Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys

Waylon Jennings?  Good tune.  It somewhat relates to the fact that on my route this morning, I chased away three mother raccoons and each had three babies!  I felt bad chasing the babies away, who couldn't run very fast, but hey!  Get your own food!   

This morning, around 3 am., I got up to let the dog out, and boy was it humid.  As I got back on the couch! (yes, the only cool room in the house was the living room), I thought it sounded like it had started to rain.  Then I heard, over the buzz of the AC, the thunder, then saw the lightening through the curtains.  Then came the thoughts of the babies out there trying to find shelter.  I thought of a couple of my own kitties who are so scared of the thunder they run and hide somewhere in the house.  Then thought of the homeless cats that have that same fear but where do they run to?  Thank goodness that at 5 am., when I had to leave the house to feed, the rain had stopped.  As I drove to my first location, I felt very sad.  I started to feel very sorry for myself.  What I do every single day of my life gets to me sometimes.  I thought, I have no spare money for the many repairs I need on my house, I have no money to go anywhere for a vacation, nor could I if I did because who is going to feed the cats that depend on me daily.  I thought, this situation is so hopeless.  That is until I pulled up to the second feeding spot, where Big Red, Talkie, Lucille and the little calico hang, including Red who's been coming over from the next street lately.  I saw something odd in the driveway, and as I got out of my car to see, I heard my name.  It was Laura, this woman who helped out with the TNR project with Lollipop last month.  She came by to trap some of my kitties for spaying.  I thought to myself, here is this selfless woman coming to help me out, without me even asking.  She got up on her own, came down to the hood, and was willing to sit there and wait for the kitties to go into her box trap.  Thats when I stopped my pity party and knew that I had to snap out of it.  I thought, I don't know this woman except for her name and that she is a good trapper.   But look at what she is doing to try to help these animals.  So as I drove to my next location, and saw the look on the face of the cat there waiting for me, I knew I had a purpose and that I must continue to do it and not regret a second of it.

I saw Crazy "Lucy" yesterday on her bike around 6 am. in another neighborhood I feed in, not far from her house.  I saw this person from behind and thought, thats 'Lucy".  Sure enough, I drove up, rolled down my passenger window and said hello.  She muttered something about going to get her money.  I told her this was where I feed kitties and she said 'they stole mine'.  And then she started to leave.  As she did, for a moment I felt sorry for her.  I know deep in her sick mind she does love cats and thinks what she does to them is good.  To live your life with a mental illness like hers is terrifying to me.  I have to thank God every day that I have my health, for now, and my wits about me. 

Pictures below are of Winston (aka Stinky), formerly Buddy.  I rescued Buddy back in the fall of last year, when I was feeding all those cats I didn't have shelter for near Miss B's old place, and Wally's current one.  He was just a baby kitty and I had him for a long time before this kind girl and her husband heard about me and contacted me when they were looking for a companion for their girl, Magic (aka Mean Girl).  Magic is pictured here also.  Winston is one happy cat with his new family, although it was very hard for me to let him go, he was like one of my own.  But his new Mommy keeps in touch with me and for that I am very grateful!

 Winston

Magic