The home where you can live

Secure and safe and happy

With joy to get and give.

When you reach your Forever Home,

Your place to feel whole.

The angels smile and off they go

To save another sole.

Author Unknown

Challenges

Not only is this blog about cats, but I do like to share things that touch my heart.


I met a woman recently, through work, at a cancer function through the hospital to be exact, she was a guest with her husband and we had Valerie Harper as a guest speaker - yes, RHODA!  :)  She survived brain cancer!  This woman and I struck up a quick conversation as I was at the registration desk checking them in, don't ask me how we got started on cats...  but she took interest in what I do, because of her love for cats, and animals in general.  We exchanged numbers and went on our merry way.  After about a week, she reached out to me to say hello, and she sent me some information in hopes that we might be able to get a some help for the cats on the streets, as it has been done in another location.  I will share with you the link she sent me. 

https://www.facebook.com/FluffyCatsFurryAnimals/videos/607291872756009/

 I, in turn, wrote her asking if she could help me out because with my full time job, going out and doing what I do each day, I have little time to do things that people suggest.  She wrote me back and I am sharing with you a paragraph she wrote (for a medical journal) about what her challenges were and how YOGA was what saved her.  And here I think I have too much on my plate.  Shame on me.  I love this woman already.  WHAT A SURVIVOR.  I hope you will take the time to read it.  Very inspirational!  I will delete her name due to anonymity.

Recently I was asked in what way has your Yoga practice benefited you? What has it taught you? What can you share that may help another that is pained by arthritis. Pull up a seat, please sit down...this is going to take a while.

Right now I am looking at a blank piece of paper in front of me and I realize in order for anyone to understand the story, the path that I've been on I need to start of course from the beginning. I want to make this part brief because what has happened to me does not have as much importance as how I turned it around, how you, how anyone can turn it around and make profound steps and differences in your health and how you feel, every single day.

Looking back to September 2002 I finally received a diagnosis for a disease that was symptomatic for more than 2 1/2 years before accidentally being found. For those 2 1/2 years my doctor told me I was in perfect health irregardless of what I was experiencing. As disturbing as the diagnosis was it was also a relief - to finally have an answer. I had cancer. After multiple tests and tattooing it was decided I had later stage colorectal cancer. Radiation was administered to both hips and the sacral area 5 days a week in addition to the PICC line that was placed for around the clock chemotherapy 5 days a week for several weeks. From there it was on to my first surgery. Six different procedures were performed that day and I was to go in many more times through the years for further surgeries, ten more times to be exact. But before these other surgeries came along I was to go through another 4 months of chemotherapy. I trusted the whole time - I trusted I was in good hands, I trusted I would be well when it was all done, I trusted things were as they should be. What I did not realize until after the fact was that mistakes were made and that my life was going to change drastically. It would never be the same again. Every day was going to challenge me on the most fundamental levels...from eating, to drinking a glass of water, to walking, to sitting, climbing stairs, or even trying to leave the house for any length of time. After my second operation to reverse the colostomy my intestines were not functioning properly. I was in the bathroom literally around the clock, day after day after day. I really believed it would be temporary as I healed. Severe radiation damage - proctitis, enteritis, motility disorder, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, radiation colitis - radiation induced disease. I could no longer digest or assimilate what I ate...In addition I was experiencing severe pain in my joints, my hips, my spine, shooting electrical currents up my legs all night long and feet that couldn't stay still, my muscles cramping in both legs and feet - I could barely place them on the floor in the morning they hurt so bad. The pain was unbearable but I bore it...and I was determined it would be temporary and this too I would over come. After each radiation treatment I would come home and it hurt to lie on either side - my hips throbbed. I remember coming home from one particular treatment and lying down on my bed and all of a sudden my feet and legs were flailing all over the place - I had virtually no control of what was going on in my lower extremities and I was completely horrified at what I was witnessing and the realization that I could not stop it. Of course each and every doctor appointment I would fill out my health questionnaire and relay what was happening and it always fell on deaf ears. One of my doctor's told me it fell on deaf ears because they were not the ones that had to live with it and what had happened to me was overwhelming - he suggested not telling new doctor's everything because it was just too much. I had one oncologist as he looked at the questionnaire they provided tell me he was only concerned if the cancer was there - it didn't matter that what I was experiencing stemmed from the very treatments that they had prescribed. Another oncologist two years later told me they gave me too much radiation and chemotherapy for my system - that they were over aggressive. At this point that statement was not news to me. As time rolled on bit by bit I learned the extent of the damages from my treatments. Besides the debilitating damages to my intestines it was recommended having my colon removed due to the radiation damages. Thankfully I declined believing that if my large intestine was damaged, surely my small intestine was as well. Years later this was confirmed. I had damages from head to toe - my hearing was affected, cataracts both eyes, my gums, pericardial effusion, costochondritis, lungs, spinal cord injury (the small nerves that run along the spine got radiated) Tarlov cyst in my sacral canal, osteopenia in the hips, photopenia in the sacrum...auto-immune diseases abounded - at one point it was questioned if I now had Auto-Immune Phenomenon in addition to everything else. Raynaud's - my feet and hands would turn an embarrassing shade of gray black, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, bilateral peripheral neuropathy....Lung cancer and surgery to remove two wedges from my upper left lobe in 2013 and currently numerous precancerous nodules on both lungs. I'll stop here I just wanted to paint the picture and give you an idea what I was dealing with 24/7, day after day after day. Year after year. After year...and still am. Every day.

