Project Cat

Sooper Hyooge Mega Update

2011-12-23T21:10:00.002-07:00

So much to report... Travel, Kitty-Hand-off, and Settling in Update...

Travel

On Monday, I picked up Red from the boarding place and brought him to Beatrice's house, where Scoots (now 'Scuse) had been recuperating since his neutering. There was some hissing on 'Scuse's part, presumably because Red smelled like vet and because Red, who he hadn't seen in 2 weeks, was invading his space. (What if he eats all mah gooshy fud??) But there was nothing worse than that.

I left the room to get them some food and when I came back, Red was drooling. I started to panic-- what happened? Was he okay? Had he gotten terribly sick!? But then I discovered, beside him, a now drenched catnip toy that I had made. So, no, not sick, just really really high.

The next morning, a kind friend gave me a ride over Beatrice's house. I put harnesses on the kitties, which had the result of making 'Scuse walk backwards into Red-- who didn't care. I put them into their soft sided carriers, of which they didn't approve, and got a taxi ride to the airport, the boys meowing the entire way. This didn't bode real well.

At the airport, there was no way to play down the fact that I had two cats. One cat in a soft-sided carrier? No problem- it looks like a duffel bag. Two? And both meowing? That's a lot harder.

Fortunately, I got all checked in with both of my tickets. (Yes, you can only fly with one pet per ticket. The boys' new human bought me a second plane ticket.) Then it was time for security.

Anyone who has flown post-9/11 knows that security has become somewhat difficult. Shoes, jacket, laptop and liquids all must come out of your bag. I had a bookbag (with laptop) to disassemble before sending through the x-ray machine, and of course two cat carriers to go through the machine, and then 2 cats to walk through the metal detector. I started to ask a (n incredibly UNhelpful) TSA security officer for advice, but when he shot me down, the young woman in front of me offered to help by taking one of the cats through the metal detector. Grateful, I accepted.

I gave her 'Scuse as he is generally pretty accepting of new people. By the time I'd gotten my stuff ready to go through the xray machine and gotten a very scared Red out of his carrier, the kind stranger and 'Scuse had disappeared. Red started to do his best to get away from me, tearing my shirt in the process, as well as yanking it down to bare my (thankfully same-color-as-my-shirt) bra. Thanks, cat!

I stepped through the metal detector-- having been waved away frm the scary cancer-giving machine (which is doubly good because a) I don't think I could have put my arms up while holding Red and b) I always opt for the pat down instead of those things anyway, which would have led to more time for Red being scared and out of his carrier.)

On the other side of the metal detector, the kind stranger stood calmly, with 'Scuse wrapped around her leg, his eyes enormous and staring up at me. He looked like a little bear who had climbed a tree. The kind stranger just smiled and said, "I think your cat is scared." I was so very torn between laughing hysterically-- it was really the funniest image ever-- and apologizing profusely to this stranger who now had 'Scuse's claws digging into her knee. She was calm and shrugged it all off. She stuck around long enough for me to get both cats back into their carriers, then disappeared.

THANK YOU, KIND STRANGER!

I recuperated from the ordeal by getting breakfast. The cats meowed in their carriers. Then at the gate, I spoke with the agents there because my seats weren't together. I was so not going to let one of the cats travel alone!! This led to a very nice chat with the gate agents who switched my seat for me. Unfortunately, no one told the person with whom I was switched, so an attendant on the plane had to ask her to move when I got on.

As I said above, traveling with two cats, particularly meowing ones, is conspicuous. It's triply so when getting on the plane. Because the aisles are narrow, I had to carry both duffle-shaped bags in front of me. This meant one cat was eye level with already-seated passengers. I was asked and therefore had to explain to the first twenty rows or so just what was going on. (And throughout the flight, when the cats got particularly loud, I'd get knowing smiles from nearby passengers.)

The whole trip, it was really interesting to watch people's opinions of me slide across their faces, as they went from thinking I was just someone odd who traveled with her unhappy cats to someone who was taking abused and abandoned animals to a home where they would be safe and loved.

Unfortunately, the whole thing got exponentially more difficult as the plane's engines revved and we began take-off Taxiing was fine, but as soon as we hit the runway, Red freaked out in the biggest way possible. He cried and meowed and warbled and scratched and scratched and scratched as his carrier. I put him on my lap, but that didn't help. I put my hand inside the carrier to pet him, but he just tried to escape. He wore several small holes and one large one through the mesh of the carrier, big enough to put his nose or his entire arm/paw through. Once I discovered that, I kept one hand at that hole the whole time, so that I could discourage scratching there. The very last thing I needed was a freaked out Red getting loose on the plane.

One possibility was that the pressurizing of the cabin hurt Red's damaged eye. I don't know when the cabin pressurizes, precisely. Another theory was that when the main engine's came online, the vibration upset him. Either way, he was a mess for pretty much all of the flight. Even when he was relatively still, he was panting hard. Poor baby. and he calmed down as soon as we touched down.

After the flight, a few people wished me and the cats well, which was sweet, and one guy actually struck up a conversation about them as we walked to the concourse.

My parents picked me up,but we still had a long drive to get home. 'Scuse was pretty quiet for most of it, and Red made himself known at weirdly appropriate times in my conversation with my parents.

We got home late and I made them comfortable in my childhood room/bathroom. They ate their gooshy food hungrily and cautiously explored a bit.

