Happy Monday

 Well it was an interesting Saturday.  Sheryl and I were out in the am. doing our thing, and while on Grand and Stout, I  hear a gunshot.  It was about 5:30 am.  I asked Sheryl, did you hear that, and she responded no.  I said, well I did.  So we finished up feeding the cats there, and went off to the next location on Garson.  This spot is on the side of someone's porch in front, and they've allowed me to do this for years.  As I was finishing up - and I am bending down with my butt flashing the street - in my peripheral site I could see a light shining at me.  I finished up, stood up, turned around and there was a cop standing with his car parked in the street, and gun drawn and pointed toward me.  Whoa! HELLo.  He asked what are you doing?  I said as I walked toward him, I am feeding cats, I have permission to do it by the homeowner.  Now, obviously I must look suspicious to cars going by.  I know that.  But draw your gun?  Geez...  can't he see my beautiful ass in my sugar skull leggings with that flashlight?  ha ha.   Anyways, he then went on to ask if I heard a gunshot.  I said yes, and I thought you guys would have been around sooner.  He asked when I heard it.  I said five minutes or so.  Maybe I should have said 10.   Anyways, he asked where I heard it coming from, I pointed and told him northeast way.  He said thanks, and then said, you've been doing this a long time haven't you?  I said yes, and then I said too long.  He told me to be careful and I thanked him and drove off.  Then there were five more police cars and they were there for a while.  It was not where the gunshot came from.  Hmmm.

The shelter I had built on Parsells, just a ways down from where they used to be until someone put them to the curb and cut down the bush that protected them, and the spot where Willie said I could put them because it was city property, was trashed.  The shelters were put to the curb.  Obviously, I was upset about this, and they took my board and heavy pallet we carried to that spot in the dark one morning a week or two after meeting Willie on his porch.  Knowing that there are at least 8 cats that depended on me feeding them, I said to hell with that, and I placed three paper plates under the tree there in front of the CITY OWNED lot, and fed the poor things. The next morning there was a note on the tree there not to feed the cats.  I ripped it down and threw it away.  I know I need to go door to door again and find someone with some compassion in that area, but I don't think I am going to find that person.  There is a very sweet red tabby that needs to be rescued.  The others shy away from me.  The red is very sweet and friendly.  Anybody?  Foster?  I have lots of people that want red tabbies to adopt!  This situation has really upset me.  I think about it constantly, especially leaving the food there on a morning that its pouring rain.  Rain for now, then snow?

The black and white kitty that cries and cries each morning that I pull up to Seventh and Central is still on the street.  We are waiting for a spot at the clinic to have him looked at and then will possibly be  fostered.  He has a monkey tail, and I wish I had named him Monkey - actually, that is what I will name him and I will have the clinic change it to that when I get the appointment.  I initially called him Lucky Seven.

The kittens that Sue is fostering are slowly being adopted.  We've had a flurry of applications for them.  We call them the Yellowstone kids.  All named after the characters in the series Yellowstone.  They are ADORABLE.  So is Momma Felicity, picture above.  

Sheryl's batch are the cutest ever.  All black, and two have multi toes.  I went to deworm them this weekend and they are just too adorable.  One is being adopted already.  

Spread the word!  And please consider foster for the adults out there.  They really need our help before the winter arrives.  Thank you, and have a great day!

"Compassion is to look beyond your own pain,

to see the pain of others."

Memories...

 

Dear Diary… woops, I mean dear Blog.  Its been a long time.  Where do I begin?

Lets start with my memory.  And what I actually can remember.  A few weeks back, my shelters on Parsells were moved to the street and the bushes that they were hidden in were cut down.  A sign posted said don’t feed cats, we have a rat problem.  I, of course, could understand, but what to do about all those cats that are starving every day?  I have been feeding a few houses down the street under a tree since.  I knew I had to figure out a solution, so I enlisted Kristin’s help and we went a’knockin on doors on Labor Day morning.  As we drove up to the spot, there was a man on his porch having his coffee.  We got out and slowly approached him, explained what we were there for, and we got to talking.  His name was Willie, and after a long conversation, we finally were able to figure out where we could build another shelter – the city lot next door.  Now, mind you, this is where CRAZY LISA used to live.  That was one of the first things I had asked him when I walked up, was if she still lived there. He said no, she was in a hospital somewhere.  Lisa had severe mental problems.  If you did a search in my blog, you would read about the many encounters that myself and the police have had with her.  Anyhow, this man was very kind, even though he picks up the dishes I leave there in the dark in the morning, because the rats and raccoons come out and he doesn’t want them fed.  I can understand.  So in a few weekends, Kristin can help me build, I hope! Oh, and by the way, the man had tried to grow tomatoes in a pot on his porch, but he didn't realize that the pots needed holes and the plants were waterlogged, so the next morning, I left him a bag of Dunkin Donuts coffee and a few tomatoes from my garden.  I hope he liked it!  :) 

We also took in a mother and seven kittens, thanks to Sue offering to foster.  God knows I can’t do it, and never want to again.  Kittens are so destructive and I’ve had about enough.  I can’t begin to count the number of kittens I’ve had under my wing this year.  Ugh. We are thinking of naming them after Yellowstone series characters.  Ya gotta get creative when you have to name SEVEN kittens, and you’ve already named a gazillion kittens and cats in your lifetime before.  Mom's name is Felicity.

