Another Day in the Hood

Things have been quiet this week.  Thank God, knock on wood.  Its normally that way, really, its very rare I get a scare.  Generally speaking, most people in these neighborhoods are nice, and they know me by what I've been doing for all these years in their neighborhood.  I had one guy stop the other day while I was feeding on Webster Avenue, roll his window down and yell out that he was the guy on 7th street, and that he appreciated what I was doing, because he said he didn't see any more rats around his street.

Attached is a picture of a friend of mine who lives and works in NYC, who attended a culinary function/ribbon cutting for a children's hospital and he was asked to bring his dog Bailey to welcome the guests.  Isn't he adorable?  I was thinking, animals are a big part of making people happy, and we should have them in every nursing facility, every hospital, every school, police station, fire station, etc.  Just think how many homeless animals we could save if this were the case!

I want to share with you a note I received, and am hoping you can help me dispense some advice.  Howard, who I rescued from the hood maybe four months ago, and adopted out to a nice couple on Conesus Lake, who already had a female cat that they had just adopted, and found out it was pregnant and had her babies, is being terrorized by this new mother cat.  Even before she gave birth, she was mean to Howard.  Here is what Debbie writes:

"Hi, I am really concerned for Howard. Skittles is still being really mean towards Howard. He won't even use the kitty litter in the hallway be cuz she attacks him. He has started pooping in the tub so yesterday I put a kitty litter container in the tub. But she truly lives in fear and tonight was trying to get out the window.. We love Howard but this isn't fair to him. Any suggestions. At this point he is even afraid of the kittens."

CAN SOMEONE HELP ME?  I just can't take Howard back!

On my rounds this morning, I noticed two things that bothered me.  First was a new cat hanging around my Stout Street location.  He is a beautiful, unneutered buff red male, and very sweet, and was also very hungry.  Where do these cats come from?  Secondly, on Sixth, where the shelter has been torn down and the house being readied for sale, I believe, and where I relocated the bowls to the back of the house, for now, and I have to figure out where I am going to relocate these at least five cats I feed there, there was a very pregnant female.  Its very upsetting to see this, and to know you are leaving and she could have her babies any second, and on it goes, cats giving birth to more prospective birth giving cats.  Its not a cat that comes up to me, it sits a distance away and waits for me to leave so that it can eat.  So, I must do something, and soon, but need to think about it due to my limited resources.

Yesterday, I had Leo, the neighborhood stray, fixed.  He spent many a nights this past winter in my bathroom.  I had to let him out this morning (he jumps out the window), because of the fact that I cannot bring any more cats into my house, even though he is the most loving kitty I know.   As much as I don't believe in outdoor cats, I know that this is one that is not in as much danger as all the other kitties I feed in the hood.  He is a pampered homeless cat.  He has a nice cushy chair to sleep in on my porch when he chooses to.  I wish I could find him a home, along with little 5-month old Paddy, and almost year old Daisy, and two year old Earl.  They are all wonderful kitties and need a good home.

Paddy

Daisy



Earl

"Don't live down to expectations.  Go out there and

do something remarkable."

Reflections

It’s my life and it’s now or never.

I’m not going live forever.

I just want live while I’m alive.

As I get older, I am reflecting on life more and more.  The older you get the closer to death you get, its an inevitable part of life, and I accept that.  So that means, to me, to celebrate each moment of the day, even if you are at a low point in your life.  I am grateful to be an optimist because no matter how bad my day went, I always look forward to the next.  I always keep hope that I can help just one more animal, that I can comfort just one more person who needs comforting, as we are all in the same boat. 

‘True friends’ are people who stick by me no matter what. They are there in grief and all my moments of celebration, too. I lean on them. They don’t judge me; in fact, they allow me to be a fallible human with quirks, fears and all the stuff that makes me vulnerable and imperfect. They see my best and my worst, and they “like” me anyways!

