Terrific Tuesday!

Again this morning, I am nearly tripping over this very sweet young vivid red  colored male kitty that encircles me when I come to bring food to the Webster/Ferndale bunch.  I must get a picture, but what a good boy this little one is.  I wonder how it happens..  You take a feral cat (or was he just homeless and shy), neuter him, continue to feed him on a daily basis for nearly a year all the while gaining his trust, and all the while he struggles to survive through the four seasons, and the dangerous neighborhood surroundings he has to live in, and he becomes friendly.  How does that happen?   Does neutering a cat help with temperment?  I wonder...

My mission in the next month or so is to place shelters for each of my 14 or so spots.  Most that I had have been destroyed, or removed.  If you've followed along religiously with my posts, you know that those spots are pretty much safe again, and I can now place a shelter or two without too much worry.  I think most of the vandals, and kids, are 'getting it'.  They realize that I am just there to help the cats by providing some kind of shelter from the storms and feeding them so that they don't starve to death.   And that I am not going to go away.  So, my wish list would include plastic tarps, plastic tablecloths, that kind of covering, and shelters like old large plastic totes with a hole cut out on the bottom large enough for cats to get in and out, with some straw placed inside, with the cover on top for easy opening, and maybe even a little plastic flap over the hole to keep the inside dry and warmer.  Of course there are the AWESOME wooden shelter/huts that my friend Kristin and her friends and students have helped with, those would be ideal.  I've got way too many blankets and towels now.  Obviously, food and money donations are a blessing.

I don't often think like this, but this morning I thought to myself - here I am out caretaking for at least 13 'colonies' a day - in comparison to those lucky enough to have one or two in their own backyards.  I do all this out of my own pocket, and thank God for the occasional donations I receive.  I feed nearly 20 pounds of dry food a day to nearly 50 cats.  I feed 4 large plastic yogurt containers of wet cat food per day.  The cost is enormous to keep these City of Rochester cats alive and comforted.  I don't have help in doing the actual feeding, I still get myself out of bed 365 days a year, through the worst storms of the season, and trudge through the rain, sleet and blinding snow to put food down for these cats, I wish I had more help, but I don't.  I also don't usually complain out loud, but most of my friends and none of my family even contribute.   Not with food, nor money.  They don't even read my blog which is why I don't feel as uncomfortable writing this.  But for the ones that do, and you know who you are, thank you.  And Mom and sister Karen, thank you for adopting so many kitties from me when I really needed you to.  They thank you too. 

Thanks for listening to what turned into my rant for the day.  :)