I started my Yoga practice many years before the diagnosis for cancer or rheumatoid arthritis, osteopenia, photopenia any of these challenges that I was now facing. Between each surgery I continued my teacher training. I kept at it. I walked, I did Yoga daily and it helped. It helped. It relieved the pain. It relieved my mind. It lightened my heart. It helped me to persevere, to be tenacious. It allowed me to move and to find my mobility and range of motion again after each and every surgery. I found if I was faithful to my practice that it would be faithful to me. It never lets me down. I always feel better after being on the mat. I chose to work at this rather than taking medications. I'm not saying this is the road that you must take - I chose, I didn't want to put anything else in my body that I didn't  feel would resolve the issue - I did not want to just mask it. I wanted to feel good, clear headed. I wanted to be normal again. Whatever that was. My neurologist at one point said he didn't know how I was functioning - I told him how powerful Yoga and walking are. He said I recommend daily for the rest of your life for the pain - duragesic patch, ketamine, methadone and morphine. I stepped up my practice. Made all the difference. When I miss a day my body knows and tells me...if I miss a couple of days my body gets louder...I try not to miss any days - even if for only 30 minutes - time to settle my mind, time to unkink all the kinks, to lengthen and strengthen my limbs and my spine. As you lengthen you allow better blood flow to your sore, stiff and or swollen area's - you open things up so they can "breathe" again - so you can breathe again. So your blood can flow properly to the pained and constricted area's. It does not matter how fully you can come into a pose, what matter's is that you are doing it at all. Consistency pays off handsomely.

I've learned falling down didn't mean failure but it was a gift to find what could help me to get back up again...a gift because I could share this with someone else, I could help another with what I've learned. Life is not about what we get but what we give and how. We all contribute to the collective whole. No matter how hard the fall or how hard the steps if you focus and keep putting one foot in front of the other, take a look around and take in the full view as you go, each and every step is and will get easier. Our illness does not define us or who we are. We define us, we choose who we are, who we want to be and how we want to be.

You see Yoga does not just help the body to maintain strength, structure, the foundation of the whole, while increasing its mobility and range of motion - anything of the physical realm...or physiologically helping our organs to function better - more efficiently the way they were meant to. A consistent Yoga practice helps in opening our minds, our views, how we handle things because you see everything that you learn on the mat as you attempt to still your mind and open your body you naturally bring into your life off the mat as well. It's a part of you. While you are on the mat you are learning to accept yourself and embrace your self where you are. It goes beyond patience, there is a forbearance. When I don't push there's no struggle...only ease...on and off the mat.

We all have so much potential inside of ourselves just waiting to be nurtured and released...which has the ability to enrich and gift countless other's...oh yes, we are all connected. It's a chain reaction - every single gesture, word, tone...it reverberates and touches and affects might I dare say hundreds, maybe more, thousands? Yes. Your reactions and actions have that power. You learn on the mat that gentle is strong, strong is gentle. That silence has a rhythm, a tone, and is indeed musical in and of itself. That movement exists and unfolds in the stillness...as it lets go and uncoils.

