Cattywampus

Definition - askew, awry, kitty-corner

Cattywampus is a variant of catawampus, another example of grand 19th century American slang. In addition to “askew” catawampus may refer to “an imaginary fierce wild animal,” or may mean “savage, destructive.”

After some very catawampus chawing of the Philadelphia Vade Mecum (a rival sporting paper), the Editor gives a programme of “The Day!”—thus: Epitome of News for Saturday.
— United States Telegraph (Washington, DC), 23 Jul. 1835

I love words.  Just thought I would throw in a word for the day!

Boy do I feel out of the loop.  I am so grateful for those of you that have helped do my spots in the mornings.  I just can’t tell you how much.  But I worry.  Boy do I worry.  I worry that the cats are confused by the time change of seeing a human, and waiting for their meal. I worry that the towels that are at some of the locations, where its usually nice and dry inside, but the towels serve as a warm comfort when they are standing there eating.  I worry about some of the locations – will they still be there in the morning?  There are evil people who maintain some of the vacant properties that will come along and remove an entire colonies’ ‘home’ a/k/a shelter.  This is where the cats ride out the storms, where they eat when its raining or snowing, where they sleep at night, feeling safe and secure.  There are a few out there that this could happen hours after you leave.  They will come along, see this stuff, and take it.  None of these have a NO TRESPASSING sign anywhere, so I am not breaking the law. I’m just trying to help these unfortunate creatures. 

I am also awake and up at 3 am., and with you in spirit.  I cannot sleep past that time.  I think about who is out there, and the cats, and the storms, and if shoveling is needed.  I think about the cats I want to rescue but can’t.  I just can’t get into the bathroom where they first go after being let out of the carrier, before going to a vet, and me comforting them and making sure they are calm when they are let out.  I just can’t maneuver my scooter – its too large, and bulky.  I want to rescue the grey on Parsells, I want to rescue Ranger on Central.  There are so many out there I am not able to get to know right now because I am not seeing them.  I need to get this ankle healed!

I did go to the doctor on Monday.  He removed the temporary cast that has been on there for nearly two weeks, and replaced it with a ‘boot’.  He said the x-rays looked really good, everything was healing.  He said ‘another six weeks.’  No pressure on my foot.  My hip on the other side is killing me. I’ve needed a hip replacement for six months now.  It’s a horrible situation, but I have to get through this.  And I will!

Now that I have had my little pity party – on to better things.  Spring is just ahead!  60 degrees on Sunday! 

 "Be nice to strangers. 

Be nice even when it doesn’t matter."

We need to get little Holly adopted, and Annie, and Jules, and Larry, and Parsley and Hermie.  They are all waiting for the perfect, patient person to end their search for permanent love and affection. They are my babies that were semi-feral, living on the streets for most of their lives, who have had issues of trust, but with the right person, they will come around.  They just need that one to one time for bonding.  Think about it!

Elsa Update:  Elsa was a cat I was feeding under a porch on Garson near Chamberlain.  We had an ice storm and I did not see Elsa that morning.  I drove back to find her after doing my Garson spot.  I took one look at her, covered in icicles, and knew this little girl, who was not afraid of the human touch, needed to be rescued, and so I did.

Before:

After:   Click on this picture, she is so beautiful!!!

Please click on her picture to see how pretty she is.   Elsa is now in a home where her parents love her like their own child.  She is spoiled, warm, and loved.  What else could she want?

Have a great day!

"Let us learn to live with kindness, 

to love everyone, 

even when they do not love us."

Pope Francis

Let It Go

Its been a tough journey, this leg/ankle thing. I’ve had to let go of most of my independence, having to depend on others.  My house is not tidy and organized the way I would like it, which drives me insane, and I can’t do a lot of things in my kitchen because of the scooter hurting my knee after a while.   But mainly it’s the cats out there that I miss.  Terribly.  When my left side started to bother me, and then realizing I would need hip surgery, I had to let go of trekking back to certain locations in the morning, relying on others driving with me, mostly Kings, to trek back and take care of those cats.  I could do the ones closer to the streets, or without steps.  The cats knew me, and waited for me.  I have not seen them in over two weeks now, and am depending on others to care for them, which is another guilt feeling I have, having others do my ‘dirty work.’  There is a grey cat I want to rescue but I can’t.  I want to be able to hold him and reassure him he is now safe and loved, from the street.

