Hump Day

SAWYER (one of my proud rescues - Thank you Lynn for giving him a chance!)

I had to release the kittens this morning.  You just can't imagine.  If you love cats, kittens or babies, you just cannot imagine having to do that.  But they are feral (although could be tamed if we had enough willing participants), and there really was no other alternative (yes, someone did offer to take one of them, but I have to assess what that person has on their plate already, and I have to assess other factors along with that, so I had to turn it down).  So out went Melville Marmalade.  The next release from yesterday's TNR would be Skye on Seventh Street.  As I began to walk to the back of the lot there to release her, in the quiet of the morning - 5 am. - I could hear this chattering type of noise.  I realized that it must be the bunnies in the shed behind the house of the man that died last week.  I thought - has the wife been caring for them???   I immediately called 911 and explained just that, and that animal service officers had been by to check out the initial complaint about the hoarding of bunnies back there in the summertime.  God forbid.  I will follow up on this today.  I had never heard that noise before - were they slowly starving to death?  Had the wife come back there at all since her husband's death?

Do y'all remember Cricket?  Another proud rescue!

Here he is now with his big brother - thank you Pattie for adopting him!

I pulled up to Niagara Street shelters and as I was pouring food I was startled by a voice - it was an older, short, soft-spoken black woman saying good morning.  I replied back, and then realized she was shaking, saying it was so cold.  She asked if she could get a ride to St. Paul, I told her I really didn't have time today. I also told her how long I had been out on the streets and how I had heard everything in the book from people, I said how did I know I could trust her.  She looked down at her self and said what am I going to do, I am a woman?  I said the jails are full of women.  She started to walk on, as I called out to her, 'I really feel bad, I am sorry'!  because I would do anything for anyone if the circumstance was right.  I crossed the street to place bowls under the fence for those cats over there that won't cross the street to the nice shelter, and I saw her heading back to me, asking which way was downtown.  I then said, 'OK, lets go, I will give you a ride as close as I can' (which turned out to be St. Paul!).  Her name was Estoria, she seemed innocent enough.  She thanked me for the ride, and off I went to finish my route.

I don't know if people realize it, but when I mention how much cat food I go through each week, its all for the homeless cats.  My OWN cats - they get one brand of food, and I don't even feed them wet food.  Isn't that funny?  They are perfectly fat and happy to munch on the Purina Indoor Cat Chow I buy them.  I go through two 16 lb. bags of dry, (Kitten Kaboodle which is $9.97 per bag), and then I go through 36 of the 5.5 oz. wet food (enough to fill 6 large yogurt sized containers).  A 32 pk. of that at Walmart is about $14.00.  Thats PER DAY.  After that, I use at least 12-15 of the smaller cans (Meow Mix cups) and two small bags of dry.  This is what I need to feed all these hungry cats, every single day, in the City of Rochester, Beechwood neighborhood - in the wedge from near Portland/Bay/Central Park/Goodman/Parsells/Culver.  18 locations!  70+ cats!  Its INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  When I had half the route I have now, it costs me $100 per week.  Now its double.  So, thank you for the kind drop offs of food, the kind donations to the clinic for spay/neuter, the kind donations to other vets for the vetting of sick animals I get, and for the donations I get on this blog through PayPal.  I don't get nearly enough, but every little bit helps, and I thank you!

Buttons goes to the doctor today for assessment of his teeth, with hopeful removal on Friday.

My wish list for today:

• Clavamox
• 2-gallon sized Ziploc bags
• pureed baby food (for Buttons and Violet - its all they can eat) - chicken or turkey
• $ for vetting these two sick angels
• wet and dry cat food.

Gracias.

:)

Have a wonderful day!

"I want, I'll try and I need are terms for failure, whereas I am, I will and I have are terms of success.  Change your mindset 

change your reality."