We choose. Every day we decide when we open our eyes, right then and there how our day is going to unfold. That's right. We have a choice. Whatever we tell ourselves is exactly right and will be just that - it gets internalized into our very fiber and is reflected through us - our day will go exactly as perceived. We have a choice as to what we think, how we feel and how we choose to live. Our minds are so eager to grasp anything we feed them. It's important to nurture and nourish our minds in the same way that we do our bodies. Each and every thing we focus on we MAGNIFY. It's true, simple fact...here comes that "c" word again. Choice. Choose to believe that each and every thing that you do is going to help you in one way or another. And don't stop at one thing or two or three or a hundred. Keep going. Build that toolbox up, build your body, your mind, your spirit up. When they are all working in unison, together they can unknot, soothe, strengthen and empower you to put another foot forward. There is a difference between quality of life and quantity and if you are willing to put forth the effort consistently you can change not only the quality of your life but you can also lengthen the quantity. I have found personally with the myriad of issues that I face on a daily basis that it is not just one simple thing that is the magic antidote but each and every thing that I do coming together to make a whole. I try to consciously live every day. Being aware of my actions, my reactions, each and every effort - each and every opportunity I have to make a difference for myself, for other's and sadly when I notice I missed an opportunity. Effort, you have to put some forth if you want a better quality of life...of the physical, of the mental, of the soul. Yes, this too is learned on the mat. There are many days where it is hard to even move or the continuing exhaustion that hits you like a train - just drawing my next breath can be an effort...that's ok - not every day's practice is going to be consistent or like the days before. Our body's change with every breath...healthy or not...they are not static and things do shift. So we learn to accept this truth and many other's...hopefully with a grace that has been cultivated on and off the mat. I choose to see the good, each little improvement...and not focus on the aches and pains. I choose to not spend my time this way, live my life this way. I don't want to miss all the wonderful things because I've been too busy looking at the wrong things...and the days when I'm in agonizing pain...I thank God...because I know regardless of what my body is experiencing, goodness and beauty existed in this day and with every breath I create a new moment, a new day and reality if I so choose. Choose wisely, visualize with thought where you want to be and how you want to be. Then step forward.

On the mat you learn the art and benefit of fine tuning visualization. Envisioning the muscles, the joints, your very insides in movement...that visualization helped me to listen to my body better, to understand how it moves, where movement starts - what felt good, what wasn't quite right, how subtle changes had great impact, how things came together and worked in unison if we let them. Yoga helped me to quiet the chatter in my head so I could better hear what my body was telling me and yes, to hear other's - what was and wasn't being said. Hips are throbbing in pain...hmm, when I put a block in-between my upper thighs and rotate my muscles inward and grip that block using my thigh muscles I encourage my muscles to come together to form a strong girdle of support and align my spine.. I lengthen instantaneously, my foundation becomes stronger and stable. Amazing. The pain goes away when I incorporate this move for a couple days whenever I get the chance...and when it reappears I grab my block. I gently strengthen and encourage my body to rise up and be what it can be. I work with my abilities, not my disabilities.

To live is not a spectator sport. If you want to have some sort of quality in your life, in your health you have to work at it - you have to put forth a certain degree of effort. "Like attracts like, like creates like." On the mat we learn that pushing lays the foundation for everything to stop and freeze up - that our muscle spindles will put on the breaks preventing us from going too far, too soon, too fast...that actually pushing creates resistance. You learn grace in letting go, stepping back, humility in accepting where and who you are...and when you let go and release your grip you will find you will not only go further in a pose and in life but tensions tend to diminish as well. You learn on the mat to release what serves you no purpose and to cultivate that which does. You learn during your practice how to hold gently without constricting and how to let go lovingly...we all, each one of us has something to offer, to teach, to help, to encourage another. Each and every thing we do and say has the capacity to build and strengthen or harm and weaken.