This weekend we may be able to rescue the black and white kitty from Seventh and Central thanks to Kristin’s mom offering to foster.  We just need then to wait for his neuter clinic date.  Then we put him up for adoption.  Thank God we have people that want an adult cat and not a kitten!  We really need more fosters for adults.  

UPDATED:  A fellow feeder/rescuer? that I have never met reached out to me and told me about a red tabby she had picked up near one of my spots on Grand Avenue because he looked sick or injured, and she had him vetted and treated, and asked if I could post him around for adoption.  I did, and voila, a former co-worker from the law firm I used to work for reached out to ask about him, Oakley.  She had lost her husband recently and her old cat had passed away, and she saw Oakley and felt a connection with him.  She went to visit him yesterday, and he is now going to be adopted by her on Saturday.  See?  Give the older cats a try.  There are at least 10 cats I can count on the street just as sweet as this one.  Please consider.

Otherwise, I am still out there doing this, and its crazy.  Thanks so much to June and Sheryl, my only helpers at this point.  I know they can’t do it forever.  Neither can I.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention others in this post.  I used to do daily blogs and tried always to remember to thank those that help me, but now I can only write once a week if I am lucky (work!), and sometimes, when I think about it, there are SO many that help me.  Esther has been doing four of my spots, and Danielle and Chuck feed on Parsells in the back parking lot of Chuck's job site.  All of you are invaluable to me!  And there is Kim who fills cat food into bags for me most of the time, and carries them to the truck.  Couldn't do it without you peeps!  

Have a great day!

"All we have is now."

Hump Day!

 

Yes, it was pedicure day.  I was also shucking corn and stuck a piece of silk in my toe.  I know, I am nuts.

Crazy week.  Lots of cats out there.  Its so sad.  At my first location on Parsells, they cut down the bush there and placed all my shelters that were hidden behind there out to the curb.  Remember this was the spot last winter where I found a guy huddled in 20 degrees with no coat on asking me to call an ambulance.  He was laying on top of the shelters behind this huge bush.  Granted, I know there are rats, I see them scurrying a lot, but there is also a lot of trash on this property and its surrounding.  I’ve counted up to 8 cats there.  There is one sweet precious red tabby, very thin, and friendly, that comes up when I am pouring the food (yes, this has not stopped me from setting plates on the side of the house with a bowl of water for those starving cats).  At least they can eat until whoever throws it all away.  Just so sad.  I have no idea what I will do come the dreaded cold and nasty weather.

The cats on Grand Avenue are out of control.  They are all precious and friendly there, and I would love to have more fosters to take in adult cats – there are so many people out there that will adopt them once we can get them into a home and get some pictures, and obviously I would get them vetted first.

I’ve got all the kittens I had under my care adopted except for one.  Sue got her Claus, Odie and Lola adopted (Lola was adopted by my cousin’s son, and that is going to be one spoiled kitty!).  The kittens she was fostering, Rue and Squeaker, were adopted together by a woman that has horses out in Mendon.  Nice couple she and her boyfriend.  They are totally in love with these two little kittens.  Caesar and Katniss, the black kittens left with Sheryl, will be delivered to their new home on Friday!  And my six- GOD are they destructive! – are all adopted but one.  Lotus will go to her new home with new brother and sister adult cats – Chevy and Catalina are going together to their new home with their new adult brother Sprocket, and Camaro and Shelby will go to their new home together at the end of September – their new adopters are going on vacation mid-September. 

So all is good, I am so glad to know that we saved all these kitties, and none will ever reproduce because they will all be spayed and neutered.

Random pic:  This dead guinea pig was spotted on the corner of Second Street and Central Park.  How would a guinea pig wind up there?  So sad to think about.

 

This cat on Seventh Street and Central really needs a home.  So lonely, and you could easily trip when you pull up to this abandoned house where he sits and waits for someone to come along, every day.  Poor thing.  Very sweet and friendly, and very homeless.

 

Summer is winding down, and I need to start thinking about reinsulating some of the shelters out there.  Even if I never go out to feed again, the cats will at least have something to crawl into during inclement weather.  Its sad to think that I wouldn’t be able to feed them – but its reality.  I have no successor, and the funds are dwindling.  I can’t go on forever. 

Have a great day!

"Hope is the last thing ever lost."