Life brings challenges because I am a spiritual being living in a human form.  It’s not easy being human.  In fact, it’s very difficult at times. Just when I think I’m on track, as if out of nowhere, I feel uninspired or off course. What is that? My spirit knows what I need even if my mind doesn’t always agree because my ego is very convincing, otherwise. The big challenges are the ones that create DRAMA and force me to look closer at the aspects of my being that need fine tuning and character development.

I can choose peace and happiness over stress, moment to moment. Those who know me well know that I’ve had lots of practice doing this! I choose to be happy, no matter what’s going on in my life.
Life works itself out. The only problems that can’t be solved are the ones that kill you, and I haven’t had any of those yet. I know that the things that are most difficult make me more resilient. As long as I embrace change, and I don’t resist what is, everything works out fine.  I have learned to bounce. I value resiliency more than almost anything, and I define this as the ability to bounce back from adversity. It's also a blessing to see that circumstances don’t define me but rather reveal my true nature.

Thanks for listening.

All Quiet on the Homefront!

I want to thank everyone who commented yesterday about thier concern for my safety after the recent events this past weekend.  All has remained calm since then.  I am now taking extra precaution as I drive down these city streets, and pull up to each of the locations that I feed at.  A friend in law enforcement also shared with me some good advice, which reiterated what I already do, but its good to be reminded, even in day to day living, and it pertains to us all.  Here is what she shared:

#1- If you see someone suspicious, like that individual was, keep driving and come back to that spot after another stop or two. Or pull over and just watch them. If they are up to no good, which that maggot was, he/she will fumble around and will turn around & attempt to see what you are doing. Also, and maybe most important, call the police anytime you see someone like that and say you see someone acting suspicious. At least then the scumbag will split when he sees police cars and know you are not screwing around, that you will call every single time you see something suspicious.

#2- Usually the majority of population will greet you back if you say hello. If they do not, do NOT shrug it off. Most criminals that plan on randomly victimizing people, will not exchange any words if you pass them. You don't have to be afraid of these people, just be prepared. Always, always have a plan. Always be able to see the route you took in (ie: the driveway, sidewalk you walked up, etc.) to see who may be approaching. Always have a means of defense (ie:pepper spray, car keys in your hand, hell buy a bat & bring it w/you!) Make plenty of noise- yelling, set the alarm off in your car if it has one, get one of those air horns- whatever will create a lot of noise. You want to wake everyone in that neighborhood up. Not sure what size pepper spray you have, but if you want a bigger one, just let me know. The bigger containers have a few more feet of range and obviously a lot more spray in them.

#3- If something like that happens again and you see him approaching, be on the defensive immediately. Start spraying & yelling before he gets anywhere near you because someone that is up at that hour, acting like that, isn't delivering newspapers or on their way to church.

Really really great advice.  I will be getting some pepper spray, for sure.

"Instead of complaining that the rosebush is full of thorns,

be happy that the thorn bush has roses.

Its a Mad Mad World



Life sure is crazy in the neighborhoods I feed cats in.  I had a scare each morning this weekend.  I have to reiterate the fact that I would like nothing better than to know that there aren't starving and in need cats on the streets in these neighborhoods, and that I wouldn't have to subject my self to unnecessary danger - unnecessary because there is danger enough in daily living, i.e. driving a car, other crazies, etc., and I would like nothing better than to not have to get out of bed every single morning of my life at 4 am. and brave the outdoor elements and stop at 16 different locations and get out and place food and water down for the waiting cats.  But waiting they are, and I couldn't in all good conscience stop feeding them.  Not on my clock.  I know how hungry they are, and how much they depend on first the sound of my car, and second my voice, and third, for some, my gentle pet and pat.