Hope. Hope leaves room for doubt. Trust. Trust expects the best. Action ensures it. Hope serves a purpose but don't get stuck in hope - remember it is nothing more than a stepping stone to something more, nothing more. Hoping isn't going to improve any persons current challenges or health. Yes, I know, sacraligious to say almost - everybody touts "hope", have "hope" things will get better, have hope things will change. Hope is great but, no, it does not have the capacity to make the changes or encourage a beneficial difference to your swollen and or stiff and aching joints. Trust that you can make a difference with your effort. Believe. Know that you can. And then do it. I learned to trust the process, to be happy and content where I stood. That no matter how bad things were or seemed that there was a mirror image of what was good, great, glorious. "G" words, gotta love them. That on the flipside of extreme torturous pain there was my breath that could bring calm and iron out the tight, swollen or spasmed muscles and joints that were gripping me - unfolding my body so it could take that God giving oxygen in to nourish and heal - to move, to circulate, to soothe. My breath, Pranayama, unobstructing the breath, could bring calm and restore my vision and my focus so I could see where to place my foot next, to see that I could. That everywhere I stood was something to encourage me to go further, to see the beauty that existed everywhere. Everywhere. I learned valuable information through my pain. The pain follows me daily. Always varying in intensity from one moment or day to the next. I tried to stop it. I learned that I couldn't always entirely - I have indentations where the muscles used to be on the sides and backs of my thighs. Due to the spinal cord injury the muscles wasted, atrophied regardless of what I was doing... in spite of this and the inevitable weakness - there are times I can't feel my feet making contact on the ground or my legs that come above them, feelings of disembodiment, limbs like lead and of course balance issues to give further challenge. We can't control everything but we certainly can make a difference. We have the ability to make change even if only in our minds.

My first Yoga teacher training I learned to be bold - to strip away the trepidation of taking on such a big, lengthy and intense training with all of the damages I was being challenged with. They were very long days hoping to make it to the bathroom in time, every time. When I could not eat but a nibble or drink a sip until I got home to eat - and then I would be up all night in agony in the bathroom, and then on to class with no sleep only to do the same thing over and over and over again. I tried then and I continue to try now to function with all of these challenges - juggling them every single day. During my first training I began to question and doubt myself. How can I teach other's when my body could no longer move the way it used to? How could I teach other's when I could not physically do every pose? I thought long and hard on this conundrum and I realized it's not just the body or the pose - it's the mind you bring to the practice. I had a lot to share, I had experiences that could help other's. I learned that one teacher is never enough for anyone. I learned how to modify what and how I did things to accommodate what other's may perceive as a failing. There is no such thing as failing, not when you are trying. My pain is my gift to everyone else around me. I learned different ways to move to accommodate my hurts. I learned that certain hurts made you hold your body in different ways. I learned that we are, we really are stronger than we know...and we are enough as we are.

           People can't see the pain, illness, disease or the mountains you climb to get to the height you are at...that's ok. One foot in front of the other. Our thoughts are like seeds that grow...our minds take root and are like sponges, the soil that absorbs these  thoughts...and beliefs...
           

            My affirmation...my nutrition for my mind...
            I not only think I can...
            I know I can.

Meet yourself where you are...
strengthen your foundation...
and then begin to build your way up and beyond...

See you at the top.

The Arthritis Foundation and Dr. Steffany Moonaz  October 27th 2015     Copyright 2015 Karen Armstrong E-RYT, LVCYT All Rights Reserved 

Amen.

Have a great day.

Stuff

BayLEE

COOKIE

BAYLEE, the very sick kitty on Bay Street that I rescued Sunday morning, went to the another vet yesterday, where HE (yes, already neutered too) was given a shot of convenia, given some ear medicine, drontal and revolution, and was prescribed to come back in 14 days for a recheck.  It was determined that he was between 8-10 years of age.   An MRI was suggested IF and WHEN the 14 days are up and he doesn't seem to be doing any better.   I can tell you this.  He is a SWEETHEART.  AND, he doesn't appear to have any aggression toward the other cats.  I've got to find him a home, along with Cookie, who might have to be the only feline in the home.

His vet bill Monday was $90.  Yesterday's bill was $85.  This money comes right out of my pocket, from my measily paycheck.  Keep in mind, most established rescues have a fund they dip into for medical procedures that are funded by donations.  Grants.  I don't have that luxury.  I am paying for all of this on my own.  I appreciate every cent I get from the few who regularly donate to me.  But otherwise, I am broke from doing 'rescue'.  Thats rescue PLUS feeding over 30 pounds of dry food a day, and 30 pounds of wet food also.  AND getting up at 3 am. to go out in the dark and feed over 70 cats waiting for their only meal all at various locations, each and every day.

Someone suggested a GOFUNDME account for Baylee.  I am NOT good at starting things that would benefit me, nor do I have time to do it.  I have been disappointed in the past when I have tried to do stuff like this.  Not sure how this would be any different.  But it was a good suggestion.  And I have a hard time asking for money.  Period.  :(

Birdie and Poppy, the last of the five kitten litter, have yet to be adopted, but were spayed yesterday, and were running around the house this morning like little hellions.  They are adorable.