Kitty Hand-off
The next morning, I spent a lot of time hanging out with them. I had some fantastic cuddle time with Red as he just purrrrrrred and sprawled across my stomach. 'Scuse isn't entirely pleased when someone other than himself gets attention, but for a good long while, he lay beside me as Red was in my lap, and we just hung out. It was lovely. Less lovely was discovering that in his struggles on the plane the night before, Red had torn out one of his claws. Poor baby!! As long as it doesn't get infected, it should be okay. It was obviously bothering him a little-- he kept licking it-- but it wasn't making him limp or anything, so that's a good sign.

Then, equally lovely, their new human, Tam, arrived after a 3+ hour car ride. She came up to meet the boys and they were quite friendly. Red was on my bed and was happy to accept love and pets. 'Scuse came out from under the bed fairly quickly and put himself in my lap. He accepted being put into Tam's lap for a bit, then went back to me.

The cats were a lot less sanguine when we brought carriers into the room-- they hid under the bed and even after leaving them alone for a while, we still had to pull them out when it was time to go. Immediately the crying began again from both boys and it accompanied Tam on her 3+ hour drive back home.

Settling in/Updates
Tam has set one room of her house aside for these two boys, in order to keep them apart from her other cats as they get healthy and comfortable. It is a kitty-cat paradise in there-- with shelves for climbing and perches, covered spots for hiding, and so many pillows. They're also getting all the gooshy food they could want. The boys are on their way to being the spoiled kitties that they should be.

'Scuse is showing some brattiness, as he was doing at my house, too, in that he wants ALL THE ATTENTION. But he's lovable and sweet, so it's awfully hard to be mad at him. Red is backing down rather easily, so Tam suspects he's feeling insecure about his blind-side.

They went to the vet on Thursday, for a proper check up. (Everything that had been done in AZ was triage-- get the eye problem under control/neuter/test/vaccinate. This was a real exam.) Other than known problems (ie Red's eye) and normal outdoor-cat problems (ie: worms), they got a clean bill of health!! HUZZAH! 'Scuse needs to gain about a pound-- he's just a small cat, evidently. 'Scuse also needs to be shaved, tee hee. Turns out the mats he has are pretty much his undercoat being dirty, and it's not really fixable without shaving. (Grooming wasn't very helpful.) This will wait until it's warmer, however. (And then I SO want to see pictures of naked 'Scuse...)

Because of an opening in the vet's surgical schedule, Red's surgery is going to be on Tuesday. He will be neutered at the same time as his eye is removed, to save on multiple anesthesias (as it's never entirely without risk, as you know.) Please keep him in your thoughts for this.

Thanks to the INCREDIBLE generosity of readers of this blog, I was able to send $400 to Tam yesterday. And if Bea's accounting is correct, another $300 will be on its way. (And that's *after* paying for the emergency vet and the ophthalmologist visits). If you wish to help this poor little kitty, you can still donate (and if you would prefer to send money directly to Tam via paypal, get in touch with me and I'll tell you how.)

Thank you thank you thank you thank you. These kitties are safe and sound, snug and warm. And it wouldn't have happened without your help.

(All pictures in this post are thanks to Tam!)

The Long Awaited Update

2011-12-19T02:28:00.002-07:00

My sincere apologies-- there have been two reasons for the lack of updates. First, I was sick and the thought of doing anything other than sleeping was not one I could stomach. (Although as you'll see in a moment I did, actually, do more than sleep because I did take care of the fuzzies.) Second, things kept changing on me, so I wasn't sure *what* to post, precisely. But let's see what we can see...

First, on Wednesday Scoots went to the low cost spay and neuter clinic. He didn't love being in the cat carrier, but he was okay with it. And while we were in the waiting room, I stuck my hand in the carrier to pet him, and he sprawled out just like he would if he'd been in my lap without the carrier and started purring. And this was with a very nervous, shaking pekinese sitting beside us. Scoots did just fine-- he woke up without trouble, he was eating and investigating by evening time. Equally important, he was tested for FIV and feline leukemia, and, like Red, was negative. YAY! And he has also now been vaccinated. He has been recovering under the care of Bea's Mom's neighbor, indoors to keep his surgical site clean (and because indoors is where kitty cats belong, particularly when there's some kind of beastie out there attacking cats, as evidenced by Red and, previously, Sir Percy.)

On Friday, I took Red for his follow-up check-up with the ophthalmologist. As you can see in the picture (taken in the waiting room), his face has healed up but his eye is certainly still problematic.

There's good news and bad news. The good news is that he's not in any immediate danger, nor is he in any pain. The ophthalmologist said that the eye probably irritates him a little, but doesn't pain him.

The bad news, however, is that he does need surgery to have the eye removed. Poor little pirate kitty. The eye is totally blind, so it's not like keeping it would benefit Red in any way. More importantly, and I know I'll screw some of this explanation up but I'll do the best I can here, because there is still blood on both sides of his lens, he's at an extremely high risk to develop a sarcoma. Worse, once that happens, it almost immediately metastasizes and kills the cat. As to when that might happen... well, could be months, more likely years, but it's likely to happen. Likewise, she suggested that the eye will develop glaucoma as well. So, it needs to come out. He'll always need to be an indoor kitty, because his lack of depth perception means he'd have difficulty getting away from predators, although in general he'll learn to compensate in jumping up on couches and such.

Also, he can get the eye surgery at the same time as getting neutered, which is good, since anesthesia is never totally without risks.

