this is so hard , this is what i am fighting ever day in my life with people / throwing cats out , this cat has been a feral that i also h…
this is so hard , this is what i am fighting ever day in my life with people / throwing cats out , this cat has been a feral that i also have been trying to catch for last 9/10 years, he will never come to any one , he sees a human he is gone / because someone was an ass and throw him out this is the first time i have seen / him in a long time, / / and wish there where more people to help, / i really thankful the people who try to do what ever they can to help these poor little animals that get thrown out because someone didn’t want them / or they moved and left them behind / this is bothering me today because this poor little guy , he deaf, crossed eyed , / and is beaten down by the weather other animals and the lack of / veterinaran care / i have seen a lot in the 23 years of doing animal rescue and foster them till they do find homes ,it is really hard , but i keep going. / because i can not save them all but i have had the good out weigh the bad / these photos were taken to night , if elisabeth and ray did not rescue those / feral kittens and trying hard to get the mother , this could have been them / or they would not be here at all. i cry every time i see this and this is what i am doing now, my tears are for them so if you can PLEASE try to help in area as much as you can even if it is one / cat or dog at a time, melynda / (mel) / thank you for reading / sorry it has bothered me for along time this is what makes me / do what i do.
I think Smokey & Mama have contracted mange. I’ve noticed for about a week or so Mama has had a lot of white flakes in her fur, especiall…
I think Smokey & Mama have contracted mange. I’ve noticed for about a week or so Mama has had a lot of white flakes in her fur, especially when I pet her. I don’t know if Caramel and Pumpkin have the mange or not (chances are they do as it is highly contagious/quickly transmitted between animals) because I still can’t get close enough to them to see or touch them. It’s comparable to a horrid case of dandruff, except mange is caused by mites – little tiny bugs that feed on the animal’s skin causing varied allergic reactions (varying on just exactly how allergic each cat is). Smokey came by both yesterday and today. He has a chunk of fur missing from right above his right shoulder which is completely weird. His left front leg looks better (from the possum attack) but it still looks like it could use some type of treatment. At least he is no longer limping on it which gives me some hope that it’s not bothering him quite so much. Yesterday & today, Smokey was highly vocal in announcing his presence. It is the loudest I have ever heard any cat meow and that includes my cat Cricket who was a nightmare while she was in heat. He meows until I come outside. Then, he will even meow at me again after I go back in the house, as if to say: ‘I’m not done with you yet – come back!’ Despite his demands for attention, Smokey isn’t staying long when he comes to visit – not even to eat. I have also noticed that if I don’t sit outside with him while he eats, he will only take a bite or two & then leave. I am concerned that Smokey’s situation is worsening. Even if I could trap him (which would be quite a feat in and of itself) I can’t pay for his clinical care right now. In addition, where would I keep him? I mean – the only way to rid a cat of mange is prescription baths and removing the exposure risk. This means he would need to remain indoors. He would not understand how to be an indoor cat. He has been outdoors far too long & it would be extremely unfair to him to try to convert him into an indoor cat. However, his health seems to be declining more rapidly with the open wounds from his street fights and the apparent mange. I would not trap an animal I knew would be sent to his/her death unless the alternative of life would be far more cruel. As it stands, he is uncomfortable and needs care but he is still eating and drinking and still getting around well. I’m just not sure what to do. In the midst of this, I came across a website that I am hoping might open up some doors for my kitties as well as other feral kitties in my area, as there are currently little to no programs to help them. To help out or even just to learn a little go here: Alley Cat Allies I will also post the link to my front page too in the hopes that others will become involved in feral kitty care. Mama is otherwise healthy and seems to ‘run this hood,’ as I very rarely ever see her with scratches or wounds. The kittens are beginning to separate from themselves as well as from Mama. Caramel seems to like coming to the porch much more than Pumpkin, as I have seen much more of Caramel over the past couple of days. If anyone has any ideas or additional resources, please let me know! ~Lu
I have decided that Mama is the social equivalent of the Godfather. I had observed before that she seems to be the boss of everyone, sh…
I have decided that Mama is the social equivalent of the Godfather. I had observed before that she seems to be the boss of everyone, she is rarely crossed, and when she is – she’s none the more worn for it. Last week, Mama, Smokey, and Pumpkin were on the porch. Smokey had just rubbed his face against Pumpkin’s & all the kitties were being nice. Mama was sitting beside me getting some lovins. Smokey had moved over in front of the lawn chairs. Pumpkin ran up behind him to attack him and Smokey turned around and attempted to bite Pumpkin in the middle of the back. Mama was after him before I could even think of blinking. They rolled for 3 or 4 turns with the usually mmrrrooowwww that accompanies kitty fights. Mama came back calmly to the porch and Smokey trudged off into the bushes. It makes sense with her being a feral kitty & all and having to fight probably since she was weaned from her mother. I also got corrected today! I have been calling Pumpkin ‘she’ when in fact Pumpkin is a ‘he.’ When they are so young, it is difficult to get a good look, especially when you can’t get near them much less interact with them. I know Caramel is a girl because only females can have the color combination she has – all 3 colors – the same as Mama. This morning, Pumpkin was out on the porch cleaning himself and that’s when I noticed that he indeed has male parts lol. I didn’t have that problem with Smokey. When I first started seeing him, I asked him if he was in heat or if he was carrying babies (because I didn’t know the gender yet) and he promptly turned out & stuck his little hairy pair at me as if to say, “Does it look like I’m in heat?” Sometimes I imagine him having an accent from the Bronx. “Can’t you tell I got a solid pair lady?!” So with the exception of Gus-Gus and Juniper who haven’t come around since Mama chased them off about a month or so ago, I know what all my kitties are. Mama & Caramel are females and Smokey and Pumpkin are males. I guess that explains why Pumpkin is so much more attached to Smokey – that’s his male ‘role model.’ I’ve been trying to spend more time outside but the weather is not exactly cooperating. It’s been pretty cold for here and the sun has been scarce in its appearances. Mama continues to keep putting the smack-down on her kids. I’m not sure yet if it’s a game or if they are trying to run away and she’s telling them to stay but sometimes she will chase after them, pin them down like she’s in a wrestling match, and then smack them once or twice with her paw to enforce her authority. She has been playing with them much more lately & it’s good to see her having a bit of fun. Last week I saw her nursing them both but I wasn’t quick enough to get my camera out to document it! I can’t believe it & so far no one can really explain it. That’s the Critter Watch update.