The first thing I do with rescues is put them in my bathroom and pet and hold them, reassure them.  But my scooter takes a while to maneuver into the bathroom, and kitty could escape, and there is no room for the carrier if this is the case also.  Another thing I have to let go until I am able I guess.

So in early February a year ago, a wonderful woman named Carol, offered to foster Parsley and Hermie in her shop that sells grills and accessories.   She had a great back room and there they went.

These two kitties were being returned due to their adopters hardship, and Carol offered to take them.  Its like she came down from heaven. I don’t even remember how she heard of me, or how she knew of my plight trying to find a temporary home for these two.  But she took them in and loved them.  Then came Buffy, barefoot and pregnant, rescued from Syd and Johnny’s, who a day or two after rescue delivered six bouncing baby kittens.  Tucker, Fritzi, Cashew, Buster, Poppy, and Saffy. Carol has since had many cats in and out of her shop, as I term her my “Florence Nightingale”.  She cares for them like her own.  In early February, she started a little fundraiser trying to get people to donate a bag of cat food, and she would match.  Well, I will let you hear about it from her:

DRUM ROLL PLEASE...............

On behalf of “Janine the Bean Rescue” I would like to thank each of you who donated to the “Share the Love” food drive! It’s been a fun two weeks watching the pile of bags grow and to talk with each of you who dropped off food. Some of you have never even met Janine but follow her Blog and definitely want to support her mission.

First off let me say – Who knew that Purina made so many different size bags of Kit & Kaboodle Dry Food? There is a 3lb bag, 11lb bag, 12.1lb bag, 16lb bag, 22lb bag, 24lb bag, 30lb bag &; a 35lb bag –and we have an assortment of all of them. When we started this we had no idea as to what the outcome would be. The drive started out strong and then kind of stalled a bit and then gained momentum everyday! We were about 12 days along and I thought I don’t want to jinx this by setting a goal but if we could even get to this one number wow wouldn’t that be wonderful! Well I’ll tell you we blew right past that! With all the bags of food around the store my customers are asking if I’m now going to be selling cat food…
.
So you all want to know how much we’ve collected????

Drum roll please – We have collected 1352 pounds of dry cat food! This should feed Janine’s community of cats for approx. 38 days!

Once some of these bags have been depleted, (we have 75 bags of food here), shopping will be done for Janine to make the match. That should make a big batch of Kitties happy for quite a while. What an amazing group of people with love to give! Thank you again to everyone that has donated! This is one of those stories that should warm everyone’s heart. So stand up, take a bow, pat yourselves on the back &; shout “We did good!” Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!~~~Carol (Mileage Master)

HOLY CANNOLI!

Nice job Carol.  I am truly blown away.  Really.  This is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, having to go to Walmart every week to purchase more food.  Carol should start a cat food selling business!

Here is an update on Charlotte, the kitty that I fed, along with Cyndy Lou, every morning on the median at Central Park near 4^th Street.  Across from the Pentecostal church where the Deacon screamed at me one morning for feeding very starving cats on the property on the side of the church.  The Deacon that called the police on me.  I moved the bowls to the median and fed them there each day.  Rain and snow.  I would place a towel down so their little paws would not be cold while they stood there gobbling down the precious food.   Before the storm we had a month ago, I rescued them, knowing there would be no place I could put their food, too much snow.  Here is Charlotte, enjoying warmth, security, and love in her new home.  Before and After pics.  Be sure to click on pics to see up close!

Charlotte and Cyndy Lou

Charlotte in new home!

Have a great day!

"Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have."

Back in the Saddle Again

I’M BACK!!!!   With a broken ankle!  On Wednesday, the 6^th of February, I was at the second location on Parsells, and wanted to check one of the shelters behind a house  that had a cat in it.  I did not know if it was injured, or had babies it was feeding.  We had an ice storm overnight, and everything was a sheet of ice when  ventured out at 3:45 am.  I was very careful walking to the back on the driveway but came to a divot in and my leg just slipped under me.  I walked back to the truck, asked Kings to finish that spot, and then drove myself to the emergency room.  I asked Kings to go right back out to where we left off and do all the spots.  He did, and three hours later was done.  It was really bad out.  He fell twice, but on his bum, thank God.

