"To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else."
Chronicling the adventures of one woman who is feeding and caring for the feral and stray cats in the Beechwood neighborhood of Rochester, NY
Monday, September 10, 2012
Kittens Galore!
I have to be a Debbie Downer to begin the week here. I try to sugar coat, and not dwell on the sad stuff most times when I write, but my heart breaks into pieces most days, and this weekend was hard. Sunday morning, as I was just finishing my rounds at my last stop, which by the way, Dave, the older gentleman that offered to sweep up the glass on the porch where I feed, never did. Anyway, I glanced across the street from this location, and saw two tiny baby kittens, both red and white, sitting there on the steps, watching me. They were huddled together. I quickly got a dish of wet food and brought it over to them, not too close as they would run away, and set it down on the sidewalk. I then pulled away and parked just down a ways to observe and see if they would go eat it. After awhile, they still hadn't. I was thinking they were so young that maybe they didn't know 'human' food yet, if they ever would at all. To think that these two innocent creatures - just babies - would be out there again all day on the street was just devastating. But in the line of business I am in with this cat feeding, I have to put this out of my mind quickly or it would drive me mad. I drove away and just said a prayer that they would be safe. I still can't understand how people in these neighborhoods can allow this. How they can turn a blind eye to this. I thought to my self I would try to trap these babies, and they would surely have to go somewhere to a shelter, I just can't take anymore in. When will I do this, I don't know. Its very hard just feeding all these cats in the morning, let alone stopping to trap. My joints ache, I don't get enough sleep, I am beside myself. If only someone could share my route with me, life would be more manageable.
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Honey, you are burnt out! The "poor" people of those neighborhoods can probably barely take care of themselves let alone so many stray cats/kittens. It is likely commonplace to them at this point. Do your best, be gentler/kinder to yourself and move forward one (achy) step at a time!!! xoxox
ReplyDeleteGood point - you are burnt out trying to do good in the nastiest of places. These folks don't have the ways nor means to care for much other than staying alive themselves (or getting their drugs, etc.) The cats will survive just as they've done forever (yes even WITHOUT Janine feeding them) because they are predators - they'll catch and eat vermin (mice & rats) that infest these places. They find shelter and do what they must to survive - just like the humans that live there. So you HAVE to ease up on yourself before something happens to YOU! That said - it'll never happen will it? No one in your family or friends will ever convince you - we just pray for you!
ReplyDeleteGan ba te "J" (hang in there). Is there no one else from our group in your area ? even tho I cannot get a leave pass to go to that area and help, I am still trying to get around it/him... We know they can survive to a point, but the fact that you alone , have done so much with positive results, make it compelling to us as individuals within our group that support each other in every aspect of TNR, to continue that work, for the continued success and growth of TNR.
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