Grab & Go!

My hands look a bit spooky here... :)

This guy came right up to the food dishes this morning at my first stop on Melville.  I noticed his ear was not tipped, he was friendly enough to allow me to pet his head, and then I reached behind him and felt his you know whats!  And they were there, for sure!  Another stray.  Another adoptable stray.  There are SO many cats on Melville!  Where are they coming from?

I was not able to get any TNR appointments until March 28th.  That's a bummer.  All those cats out there that I could be trapping.  This free spay/neuter Lollipop thing I've heard is booked up for months.  I know some of you have shared this with me but that's not an option for me.  My Catmobile won't make it back and forth, and that's a long time away.

Thank you to Marybeth and Liz for the shelters this morning.  Liz met me out at one of my locations and dropped of a great wooden hut, crafted by Diana, and a fabulous tote built up on wooden legs.  I am hoping that others will donate their time and resources to make more for me.  There are some really crappy shelters out there that are dirty, and outdated.  There are at least two locations I need to redo.  They are filthy, and the cats that call this their home deserve a better place.

Update on Jules/Garfield!  Remember this little cutie?  Rescued from Central!  He was trapped in the same trap as Cookie!  :)

Look at him now!!!

Can you say Kangaroo?

His new momma says:  "Janine, I haven't talked to you in so long but I know you want to know that Garfield has decided he is a human- this is his "normal" stirring position!!!   He is doing wonderful! "

Thanks to foster mama Melissa for socializing this little boy enough to be adopted!

And back by popular demand, another chapter from our writer Joel, who writes about what it must be like for the cats I feed out there.  If only they could talk, they would probably sound something like this!

Chapter Three - Thanks Joel!  What great reading!  :)

… what would the cats Janine cares for think of her ? What would it be like to eavesdrop on them on a cold winters night ?

A Guardian Angel - Chapter Three

… We rejoin Mittens and Cici as they enjoy a fresh pile of wet cat food left under a sagging porch on Melville street ….

   Mittens could not believe her good fortune as she wolfed down the juicy chunks of gravy covered meat in front of her. Her best friend Cici was right there beside her, occasionally jostling her as she gobbled up her own share of this unexpected bounty. She could actually feel her belly expanding, quieting the painful grumblings that normally accompanied her almost endless state of malnutrition. She knew she was going to owe her friend Cici big-time - she just hoped the payback wouldn't be something really valuable - like a fresh mouse or bird kill. (or a bony chicken wing from a recently overturned trash can)  But for now she was going to concentrate on the exquisite taste filling her mouth and nostrils. She could see that Cici was apparently reaching the same state of pleasure based on the way her whiskers were laid back along her face, as well as her folded ears. They made no sounds for now save the smacking and chomping as they filled their empty stomachs. Soon the pile of food on the plate had dwindled to just a few wet crumbs, and Mittens pulled back with a sigh of contentment. Her friend quickly lapped up the last few morsels, then sat back herself, regarding Mittens with wide eyes and almost fully dilated pupils.

"Oh Mittens - can you believe this ?" She exclaimed, "Is this a gift from heaven or what ? I haven't eaten that good since I was a kitten !"

"Yeah I know". She agreed, "Almost too good to be true. Where did this come from ? Was it left by a human ?"

"I think so. It’s a female human. She looks nice. She always speaks in a soft voice. I have no idea what she says, but she sounds almost … kind. I aint fallin for it though."

"Ha !" Mittens snorted, "Don’t let 'em fool ya. All humans is bad. Look how they treat us ! Like rats they do."

Cici looked at her friend with doubt.

"Not all of them Mittens - I remember when I was a kitten, a little girl human held me and petted me and gave me yummy chunks of white meat. Her father was the mean one. He was the one that threw me out the door late one night when I was barely old enough to fend for myself."

"Humph !" Mittens snorted again. "One little human female don't prove your point girl. Far as I'm concerned, they all bad. They bad as rabid rats with a zillion fleas jumpin around on 'em. You hear me girl - take the free handouts and git gone."

"Yeah I suppose your right." Cici sighed. "I just wish I could find that little girl human that was so nice to me. Maybe she's grown up now and doesn't live with her father anymore. Wouldn't that be great if I found her and she took me in ? Then I would be living like a queen ! Fresh food every day, and a warm bed to sleep in every night…"

"Psssssst" Mittens hissed in disgust. "Stop filling your pretty head with foolish dreams girl. You know that aint never gonna happen."

"Well aint you a wet blanket today." Cici replied acidly. "Didn't we just get free food from a human ? They cant all be bad if they given us free food !"

"Maybe. Maybe they just tryin to get us all relaxed and then BAM ! Into the cage and off the pound with us eh ? You know what happens then right ? Once you go into the humans truck you nevuh comin back."

"Forget it." Cici snapped. "You got your opinion, and I got mine. I'm gonna go back to my hideout and take a nap. I got to sleep off this full belly. Hopefully my dreams will be filled with more free food."

"Fine." Mittens replied. "I'll see you later then."

She watched Cici go out through the hole in the back of the warped porch skirting, waited a few minutes, the crept cautiously out the same hole. Seeing the immediate area was clear of any threats, she started back toward the corner grocery dumpster.

… To be continued ….

Have a great day!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."