TGIT!

Another morning where I don't know where to begin.

Hilton Head - 2014 (last time I had a day off!) (where I tried to save all the starfish)

First thing is that tomorrow is the first day of a four day weekend for me.  LOVING IT!  :)  Gotta work hard at work though, always want to be sure I've left everything in order, all dots are dotted and all T's are crossed. Is that the old saying?  I will be spending about an hour tomorrow morning in my city garden, spreading mulch and planting the few annuals I have.  I hope they spread and continue to bloom throughout the summer.  Between that garden and my own, I just couldn't afford to make it as pretty as I would like it to be.  I received a note from the city saying that it is my responsibility to keep the garden and the lot nice and tidy, mowing and weeding, which I will have to do.

Phoebe from Hilton Head (she stole my heart - total stranger)

My niece, who has had her share of ups and downs in the past, and who is MOVING FORWARD from hereon! is moving in on Monday to spend LESS THAN A MONTH with me.  Oh boy.  Wish me luck!  :)  She is bringing in her cat that was the mom to Peppercorn, who had to have emergency surgery, who cost me $400.  The cat will have to stay in the bedroom where niece will be.  Too much on my own kitties.  Wish me luck there also.  Pray the kitty is OK with this arrangement.  I wanted to board kitty, but it costs so much, just can't do it.

I have written my lawyer who is helping with the tax exempt status for me.  I am hoping he comes back with some good new shortly. It should be any day now!

I was thinking about the shelters I have all over the city.  Well, in the Beechwood section, near the Public Market, which is where I feed close to 100 cats daily, and try my best to rescue them and/or to get them spayed and neutered.  The shelters that are rarely bothered or removed are on vacant city lots.  The 'safe' ones are in the back of these lots, barely noticed.  The shelters that have been removed recently are on other people's property.  When I placed these shelters on others' property, I received permission, or the house was vacant for so long and no one cared for years.  When these people moved, or the house was cleaned out, my shelters were destroyed.  There is one house on Pennsylvania in which an older black man lived and died last year.  His house was untouched, light inside left on up until just this past few weeks.  He had allowed me to place shelters behind his house without ever communicating with me verbally.  He just let me do it.  The family or whoever has come along and trimmed some trees in front, and yesterday, all this man's lifelong belongings were placed at the curb for trash pick up.  I picked up a few nearly new hard covered Christmas books.  At least someone cared about his 'trash'.  I felt a sense of sadness - I could see ties, shoes, things that this man had, all at the curb.  When we die, who cares about our stuff?  Only ourselves I guess!  Anyhow, the thing about this is that they have not touched the shelters.  So much so that they actually took the time to place some of his furniture in the back yard, but they had to walk around the shelter to place the stuff there.  Who knows, it could be gone tomorrow, but it shows you there is SOME compassion in this world.  Because one week prior, the shelters on the porch of the vacant house across the street from this house were removed and put to the curb.  I must write a note to leave tomorrow thanking whoever it is for sparing these shelters, for now.

7th Street Lot - before I placed real shelters

I have so many thoughts, I could go on and on today, but must close.

Please consider rescue of one of these angels whose homes are displaced and they have nothing.  There are three on Parsells, and now two on Pennsylvania.  Its our responsibility to care for these guys and I can't do it alone.  Two more kittens are left also!  Please consider foster!

Have a GREAT day!

"Every man's life ends the same

way.  It is only the details of how

he lived and how he died that

distinguish one man from another."

Humpty Dumpty Day

Humpty Dumpty - kind of a creepy nursery rhyme, now that I think about it!  

Where do I begin?  So much has happened in the past two days.  Lets see, it all started with me setting traps at THREE different locations, and winding up getting just this one poor girl, believed to be post partum, on Third Street. I named her Tinker.  She was a very quiet one, young, beautiful, black, sleek long haired coat.  Terrified all the way until I returned her this morning.  Sad sad sad to let them back out there.  My bill yesterday?  $107.

Tinker

I then went on to a country trip to Lyons, New York with my mother and niece, (helping my niece through a situation), driving down long winding country roads.  I thought I was in heaven.  The houses, barns, countryside, I just love it.  Until I see .............  a cat!  In the road!  Dead!  Ugggh.  I can't get away from it.  I got out and laid it under a tree.  Poor thing.  And you tell me its ok to let your cats out, right?  As my mother said, some little girl might be missing her kitty.  Well, there it is.