I broke my distal fibula, posterior malleolus, and have widening of ankle mortise.  What ever that means.  Had surgery on Friday.  Plates and screws.  I’ve never been incapacitated like this in my life, and hope to never be again, although the hip is next.  Down the road, in maybe three months.  The hardest part was knowing I could not personally go out and feed the cats at all 20+ locations that I do each and every day.  The shining light in all this is the friends I’ve made who have offered to help feed the cats on various days and times that are most convenient for them.  What a weight off his shoulders it is for Kings, who has been doing all of this alone for some time now, and the occasional help he had by others.    Kings still has to go to certain spots.   And has helped me immensely getting around.  And I am most grateful for everyone’s help.

Since I last wrote, we have adopted out Charlotte, Miley, Cyndy Loo, Grey and Coco!  They are in their forever homes with awesome families who will love them for life.  Just think, these creatures were gulping the food I was laying down in the median on Central Park just before we had the big storm a month or so ago.  And now they are warm and loved.  Sabrina is being adopted next weekend.

Who do we have left.  HOLLY!  LARRY!  ANNIE!  PARSLEY!  HERMIE! JULE!  Let’s get them adopted!

In the meantime, these guys kept me company, and drove me crazy.  These are my babies that never leave my side each night in bed.  My bed buddies. 

BAYLEE

BRADY

BUSTER

GEORGE

LEO

RUFUS

SCOOTER

Today I go back to work. Wish me luck.  

Have a great day!

Food Drive

Me Bad. I should have shared this on Friday.  Many thanks to Fabulous Foster Mom Carol a/k/a Florence Nightingale for coming up with this food drive.

As some of you know, or if you don't know, I'll tell you...   I distribute 40 pounds of food each morning.  I've been doing that for well over 10 years, but lets just use 10 as an example to calculate:

365 (days) x 10 (years) = 3,650 x 40 = 1,460,000 million pounds of dry cat food distributed over the past 10 years.

$9.00 (average price per 16 lb bag) ÷ 1,460,000 = $162,222.00

Wait --- did I do that right?  Any mathematicians out there?  :)

And that is dry cat food alone.  I also feed over a case of wet food every day.  We won't even begin to calculate that!  And lets not forget the TNR's done over the years.  Lets not forget the rescues!  122 last year!  It costs money for all that!  Not to mention the freebies I've done for people.

Wow, ASTOUNDING.  I could have done so much with that money.  Instead, I kept many animals alive with that money.  To be honest though, I wish I had never seen what I saw over 20 years ago.  All those illuminated cat eyes, glowing in the dark.  Knowing they were hungry.  And look at what I am responsible for now.

I think thats it for now.  I am too blown away by that figure.   I have a headache.  I must get off to work so that I can keep feeding these homeless precious souls!

Have a great day.

"A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love."

History

It was a very uneventful day today, except that as I sat in the truck at one of my spots, a young black male was walking up on the sidewalk.  I had my window down while waiting for Kings to pour food and water behind a vacant house.  He kept his distance and asked if I could jump start his car.  He said he had the cables, and the car was right there at the corner of Goodman and Ferndale/Pennsylvania Avenue.  A very well lit spot.  I said sure!  And so we went and helped him out.  He thanked us profusely.  Good deed for the day – CHECK.

Otherwise, it was 50 degrees – a light mist coming down as I left the house.  All was good.  But oh so much mud.  It is supposed to get colder again, so the mud will turn to icy mud.  Which is better.  I am taking a chapter from an old post and reposting for today.  Its totally random.  But interesting to see what I was writing five years or so ago.  To me at least.a

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

I had a news camera in my face all morning.  Yes, indeedy.  I did.  A nice - handsome I might add - guy named Scott from RNEWS (Channel 9 Time Warner) http://rochester.twcnews.com/ followed me all around this morning, filming, interviewing, watching, absorbing just what I do each day.  And the kitties were all out in full swing.  They were the stars!   Can't wait to see what they put together. I think they will have to splice one hour into one minute, not sure, but hopefully they will capture the plight of these animals.  Now, keep in mind, the winds were whipping, so my hair looked BAD, and Scott caught me in some unflattering positions, bending down trying to get bowls that were pushed back in their shelters for me to fill, with my big ole butt high in the air.  Oh man...  fifteen, even ten years ago I wouldn't have minded so much.  :)  So, if you catch the newscast (Friday at 6 pm.), don't look at me.  :)

I touched on a lot of good points for the interview.  Scott was not only touched by what he saw, but also blown away knowing the neighborhoods I feed in.  He said he's worked the overnight shift for 20 years and has covered many a homicides in that area.  He was blown away.  I told him that I was known by many around there as the cat lady, and that from homeless people, homeless cats, to drug dealers and prostitutes, and I had respect from most of them for what I do there.  Not to mention, 5 am. is a pretty quiet time in those areas!

