Wednesday - June's Story!

HERMIE says:  'Please adopt me."

Oh what a cold morning for March 2nd.  The winds whipped last night, I could hear rain against the windows, and then just the wind.  I knew the wind had turned into crystals.  Snow.  But alas, not as bad as had been forecasted - up to three inches of new snow.  No, we had just a dusting.  But the ice was pretty thick on the windshield so that took a while to scrape off, at 4 am., in the dark.  Not fun.  It really isn't.  Its such a chore to do this day in and day out.  You can't even imagine.  But once I get to that first spot on Melville, where there are at least four cats living in the hole in the house, and you see them come out one by one after you have placed the food and water down, you gather the strength needed to keep going.  You know there are so many more waiting for you.

I need to make appointments at the clinic for TNR today, I keep putting it off.  I put it off because I dread trapping.  There are so many factors to doing it.  You have to set the trap, check on it, then cover the poor frightened cat up so that it calms down.   Then you have to keep it until you can check in to the clinic, and leave it.  Then you have to bring it home, leave it overnight on your porch, place food and water into the trap for the animal to eat and drink once the drugs have worn off, check on the cat in the morning, and then release it back to the dangerous streets it came from.  The only good thing about it is that it will be a fixed cat.  It will have its rabies, distemper, and flea treatment applied.  And at $50 a pop.  That's it.  That cat will be lucky enough to show signs of being a good sweet kitty, all within a few hours, where I will then determine if I can get it adopted.  But that doesn't usually happen.  It does, however, happen within a month or two, once they begin to trust me, AFTER I've returned them to the street.  That's how its happened with close to 80 cats last year, the ones that were lucky enough to be rescued and adopted out.  I sure could use more help out there this year!

Noodles!

And now, a sweet story by my friend June, who adopted Noodles last year!  Noodles was a homeless kitten I rescued from Niagara Street, I had to trap him, but he eventually calmed down enough to know what a good thing he had!

Written by June:

     "I grew up in a small town in downstate N.Y. called Pine Bush. My uncles were farmers and our neighbors were farmers - so as a result there were always cats in my life either our own or the barn cats - as well as dogs , cows, ducks, chickens, pigs, horses - you name it - turtles too!! I always drew pictures of cats, my sister always drew horses! 

    The first cat I can remember was Mommy Cat! (guess  how she got that name!) This was in the 1950's! Then there was Tiggie, then my own first cat Pinky, then Patches and Grace Kelly and oh so many more until Petie O'Possum came along. Petie was the cat that I had at home until I had to leave for college at Brockport (you couldn't have a cat in the dorm!) My Junior year  Petie passed away suddenly (possibly a heart attack) and I was heart broken I couldn't have been there. The next pet I had was a guinea pig named Hamlet Alfalfa (Hammie for short) but he wasn't a cat!!   

    I didn't get another cat until one winter my roommate after college found a kitten tucked under the wheel well on her car tire at our apartment complex.  Joan said we'll just bring her in for the night  - well guess what!!  I had Jesse for 19 years!  When Jesse passed I was married by then and my husband Gary and I lasted a week - we went to Lollypop Farm and adopted two older cats so that we would have a backup!  Lacy  and Zippy !! Since then our house has had a steady stream of great kitties that have either wondered into our yard or needed a home or been left for us to help - some have left us, some we are still enjoying their love and comfort. Lacy,Zippy, Felix, Ripley, Blackie, Uggie, Sammy , Lucy , Yellow are a few we have had to say goodbye too (they each have their own rock in our yard with their name on it) but we still have 9 wonderful kitties which Noodles (from Janine) is our latest and oh so special.

   Carol is right Cats are like potato chips you can't have just one if you are LUCKY!  Please help Janine any way you can you never know - the love of a cat or any animal may be the blessing that saves you!  Sorry my story is so long but I hope you can relate and enjoy it!!  June and Gary and the crew!!"

Sweet!  Thank you June!

Have a great day everyone!~

"A kitten is more amusing than half the people

one is obliged to live with."

~ Lady Sydney Morgan

• The average weight of  a newborn kitten is one-quarter pound.
• Litters average two to four kittens.
• The kitten is blind at birth(Siamese sometimes disproving the fact), and is ten days old before his eyes open.
• At birth a kitten has 250 bones - more than a human infant.  He has over 500 voluntary muscles which contribute to his acrobatic talents.
• A kitten is nursed by his mother until he's about eight weeks old.
• The kitten matures in five to eight months, often lives to be 17.  The oldest cat on record lived to be 34.
• Don't push affection at a kitten.  He'll come to you for affection when he's ready for it.  He definitely should not be handled a great deal.  A kitten is not a toy; he is a baby.