Red didn't much care for the carrier, either. We had a conversation all the way from the boarding place to the ophthalmologist's, Meow, Meow, MEOW, meow. Once in the waiting room, I let him out of the carrier and into my lap-- where he promptly plunked down, ignored the dogs around us, and started purring. In the exam room, too, he just sat in my lap (there was a bench to sit on) as we waited for the doctor to arrive. He even seemed to enjoy the exam (except for the eye drops). They wrapped him in a towel- and he really seems to love being swaddled. The tech held him and the vet started looking at his eye and then said, "Is he purring?" and yup, he was.

As for the big question you're probably wondering... what now? Do the kitties have a home to go to?

The deadline for finding a home for them was pretty much *now*, as I am leaving AZ (to visit family) on Tuesday. My friend Tam, who has commented on this blog, who first taught me about TNR and rescue, and who has been my guide through so much of Project-Cat, agreed to be a safety net. That is, if no one could take these cats, she would figure out a way to do so. Despite all the internet pleas I could manage, and several false hopes, I did not find a home for them elsewhere. So on Tuesday, two cats, with three working eyes between them, and I (whose eyes mostly work, heh), will fly across the country. And here I thought there'd be no way to go more complicated than getting Sir Percy to his forever home in Germany. Staying domestic this time, but adding a second cat... yup. Sounds about right for my life.

Anyway, the timing isn't ideal for Tam, but I know 110% that these kitties will have the bestest life ever thanks to her. She's already helped them (and me) immensely and I'm so grateful for her generosity. And I'm sure I'll get updates from her. :)

Thank you to all of you who donated (and donations are still very much accepted for Red's eye surgery-- I'll send them to Tam. It will, after all, be a $1000 surgery, plus the cost of neutering; that's on top of the cost of the boarding he's already done and travel costs and such. At some point in January, I'll be putting things for sale on Etsy again, with the proceeds going to Red's surgery as well.) Thank you to everyone who spoke to people about these kitties and who reposted their plight. Thank you all. I couldn't do any of this without you.

Wee Update: Scoots & Red

2011-12-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

Red has been at the vet's boarding facilities now for a few days, so Beatrice is back to normal (well, normal for her, heh.) This evening (Saturday), I called to see how he's doing. (He's under the name "Odin" at the vet). They said, and I quote, "Odin is doing great. He's eating all of his food and he loves to bury himself in his blanket." Aww, how cute! And I'm glad to hear he's eating all of his food-- he's a big cat (long kitty!) but only weighs 8.59 pounds, so he needs to fill out! I asked if he's taking his medicine and they said yes. And I asked how his eye looks and they said, "it looks a little bit better." So that's all promising. Now to just find him a home. Do you or someone you know want a kitty to snuggle up with you? 'Cause Red is just the kitty...

As for Scoots, he's still himself. Bea's Mom's neighbor has offered to get him fixed this week-- huzzah! So he'll be better off thanks to that. And check out these fabulous seasonal pictures.

I may have to make this second one my profile picture online for the holiday season...

So, things are status quo, but we're still wishing for a home or two. Remember, kitties can get to anywhere in the PA/MD/NJ/NY area (or farther, depending on how far you're willing to drive...) on/after the 20th pretty easily. Anywhere else would take more monies and planning, but is doable. Please to help this loving, loving kitties who have gotten such an unfair, inhumane deal 'til now.

All I want for the Winter Holidays is a Home

2011-12-07T14:57:00.001-07:00

I know you're probably tired of hearing about poor Red and Scoots, and I know I'm tired of typing blog posts and pleas on a broken keyboard. But I'm still asking for a Winter Holiday Miracle-- and it's not a fixed keyboard.

Because the extra cat was making Bea's Mom sick and Bea angry and sick, we have moved Red to a vet to be boarded for a few days as a very temporary fix. The vet (University Animal Hospital) is fabulous and they'll play with him when they can and take good care of him, give him his meds, etc. But it's not a solution to a real family or even a foster home. He is a people cat-- he purrs and loves and cuddles.

He was a very good boy at the vet-- in order to board he needed his vaccinations and a check up. This vet hadn't seen him before but agreed with the ministrations mandated by the ophthalmologist. And he seems otherwise healthy. (Skinny, mind you, but he's a growing boy who wasn't cared for.)

He also getting tested for FIV/FLeuk, since his lifestyle 'til now-- thanks to his careless, awful humans-- puts him at high risk. Thank goodness, it came back negative, so he also got the vaccines against those. So that's a little something to rejoice about!!

The upside to his having gotten his vaccinations is that he would now be permitted to fly. You know, in an airplane, not unassisted. :) Which means that his prospective homes no longer has to be in the Phoenix-drivable area (although it is certainly still permissible!) The same goes for Scoots-- he's not vaccinated yet, but I'm certain we could scrape up the money to do so. It still has to be domestic (yes, Sir Percy was rehomed to Germany, but the timing wouldn't work in this case) but it's doable. Costly? Potentially as it would require round-trip airfare plus $100 pet fee. On the other hand... I'm already flying into Newark on the 20th.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Well, it means if you're within in a logical area of northern New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania (where I'm actually going) or that sort of geographical location, it'd be pretty easy to get you a loving fuzzy half-blind stripey orange cat who doesn't know how to play but gets along with everyone and loves catnip and gooshy food. And/or his adorable fluffy-floofy black little brother who adores belly rubs above all things.

So, I beg of you all, keep spreading the word in the hopes of a miracle-- a family to take in Red and Scoots (not necessarily just one family for both!) to make them as happy as each of them would make a family.