Please save the date!  September 17th is the third annual Meow & Chow!  :)

Thanks to those that are reading this.  Its not always good news, but its all I've got.

Have a great day.

• I promise I will take your unwanted animals.
• I will heal their wounds, their diseases, their broken bones.
• I will give them the medical attention they need and deserve.
• I will nurture their starvation and give them a warm place to sleep.
• I will spay and neuter them, vaccinate them against the diseases that can harm them.
• I will treat them and honor them.
• I will buy them toys, blankets, balls and teach them to play.
• I will speak softly to them.
• I will try to teach them not to fear, not to cry and not to hate.
• I will whisper sweet, kind, gentle words into their ears, while gently trying to stroke their fear, their pain and their scars away.
• I will face their emotional scars and give them time to overcome them.
• I will socialize them, potty train them, teach them to be obedient, show them dignity
• I will hold their paws and stroke their ears if they have endured too much and walk them over the Rainbow Bridge....

Picture Perfect

Today is picture day.  My friend, Katherine, who rode with me last week, had an awesome camera given to her by her dad, and she took the opportunity to capture some of the kitties on my route.  These pictures will amaze you because all these cats, are sweet and need a home.  Can you imagine?  And this is just within my little area that I feed.  Just amazing.  And just so very sad.

Today was TNR day and I failed.  I set two traps at five different locations.  And believe me, there was ample time for the cats to go in and eat the yummy smelly tuna fish awaiting inside.  I set it at Melville, at first Parsells spot and drove off to do the rest on the Front Nine, as I call the first six spots of my daily route.  Went back to check on Melville and Parsells  before going to do the back nine and all I had was Mr. Fluffy Red kitty in the trap yelling, HELP, LET ME OUT.  I:VE ALREADY BEEN NEUTERED!  Nothing at Parsells, pack up, feel like half a failure.

I then set the trap on Central near Fifth, where there are a whole bunch of unspayed/unneutred cats.  This is where I just rescued Cookie.  These cats are SMART!  They were milling around, but nothing.  The trap had sat there for half hour, at least.  The other trap was set at Ferndale and Webster.  Nothing there either.  I felt like a total failure.

After all this, at my last stop on Pennsylvania near Fourth, I spotted a muted tortie that obviously has had kittens recently.  Another failure.  Must get her spayed.  The problem is, most there are already fixed, so it will be hard to trap her unless done with a drop trap.  I have her used to eating out of a bowl that I set closer to the street.

Speaking of this particular spot, thank you to those of you that donated the flowers for my little garden here.  Actually, its the cats little garden.  I think I am all set with flowers, its looking really beautiful.  We had major rain last night (did anyone hear that hail and thunder in the middle of the night?  YIKES!~)

My headlamp that I paid good money for several years ago has bit the dust.  I have now purchased the most expensive you can get locally in the hardware stores (below $30) and they are pretty cheap in comparison.  These have batteries that don't last long.  The nice one I had you had to charge it.  So, my wish list now includes batteries - Double A and Triple A.

BAYLEE

Baylee was brought to my vet yesterday (RCAC was closed for walk in appointments) and after hearing that it would cost between $400-600 to do the testing needed.  He is a neutered male, uneartipped.  They did confirm it is not an upper respiratory infection, but more like "could be an oral nasal fistula, abcess spreading into nasal cavity, but the breathing suggests more.  Cancer?"  Baylee tested negative on combo test.  I have another appointment for him today at another clinic.

Birdie and Poppy are at clinic today for spaying.  They are so ready to be adopted.  Please help to spread the word.

No news on the situation that I mentioned yesterday.  The Humane Society will not give me any information.  If I could go to that house and break in and steal that dog, I would.

Take a good look at these pics (click on them to enlarge them), and help me to find homes for these sweet angels.

Have a good day.

Mr. Fluffypants #2 on Baldwin

Baldwin Babies

Mr. Fluffy Red on Short Street - unneutered

Mr. Whiskers #2 on Short (right)

SAM on Short Street

Big Red #2 on Pennsylvania and Fourth

Garden looking a little sad - pre-planting

New Shelters on Niagara (that blue bowl is already missing)

THE END.

ugggh.