I hope my mother isn't reading this today, because of the events that happened both mornings.  On Saturday, as I pulled up to one spot, I noticed a younger black man with a black hoodie and black pants walking toward me, on the sidewalk.  I got out, said goodmorning to him, as I always say to anyone that I see, and he sort of just kept walking without a word.  I went behind the house to place food and water down while the kitties sat there waiting, with my back to the open driveway, and then noticed the cats running away.  I finished quickly, turned around and saw this guy walking toward me toward up the driveway.  When I saw him he took off running, around the front of the house to the side, and gone.  I quickly went out to the front of the house and yelled something to him, like 'what the F are you doing?' but he was no where to be seen, I quickly dialed 911.  Now, I know that what I do - I take my own life into my own hands doing this.  And I know that what he did was not a punishable offense, but he for sure wasn't coming around the back to say hello to me.  I was shaken by this.  I sat and waited for the cops, and when they did finally come by, I told them the same thing, and they were going to have a look for him regardless.  OK, fine.  So my plan was to leave a half hour later the next morning so that it would be lighter out when I made this stop.

On Sunday, at one of my stops, at which I have never had any trouble, I started to get back into the car after placing food and water down, I heard a loud noise, indescribable, and the next thing I heard glass breaking, and then saw a person hurling headfirst out the glass door on the porch to my right.  I couldn't believe what was happening in front of my eyes.   Did she jump through the door, or was she pushed?  I then saw a  woman get up, run down the steps to the street, turn and run toward my car, run right past my car, jumped into another car, and sped off.   I immediately called 911, and my body shook, my stomach in a knot.  I kept waiting for someone else to come out, as I saw a television glow flickering in the downstairs apartment.  I must have waited for five minutes with no cop in sight, so took off to continue my rounds, until 10 minutes later 911 called me and asked me to go back as the cops were waiting for me.  I went back and this cop, very non-chalantly stated that this was normal, common, that sometimes these criminals are making a statement by breaking glass etc.  I told him there were people in the apartment upstairs that had heard it, and the cop said that no one reported this incident, which is apparently so common in these crime ridden neighborhoods.  He said he would knock on the door, but if no one answered, he couldnt' do anything.  He agreed with me that it was crazy what I saw, but said he has seen so much that it didn't surprise him.  The cop then thanked me for reporting it, and I wished him a good day and drove off, still shaken.

What is wrong with our society today?  Its a very scary world out there.  People just don't care anymore.

(Update from yesterday:  I rescued another two kitties and they are going to Lollipop this morning for eventual adoption!  My friend from Lollipop advised me that they are still low on cats - thank God, and I could bring in a few more.  Meet Gus, from Second, who reminds me so much of my beloved Boris, who is up in kitty heaven, because of his coat.  Very wirey, but this is one sweet sweet boy that survived the brutal winter living in a plastic tote shelter on a porch.  I am so happy he was waiting for me this morning.   The second rescue is Brady, from Stout.  This sweet black kitty runs to me each morning, and competes for his food with another not so friendly black kitty, and a very shy red one.  It was his time.  He is going to make a wonderful companion for someone!)  Yay!!!


Gus



Brady

TGIF!!!

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those that do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."

Its a deluge out there this morning, and cold.  It was 35 degrees.  I changed a lot of wet towels yesterday, this morning, and will have to do it again tomorrow.  My poor washing machine.  I wonder when spring will ever get here.  I did, however, feed a lot of hungry little babies. 

Of note, I see an average of two cats now at each of my 16 spots.  I skip two spots on Parsells every other day because there is still food there, except when it rains, as the towels become wet, and I want the cats to have some small window of comfort when they come eat in the morning.  I know, call me crazy.  At Sixth, where the owner has removed the shelters I had on the porch as he is getting ready to fix the place up for either sale or rent, I am placing bowls on the side of the house on the driveway, and have a board leaning against the house to shield the rain.  There are about five cats waiting for me to leave from here each morning.  At Baldwin, there is a very very sweet white (yet very dirty) adult cat that greets me, and I would like to get him adopted.   He is obviously a stray, and needs a home.  There is another   young red one on Webster.  He is shy, but will come close enough to sniff my hand when I extend it toward him.  On Second, there is a very sweet grey kitty, that has always reminded me of my Barney, who passed last year, he has the same wirey type of fur, and he lives in a box on a porch.  He comes out of his cocoon each morning dry and warm, but craving a pet and scratch.  I need to find him a home also.  At each of my locations there are cats watching in the shadows, waiting for me to leave them food. 

