Novel Tuesday!

Kind of a long post today, hope you able to get through it!

Boy did the Smudgster hit the jackpot!  Do you remember Miranda Smudgey?  She is the kitty I rescued from Melville Street.  Is this one happy kitty or what.  I am SO glad I got her off the streets!  She is SO loved by her new family!

Blackie on Stout - his only home under a porch

Do you remember Blackie?  I had to get him away from the only home he had known, on Stout Street between Grand and Garson because of these nasty folks that were renovating the deteriorating house there, and wanted all the cats GONE, and they didn't care how they got there, but they wanted them gone!  I had to move Blackie quick, and the nicest folks offered to take him in to their country property.  Here is his story through Blackie's Dad's eyes:

Thanks Janine,

I was having a really tough time in the city of Rochester. I think you rescued me just in time. I was really scared when I came to Yates County. I jumped my cage and hid in and around the many nice out buildings they have here. I came for food and water every night but would not let anyone see me for a long time. I found fresh food and water every night, the light was on in the barn every night also so I could see.

Pretty soon a tiger cat showed up and hung out with me. He said he lived across the street and he would help me out. He also said my barn was better than living under the mobile home he had across the street. Soon, many bales of straw showed up and we had 2 straw apartments built out of them with 12 inches of straw on a plywood base inside for sleeping on. The top of the bales had a penthouse suite. My cage was placed there and they covered it with furniture throws and put a wool afghan and blankets inside for really cold nights. Tiger brought friends over and I and about 4 friends were getting by with plenty of food and water. I let the humans that live on the farm get a quick look at me once in a while.

The winter just kept getting colder and colder. I wandered over to the humans house and found a small cardboard box with a wool blanket over it right next to the house door.

Heat was coming out and I went inside and found a heated rug inside. Outside had a full bowl of food and a heated water bowl that would freeze many nights. There was a nice lady that would put fresh water out for me every day. One night a blizzard came and it was so cold even in my heated box I thought I was going to freeze to death. I gathered up my courage and started beating on the screen door and howling as loud as I could. The nice lady and the man that worked in my barn came to the door and told me I had to stop beating on the screen but that I could come in until the blizzard was over.

I was allowed to stay inside that night but the man and woman talked about me for a long time. I did not know what they were saying but I did not think it was good. The man went to the other room and was moving things around for a long time. He came back in and told the woman he was finished. They took me into the large cement floored room with lots of things in and put me on a small couch with a furry bear rug on it and a wool afghan. they gave me food and water. I was scared. It was closed in and I could not get out. I found the floor had heat in it and the room was a pleasant 55 degrees all the time. I wanted to go out and run and play but I was very tired of the cold I had been in. I would sit and talk with the woman and came to like her but I was afraid of the man. I would only let the woman touch me for a while every day and then I would try to bite and scratch her and run off to a spot under a bench that had lots of stuff in front of it. I lived there for what seemed like many weeks. One day the woman came and opened the outside door and asked if I wanted to go out. It seemed cold after I had been in a 55 Degree garage for so long. I declined to go out. She did this every day for a few weeks. I got brave and after a while I would go out for a few minutes and every day stayed out a little longer. There were song birds everywhere and my cat friends were still there but they came and went, through the woods to their old home. It got warmer and I found my old heated box by the door that I had left a few months ago.

I was living outside happily in the nice weather in my house by the human's house door. One day a big, black pickup truck came and backed up to my old barn home. Several people got out and there were two kids making lots of noise that reminded my of living in the city. They went into my barn and were making lots of noise, then they left. I went to my old barn to see what had happened to it. I found it to be the same inside except there was a large cage with 7 other scared looking cats inside. I got scared and ran back to my box by the house. I didn't know what to think. Would they put me in the cage to? The days went by, I would go at night and look at the cats. They were scared and wanted to get out but I could not help them. After several days, I saw them outside a few times looking for hiding places. This went on for a few days. I checked the barn and the cage was taken down. There were 3 large bowls of food and water all full to the top. After a few days, the old mother cat came out and we were meowing to each other while I was sitting on my porch with my human friends. She said she and her 6 family members had been kicked out of Spencerport because they had made dogs bark at night and the neighbors did not like it.

I hear the humans calling this cat Mama Fluffy. I assured her this was a much nicer place than I had lived before and there was always plenty of food and water. There is also plenty of mice to hunt for and plenty of bugs to chase, also. I keep an eye on those cats but they seem to have found favorite places of their own and things they like to do. My cat friends from across the street seem to be spending more time over there but they still come to visit occasionally. I was starting to relax have a really nice time here and enjoy myself.

One day the adults got into their car and left early as they do. They did not come home until very late at night. When they got home they had a box with them, there was a terrible noise coming from the box. It sounded like dogs. I remembered them from the city and did not like them at all. I went and hid. I could hear this yipping noise and see very small little dogs running around from my vantage point in the bushes. I was not sure what to make of them but I did not care for them. They were here to stay for good, apparently. The woman let them out every few hours and some times took them for a walk. The dogs did not listen to the woman too well and she was always calling their names. Finn and Benton, Finn and Benton, Finn and Benton.

I really like the woman. She has been very kind to me since I came here. I decided I should help her out with the dogs and maybe she would stop calling them so much. When the dogs would run off I would follow them at a little distance. When the woman would call them, I watched. If they did not go back to her I would surround them and try to herd them back to her. I found it was easy. They did not know what to make of me. I started out at twice their size. They have gotten bigger but I am still bigger and stronger than them and they usually do what I want them to.

The humans built me a real wooden house. It has a small opening for the door and has 1 -1/2 inches of insulation on all sides and my heated rug is inside so I can stay warm when the cold returns this year. They even put my name on the box and a picture of me. I have a rug on the roof so I can watch all the movement at night from my house on the porch. I also have an extra bowl of food and water near me for when friends drop by.

I am feeling very happy as I reflect on my move to this new home. I no longer have to fight for food. I don't worry about bullying children, bad adults ruining my simple shelter, freezing to death or all the bad things I used to. I have wild animals here but I don't know much about them so I leave them alone and they pretty much ignore me.

I have 3 indoor cats I talk to through the screen door. I am not allowed to live inside with them because I am Leukemia positive. I have been to the Doctors a few times for a checkup, and some shots. They even took me when I was coughing last winter. I see Dr Pinkie and like her just fine. I have 2 Yorkie puppies I keep an eye on. I talk to mama cat and see she and her family are doing ok. I am hoping for some improvements to the barn for them before winter returns. I hear rumors that is coming and a pile of pine boards showed up recently.

In closing I just want to say Thank You so much, Janine, for all the cats you have helped. "YOU ARE MY HERO"

Signed,

BLACKIE

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!  Isn't that SWEET!!!

Today was TNR Tuesday, and I will be bringing in Momma kitty Susie from Seventh Street (her five kittens are alone there now.  :(  )  and a black and white Tuxie I got on Baldwin this morning - Bazza!  He allowed me to pick him up and throw him in the carrier - they don't always go easy - I have the scratches today to prove that. I met up with Laura from HFC who was kindly trapping to help me on Niagara and on Hebard.  She got a girl from Hebard, and allowed me to trap another on Niagara for her and I trapped a red beauty boy there!  

I think we are making a dent, eh?

Woo hoo!!!  Life is good!

Have a great day!

"You are not here merely to make a living.

You are here in order to enable the world to

live more amply, with greater vision, with

a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are

here to enrich the world, and you impoverish

yourself if you forget the errand."