Another Rescue!

 

Boy am I going to miss this little guy above, Harley, along with his brother Ralphie.  They are going to a new home today, where they will be very very loved.  Their new mom even got them an Easter basket!

Well its been a week!  Kittens are ready for their new homes, or at least I think they are, and Lucy will be spayed on Tuesday and ready for her new home, at least I think she is.  I often wonder how they all feel.  Do they miss each other?  Will Lucy survive without her kids?  They will be going to new homes this weekend, and Lucy will be alone after Saturday.  So sad.  Really.  I should do some research on this, not that it will do me any good if it tells me they DO feel that emptiness!

On the streets, all good.  Its funny how you notice so many cats missing that you used to feed.  I just pray they are safe, or didn’t have to suffer.

I am grateful to my friend Esther for taking over two of my spots for me.  Grateful to the core!  She offered without hesitation!  I just wish more people would offer to take one or two, and I could cut down and do less.  Its hell on my body these days. 

Drumroll….  I spotted a gray kitty hanging around for a few months on Melville #2, and she would always cry when I would pull up.   Very friendly!  So on Saturday, Sheryl and I noticed she looked sort of pregnant.  Thank God Sheryl mentioned she might be able to foster.  I hesitated because we have enough cats in this world, and if she was not very pregnant, I would have her spayed.  But lo and behold, she seemed quite pregnant when she ran up to me yesterday.  I immediately scooped her up, and then debated all day about what I would do with her.  In the end, I called Sheryl and she came and got her.  Meet Melanie!

We will just have to wait and see now - what your babies will look like, right Ms. Melanie?  Then we have to get YOU adopted too!

Have a great day!

"Spring:  A lovely reminder 

of how beautiful change can be."

TGIF

Tons of Pictures!  Many thanks to Esther for taking these while out on a 'run' yesterday morning.  She wanted to take some pics to show to a few friends of how insane I am.  

Don't forget to click on the pics if you want to zoom in.  They are all just random spots I go to out of the 24 I stop to feed at.  ugh.

Nothing noteworthy on the streets.  Spring is finally rearing its beautiful head after a not so bad winter.  My crocuses were poking up through the soil, but after today, they might all have died.  It was freezing out today, but mostly because of the wind.  But March has produced sunshiny days, and I will take that any day over anything.

The kittens are going on 7 weeks this Sunday. They are totally and completely adorable.  They are all adopted, along with their mom Lucy.  They won't go to new homes for a couple more weeks, and then its bye bye!  I've had enough of kittens.  They are not so much a lot of work as kittens, but they are a lot of work to clean up after.  They scatter everything in site.  Knock over brooms, litter all over, drives me crazy.  I am a tidy person, and hate stepping on a piece of litter.  Its gross.  And Lucy eats so much, I can't keep up.  Poor thing is as skinny as can be.  Hopefully she will put on some weight after the kittens stop sucking on her.  Yes, they are still nursing but are definitely weaned.  She is scheduled for surgery soon.  Then she can go to her new home.  I wonder if momma cats miss their babies?

Have a great day!

"In the end, we only regret the chances

we didn't take."

Random Things

So Saturday Sheryl and I were out on our run at 5 am. and at the first stop we go to is a house on Parsells Avenue, just past Culver.  The shelters are behind a giant bush to the left of a stairwell between two apartment entrances.  As I am bending down to pour food, and Sheryl to my right, she glances over with her headlamp and notices a body on top of the shelters, just laying there.  I looked over and saw a person with their head inside their t-shirt.  It was 20 degrees.  I started to say 'hey' and a man pops his head out of the t-shirt and says 'can you please call an ambulance'.  OMG.  I said of course, finished up and went to to the truck to dial 911.  We went on our way after explaining exactly that, knowing nothing more, and after finished up at the next spot just up the street, we head back to find an ambulance with its flashlights looking on the opposite side of the street.  I slowed down, pointed to the location, and that's when they crossed the street and found the guy, asked him to come out.  They walked him to the ambulance, and I got out to ask if I could have the towel Sheryl had laid on him before we left.  They said 'sure lady, here's your towel.'  Sheryl and I had a good laugh about that ....  they must have thought I was the crazy one...   but hey!  I need those towels for the shelters!  The few I have are precious!  (and no, I don't need anymore, thank you).

