Dark Side of the Moon

Isn’t that an album title for Pink Floyd?  Love it.  Last week, at about 5 in the morning, I was out and looked to the sky and remembered hearing the day before that there was to be an eclipse.  Well….  How cool was that?  I took a picture, but obviously, with the moon being a trillion gazillion miles away, it looked like a little glowing dot in the picture.  But I thought to myself, how many people miss this kind of stuff?  I probably would have missed it if it weren’t for feeling guilty and obliged to go out and feed a hundred cats every other day.  And a handful every single day.  They say sleep is for the dead.  Stay awake and live now.  Plenty of time to do that the other way.

Let’s see, so last week, I was feeding on 7^th Street, and along comes this little itty bitty kitty – actually an older kitten – maybe around 7 months?  It was 5 am. and she rolled over on the ground.  I picked her up and noticed a lump on her belly.  There was no way I was going to leave this kitten in this neighborhood outside and run into the street, with a suspected hernia, and a big one at that.   So I scooped her up, and she joined the rest of the clan of kittens I am fostering, Graham, Chip, and Oreo. Yesterday I brought her to the clinic where they confirmed it was in fact a hernia, and that they would get her in ASAP.  

Meet Hazel:

Oatmeal was adopted, along with Rosemary, Basil, Nutmeg, Pepper, and Sage.  The Spice kittens were from Momma Cinnamon, who has also been adopted.  Oatmeal came from Wegmans in Irondequoit, where a call was placed to the police because shoppers in the parking lot heard meowing under a car engine.  Apparently, someone drove to Wegmans to shop, not realizing the kitten was under the hood.  So my police friend called me and of course, how could I say no.  Could you?

Oatmeal:

 

And some of the Spice Girls:

And of course, Purrrrrl - so beautiful, so shy, but will make someone SO happy:

I am not sure if I mentioned this in my last post, but on Garson Avenue, near Chamberlain, at my shelter, Sheryl found a baby kitten there.  And here I thought we got all the cats there spayed and neutered.  Someone new always comes along.  She brought him to me and it was clear that there was something wrong.  We placed him in the carrier and went on the rest of our route.  Once home, I drove directly to the Animal Hospital in Pittsford.  They asked me to leave him there and the doctor would call me when she could take a look.  I named him Baby Gee (grom Garson Avenue).  It was obvious, the arm was broken in several places, and the back legs weren’t working, and we don’t exactly know what happened, but when the doctor called me, the kitten also had blisters inside his mouth (blister is not the word….).  He had obvious neurological damage and was in very critical shape.  We discussed and made the decision to euthanize.  The doctor also reminded me of all the other cats I could save and rescue without spending – literally $1000s of dollars to diagnose, and treat.  And he was such a little guy.  He was in so much pain.  It's always crushing to me when I have to make this decision, but I don’t make it hasty.  I have to think of my small rescue, and what I can actually do to keep it going.  Money.

On Sunday I drove to Hilton to bring a few bags of critter bedding that someone donated - and I wanted out of my car! - and brought to a wildlife rehabber, here are some of the critters I met!

Finally, just to put it out there, I work for United Way, and a year ago I was told that it is a conflict for me to participate in the ROC The Day while I am employed by them.  ROC the Day is a 24-hour, online giving extravaganza powered by United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes that takes place annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, also known as Giving Tuesday. Roc the Day gives people in our community an opportunity to support all of the not-for-profit organizations doing great work  Rochester area. This year, Roc the Day will take place on November 29 from midnight to 11:59 pm.  So I will reach out via Facebook, and this blog, asking for help to support me through the coming months.  I am happy to send you a tax receipt for your donation.  I cannot continue to do this without your support.

I thank you and wish you a great day! 💓