This last picture was taken at the vet's office just yesterday. Despite having had a thermometer stuck in an unpleasant place, and having strangers poke and prod him, he was interested in the goings on and relatively relaxed. And while the picture isn't great (taken with a phone), you can see that he's healing up, even though he doesn't have vision in his right eye. He's a big handsome boy who, with proper nutrition, will be bigger and handsomer and now he's just waiting for a miracle for himself and his brother.

The Little Brother

2011-12-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

In recent days, this blog has been about Orange Kitty, variously called Reds and now, thanks to his injury and Bea's Mom recently watching Thor, Odin. But I've mentioned before that he's not the only special kitty who needs saving this Christmas, not even the only one in our situation.

Meet Scoots, aka Rascal, aka Loki.

Loki showed up after Odin did, his "owners" apparently deciding that one cat that they didn't take care of wasn't enough. Both kitties got kicked outdoors once their "owners" decided they didn't want to deal with the neutering.

If possible, Loki is even more loving and sweet than Odin. He follows people around, mewing, asking to be taken home with them.

He'll flop over on the pavement (as you can see) and show his belly, asking for loooove. (Also, sunbeams. 'Cause it's gotten cold, even here in Phoenix.)

So while we seek a home for Odin, we also seek one for Loki. The two aren't from the same litter, but they are a pair (they'll cuddle and play) so if you're looking for a perfect duo, two cats to entertain each other, these could be your babies.

And finally, a quick update on Orange Kitty/Red/Odin: He still seems to be improving, although that is a guess from us, since we're not ophthalmologists, nor do we have fancy equipment. Unfortunately, the situation with Beatrice (who is violently angry and making herself sick because there is another cat in her house) and with her mom (who is not angry, but who is getting sick because there's just too many allergens in the house) has reached a tipping point. We are taking him to the vet to be boarded for a few days, in the desperate hope that we can find a foster home for him before either of us leave for the holidays. The vet will be equipped to care for his eye and he'll have a condo with a view (no, seriously, he gets a window.) He'll also get vaccinated today, so that's a good thing.

But this is a very short term, very temporary fix. Please, please, please, talk to everyone you know, even if they're not in the Phoenix area, because they might know someone who is, and who could take in this sweet, adorable, loving, injured kitty who has been abused and abandoned and yet is still so cuddly and desiring of human affection, even if just for a few weeks.

Desperately Seeking Foster Home

2011-12-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

The generosity of friends and strangers is amazing. Thanks to you-- those who could donate and those who spread the word-- we've raised enough money to cover Red's first (emergency) vet bill, his first ophthalmologist appointment (yesterday's) and, I think, his ophthalmologist check-up in 9 days.

If he needs surgery... well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Bea's Mom isn't sure if he's doing better or not-- it's probably too soon to say-- but the eye isn't drying out (that's good!) and he's acting normal (that's good!) and she's managing to get ... most of his medicine in him (that's mostly good!)

Unfortunately, having another cat in the house has made Beatrice angry (to the point of making herself sick) and it's making Beatrice's mom sick. (She's allergic to cats in general, although has gotten used to Beatrice. Having another cat in the house has pushed her system past the tipping point and she's already gotten a rash and a bloody nose... Lovely, huh?) And she's leaving town very soon, too, for the holidays. So at this point, our biggest, most pressing, and most frustrating, need is a foster home. (A forever home would be even better, of course!)

Please, please, please, if you can open your house and home to this skittish but very friendly and loving boy, let us know. We're in the Phoenix area, and can drive him to you. For a forever home, I'm willing to drive sooper far, but since we'd have to get him *back* from a foster home, I'd say only a few hours distance from Phoenix is logical. If you aren't nearby or can't take him in, please, please, please keep boosting the signal of this blog and this need?

(Also, while Red's need is immediate, don't forget that his brother, sometimes called Scavenger Kitty, sometimes called Scoot or Rascal, a black medium-haired boy who wants attention like nobody's business, is also seeking a home. Could you or someone you know be the holiday miracle for either of these boys?)

So, good thoughts that Red can keep his eye. And good thoughts that we can get him at least a temporary home asap.

Holiday Miracle Time?

2011-12-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, after the debacle of the feral colony and the bullying management, I removed myself from cat rescue (including this blog.) Not that I'd ever gone *looking* for trouble before, but still. But once a sucker-- er, rescuer-- always one, I suppose...

My friend, Beatrice's Mom, had neighbors with two cats. However, because these neighbors didn't bother to get these two cats, both male, neutered, they sprayed indoors. So the cats were kicked out. And the cats were not treated well when they were around the humans anyway. And then the humans stopped paying rent and were evicted and they left these two cats behind.

The cats are incredibly friendly and desperately want attention. They'll follow me partway to my car when I've been visiting. Bea's Mom and I did what we could to keep them comfortable-- Bea's mom has been feeding them, and once it started to get cool (and sometimes rainy) here, we made them snug little shelters. And they were scheduled to get neutered this week. We hadn't had any luck finding homes, but at least we were making them as comfortable as possible.

Warning-- the next part is gross.

Well, two days ago, one of the cats, Red, showed up having clearly been in a fight. Remember when Sir Percy got away from Bea's mom and was attacked, coming home with scratches on his face? Poor Red was like this, only worse. His right eye was bloody and weeping, and Bea's Mom was certain that the eye was actually *gone*. She managed to catch Red last night and take him to the emergency vet in Gilbert. $200 later, she was sent home without much in the way of answers (but with some painkillers and antibiotics) and a stern recommendation to keep Red inside and to get him to an ophthalmologist asap.