So that was one random thing that morning.  I am sure there were more but that's all I can remember.  But let me tell you, each time we go out together something random comes into our view that we just cannot believe we are seeing.  I'll have to go back through my pictures to find some examples.  One I can think of is a pair of high heeled sandals that are always in a different spot on an abandoned house's porch.  Just odd.

Kittens are all doing well.  We have four of the six adopted.  The black ones are left.  They just turned five weeks yesterday.  They are absolutely ADORABLE.  Anyone wants to come see them let me know.  Mommy is getting totally bored being in the room for the last six weeks, but in a couple of weeks from now, we can get her spayed and she can go to her new home.  Kittens are now weaned (but still taking advantage of mommy's milk), litter trained, and jumping and pouncing like wild creatures.  They are totally cute to watch.

One other thing to add:  There is a red tabby on Grand and Stout that has been TNR'd in the past, and is as sweet as can be.  He will be adopted in a heartbeat.  BUT, we just need a home to keep him fostered in until.  Is there anyone out there that is willing?

That's about it.  Its been cold, but spring is right around the corner!  Woo hoo.

Have a great day!

"Today happens only once.  

Make it amazing."

Chow Time!

 

Chow time! (click on the pics to view up close)

          

Well, nearly four weeks later, the kittens are starting to wean.  Let me remind you, I’ve never done this, and so many times did I feel the need to reach out to some of my foster moms who have done the fabulous job of raising little ones from birth to adoption, to ask for advice, but I didn’t.  I just stuck some smelly pate under a few of their little noses, put a little on their lips, and within half a minute, they dove right in.  This will be interesting, and messy.  The first thing they do is step in it.  Luckily Mom is happy to lick them clean because she can eat.  

Boy can she eat.  She is almost a bit too thin in comparison to her diet the past four weeks since I rescued her.  I must get her to a vet.  She seems happy, but her coat is not shiny, and she is still very thin, but full of milk.  The next step is to get them into a playpen as they are becoming wanderers.  They will fall off the bed eventually as they are getting very curious as to what’s over the edge.  They really are adorable, and will only get cuter in the next few weeks.  They weren’t much to look at – in my opinion – the first two weeks.  Alien-like. 

I am grateful to those strong women that have helped me out in the mornings.  Very grateful.  Its been a tough and treacherous past two weeks with the snow mounds and ice to contend with, but we made it and the cats didn’t go more than two days without food and water (before it froze).  Luckily, I think the very cold temps are gone.  I can hear and smell spring in the air.  It was a short winter as far as I’m concerned, and I’ll take that any day. 

 Have a great day!

“There's more to a person than flesh. 

Judge others by the sum of their soul and you'll see 

that beauty is a force of light that radiates 

from the inside out.”

The Babes

 

What a week it was last week.  So crazy I didn’t even post anything!  As you know, I am raising six babies, by myself.  They say it takes a village to raise children, but I am doing it alone, with the help of momma.  Momma kitty, Lucy, is just the best mom ever.  She is very attentive to her babies, even allowing them to go to the bathroom in her mouth!  Now, I know that sounds disgusting, but this is what the animal kingdom does!  Well, maybe not all, but for cats, its true!  I know I have heard about that, but never witnessed it.  And no, I didn’t sit there and stare…  it was just fascinating to comprehend.

They are going into their fourth week of life, and from alien like…  to looking like NEARLY normal adorable little baby kittens.  Give it a few more days and I am going to just melt.  I’ve watched their fur come in – man are they going to be fluffballs, all of them, and I’ve now witnessed their nails retract – I had no idea their nails couldn’t retract into their paw like normal cats do, until they are at least four weeks of age.  Fascinating!  And their eyes!  Talk about melting your heart.  They are now fully open and they can actually see movement.  They know my voice when I go into ‘their room.’  They look up, and when I lay down to look into their eyes, they are looking into mine!  It’s the sweetest thing ever.