I have not made a Critter Watch entry for quite some time. For the precious few of you who follow them, I am truly sorry for that. Since …
I have not made a Critter Watch entry for quite some time. For the precious few of you who follow them, I am truly sorry for that. Since this is an entry about life & joy ~ I choose not to outline the reasons for that here & will write a separate entry explaining my lack of diligence in keeping you informed. On April 18, 2009 my most precious Mama, the dominant female in the feral colony I have been caring for for approximately 2 years now was quite insistent that I come outside with her. I went out into the forest with her & soon realized she was in the beginning stages of labor (her 3rd litter). I sat with her feeling almost like a Kitty Midwife, rubbing her little tummy & trying to comfort her for approximately 4 hours that afternoon/evening. I have seen many documentaries on wildlife on television but I must tell you that Mama taught me on this day what complete wusses us human mothers are when it comes to labor and delivery. I’ll tell you why: Juniper, one of the male cats who frequents her territory, as well as Pumpkin who is a cat of her litter as well as the current dominant male in the feral cat colony (there is no such thing as inbreeding in the animal kingdom) repeatedly came within a range which was obviously unacceptable to her. In obvious pain & even sometimes in the midst of a hard contraction that I was massaging for her, she would get up and go chase Juniper or Pumpkin away. She would even physically fight them if she felt it necessary. I couldn’t even get up to go to the bathroom while in labor, much less chase away predators & engage in combat! At this point, I am picturing the poor kittens lingering halfway out of her behind as she is chasing off a foe to defend them in labor. A somewhat humorous but simultaneously horrifying image. As the forest became dark around 7 p.m., I decided I should turn in for the night. I wanted so badly to stay with Mama. It seemed that she might have let me. However, she may also have waited until the moment of birth & then wandered off. Feral cats tend to be very private that way as I have learned. The next morning, my husband told me her backside (tail & such) had quite a bit of blood on it. So, I knew she had indeed delivered the litter. I knew she would keep them hidden for at least 4 weeks. It had been her pattern to do so with her previous 2 litters. I have waited extremely impatiently for a glimpse at her litter, which from her previous litters I presumed would contain 2 kittens. I hoped to see the little angels prior to May 20, 2009 which was the day we had to leave to go to my step-son’s Commencement Ceremony. No such luck. After we came back, I thought sure I would see them. Then I began to worry that something might have happened, because Mama wasn’t eating very much & seemed like she wasn’t feeling very well. I wondered if she was depressed. (Yes, animals can have depression too! My house kitty Widget was on Prozac for depression and anxiety shortly before he went on his trip for the Summerlands.) Today I was finally able to see them & much to my surprise, there are 4 of them!!!!! My husband actually got to see & video tape all 4 of them early this morning. However, I initially caught a glimpse of all 4 of them & 1 of them ran off somewhere, leaving only 3 for me to observe & squeal about (on the inside of course so I don’t scare them any more than they already are!). I must think of names for them all as I name all of the critters in my Critter Watch. I have gotten some initial video & a few pics which aren’t very good, as the kittens are so very skittish. Even so, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I will definitely post more as soon as I get some! Love & Light, Lu
Saturday, June 20, 2009 – I am now much more at ease with the fact that I have all of the kittens inside & in my care. They sleep in the …
Saturday, June 20, 2009 – I am now much more at ease with the fact that I have all of the kittens inside & in my care. They sleep in the carrier at night & during naps in the daytime but at least 3-4 times during the day, as I had been doing with Elora & Spackle, I bring them into the bathroom where they can be sequestered yet roam free, so to speak. They are all feeding well from the syringe of milk in place of Mama’s breastfeeding but Elora is the only one who has adjusted to and, in fact, is quite eager to get to the bowl of canned cat food when it is time to eat. This is not surprising given the fact I have had the most contact with Elora. It is now Saturday afternoon and as the day wears on the foreign object in Hamish’s wound becomes more bothersome to me. It seems to me that it cannot be a bullet, given the soft texture, as a bullet would not have decomposed so quickly within a living organism without some sort of chemical breakdown, etc. Therefore, it must be something else. I really had no idea at the time what that something might have been, but I decided at that juncture that it simply could not wait until Monday to be resolved. I picked up my beautiful little Hamish & made sure I had all the supplies I thought I would need: cotton balls, the Hibiclens I had been using, and some tweezers. I began to stretch the circumference of