On top of all that, I have two spots at the clinic this morning.  One female that I believe is pregnant, and a boy.  The female, Tuxie, is sort of feral, and she's been in my bathroom overnight.  She is actually handle able.  She will be going back to a girl who has been fostering all four cats that were 'dumped' on her a week or so ago, for her to foster and try to socialize her for adoption.  Its a long story, but it is one of the Robert's Wesleyan cats - this sis the same girl that recently adopted Autumn/Bonnie from me.  She will hold on to two of them  and the other two more feral will be gone today, someone is coming to get them, and they will go somewhere until their neuter/spay appointments next week.   The other two she is willing to work on, to socialize, and hopefully get them adopted. 

My question is - and believe me - I've read all the manuals about socializing feral cats/kittens.  My question is CAN it be done, even though they say it can't be after they get to a certain age.  I know it takes a lot of patience and a lot of time.  But what are some of the little things you can do to make a good start at it?

I took the time to grab one of them, and hold it for a long time, and gently talk to it, and pet it, and believe it or not, it began to purr, after it stopped shaking.  I know it can be done, with a lot of patience and a lot of love.  But in the meantime, when you have someone who is not willing, or make the time, what can you do?

So, thats it in a nutshell.  Its getting colder out there, and it actually snowed a bit while out this morning.  I must get these poor animals off the streets, but in the meantime, I must get their shelters secure, so that they have somewhere to go to to get some rest, some sleep, some peace, some security.  There are just so many.

There will be times in your life when you have to choose between being loved and being respected. 

Always pick being respected. 

Love without respect is always fleeting…

but respect can grow into real lasting love

5 comments:

1. 
   AnonymousNovember 12, 2014 at 8:20 AM

   I'm glad you are again getting some recognition for your hard work. Now - to Janine's friends...how are we going to capitalize on this? How can we get Janine's message out and in the hands of people that can help support her? What will it take to get people to pledge $10.00 a month???? -carol

   ReplyDelete
2. 
   TracyNovember 12, 2014 at 8:53 AM

   Sounds like a productive morning Janine! I hope this brings some help for you!

   ReplyDelete
3. 
   AnonymousNovember 12, 2014 at 8:58 AM

   So today was the day, eh? I bet you looked awesome with your long hair flying in the wind!! You have great hair - hair most people would kill for. Anyway, I can't WAIT to see the piece. This is so exciting. I will call you later and you can tell me about it more. I hope Scott the news guy, due to his own amazement at what you do, will really help get the word out and do a great piece. YAY!!!!

   ReplyDelete
4. 
   AnonymousNovember 12, 2014 at 10:41 AM

   Congratulations on making the news can't wait to see the story on Friday !! How exciting! I hope it generates lots of awareness for all the good you do and people help adopt some cats or ferals for their barns or help you in any other way. I am sure you looked great during filming! You do an amazing service to these precious animals and I think Ferals can be retuned if someone has time and patience they just want a home and to be loved most of the time
   
   xoxo
   Toni Spencer and Webster

   ReplyDelete
5. 
   Jessrose21November 13, 2014 at 3:46 AM

   I can't wait to see you on TV! I'm sure you did a great job.

   ReplyDelete

Monday Blah!

Soaked Towels.  Mud.  That was my morning.  Living the dream. Yes I am.

But it was a good weekend.  I must say, my new foster is adapting very well for being a first time foster.  And what patience she has.  His urine smell is dissipating, but boy did that smell at first.  I had him BEFORE he went to get neutered, and even afterward, the pungent odor does not go away immediately, but she is adamant about changing the litter constantly, and when I went to visit on Sunday, you could barely notice it.  I continue to receive updates from my fosters, and this foster is doing the same.  Thank you Gaye, Carol, Melissa, Sue, Kimberly, and Kristin!  And look at the pics I received of Grey.  Gaye is quite the photographer, and is happy to help in the process of getting a cat adopted by taking special photos of them.   Pictures work!