What can I say today.  This was a tough weekend for me.  It started out great.  On Friday, I got so much accomplished on my day off from work.  A little shopping, a little baking and cooking, a little cleaning... and little down time...  heaven.  Saturday was not so pleasant.    I was in a situation where I witnessed something I didn't know existed.  I've heard about things like this, but never witnessed.  Not only was it a sad living condition situation for a person who truly loves animals, but the animals themselves were not in a situation that any animal should be in.  This poor emaciated no fur left black lab.  No fresh air, sunshine, freedom.   I left there feeling completely hopeless, but made a call to a friend, who made a call to have the police sent there to check it out, and was also advised to call the humane society.  I did.

I know this person is reading this and I want you to know, my heart goes out to you, but first and foremost, my heart is with those animals.  I know you don't see it the way I, or others see it.  I know you have long suffered in your life also, but there is help for you out there, but there isn't for those animals unless someone does something for them.  Please let us help them.  

I am praying something happens, if not yesterday, then today.

My friend who adopted a feral kitten last year from Melville, Mikey, got out last week and hung around the bushes outside, but was finally captured and brought back in.  His mom had noticed his stomach was getting larger and larger, and he was becoming more and more lethargic.  Not eating.  Finally, after some fancy footwork, he was captured once again inside the house, and brought to the vet.  It was determined he most likely had FIP and was suffering very much.  He was euthanized within minutes.

Just prior to this, I received a text from Cammy's parents, who adopted sweet Cammy just shy of a year ago, in which they said Cammy was now hospitalized and not doing well.  Cammy had FIV, but FIV is not a death sentence.
"We brought him back to the vet on Wednesday for another asthma shot (he has had a difficult allergy season) and also to be treated for a UTI. Unfortunately, the UTI treatment wasn't working fast enough and we had to have him hospitalized this morning after a rough night :(   He has a blockage. They are trying a catheter and a round of iv antibiotics-we are trying to determine if we are able to continue caring for him...or if he will still have a quality life. I hate to see him so bad off and if it has been a chronic problem we may have to consider other options. We want to do what is best for him" 

Of course, I don't know what is wrong with Cammy, or what his treatment options are, but I can tell you that this loving family would do anything possible to help him, within their means.  And I do not fault anyone for not going the extra mile in spending their last cent to even try to figure out what is wrong.  Cammy has had a good life since I rescued him from the streets. He's had a LOT of love surrounding him, and I am sure that even he would agree, its been a wonderful life the past two years for him.  God speed Cammy.

So you see, its been pretty rough.  But I have to say this:  The cats I've rescued over the years, nearly 80 just last year, have all been pretty healthy.  They come right off the streets.  Whether they came from the streets or the shelters, we don't know their medical history until they are brought to the vets where they are given a check up, a few blood tests to determine if they are leuk positive or FIV positive.  But you can't test for everything out there, most people just don't have that kind of money.  Veterinary medicine is very expensive.  So you trust that all will be well when you take your fluffy little buddy home with you.  Don't ever give up on these creatures, just because you got them from the street.  Look at the suffering that was alleviated just this past week with Cookie's rescue, who was suffering from Pyometra, and now unnamed little Bay Street boy, who can't barely breathe.

Oh, and by the way, I rescued sick Bay Street boy, yet unnamed.  He goes to the clinic today to find out why he can't breathe very well.  I am over my head with the two kittens, Cookie and now him.

Please keep sharing and getting the word out.  I need help with fosters!!!  I can't rescue anymore until I can get help!  Thank you for any help you can offer.

"Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o'er wrought heart and bids it break."  ~Shakespeare

TGIT

The following post/paragraph below was written back in August of 2015.  Its of a cat I rescued that had been hit by a car on Webster Avenue, near Ferndale and Parsells, brought to RAS, was treated, and then after Habitat for Cats was contacted about her, they reached out to me to see if it was one of the kitties I had been feeding there.  I said it was, but that the sweet little thing couldn't go back.  I soon found someone who offered to take her in.

Peanut then on the streets trying to survive

""Sweet Peanut, the kitty I rescued this very corner after she was hit by a car and brought to RAS, who wanted to release her back there, is doing great in her new home.  Her mom was having issues with her getting along with her older cat, but since she was brought home from surgery on Friday, they seem to be getting along.  Could it be the cone on her head?  :)  She is an angel to me, and so is her Mom.  She financed an entire tooth extraction, and hernia surgery for this little one.  God bless them both,and Peanut, you had better be kinder to your older sister!

Well will you look at them now!  :)

PEANUT now.  