The Weekly Chronicle

To answer the question on my last post...  My Ralphie died.  It took only 1 month and a few weeks before pancreatic cancer took its deathly toll on him.  I think of him each time I see woods, country fields, as I look up into the trees, when I see wildlife, when I look up into the sky and watch the clouds go by...  I miss him terribly.  Thanks for asking.  I hope you are well.  💓

Here I am again, and feeling so guilty.  I have not written, but have not had the time it seems.  But so many funny things happening!  Not to mention my yard, keeping it up is hard, and my garden...  my tomatoes never do well anymore, not sure why -- I did get a few nice ones, from the pic above, but mostly my cucumbers are going bananas.  I got two nice green peppers, and my carrots are still tiny balls of orange, and I got a ton of small onions which I haven't harvested yet either.  Not sure what to do with those.  My thyme is going bonkers, and my chives are doing well also.  I did some canning last week -- well you can call them refrigerator pickles....  I did cukes, red peppers, green beans, garlic, cauliflower, onions....  tastee!

So I snapped this picture the other morning...  I pulled up to spot on 2nd and Central, and there was something in the road.  I got out and it was a HUGE rat.  I picked it up by the tail because I didn't want it to get smushed.  It was so big I put my boot in the picture to show its true size, and I have size 9 feet!  I know, gross, right?

Speaking of that corner, across the way, I could smell a fire this morning, and as I drove slowly by the source of the smoke, I could see flames, but couldn't be sure.  But I called 911 anyway, and told them it could be just a wood pile in someone's back yard, but the smoke was dense and you can never be too sure unless you actually go into the persons yard to really look.  They said it was a good call and they would have someone to check it out.  As I drove down to the end of Central, sure enough, there was the Goodman Street fire station fire truck coming around the corner and turning down Central.  No sirens, but I am sure they were checking out from my call.  HA.  At least you know they are there in a real situation.  I have no idea what happened, but I guess I am glad I called???

Last week I rescued 'Bayleigh', the grey tabby I have been feeding on Bay Street.  I got him into carrier and brought him to my porch, while we waited for his new mom to come pick him up.  Boy was I lucky to find this woman.  She owns a horse farm in Honeoye Falls, feeds 21 ferals in her barn (all fixed thanks to RCAC!) and she was looking for a cat to love as indoor only.  What a nice person.  Every day she sends me updates and I am so thankful. Most are videos that I have to learn to put on here, so maybe next blog post.

Also, guess what.  I have a new 'batch' of kittens.  A gentleman on Garson that allows me to shelter and feed cats on his property called me over a week ago and told me he was working on a vacant house and he found kittens.  Thankfully, I had someone I was able to call, who has helped me immensely in the past with so many other things, and ask if she could go get them.  She did and offered to house them until I could figure out something.  Well, right now I have no other fosters, so a few days later I took them in and they are ADORABLE.  Their names are LOTUS, SHELBY, CATALINA, CHEVY, CAMARO AND AUDI.  Two girls, four boys!  Six four-week old kittens they were, and weaned and potty trained already.  Now they are five weeks, and blue eyes not quite yet turned.  I have a ton of applications for them so who ever is reading this, don't even think about it!  :) 

Let's not forget these little ones that Kristina is 'fostering' for now.  They need to go together as they are bonded.  Little Ruby and Milo.

There are still so many others as you can see from the pics below.  Please consider fostering an adult cat.  They will be adopted quickly, I can promise you that!

Have a great day!

TGIF

Is it just me, or does it seem like the population has doubled in size since before the lockdown hit last year.  There is more traffic, more pedestrians, more lines, more everything.  I hate it.  Too many people.  I remember driving Route 104 last spring, and not a soul was on the road.  It was HEAVEN.

My britches are getting too busy for this blog, and I really wish I had more time to connect.  This used to be my diary of sorts, I recorded everything cats and I could refer back to it if I forgot something, a cat, a name... but time sort of slips away and then a week and a half has gone by, and I've forgotten what happened just yesterday.

I do, however, remember that one morning last week, there was something floundering in the street up ahead in the twilight (or is that dawn?  beginning of the morning when the sun is barely rising yet)...  anyway, I stopped after realizing it was a skunk with its head stuck in a container.  I got out and slowly crept up to it, and pulled the little yogurt cup off its head, and for a second, it looked bewildered and then slowly sauntered away off the road to the grass, as I backed away as fast as I could.  This is the SECOND time I've done this.  The first was an adult skunk, this was just a baby.  Thats what trash does folks, kills animals.  Stop littering.

I have five kittens left in my rescue, all being fostered, but going slowly.  That tells me that Rochester had a ton of kittens this year, and there aren't always enough people to adopt these innocent souls. 

There are a ton, well not a ton, but at least a dozen adult cats that are precious and sweet and worthy of a home, but not enough fosters.  Come on people.  Step up, foster, save a life.