Sparky 

My day ended yesterday by visiting Sparky in his new home.  I won't get into details, but lets just say yesterday morning started in panic, and ended much better.  A misunderstanding, shall we say.  I am not into defaming people if they really don't deserve it, and if they are giving an animal I've rescued a safe loving home.  She sends me pictures, I've received a refundable deposit from her for when Sparky is neutered, and hopefully we can remain in contact with each other.  Sparky joins his two great big brothers, huge labs, and a big sister, mom and dad.  He is loved.  I have learned a lesson also.

Well, I pulled up to my Parsells location, this morning.  If you recall, all my shelters were removed from the porch of this house by some Five Brothers property company back in late winter.  Then, across the road, behind this one house where I've been feeding for well over five years now, the property maintenance people moved all my stuff and told me it was illegal to feed animals behind there.  So I met the girl next door and she told me I could move my stuff behind that house.  So I did.  She moved out claiming her landlord wasn't doing any repairs of anything, etc., and when I pulled up this morning, all my shelters were by the curb.  I won't say the words I've been repeating over and over out loud and in my head ever since.  I did, however, leave a note:  Dear Slumlord.  NOW you decide to clean up your pig sty?  And displace homeless cats too.  I would love to meet you face to face.  and then left my number.  I don't think I've ever seen a more filthy, garbage strewn, tires, all over, car fenders, backyard.  Its been like that forever too.  And now they had to clean up.  I have had it with these nasty people.  So, I set plates in the front of the house for the seven cats starving, and got every thing moved across the street to another vacant house which probably won't last very long over there either.  I am sick over this.  Sick.

My garden is cleaned up and ready to have mulch added, and some bright and beautiful flowers.  A friend June and I planted a couple of marigolds for color, but I could use some colorful annuals if anyone is willing to donate?  This is the garden I, with the help of friends, created after applying for a garden permit, just so that I could keep my shelters in the back of this lot.  There were 8 cats depending on them, and they continue to do so.  Thank you to those that supplied perennials last year.

Penny

Today, Penny, the mommy cat of the kittens, is going to Caring For Cats for diagnosis of the following: (text I received from her foster mom) Penny is peeing everywhere but the litter boxes. The one carpet was saturated when I tore it up. This one is smelling pretty nasty too. Idk what to do to make her stop. She is also not consistent in pooping in the box- sometimes poops next to it. Suggestions please!! I wonder if she should be checked by the vet cuz of that bloody vomit incident over a month ago (I sent you pictures) and since has had a couple bowel movements with streaks of blood though not consistently . And there have been a few times when petting her I have wondered if she had a fever. Idk. Just thoughts. Also, her belly is still huge- how long after pregnancy does it take to go back to normal?

Doing the best I can.  I need help, financially for medical appts for these poor animals, cat food, and now heavy plates again as the ones that my friends June and Gary brought over last weekend were trashed and I couldn't locate them in all the garbage.

Have a great day!

"Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you."

Sparky

It was a quiet weekend.  The weather has been mild for the homeless cats of Rochester.  No snow, wind, thunder boomers and very little rain.  It’s comforting especially for a few certain cats that I’ve been feeding.  One being the red kitty on Bay Street, near Goodman, close to Seventh Street.  I have been feeding and medicating this poor animal for two weeks now and he still sounds and looks sick.  He is huddled on the side of a house each morning when I pull up.  He has finally allowed me to pet him, as he waits to come near the wet food I place under a bush for him.  His coat is dirty and unkempt, and his breathing is plugged.   I know he needs a rescue, but I just can’t do it without a foster to bring him to.  I must either switch his meds, or continue to give him what little left of the Clavamox I have left and hope that will do it.  Someone is sending me some Doxycycline, but I don’t know if I should be switching like that. 

I picked up a poor dead red kitty on the street - Parsells - on Friday morning.  Heartbreaking. These poor animals.

Out of the six kittens I’ve had the pleasure to care for recently, four have been adopted.  Peppercorn went first, then Sparky, and this weekend, a sweet girl came by and adopted Charlie and Arnie.  They will be delivered to their new home tomorrow.  Just Birdie and Poppy, the two girls, are left.  They are so innocent and sweet.  I just love them so, but they need to find their new home so that I can rescue more kitties. 

I just had an alarming message from the woman that adopted Sparky.   I allowed her to take Sparky on Friday without my normal delivering a kitten to the potential home, because I thought she was nice, and I did it on good faith with the agreement that I would stop over on Tuesday to check on him and to get the adoption papers and fee.  She has now blocked me from any conversation and I only have her cell phone, which she is not answering.  I have alerted my friend in law enforcement.  I cannot believe this woman has done this.  I am now demanding this kitten back.