the wound around the foreign object to make it large enough to pass the object back through it. Once it seemed I could wiggle it out, I began to gentle press from the opposite end of the bump underneath Hamish’s skin in order to force the object out. When it was protruding far enough out to get a sturdy hold on it with the tweezers, I did just that. I continued pushing from the back end and pulling on it with the tweezers. This is where it got weird, fascinating, and gross all at the same time. As I continued to pull the object from Hamish (during which he gratefully licked my hand thank you very much!) it began to twistingly unravel – sort of like a cinnamon bun does if you were removing it directly from the canister. It just kept getting longer and longer. Some people may have stopped pulling or even dropped it in shock but I just kept pulling & I know my eyeballs were probably an unnatural size indeed. When the whole of it finally came out I set it on the counter & had to quickly tend to Hamish who had a profuse amount of blood & pus gushing from the wound. Now I had to try to find a towel or tissues or something close by to wipe that up while keeping Hamish still enough, as now that the big nasty was out of him he decided he wanted to get away. During my frantic search for something to tend to his wound further, I notice that the big, plump of worm which was not longer long and twisted was in fact still alive, pulsing in and out upon my bathroom counter. Now I am freaking out, because I have the 3 other little kittens playing on the floor of the bathroom. I certainly cannot have this nasty thing drop on the floor as the first thing they will do is run to investigate & play. My hands are too busy to deter them at the moment. So, I holler to hubby to bring me a container. He says, ‘What do you mean a container?’ I say, _ ‘Any container! Any container will do! Just bring me one please!’_ Well, as always ladies & gents – be careful what you wish for. In my lack of specificity, I received the largest & most giant bowl we had in our home for the plump pulsating nasty worm on the counter. It was far too large; however, I could not fault my dear hubby as I did say to bring me any ole thing, didn’t I? As he rushed into the bathroom, careful not to let any of the little critters out; curious & skeptical I’m sure about what he might be getting himself into, he peaked around the sink to see me tending to Hamish. He then looked at me questioningly as if to say, ‘What the hell did you need this for?’ I gestured toward the plump pulsating nasty upon my bathroom counter & proceeded to tell hubby that that is what was infecting my poor little Hamish & could he please get it into the bowl before it rolled off the counter onto the floor & attempted to infest another one of my kitties? He gave me the ever popular ‘crazy look’ & shook off several whole-body shivers. He took the bowl out by the back door. Then he returned to me in the bathroom, where I had almost finished cleaning up little Hamish to say to me, ‘You know you’ve grossed me out for the whole day, right?’ As if I had planted the plump pulsating nasty just to elicit such a reaction. LOL It’s not as if I was any less grossed out. I just had to remain objective until such a time when I could express my grossed-outed-ness! Poor little Hamish wouldn’t have benefited much if I had flaked halfway through pulling out the nasty & just left it to suck or creep itself back in, now would he? Much to hubby’s horror, I placed the nasty in a small Tupperware with a lid in order to take it to Dr. Rutter on Monday, since I did not know what it was or if it would affect the treatment Spackle & Hamish were receiving/should be receiving in the future. The rest of the weekend went well & without incident. By Sunday afternoon, Hamish’s wound had closed over & he was a whole different kitty. He was eating much better, playing ferociously, & it warmed my heart to know that I had helped him in doing what I did – even if I committed the tragedy of grossing out my hubby. Monday was fairly uneventful as well. I took all the kittens up to Dr. Rutter’s as well as the nasty specimen – which was still alive. I was told that it was a Wolf Worm. Dr. Rutter’s ever helpful staff gave me a specimen jar & told me to take it with me the following day, in case Dr. Geren wanted to document it. I went home & did tons of research on the Wolf Worm or at least attempted to & waited for Tuesday to come.
October 16th PLEASE JOIN Alley Cat Allies / AND HELP PROTECT THE CATS ...
October 16th PLEASE JOIN Alley Cat Allies / AND HELP PROTECT THE CATS / ( Photo courtesy of Alley Cat Allies ) Will she be waiting when I call? / Sometimes I come in vain, / And sit for hours with folded paws / In sunshine and in rain. / It’s not that I have other things / To do but wait and yet / I sometimes feel unhappy / In case she should forget. / For many years I’ve called each day / With hunger, thirst and hope, / She is the only friend I have / Who gives me strength to cope. / Although I’ve always lived alone, / And sleep beneath the sky, / I need to know that someone cares / If I should live or die. / (Poem by Hilda Lunn) IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN KILLING CATS, / YOU’RE ALREADY AN ADVOCATE.
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