Eye Care for Animals actually has Saturday hours in south Scottsdale, and they squeezed Red in between surgeries. (We're grateful to them-- by squeezing us in, we didn't have to pay the after-hours cost which would have been $200 more.)

Red will probably never regain vision in his right eye. There's clearly been a lot of bleeding in it, and there's swelling. To complicate matters, there's a corneal abrasion, too, which means that the best treatment for the swelling (steroids) can't be used because it'd pretty much melt the eyeball. (I'm paraphrasing.) The good news is that his left eye is perfectly fine, meaning that if he doesn't have vision in the right, he'll still be able to get around just fine. Also, the bleeding seems to have stopped, also good. Oh, and while the emergency vet thought that the eye pressure was quite high, by this afternoon at the ophthalmologist, it was down in the perfectly normal range.

So we were sent away with many meds (painkillers, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, a lubricant and ... something else. Perhaps Bea's Mom can fill me in on the last.) And now we wait-- we'll go back in 10 days or so to see if things are improving. If he seems comfortable, blind or not, then that's good.

But if he's not-- if things get worse, or if pressure builds, or the eye dries out, etc., then the eye will need to be removed. Please send your prayers and good thoughts to Red, that he heals up quickly and healthily.

The emergency vet cost Bea's Mom $178. Today's ophthalmologist cost $259. Surgery would cost $1500. If you can help with Red kitty's eyes, please contact Bea's Mom at Flurije@gmail.com

AND, even more importantly, frankly, is finding him a home. (And ideally one for his brother, a fluffy black kitty, too, although it doesn't need to be the same home.) We're looking for a Forever Home, but we're also looking for a Foster Home. Bea's Mom is leaving town very soon and anyway, Beatrice is a dominant cat who is making life miserable for everyone in the house because of Red's presence. If you're in the Phoenix/AZ area and could take in a poor injured kitty even just for a few weeks, that would help us (and the kitty) immeasurably.

Even if you can't help him financially or by providing shelter, it'd be a great help if you'd boost the signal on this post, spread it around. Getting this kitty healthy and finding him and his brother homes would be a really spectacular winter holiday present to them. They've had a really raw deal from humans so far.

Itty Bitty Kitty Committee

2011-06-29T11:47:00.001-07:00

You're probably already familiar with the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, or, if you're not, you should be. Once a year, that site and its current foster kittens raise money for the Tacoma & Pierce County Humane Society. This year, they're trying to raise 50 squillion dollars, and area almost halfway there. Obviously, it's a great charity to donate to.

But even better, all money raised today (Wednesday 29 June) will go to the spay & neuter programs. This includes a low-cost program for pet owners, but also a spay & neuter program for ferals in that area.

You can read about it here: Spay & Neuter Day (and Hump Day!) And I encourage you to donate if you can, since you, as readers of this blog, know about the plight of homeless and feral cats.

"If I had magic powers, I'd wish them compassion, so that they'd understand what they're comdemning these cats to."

2011-05-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

"Your heart must be breaking."

Both the complex manager at the first meeting, and a MEB district manager (or whatever-- she never gave me her job title), at the second (and disastrous) meeting, informed me of this. And yeah, of course I'm saddened (and oh boy, there are other words that come to mind, such as horrified, disgusted, disheartened in humanity, etc.) about the fate of these cats. But in the moments that this phrase was applied to me I was actually far, far more angry than anything else. And not even entirely about the cats, but about *people*, specifically *these* people who simply refused to listen to me. I don't even mean that they refused to agree with me, I mean simply 100% refused to listen to me, as clearly as if they had put fingers in their ears and went, "LA LA LA LA, I CAN'T HEEEEAAAARR YOOOOUUU," like a five-year old.

I haven't written since that horrific meeting for a number of reasons-- not least of which because nothing has changed. (And the legal system, when it comes to animal abuse, is slow and overburdened, and so I have not yet heard back from the various authorities I contacted about MEB's illegal dumping of the feral cats. And when I do, depending upon what I hear and what's happening, I might not feel comfortable putting it in such a public forum anyway. We shall see.) But the other part is because much of what I've been thinking about and feeling is about me rather than the cats, and that wasn't, isn't, the purview of this blog. That horrible, bullying meeting that day actually changed my worldview about people, and not for the better.

"I'd wish on them compassion."

During this horrific process, I've been leaning on friends for advice and to simply listen to me rant and rail about the unfairness of it all. Some of them have been feral caretakers and some of them are simply decent human beings, and I'm grateful to all of them. And many of them have been *you*, those of you who read this blog, even if you don't comment.

In speaking with one of said friends last night, Tam, she said something close to the title of this entry-- she'd wish compassion upon these managers so that they'd understand precisely what it is they're doing.

"We are not killing these cats," one manager insisted to me several times (in both meetings, even.) The first time I pointed out that by taking the cats to the Humane Society, that was precisely what they were doing, even if she herself was not physically the person who took the life of the cat. Theoretically (and I have expressed before why I do not have a baseline as to what to believe from these managers, no matter how much they insist that they are not and have not lied to me) they are now "removing" the cats and letting them "free" in some other location. I attempted to explain what precisely that means to the cats-- territorial creatures who (with management's permission!!) had become dependent upon human provided food sources. Even if the cats were relocated *correctly*-- which is a many week process for each cat!-- there's a strong chance that the cat would not acclimate to its new surroundings and would attempt to get back to its home territory (and likely get hurt or killed in the process.) And we all know that they are NOT even attempting a proper relocation of the cats.