I’ll get back to the kittens, but I almost forgot, Just one week after rescuing Momma, I rescued Sir Jonathan Willoughby Teddy Bear (Kristin named!) from the same location – Grand Avenue and Stout Street – and within days of his rescue and neuter at the clinic, he was adopted!  The couple are very sweet and just fell in love with him.  He is doing well, and I can’t thank Kristin and Darrin for opening their homes up for an adult cat to be saved from the remainder of its life living on the street.  There is such a need for adult cats, I just wish more people would offer to foster.

Its been brutally cold out there, and last Saturday, I found the red cat I’ve been feeding on Melville for many many years dead in one of the shelters.  I reached in to fill the bowls, and saw a red tuft of fur.  I knew it was him. He was old and sick.  But never let me near him.  It was devastating, but at the same time, comforting to know he would not suffer again.

And the very next week, I was able to ‘rescue’ another red kitty I’ve been feeding for MANY years on Garson, knowing I was going to have him euthanized.  He was very sick.  I had tried to rescue him many years ago from Grand and Baldwin, but when I got him out of the carrier in my bathroom, he freaked.  I wrote about this maybe four or five years ago in my blog.  I had to return him.  He migrated from that time to Garson near Chamberlain.  I could see him getting thinner and thinner and lately I had spotted blood in the snow.  His back legs looked bad, almost icy and wet.  I knew I couldn’t let happen to him what happened to red.  So he was brought to the vet and the vet told me that I had done the right thing.  He would have suffered greatly out there.  Poor baby.  I named him Garson.  Thank you to Elizabeth for transporting him to the vet for me.  She is keeping the body of both reds to bury in the spring.  Such a kind thing to do E. 

Backing up to two mornings ago, I was crouching down to pour food at a shelter on Parsells, and a cat was behind me crying.  I went to put my finger out to touch, and he took a swipe at me and his one nail got me good on my hand.  So much so that it must have nicked my vein, and it started to swell fast.  It was the start of a very large, very gross hematoma.  Sheryl and I had never seen anything like it.  Apparently neither did the doctor that looked at it after I drove immediately to ER.  He even wanted to take a picture of it!  After a dose of penicillin, a bandage wrap, and $150 co-pay, I was good to go.  Today, its much better but looks like a giant bruise on my hand and wrist.  Bad kitty!

Back to kittens, here are some adorable pictures.  PS, I have named them:  Two black kittens are Bear and Truffle, two calicos are Ginger and Georgie, the grey is Harley, and the brown tabby is Ralphie!  ADORABLE! (click on the pics to see up close!)

Have a great day!

"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."

Lucy and Her Six Dwarfs

Its been a very interesting week.  Last Monday I rescued a very pregnant kitty from Grand and Stout on a very chilly (18 degrees) morning at 5 am. all because she ran up to me for food and she was easy...  which is why I named her Lucy.  :)  - well, five days later, she gave birth in the bed we were sleeping in together (well, she was on top of the covers!) - I slept in 'her' room to keep her company until the big event.  I heard a screaming, at 1:30 am., turned on the light and lo and behold, there was something totally gross and disgusting next to her bottom.  A clear sac.  A baby kitten not moving in the sac.  I panicked.  She wasn't doing anything.  I've never witnessed this.  Panic.  Then adrenaline jumped in and I poked a hole in the sac and the kitten started to move, and that's when Mama took over.  Thank GOD.  I left the bloody mess and went to the couch only to hear every twenty minutes, another scream, another baby.  X's five.  Good Lord.  Six babies.  

Today, they are all doing well, Lucy is a great mom, very protective and loving.  She is just the sweetest chill cat mom I've ever seen, although again, I haven't had experience with them much as I send all the moms and babies to fosters.  She was supposed to go to friend Sheryl for the big event and fostering, but it happened too soon to move them to her house.  And I can say that Lucy already has interest by someone for adoption, after the babies are weaned!  In a couple of weeks the babies won't look so alien-like and will be totally adorable!

