Ah Chew!

Tis the season for colds.  When we get a cold, or get sick, we can go to a doctor.  Or we can go to a store and get some meds to make us feel better.  When cats get sick, they can't go to their local wooden shelter and open the medicine cabinet to get something to relieve them.  I am starting to see sick cats again.  The summer was pretty easy on them, but with the change in weather, and I am not sure how this happens, some seem to be getting ill.   The worst part of TNR'g for me is releasing sweet cats back out onto the street.  There is a very sweet grey cat on Third that is just like my Smokey, he craves attention when I arrive there in the morning, and would make the finest furry baby for someone.  I have wanted to get him off the street for a long while there, and it broke my heart to have to release him when I did.  Yesterday morning I had the flashlight out and shined it on his face, and his eyes were all watery.  Another cat was sneezing.  These poor animals will once again suffer through a winter season, if they make it. 

That is why I must get these shelters secure and cozy for them.  I brought a board yesterday morning to place under the large board I moved to the vacant lot near the bulldozed house.  It provides stabilty for the water dish and plates of food that are being covered by the large board.  Of course, when I pulled up to this spot yesterday morning, there was crazy Marilee standing there staring at the newly renovated house on the corner at 5:30 in the morning.  She is a middle aged woman, thin, short hair, somewhat sweet and fairly attractive.  She truly does care for the cats, but she is off her rocker, for sure.   We spoke about the demolished house, and how I was trying to rebuild a shelter in the lot, and she asked if I had gotten permission from the person who you never see who lives in the spooky house next door, where the windows are covered in blue plastic tarp, to allow the board to lean against their dilapidated fence.  I told her no, but that I wasn't worried about it.  We just had a short conversation because she talks about crazy stuff and I am always in a hurry to get my route done.

My mornings have been somewhat uneventful.  I also ran into the homeless guy I mentioned about a month ago shortly after the shooting on Short Street.  We had a nice conversation (as nice as you can get when you are under a streetlamp at 5:30 in the morning) and we wished each other a good day.  There are people along the way that come out of their house to leave and always wave and shout 'goodmorning' to me.  There really are nice people, who think what I do is kind, but really dont' want to be bothered to do it themselves, or don't have the means to do it.  Who does?  I am a true nutcase, I know, and other than two other people I know that do this in different ways, I am pretty unique.  And thats not a compliment to myself!  But I keep shuffling along, and try to cherish these next 23 hours of my day.

Have a good weekend everyone.