These are not people who sit at home pondering ways to make the lives of these cats miserable, nor are they people who genuinely dislike cats (even the ferals.) [They assured me of this so may times that it became a mantra for them, although any rhetorician or speech writer will know that this is false logic given the particular argument has nothing to do with these particular people's feelings.] These managers honestly believe, as far as I can tell, that they are doing the Good and Right thing by releasing the cats they catch (in really rather terrible traps). Because their hands aren't the dirty ones, they are able to hide behind the thought that they aren't doing anything wrong, they think they are not causing suffering. And when I tried to enlighten them about the realities, they metaphorically stuffed their fingers in their ears and refused to listen. My wish is like Tam's, that they would suddenly understand what they're actually condemning the cats to.

-----

I have a few more posts in mind for Project-Cat, general type stuff on ferals, on what I did wrong with the project and what feral care-givers should do different, and on how you can help feral cats in general. I'll be moving from my current location-- for reasons that should be perfectly obvious to anyone reading this blog and man, I hope I never, ever see anyone affiliated with MEB ever again-- and I really and truly and fervently hope that there are no feral cats at my new home. (Given the size of the feral cat population in this particular metropolitan area... well, fingers crossed at any rate.) This means that this blog's nature, when I post, will have changed from updates on these particular cats to posts on ferals in general. I do hope you still read and I do hope you still find something interesting here. And I will update on specifics whenever possible.

I promised I'd update

2011-05-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

I don't honestly know what to say here. As far as the cats go, it boils down to this: MEB refused to let them stay, citing health and safety hazards, and are removing them to an undisclosed location.

If you're looking at that last part and thinking, "Um, that won't work," you're right. Cats are territorial and will do everything they can to come back here to this space. If you're looking at that last part and thinking, "Hey, that's illegal," you're also right. Under AZ Animal Cruelty Laws, you cannot dump a feral cat-- you are not allowed to take them anywhere but the Humane Society. But if you're also looking at that last part and thinking, "Well, at least they'll have a chance there, unlike the Humane Society," you will see my current dilemma.

A wonderful, kind, and smart feral-cat caregiver, a volunteer with the Foundation for Homeless Cats, was to come with me to this meeting. She and I met and spoke ahead of time and I had a little bit of hope from this veteran negotiator.

False hope, alas, as when we got to our meeting I was completely blind-sided. The complex manager had called in two higher managers from MEB and they refused to allow the volunteer to stay and talk. This was, apparently, about a "resident concern" and thus for residents only.

Let me tell you, guys, it was awful. Imagine being taken to the principal's office with your teacher and your guidance counselor there, all of them thinking you're a recalcitrant child in need of severe behavior modification. (Later, when I pointed out that I'd been blind-sided, they had the gall to say, "Well, you brought someone." And I responded with, "Yeah, and you made her leave.")

Clearly the purpose of this meeting as far as these three managers were concerned was to get me to shut up and to have you all stop writing to them. It seems that they honestly don't care what anyone thinks except their residents (and their residents have said only negative things about the cats. I pointed out that angry people are the 10% who are vocal-- what about the 30% who are neutral and the 60% who are happy to let the cats stay? They said that wasn't their experience. Well... yeah, by definition of those other 90% not being vocal!) Not caring what potential renters might think? Seems short-sighted to me.

They've been taking down my flyers because they are "Solicitation." Since I don't try to sell anything, that would be completely untrue. Not to mention, those flyers are posted directly next to other flyers THAT ARE SELLING THINGS. So, uh, solicitation?

The only two resident complaints that they shared with me were one: a small child was attacked by a feral cat recently. Uhh... No. I'm not saying that the mother claiming this is lying (although she might be) but I think there must be a lot more to this story that we're no getting because that's not what feral cats do. When I pointed that out, I was dismissed with, "well, maybe it was stray or a pet or whatever, but it can't be there." And they suggested that children may run after a feral, corner it, and get scratched. My thought there, as I'm sure any responsible parent or sane person would have is, "Teach the freakin' kids not to chase strange animals!" but again, no. And secondly, they complained about the smell near my building. I will admit that Sir Percy's penchant for spraying made the area slightly pungent. I pointed out his story, and that he's been removed. They said that I couldn't promise that it was that cat doing the spraying. I said, actually, that I could, because all the other males have been neutered. They refused to believe me.

I tried everything I could, although I'm not a skilled negotiator. They had all the cards in this situation-- a veiled threat not to let me renew my lease (I so don't care) atop the whole ganging up on me thing. THREE OF THEM against me. Sure, they had the temerity to claim that they were all there out of concern for me, because I'm a resident and had registered a complaint, but I'm calling them on that BS.

End result... not sure, precisely. They claim that they took the three cats they've caught the Humane Society but that upon finding out that they were going to be killed, they did not leave them there but took them to a housing development elsewhere where they had permission to leave the cats.

There are holes in that story, however. If they're using only one trap, how did they catch three cats and take them to this special location? If they caught one and found that out and took the cat elsewhere, then took he others elsewhere, that might make sense- but when I asked the manager last week she said that three cats had been taken to the Humane Society. Today she said she hadn't known, and that since then they've changed their mind. Well... that doesn't make sense.

