Finally!

Funny Story here...  This cat has been hanging around at my house, 24/7 since last Friday.  She was scanned for a microchip yesterday, and I called Lollipop, who called the contact person for when 'Tori' was adopted, and lo and behold her 'parents' were found!  Living blocks away from me, she had been missing since July!  Apparently, there was a break-in at their house and the basement window was kicked in.  Tori got out, and found her way to my house on August 23rd!  She was delivered to her home and I am sure, never looked back out the door. 😊

So much news since my last post, I've forgotten everything.  I will try to remember by going backward!

So I feed every other day.  On the days I don't go out and feed, I feed at three locations, on my way to work.  That means instead of going my usual route of 104 to work, I go through the city.  My habit has become, after I finish up at 4th and Central in the church parking lot, where at least five cats run to me when I pull in, I drive down Bay or Portland to North Clinton Avenue, a location that somewhat scares me because of the level of poverty, and crime.  I do a lot of head-turning as I pass by streets.  Today, I passed a street called Flower St because I thought I saw a cat lying on the sidewalk.  I turned around turned onto the street and sure enough, there was a sweet, uneartipped, grey and white kitty.  I did my usual frantic scramble to grab a bowl and place, water and food and got out shaking the bag.  Cats know sounds and I believe that is a universal sound, along with the kissy noise.  Kitty ran right up to me and started chowing.  I left knowing I fed a hungry cat, but also sad because I didn't know what would happen to that cat.  It was this kind of behavior in the past where I would set up shelters.  But now 17 already under my belt, I can't afford a new one.  Especially in this area of the city.  

I will be relinquishing my daily (every other day) feeding of the cats I've been feeding for over 20+ years in the Beechwood area of Rochester.  Don't worry!  They will be fed!  A woman named Esther will be taking over the 17 locations where I have shelters.  I will continue my rescue by fundraising for the food I purchase, and vetting of cats, and trying to adopt out the 21 cats currently in foster.  

It's the fundraising that I am worried about.  I have not had many significant donations in many years, and I worry.  The food bill is as such:

Chewy    -    I order twice a week the following:

8 16-lb bags for Esther x $15.98 = $128

10 16-lb bags for me x $15.98 = $160            $286.00 Weekly

That does not include the wet food, which I use 20 cans (not the tiny cans), and I don't know how much Esther uses as she has had donations of her own lately.

I won't even add that up per year, - it's frightening.

My adoption fee is $200, and that covers spay/neuter, rabies and distemper, combo test when necessary, and flea and deworm treatments.  With all the kittens I have unadoptable, this vetting - to the tune of $170+ per cat, is coming out of the rescue funds, which on average is $1K per month, and no funds coming in.  Scary.

Requests have tripled from people needing help:

• Rehome their cat
• found mother and kittens
• being evicted and needing a place for their cat or they have to let it out on the street
• pregnant cat outdoor cat - not sure they want to have the cat spayed before birth
• the list goes on and on

Kristin and Elisabeth have been awesome at responding to these calls, as most of the time, I can't deal with it.  It's so hard to hear these requests, and not be able to do much about it.  In most instances, we can only offer advice.  We have no room to take in any cats.  I can help with neuter or spay in some instances, but we have no room at the inn.

My fosters are amazing.  Some have had the adoptable cats for over a year now.  Kim, Tamera, and most recently Lonnie, but the last two she was fostering were just adopted.  They started out as kittens but grew into young adults quickly enough.  Then there is Blanca & Susheel, Jennifer, Valerie, Dawn, Kristin, Nicole and Joan!  Some of the listed fosters are not current but have helped immensely in the past.  I am so grateful.

I am not a kitten person, and never wanted to foster them, but had no choice two months ago when a man in Chili was allowing his adult cats to mate, and there were --  I think over 4 litters?  Kristin tells me the mother cats have been fixed, but we wound up with all of the litter.  I have Ruby, Jade, and Jasper from a litter born on my route, near the old firehouse on Parsells.

Here is a photo dump of the cats and kittens we have currently, in serious need of adoption!  Please spread the word!

These two are older now, so much get their up to date picture!

I've run out of time!  I am sorry my blog posts are not what they used to be.  Please refer to my posts from 2014 on...  I was a much better writer/blogger/diary writer but had more time back then also.

There are more cats to post, my apologies for not having them all here, but I wanted to get a post out today!

Have a great day!