I have a few updates - one from Michelle, who took in Red (Angel) and Lucy from Second.  It hurts me to say it, but this didn't work out well.  I have successfully relocated cats to two different barn situations in the past and both have worked out beautifully.  Somehow, Red got out a window at one of the stables at the Fingerlakes Race Track.  He has been seen, the food is being eaten, but Lucy is also gone, and has not been seen.  I am heartsick over this.  Its a situation where I wish I had just left them where they were.  I pray they are not scared and have lost their way.  I pray they come around. 

At the other barn situation, where Stanley, Sylvester and Sadie went to, they are thriving, except Sadie is now pregnant.  She is the beautiful Siamese little girl that I was convinced was spayed.  I had fed them all on Parsells for so long, and she never got pregnant.  I am not sure who the father is, because both of the boys I know for a fact are neutered.  Mary Ann will keep a close eye, and let me know when she gives birth.  She advised she would be bringing the kittens to Lollipop unless homes can be found, along with Sadie, to be spayed.  I feel terrible about that.  She is really a gorgeous kitty, and will have really beautiful kittens. 

Another of my recent rescue's from Central Park, Harold, is still holding his own.  His 'mom' is giving it all she's got.  Here is the latest:     "He is doing okay...     great in some regards and not so hot in others.  He seems to be very comfortable and "at home"...   he still does not like to get up on the bed or couch or our laps.  As much as he loves being petted and scratched, he won't get up on anything to get attention...   we have to sit on the floor with him.  Still eating and litterboxing like a rock star...   very at ease with Brady...  at one point over school break, there were 5 kids here and he let them all pet him at the same time.  He can be a tiny bit skittish with Billy, but not outright scared or anything.  We did manage to block of the crawlspace from the inside, so he can't get in there and hide all day anymore.  However...   he finds little cracks and crevices to wedge himself into.  One day, he was under Brady's bed way back in the corner...   just sleeping...   Another day, we literally lost him for about 8 hours.  We had shut Brady's door at that point (because we didn't want him hiding; we wanted him out and about) and the crawlspace was blocked...   we searched EVERYWHERE and were freaking out...   then, all of a sudden, I turned around and there he was.  We still don't know where he came from.  He goes under our bed now...   it's not in a corner like Brady's, but he still hides under there.  He just does not like being out during the day.  He usually emerges anywhere between 7 and 9pm...  hangs out, follows us around, we play with him...   We go to bed anywhere from 10 to midnight and he is usually fine (and quiet) then.  But, about 2 or 3 in the morning, he starts meowing and wandering around.  That goes on until about 6 or so, when I get up.  He is out and about until 8 or 9, then disappears again.  I am gone until 2 most days, and Billy is in and out all day.  Harold rarely comes out when we are home...   he did come out today around 3 for half an hour or so...  then back to wherever his hiding place is.  He looks out the windows occasionally....   I think I have mentioned that we have 2 sliding glass doors in different areas of the house, and he could care less about them.  We have a large bay window with a wide ledge that he sits on now and then...  not much interest there either.  The window in the bathroom that he was isolated in is still open (just the storm is down and I have a towel on the sill) and he goes in there and sometimes jumps up there and sometimes doesn't...   we have had other windows in the house open with the warmer weather, and he doesn't seem to want to be up in them either.  He doesn't act like he wants to go out...  he's just not interested in much of anything.  He doesn't like (or maybe doesn't understand) the laser pointer...  is afraid of strings and things....   the only thing he seems to really love are his toy mice and fishies with catnip inside of them.  He and Chloe are getting along...  she hardly hisses at all anymore, and is back to being fine with us again too.  The whole meowing in the middle of the night thing is so odd...   it's not even like he is really looking for us...  we have been sleeping with the door closed, and he scratches at it and I ignore him...  he goes away after a few seconds, comes back in 5-10 minutes, and repeats that from about 2am to 6am.  But even in the morning when we are getting ready or having breakfast or just hanging around, he chirps and follows us, but it's not like he stays around us...  he gets a few seconds of attention and then he walks away from us and disappears and eventually comes back.  He is so friendly, but only to a certain extent...  it's weird.  I don't even feel like I am able to explain it properly.  I did buy the Feliway diffuser...   we will see how that works.  I just want him to sleep at night (so *I* can sleep at night) and be happy...   I don't think he is UNhappy, but it just seems like there is something missing in his life and we can't figure out what it is." 