H.E.L.P.

All the cats out there that need homes.  Click on pics to see up close.  Please consider foster or adoption:

Red on Bay Street

Seven on 7th Street

Sam on Short Street

Another quiet morning out there.  I've been medicating a red kitty on Bay Street, kind of near 7th Street, because he had a terrible URI when I first came upon him.  I had seen a calico by the side of the road, and then spotted this red kitty crouched in a corner of an empty garden in front of this house, then pulled over, put dish of water and dish of food near the red kitty, and heard him breathing and it didn't sound good.  This was two weeks ago.  I've been stopping each morning, placing a pill in the food, and slowly but surely, this cat has gotten closer, and closer, until yesterday, where it allowed me to pet it.  Its coat and appearance indicate its a stray, and its been out doors too long.  I have medicated it for about two weeks now and it sounds better, but not quite.  I am running out of medicine.  I could really use some donated Clavamox or Doxycycline.   By the way, this house, it has a self water feeder and a bowl, looks like could be a food bowl, on its porch.  Plus a cat scratcher.  So it looks like this person cares about cats!  I’ll bet the calico, who is eartipped, sort of belongs to these people, even though they keep it outdoors.  It is friendly too.  But poor Red, he is obviously homeless. And after reaching ‘back there’ yesterday, he is also altered, but un-eartipped.

I was walking back to my car after feeding at the last stop on Seventh Street, and remembered the kitty I buried in the ground there.  It was the one I found under my shelter ripped apart.  One of the five kittens born there last spring.  There is a lot of garbage in this vacant lot.  I thought to myself, I should clean this up, but then realized, he is not really there.  I often think about my father who passed when I was about 9 years old, and feel guilty that I don’t go visit his grave.  But then I remember someone mentioning recently that the dead are not really there, their spiritual presence are with God, not at a grave, or a hole in the ground.  So I feel less guilty.

I struggle with writing this blog every day, sometimes I have nothing to say but post anyway, usually something crazy comes out.   I am going to take a break tomorrow and I would really love it if someone could share a story with me, about anything, about your pet, or a favorite story.  With a picture would be even better!  I swear I am not whining, but sometimes I feel like I am writing a post just to make the few people I know that read this happy.  I don’t get much feedback about things, only by a few regulars, but would love to hear more about how you feel or see things.   I have two reasons for this blog, one is that it’s a personal diary of some sorts, to record the kitties I save, and trap, but also to make people aware of what is happening in our very own city, and perhaps get some much needed help for these homeless animals that I care for.  I can’t do this forever.  I know there will be a stopping point, either I just can’t walk anymore, or I die.  I am hoping that the city will recognize this tragedy and will help, and I won’t have to go out and feed all these animals, get them spayed and neutered so that they are not multiplying, and shelter them from the harsh weather.  And of course, get them off the street into well deserving homes.

So help me to spread the word.  Your help could make all the difference.  You just never know.

Thanks and have a great day!

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

Happy Hump Day

Pretzel, the pretty kitty from Parsells that I trapped yesterday was let back out this morning.  Poor thing.  Stone, the kitty that Trapper Jane, my mother, trapped yesterday in her hood in Webster turned out to be post-partum.  She was heavily lactating also, according to the girls at the clinic.  She must have just had a litter, so Mom, and her neighbors, will hopefully do their best to scout out the babies.  Poor things.  Life is so hard for these homeless creatures.  We must do our best to spread the word to SPAY and NEUTER ALL ANIMALS.  There are too many out there suffering due to human negligence.

I pulled up to one of the spots at Second and Pennsylvania this morning, and all my stuff was removed from the porch of the boarded up house.  This is the same house where there was a murder, or death, across the street, and the news reporter came up to me asking if this was my house.  This is where I quietly said to myself 'yea, sure, I live in this boarded up house lady...' (but I did tell her what I was doing there).  The property is 140 Second Street, or 140 Pennsylvania.  If anyone can find out what is happening with this house that has been vacant for many years now, it would be appreciated. They did leave the dishes on the steps, but all my shelters and boards were trashed on the side of the road.  Today is trash day in the City.   I pray these cats will take shelter across the road, behind the house of the man who died last year.  There has been some movement going on in the front of his house, tree cutting, but they haven't gotten rid of the shelter behind the house, yet.  So upsetting.

Sunday morning on Seventh Street, after getting out of the car, I spotted two chicken on the end of the driveway across the road.  Clucking away.  And each morning, there is a rooster crowing, coming from either the back of the houses there on Seventh, or behind the houses on Sixth Street.  Isn't it illegal to have chickens in the city?