And the larger problem-- dumping cats, even ferals, elsewhere is ILLEGAL. No two ways about it-- it's part of AZ's anti-cruelty laws, as I stated above. I said as much to them, and I was informed that their attorneys said it was okay. Well, I don't know what loop-hole they've found, but it's not.

I suggested that I would be fine with everything if two things happened:
1. They removed the cats in a safe, humane, and effective manner--- which includes keeping the cats contained at the new location for several weeks. (A 21 day period is suggested by this group, for example)
2. That they offer me some proof that they have permission to move the cats to this location.

They FLATLY denied both. Flat out. Offered nothing in return. Claimed I was giving them an ultimatum (they said I was free to do whatever I liked but they were equally free to not renew my lease.) They said their attorneys wouldn't let them tell me where the cats are being taken (could this be the way they're getting around the fact that it's ILLEGAL!?)

I said that between being blind-sided by this meeting and their refusal to listen, I had no real reason to trust any of them without some kind of proof. They said they'd never lied to me-- well, a) first time for everything and b) ... isn't that what a liar would say?

Look, bottom line? I believe that they think that they're doing the right thing. They honestly believe that they're at risk because of the cats and that by removing them they'll be fine. (They're wrong, but nevermind that.) And if they actually are taking the cats to some undisclosed location (or a sanctuary in Mesa, supposedly as their second location), they undoubtedly again believe that at least they aren't getting the cats euthanized.

Because I heard them say that this is what they're doing-- all three of them said it at one point or another-- I could legitimately report them to the police's anti-animal-cruelty division. But I'm terrified that if I do, they'll simply revert to taking the cats to the Humane Society. And okay, that option's legal but equals death. On the other hand, there's a reason that dumping a cat is illegal and considered cruel-- they're away from their food source, their familiar territory, and if they're just dumping the cats in the desert, well, they're just sentencing them to death anyway, but a longer and more painful one.

So I'm at a loss. And the cats have lost, too.

Fingers Crossed

2011-05-19T02:42:00.000-07:00

I will be meeting with the complex management again tomorrow (today, for most people reading this, I should think, and technically "today" for me, too) so please keep the free-roaming cats and I in your thoughts and your fingers crossed.

If you haven't written to MEB about the choice to kill the free-roaming/feral cats, now would be a *wonderful* time to do so (and please share this blog around-- maybe friends, family, or coworkers might like to chime in on this lousy situation?) This kind of support could really help in tomorrow's meeting. (The meeting is at 4pm AZ time and I'll try to post about it immediately after. If you haven't emailed/called MEB by 4pm AZ time tomorrow, that doesn't at all mean that your call/email isn't helpful, it's just that it'd be more immediately helpful before hand...)

MEB Phoenix offices: 602-279-5515 info@mebmgmt.com

Links: Successful Feral Colonies

2011-05-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

Since there's no news today (ie: MEB still trapping, still taking down my flyers, etc.), I thought I'd direct you to a couple of articles on feral colonies where everyone has learned to live together. Most people who care for feral cats won't give away the location of the colony to anyone but another caregiver. No one wants to encourage people abandoning pets there (or, frankly, anywhere), or call attention to themselves/the cats to be blamed for whatever feral cats are being blamed for today. But here are places where free-roaming, neutered, managed colonies are successful-- with stabilized numbers and healthy cats. And don't forget, of course, that feral cat colonies are, in some ways, very helpful-- they keep away mice, rats, voles, scorpions (for which I am grateful) and other things you usually have to pay an exterminator to come put down poison for. (If Villagio is successful in killing the feral cats currently here, they will find an increase in vermin. Which will, in turn, attract more feral cats-- this time un-neutered ones-- and they will find themselves back to a full colony in no time. See yesterday's post on the Vacuum Effect for more information.)

Atlantic City Boardwalk Cats: This colony has been there since the 1880s. Free-roaming colonies? Not a new situation.

Coronado Cats of Phoenix: A neighborhood in historic downtown Phoenix which has banded together to take care of their feral cat situation using TNR. You think the dozen or so cats at Project-Cat is a lot? They've already TNRed 250 (!!!) and aren't done yet!

Disneyland:At the happiest place on earth, feral cats keep out the unwanted mice -- not including Mickey!! -- attracted by the detritus of the average tourist.

The Los Angeles Flower District: Carnations were being eaten by rats, ruining heir stock, but they found a green solution in hiring feral cats to work for them!

LAPD: (Also a second article on a different precinct) Rats and mice were destroying records, burrowing into bicycle officers' gear and generally causing an uproar -- until several stations installed FE-9 units to combat the problem!

For more information on Los Angeles area working cats-- feral colonies located in specific places (after neutering, micro-chipping, etc.), visit the Voice for the Animals Foundation website. They seem like a really awesome program and I salute them!

It seems that the San Fransico ASPCA has a similar program for saving feral cats by making them "working cats", with some information available.

Sadly, I can find nothing similar in AZ. So as per usual, the best bet for these cats is to stay right here, where they're happy and healthy and cared for. Tell MEB what you think about this colony: info@mebmgmt.com and 602-279-5515.

Meeting on Thursday

2011-05-16T21:07:00.001-07:00

The apartment complex manager and I will be meeting on Thursday afternoon to discuss the situation. Please keep your fingers crossed. And keep emails and phone calls coming. MEB should know that they are in the spotlight for this, that people who care are watching their choice here.