If any of you have any more advice to give, we both would welcome it!  Have a GREAT weekend!

Home Sweet Home!

I am facing some personal challenges in my life these days, as I know we all do, some more than others, and as I got back onto the saddle this morning, as I was leaving my house to go feed in the hood after not having to do it for four days in a row, and with this weather being so miserable, still, the thought of having to do it all over again, to go out in the rain, pick up soaking towels, see the little faces of these sweet angels waiting for their morning meal, I felt this overwhelming sadness wash over me, and I thought, oh God, do I have to do this all over again...  and I did it, and it took me forever, one location, the owner of the home has opened his boarded up house and fixing it up to either rent or sell, and has removed all my sweet shelter I had on its porch for at least five cats through the winter, so I had to find a dry spot nearby and lay some bowls down and shelter those because of the rains we are having.  Once again, these cats 'homes' are disrupted and they have no place to go.  They are confused.  Its very sad for them when this happens.    The point I am making here is that on the way back home to get ready for tomorrow's feeding, and get ready to go to work, after seeing all the little babies I really did miss, and really did think about each morning, that sadness I had felt the hour and half before that had washed away.  I was thankful for the chance that morning to do it.  I was thankful that I could pick up a soaking wet towel and replace it with a dry one, I was thankful I could fill an empty dish with food and clean out a very dirty water bowl.  It just felt good.    So maybe if you are feeling down, call me, come help me, it might just give you the lift you need.  I know it did for me.  There is just something about feeding an empty belly, someone elses, that is just plain rewarding!

I was in San Diego this past weekend, where its always sunny, and the temperatures are always mild.  Everyone is beautiful there, and the prices of just about everything is outrageous.  I went for work and work it was.  I asked the locals about the homeless animal situation, and was told that there are for certain homeless cats in the poorer neighborhoods, but that there were a ton of rescue organizations and shelters, and I took some comfort with the fact that with the mild weather they have there, life on the street wasn't as dire as it is here in Rochester.  The highlight of my trip was a chance to hear John Legend speak at the conference I attended, and then to hear him play five tunes.  This man is awesome!

I will have some updates for you tomorrow!

Its a Girl! Its a Boy, No, Its ..... Super Cat!

Rare King Cheetah Cub



African Lion Cub


If you will recall, last fall I spotted four or five little baby kittens running around the Parsells/Grand/Baldwin streets area.  They were completely wild, and I had no hopes of getting them.  I never saw them after a couple of times.  I wound up making a little shelter under a tree bench in a vacant lot on the opposite corner of where I saw them, and fed there daily throughout the winter.  Laura, sometime in January, wound up getting two of the kittens there.  Meanwhile, she had them neutered/spayed, and returned one recently.  In the meantime, one of the little guys - I believe only three survived, and never see the mom throughout this entire winter - has been gaining trust in me, and now allows me to pick him up each morning and hold him, and scratch him, and I can hear him purr.  Laura mentioned recently that if I can get the little guy, she will take him as a companion to his sibling that she has.  I did it!  I got the little bugger this morning.  Cute as a button, but very scared.  Remember, these are feral cats.  They were born outdoors.  They lived there the first months of their lives.  Sad, but hopefully this has a happy ending for this little guy.  He's scared to death sitting on my porch in the carrier until Laura picks him up sometime today.  Hooray!