Such happenings!

That's about it.  I have a girl coming to look at the kittens this Saturday morning, and I am trying to convince her to take two, if she is eligible for the adoption anyways.   I have made the decision that I won't hand my cat over to anyone that I wouldn't hand over my child to.  What I mean is, I would have to trust the person to know they are going to give this animal a happy and healthy long life.

Please spread the word out there about all these kittens and cats still on the street.  They need our help, and I need more fosters.  Thanks and have a great day.

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light."

TNR Tuesday

My mother calls me yesterday.  She lives in Webster.  She and her neighbor - I call them the two crazy cat ladies, have been feeding feral and stray cats for a long time now and is always telling me about this one or that one, but when she called yesterday, she was dead serious and asked if I had a trap.  She said she thinks there is a pregnant cat out there.  So the trap was brought over, and set.  BOOM, the cat went in.  Unfortunately, this was mid afternoon, so the poor baby has been in the trap since then.  Its on my porch ready to go into the clinic this morning.  I can't tell anything.  What sex, or if pregnant.  But its quiet, and scared, and young, and gorgeous.    I've named him (or her?) Stone  (Stone Phillips anyone?) after the street name she lives on - Stony Point Trail.  :)

STONE from Stony Point

Then, BLAM!  I got this little buddy on Parsells this morning.  I've named him Pretzel!  :)  My hope was to catch the poor kitty with its tail severed.  Get some antibiotics into him.  :(  Maybe next week.

Today:  These two cats will cost me $120.  Somethings gotta give.  :(

Pretzel from Parsells

Kristin and I have been talking and we are hoping to have the 3rd Annual Meow and Chow fundraiser this September.  We figured it wouldn't be as HOT as the past two events have been - 90s.  We are also thinking clams!  Would love to do a clambake.  With some bands, lots of food, and good company, it should be a blast.  As soon as I have that Saturday date, I will let you all know so that you can save the date!

Have a great day!

"The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion."

I Love Mondays!

Not really.

Plates.  Actually, if I could design plates that are needed for the cats - they would be shaped like pie tins, with lower sides, but high enough so that the food doesn't slide off, and heavy enough not to blow away in the wind when empty!

Saturday morning I pulled up to Parsells #1 spot and saw a cat run off the porch where the food and shelters are.  As I shined my flashlight, I could see the poor cats tail had been severed midway, and it was bloody at the end.  I thought how horrible this is.  Its unbelievable how much cats can endure, and you wouldn't even know they are suffering.  They can't tell you, or for ferals, they are too afraid to show it.  I haven't seen it since, or maybe its been there but has run before I even get up to the porch.  Poor baby.  I would leave antibiotics in every bowl if I only had a supply of them.  Just to help these poor angels, many of whom are suffering some ailment that I just can't see.

Again, my wish list would be for money, food - both wet and dry, tuna for TNR Tuesdays, large heavy plates, donations to the clinic, and fosters so that I can continue to get many of these cats off the streets for socialization and eventual permanent homes.

A Clump of Kittens!

Tiny Angels!  All need adoption!

CLICK on picture above to see up close!

I think about this often:  I haven't had a day off since April 2014.  That's 730+ days.  Can you imagine yourself - getting up 730 straight days in a row, at 2:45 am. and going out into the dark, no matter the weather, and feeding a bunch of cats?  Good God.  What is wrong with me.

I'll tell you what's wrong with me, I am nuts!  I saw a white hooker this morning on the corner of Bay and Seventh.  I had stopped to put food and medicine down for a cat that I've been medicating, who, by the way, let me pet its head Sunday morning.  Breakthrough.  Its very sick and looks very unkempt.  Poor thing.  Anyways, I then saw a shiny new white car drive past me, turn around in a driveway, and then turn at Seventh Street where the hooker was, and stopped.  I then got into my car to drive to Niagara, and as I did, I don't know what made me do it, but I stopped, she looked at me, I yelled out to her, DON'T DO IT!  The car then drove away, I yelled to her ITS TOO DANGEROUS!  DON'T DO IT!  and she mumbled something about minding my own business.  Hey, who knows if there are more Arthur Shawcross' around.  This is the very neighborhood where he picked up hookers way back then.  Was that in the 90s?  I know i am nuts, but maybe, just maybe, I prevented something pretty bad that might have happened to that girl.

Have a good day!

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.  The important thing is not to stop questioning."