That's all I have for now.

Have a great day!

Over The Hump Day

Hi Blog.  Its been a whirlwind.  Sooooo many things going on in my life.  Cats and other stuff, but we will stick to cats for now.

So last week, I was driving down Central Park near 7th and there was a car nearly in the road stopped, and the door was open, and you could hear shouting.  Here its 6 am.  I did a few spots, and then I turned around and asked the guy, clearly upset, if he needed the police.  There was a female sitting on the steps by now at a house on the corner.  She was screaming at him.  He said thank you and yes, but no, and said that the woman had broken his key to the ignition and he couldn't start the car.  Meanwhile, she is yelling to me to mind my own $@@$ business.  He shouts back 'at least she cares!'.  I shrugged my shoulders, wished him luck, and drove off slowly while she and I eyed each other.  After I left I thought about this.  To mind my own business.  IF someone had NOT minded their own business, I might not have been as traumatized as I was two years ago when I was attacked one block away.  I distinctly remember standing in the middle of the road while a car was coming, waving my hands, and the car turned onto the street just before where I was standing.  They didn't want to get involved.  I would never do that.  I would always help someone in need.  

Meanwhile, its been a summer for kittens.  While I am trying to get away from this rescue business, I get calls ALL THE TIME from various people -- strangers looking to rehome their cat, strangers that have a stray hanging around and want me to help them find it a home, strangers calling about a cat with kittens on their property, friends who have someone contact them about kittens, friends who have a very pregnant cat and asking if I can take in the cat and kittens under my rescue, me finding kittens at a shelter I feed at, me rescuing kittens left on the street by irresponsible people.....  it just never ends!  I am for sure running out of funds and have not had a fundraiser in years.  On top of that, where I work, its a conflict of interest for me to be part of the ROC the Day, where I used to get a chunk of money that 'helped.'  So much money will go to vetting all these kittens, as they surely get sick, or need wellness checks, and I don't recoup that from the adoption fee.  That leaves me with less to feed the cats on the street, many of them running to me, begging me to get them adopted.  And people that allow a cat to get pregnant and remain pregnant, it boils my blood.  What about the sweet innocents on the street? Kittens grow up!  I understand if the cat is ready to pop, don't get me wrong, its just mind blowing knowing there are so many ignorant people out there allowing 'their' cat outside unneutered/unspayed.  What is wrong with our society.

Whiskers had his surgery on his eyelids Monday, and came out with flying colors, although quite humiliated having to wear his collar.  What do y'all think.  Ha. His foster mom, Kim, is a true foster failure and fell in love and asked to keep him.  Ugh.  Lost another adult foster.  But she is the best mom for him, I couldn't see him with anyone else.  Thanks Kim! xo  And thank you Debbie for funding the surgery for him.  I could never have done it.  xo

These two brats were picked up last week from the street - Grey and Stripe

And this little one - Squeaker - was rescued on Garson.  June saw him while I was placing food, and scooped him up.  He/she came right up to her.  I never could capture his sibling. So sad.  Just four little weeks old.  The cutest things ever.  We have five more in foster with Jenn, and Kristin has two she is fostering.  Then we have another two with a former adopter who rescued these two in a barn.  All can be found on Petfinder.  Check them out and adopt!  Or contact me if you can foster an adult cat from the street.  So worthwhile, really.

Have a great day!

TGIF!

 Time sure does fly by.  I continue to go out every other day and feed the kitties, and then race home to eat and get ready for work.  Never a dull moment.  I go through 5 16-lb bags and 14 large cans of wet cat food for each feeding.  I have three crazy girls that get up early and help me, on separate days, and boy am I grateful.  In the summer days, its light at 5 am. so basically I could do it on my own, its just carrying the heavy gear i.e. water jugs, food, etc.  

I see so many sweet adoptable cats out there, my heart breaks, so on the days I don't feed, I don't want to think about them or cats in general because its too depressing.  We don't have enough people to take in a cat for fostering.  I know of at least 5 'worthy' cats right now out there.  Beautiful cats too.  The one adult cat in foster, Whiskers, the foster is falling in love with and is thinking about adopting, but I don't want to lose this foster because she does so well with the adult cats that come off the street, grooming them for their new home.  So I told her to hold off, maybe the right fit will come along for Whiskers, who is slated for surgery on July 5th, to have his eyelids turned out right.  They are curled in right now making it hard for him, or uncomfortable for him, to open his eyes.

The kittens my former adopter found are just precious.  She too has wanted to keep them.  But I told her, we will find the right adopter, to take them both.  I still need to visit her to determine sexes, and then will post on Petfinder.  Mila and Ruby, for now, but I could swear one of the is a boy.

You can see why she is in love with them!

Have a great day!

"There are no great people in this world, 

only great challenges which ordinary people 

rise to meet."