In the meantime, this past Monday, I rescued another sweet brown tabby because Kristin offered to foster an adult cat that I felt was ready for rescue.  So, I scooped up Sir Jonathan Willoughby Teddy Bear (as Kristin would later name him - eeks) and off he went to Kristin's house.  Not one day passed that he already generated interest from posting on Facebook, and Sir whatever his name is, is now adopted!  

So its been a crazy crazy week.  Work has been really busy and I've been really busy snow shoveling because we got dumped on a few days ago with 8+ inches of snow over two days.  It was not fun.  Many thanks to Esther and June for helping me dig the spots out there.  The cats sure were grateful to be able to move again.

Have a great week, but please, spay and neuter your pets.

Barefoot and Pregnant

What a cold and snowy week its been.   Bad for the babies still on the street.  Good for the momma kitty I rescued Monday morning.  This beautiful petite satiny grey cat came to feed at Grand and Stout as I was pouring out the wet food and I noticed how HUGE she was.  Looks like she was ready to pop.  Very pregnant indeed.  I asked my helper Elisabeth to grab the carrier from the back of the truck, and sure enough, she was one easy catch.  Easy is the word for her now isn’t it?  I’ve named her Loose(y)!  Lucy!  She is the most loveable cat I’ve rescued in a very long time.  Her little pads are rough which means she has been out on the streets tramping around for some time, but I firmly believe cats know when they have it made – she looks into my eyes with gratitude like I’ve never seen.  I wish I could keep cats like this, but I know there is a special family out there that will adopt her when she is ready.  The first 2021 rescue!

I think most of you know my stance on aborting females that are pregnant.  But when they are this pregnant, it’s a hard thing to do.   There is an overpopulation of unwanted pets nationwide. Every year more than 15100,000 dogs and cats end up homeless in shelters, and sadly there are just not enough people who adopt from those shelters.

Some animals in shelters are saved from the streets and cruelty, while some are given up by their families. Countless others never make it to shelters and suffer without someone to care for them. Spaying or neutering pets prevents animals from being born accidentally, and is the most effective and humane way to save animals lives.  Why would anyone want to bring more cats into this world?  That is why it is so important to spay and neuter.  So that we don’t have to kill the babies that are yet to be born. 

This morning was interesting.  when out on my cat rounds at 5 am in 13 degree weather, there was a prostitute at a street corner that ran up to my truck – she then saw why I was pulled over and began to walk away.  When I finished pouring the food, she was standing at the corner, and I pulled up and asked her if she needed a pair of gloves.  She was dressed poorly for the weather.  I then said, ‘Why don’t you get in my truck and warm up a bit.?  She gladly did.  I asked her her name.  Denise.  I asked her if she would like a sip of my coffee, she did.  I asked her where she lived - she said she was homeless.  I then pulled out a ‘homeless bag' that I carry with me each day, handed that to her, - it included granola bars, toothpaste, toothbrush, socks, gloves, tissues, a comb, …  You could tell she was grateful even though she was quiet.  I told her she could stay in the car and ride with me for the remaining 20 mins of my route.  She seemed grateful.  Then in my always lecturing manner, I asked her if this was something she wanted to continue and she said no, and I said, I work for United Way, and I’ll bet there is something that UW could do to steer you in the right direction to change your life.  I gave her my number and told her to call me.  Who knows if she ever will, but to make a difference in someone's life would be the bomb.

Simon, the last of the five kittens that Sheryl has been fostering, is being adopted.  Simon went from being the most timid, scared cat ever, to a now docile little kitty.  It took him to lose all his siblings to other adoptions for his sweet personality to come around.  See?  You can tame a feral cat!   He went from a feral four month old kitten to a now close to seven month old sweet kitten.  It can be done!

As for Miss Lucy Pants, we are still waiting on her babies.  Wonder what they will look like?

Have a great day!

"Life is Short, Live it
Love is Rare, Grab it
Anger is Bad, Dump it
Fear is Awful, Face it
Memories are Sweet, Cherish it."