I received a note from Lollipop Farms yesterday with the following update on the only cat that had not been adopted from the last update I had received.  Talkie (aka Sunny) was one of the old timers I rescued and brought to Lollipop in the last sweep, and turns out that Talkie had a microchip and had actually been brought in one other time.  The 'owner' was contacted and they legally have to give some time before they can adopt out the cat, and finally that time period was over, Talkie was shown, and was adopted!  Here is what my friend at LF says:

"Just writing with a final update! Sunny (who turned out to be a BOY!) was adopted a little while ago by someone who is bringing him to Massachusetts! Even our clinic staff thought he was a girl for the longest time... so weird!"

Too funny.  I guess I need to go back and take an anatomy course.  Thats like the third time I got the sex of a cat mixed up!

I heard from Harold's 'mom', however long she may be, and I will let you judge for yourself, and PLEASE throw in a few more bits of advice.  She is a good good person, trying to do the right thing.  I just wish Harold would cooperate!

"Let's see what the latest is...

Well, we haven't been around much during the day because of school vacation, and last night we stayed overnight at a local hotel, so poor Harold has been on his own quite a bit. I have been keeping the light in the basement crawlspace on during the day to see if that makes a difference... I could bring a radio and maybe a strobe light down there if it will keep him awake all day... ;)

I just got home around 10:00 tonight, and when I walked in the door, he came running from upstairs in a panic (he is still a little skittish) so at least I know he was making his nightly rounds. I followed him downstairs, sat on the floor with him for a few minutes, and then came upstairs to the office, and he followed me. He is laying on the floor right next to me, chirping away... and Chloe is sitting up on the desk growling at him (or maybe me... not sure). He gets up every few minutes... wanders around... comes back... Billy and Brady are away tonight, so I am going to close the door to my bedroom (Chloe will have to find someplace else to sleep!) and turn on a white noise machine so I can get some sleep... I will get out the laser pointer and try to tire him out a little bit first! The way our house is set up (it's a split level which I hate for many reasons, only one of which is trying to keep cats separated) makes it impossible to close him in any room other than the downstairs bathroom, which (as I mentioned in a previous email) worked for the first several nights and then he got sick of it and scratched and clawed to get out. Even if I could block off the basement (ground level where our family room is), that would prevent Chloe from getting down there where her litterbox is... and I really don't want to start relocating litterboxes! I wish I could give him his own room! I think that would solve everything!

I am going to look into the links that you copied below and see if I can figure anything else out... aren't cats supposed to sleep for 18 hours a day or something??? I really don't want to return him... I know you made that offer the day we picked him up, but I feel so horribly guilty... I just think we should have stuck with our original plan and taken a young female... but we didn't, so I am really trying to make the best of our 'mistake'. He is sweet... still a little jumpy and hasn't totally warmed up to Billy... and Chloe will just have to suck it up... I want to do the right thing but we shall see what happens... so he will be staying here for now!

Keep your fingers crossed for me! I'll let you know how things are going in a day or two.

Thank you for all the advice! Let's hope it works!"

This may be my last post for a while.  I am on vacation tomorrow, and then travelling, for work, for the next five days, and have to express my gratitude to Laura for taking most of my rounds in the morning.  She is a brave soul, not that at that time of the morning there is much to worry about.  Bravery comes in many forms, fear comes in many forms.  There is fear of darkness number one!  But the outcome of both is so gratifying.  To know you've fed the many cats out there that have no home, most that fear humans, but filling their bellies for at least a half a day is just so rewarding.  Summer is coming, along with the raccoons, who will gobble up the cat food, so its important that they get that one meal a day in the morning.   Until then, as they say, Godspeed!

"The tragedy of life is not so much what we suffer

but rather what we miss."