On Saturday, Sheryl and Kim (my new Saturday ride along!) noticed a cat in a shelter on Parsells #2 that didn’t move when they pulled up the tarp to get in to the plates to fill up with dry food underneath it.  Sheryl told me when she got back in the truck (remember, I am lame with some of my spots because of the snow and my legs and hip can’t maneuver quite well, so I have to rely on others right now until I can get my hip fixed.  Anyway, she told me about the cat, and asked me to keep an eye on it.  Sunday, sure enough, I braved the ice covered ground and went to see for myself.  Kitty was in the back corner tote.  We didn’t know if she had given birth, or was lame, sick and injured.  Its not usual for a cat to sit around when its cornered like that.  So this morning, sure enough, it was there again, and I had my carrier with me. Plan was to slowly pull the shelter out and block the opening with a towel, and get kitty to the hospital.  Well, it didn’t work. Kitty bolted out.  At least I know it can move.  I will check on it again tomorrow.  I am sure there is something wrong, but I just don’t have enough manpower, or brainpower, to do this on my own.

Saturday morning was also interesting because we were close to our last stop, when we heard this wailing sound.  It was human, and it sounded like someone crying in pain.  Sure enough, we saw a person walking Central Park.  We hurried over to her after finishing up the spot we were at, and I rolled down my window to find out what was wrong.  The young girl was sobbing, and muttering, and saying she was cold.  I handed her some Kleenex, and told her to stop crying and tell me what was wrong.  I gave her a pair of my gloves, and asked her if she needed me to call the police, maybe they could help her.  She said no, but asked for a ride to Hudson.  So, with the two girls in back, we let this pathetic looking young girl – no more than 18 yrs. Old, into the front seat and drove her to the corner of Hudson and Clifford.  All the while, she was talking to herself, muttering, and we knew this was a mentally ill person.  There are so many around Rochester, wandering, lost.  I regularly see one who will stand in the middle of the road at times and just shout at vehicles driving by, which are forced to swerve to avoid her.  There is another that will shout at the top of her lungs and talk to herself animatedly.

Every time I encounter these women on the street it saddens me because there is nothing much I can do, and worse is fearing they could be sexually abused.  They should be given proper shelter and care rather than left wandering the streets.

On a brighter note, I received an update from Snuggles and Squirt.  Remember them?  They are doing great, and boy did they grow!

SNUGGLES and SQUIRT as babies

All Grown Up!

Have a great day!

"Do not dwell in the past, 

do not dream of the future, 

concentrate the mind on

 the present moment."

Carter Update

Carter, pre-rescue.

Be sure to click on pics to see up close!

Carter on Right

Carter's 'home'

A quick update on a rescue from maybe two years ago. 

This cat was about six months old living on Central Park and Second Street.  Born outside, no human contact until I came along when he was maybe 4 mos.?  It had just turned fall, and was getting colder.  I had him sheltered under a tarp under a wire type thing that maybe had grapes growing there at one time.  I then placed shelters under that tarp for the five or so cats that ‘lived’ there.  I cared for them all, got most spayed and neutered, but paid particular attention to one of them, who was a long- haired beauty, and was slowly trusting me by coming closer and closer when I crawled under the tarp to place the food daily.   I named him Carter.  One day, while feeding under the mailbox across the street, he came up to eat while I was pouring the food and I grabbed him by the scruff and placed him in the carrier.  He was scared to death for a while there, but slowly allowed me to pick him up like a baby and cuddle him.  He was vetted, and then adopted out by a wonderful couple who had just lost their beloved furbaby to cancer.  They adopted Carter, renamed him Manley, and here he is today.   

His mom wrote the following update. I am so grateful she still thinks of me and updates me on him.  He is so loved!

"I just wanted to let you know that things with Manley are amazing!  He is so affectionate.  He is a lap cat which can be difficult cause he's such a big boy!  He comes when he's called. He sleeps with us.  And is such a friendly man.  He greets us when we come home.  And constantly wants to be near you.  He gives lots of kisses and face rubs. Its amazing what he's come from. How afraid he was to such a charming cat.  I thank you with all my heart.  I pray those that adopt don't give up too soon.  Its worth the time and effort!  Love ya!  xo"

This holds true for fosters fostering cats right from the streets that are scared. Hang in there!  They WILL eventually learn to trust you!  And then love you!

Myrna, his mom, once wrote me the following after I wrote a post on my discouragement about life  - back in 2017?, and I treasure it always.  Its my quote of the day.

Have a great day!

"Old age strips the body of its glamour 

in order to emphasize 

the beauty of the soul."