Some other updates:  Little kittens Charlie and Arnie are doing well in their new home, but Charlie is having a medical issue that we are all hoping he gets better soon.  But they are active, eating and playing, so will keep you posted on this.

I never hear from Sparky's mom.  I regret the very day I allowed her to take him, but I can only hope and pray that she is being good and kind to this little fellow.  I have reached out to her many times, but she doesn't seem to want communication from me.  I pass her house daily on my way to work and look for signs.  But what am I looking for???  She has given me a deposit to be refunded when he is neutered, but she hasn't reached out for help in that respect either after I told her I could find her lower cost for the neuter.  I don't think she has much money, which is why I offered.

The red cat on Bay Street is now drooling.  I am heartsick leaving him every day.  My hope is that this home visit goes well on Saturday with a woman who offered to foster him, and I can then grab him Sunday morning, keep him over night, and get him into the clinic for a check up on Monday walk in hours.  Please say a prayer for this little guy.  This is another reason why FOSTERING is so important.  Please consider.  There are just so many out there that need us.

The kittens trapped from 7th are coming around in their new foster home.  They are yet unnamed as their foster mom wasn't thrilled on the names I chose.  And that's ok!  She's a good girl.  She is also the one that has to talk them them daily!  So we are trying to agree on something in the middle.  I like cutsie and real people names, she likes character names from the shows she watches.  I am trying to keep everyone happy, so .....  hopefully next week I will have names for them, most likely boy and girl.

Life is crazy.  That's all I can say.  I wish it were more simple, but its not.  I deal with sadness day in and day out.  But I always remain hopeful and positive.  Hope is the key.

Have a GREAT day everyone!  :)

PS, my wish list:  brown, dark green or black tarps.  All sizes.  A new trap.  Food.   Donations.  Thank you in advance!

"Everyone should smile. 

 Life really isn't that serious. 

We make it hard. 

The sun rises. 

The sun sets.

We just tend to complicate the

process."

Killers in the Midst

Cuteness for the day.  No, not me.  Meet Max and Chewie who were rescued this past weekend and are now in the hands of a great foster mommy.  They just need to be socialized a bit as they have been on their own since birth.  I think their Mommy will be released back to Seventh Street after her surgery yesterday to tough it out on her own.  Laura from Habitat for Cats has taken care of her.  That is always the heartbreaking part for me.  Letting them go.  But its wonderful to know that these two will not be left to TRY to survive on their own after their two siblings were brutally murdered by the hands of what I think were raccoons.

Max and Chewie

In the meantime, I will be meeting a new foster this weekend and hoping all goes well so that she can take in 'Mario' (who the potential foster named) - the sick red kitty on Bay Street that I've been medicating and feeding for nearly a month and a half now.  I will grab him, and get him to the clinic to figure out whats going on with him.  Hopefully Sunday or Monday morning.

I have Friday off.  So excited.  I have so much to do around my house.  My niece is moving into an apartment today, but has nothing.  I need to scout around and find stuff.  She has nothing kitchen wise.

Poppy and Birdie are adorable.  They are CRAZY in the morning, running all over the house, ZIP ZIP here and there.  Love their toys, love to jump each other!  Must find them a good home, together!  Hopefully they will be spayed next Tuesday.

POPPY!

BIRDIE!

Cookie is totally adorable, but still a brat with the others.  I have as wooden slatted gate up so that she can look out and they can look in, and she is definitely curious to come out.  Wonder what she would do if I just let her.  She has some gunk in her ears that I need to figure out how to clean first though before she mingles.  Her breathing is sounding better, so the convenia shot she received last Tuesday must be working.

Cookie!

Also, lets not forget Penny - Birdie and Poppy's mama, who is being fostered by my friend Ciara.  Penny needs a home, someone to give her plenty of love so that she can learn to trust again.

Speaking of...  Marvin from Melville was not a happy camper in the trap on my porch overnight.  He was flailing himself all over that each time I removed the cover.  I don't think he ate much either.  Another sign of a true feral.  He was let out this morning and ran as fast as he could.  Sad.
Please spay and neuter your pets!

Have a nice day!

"Rescue animals aren't broken, they've simply

experienced more life than other animals.

If they were human, we would call them wise.

They would be the ones with tales to tell and

stories to write, the ones dealt a bad hand who

responded with courage.  Don't pity them. 

Do something.  Help to rescue.  Donate.  Volunteer. 

Foster.  Adopt.  And be proud

to have their 

greatness by your side."