I'm not sure that they care, mind you. They took down my informative fliers less than 24hours after I put them up. Nicely done, MEB-- take down a community item from he community board (covering up, might I point out, some rather truly offensive curse words etched into the cork). There are no guidelines, no rules about the corkboards, no one has to look at them if they don't want to. People in the community advertise there all the time-- none of it is from management. But my fliers? Oh no, that's apparently bad. Well, I have more.

Since there's nothing else to report, here's an interesting article on the Vacuum Effect--in other words, why Catch & Kill, as MEB is doing, doesn't work. Read it here.

MEB: 602-279-5515
info@mebmgmt.com

Not Much to Report

2011-05-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted this weekend because I've been dealing with a stomach flu. (Seriously unpleasant.) But you're here about the cats, not me, so let's see...

There has been no activity at the trap since Friday afternoon.

I have spoken with the founder of the Foundation for Homeless Cats for advice. Also, I received an email from the complex manager saying she was willing to take other solutions to the cat problem, so I have asked to meet with her this week.

I put up flyers just this evening (I wanted to do it on Saturday morning, but, uh, see above re: stomach flu) explaining to residents, in case they don't know, precisely what a feral cat is, where they come from, and how they've been managed (ie: TNR).

And really, that's all I can report at the moment, but I will post more when more happens. Keep your fingers crossed, and if you haven't already contacted MEB to let them know what you think of their choice, please do so (info@mebmgmt.com and 602-279-5515)-- it'd be great if they had lots of messages to come in to Monday morning.

The people who hate cats (feral or otherwise) tend to be the most vocal, but they aren't in the majority. I think it's important that the apartment complex and the management company understand that. (In fact, according to a poll that Alley Cat Allies conducted via Harris Interactive, more than 80% of Americans nationwide "believe that leaving a stray cat outside to live her life is more humane than having that cat caught and killed." (14% wanted the cats put down, 5% didn't know.) This is the kind of thing that the managers need to understand.

The Whole Story (Long Version) Recreated

2011-05-13T14:25:00.003-07:00

Since this is a time sensitive issue and Blogger hasn't put the previous posts back up, I'm recreating the whole story thus far. (EDIT TO ADD: Blogger seems to have put the entries back up but out of order and I doubt the links to them work any more, so I'm leaving this entry up.)

As you probably know, I've been caring for the feral colony at my apartment complex for about four years now. (All the rest of the blog posts are still here, so if you wish to know more, feel free.) We got the cats Trapped-Neutered-Released, with the permission of the apartment complex because the complex wanted the cats out. I pointed out that Trap&Kill does not work and it costs more, so why not let me TNR? With the wonderful, wonderful support of the readers of this blog we raised the necessary funds. We did not catch all of the cats that first time, and when I wanted to TNR again a while later, I had a harder time getting permission because the complex had changed ownership and management. But I did get permission again, along with permission to feed the cats because that is part of having a managed colony. And all was well, or so I thought, until a few days ago.

I'd come out to my balcony to enjoy one of the few comfortable days that AZ has and spotted a humane trap set out nearby. It was locked to a pipe so that no one could remove it. Horrified, I went to look at it and it was, indeed, set with cat food and ready to spring.

I spoke with the office staff who told me that the cats were being removed to the Humane Society. They did not seem fazed when I pointed out that that meant they were being killed immediately. I went back a bit later to speak with the complex's manager (who was not there when I went the first time) and she told me the same thing-- the cats were being caught and taken to the shelter. She said, "At least they're not being killed," and I (again) pointed out that yes they are. Feral cats are unadoptable*. She shrugged and said she understood that I'm an animal lover with a "big heart" (why did that suddenly sound like an insult?) but that this wasn't her decision but that it came from the owners.

She claimed that at least two residents have moved out because of the cats. I... really? I mean, maybe if you have a phobia or a cat hatred... But to move out? Moving is such a pain. I think this may have been an exaggeration. She cited damage from cats (where? I see damage from children, but not from cats...) and spraying from cats (um... they've been neutered. Yes, some cats can spray after being neutered but it's rare... I will admit that Percy sprayed a lot before he was neutered, but, uh, he's gone to Germany...) And one guy, evidently, moved out because "it was too sad to see the cats out in the heat." What is that I don't even-- Okay, sure. Seeing animals in 110+ F degree heat sucks. Seeing humans in that heat sucks too. In an ideal world all domestic cats would be well-treated, indoors only and enjoying their very own a/c throughout awful summers. But it's not an ideal world and I have a very hard time believing that Mr. It's Too Sad would have preferred to have the cats killed.

The manager assured me that she saw my point, offered me some tissues (I admit I broke into tears when she told me they'd already trapped and killed three cats), gave me the phone number for the corporate offices with the cheery admonition that it wouldn't get me anywhere and sent me on my way.

So here we are, a few days later. I have emailed and called everyone I could think of for some help and got a lot of sympathy, a little advice, but not much in the way of hope. I have had no response from MEB (the leasing management company that runs this complex and many, many other ones through AZ, TX and NJ**, which doesn't surprise me. I found out that MEB in Tuscon agreed with TNR, so I have no idea what's going on here.

Maintenance has moved the trap just slightly. I don't think they've caught anyone in the last two days (unless they have traps that I don't know about). [There is currently a bird trying to steal food from the trap.] They've blocked up the drainage tunnels in which the cats used to reside/move about it. They've thrown away all the food and water dishes we've put out for the cats and swept away the stray kibble they've found.

Because this is an (intentionally) public blog I am not going to list here which cats I've seen lately, how many are around, where/when the cats are fed, etc. If you want to know something specific, you can contact me project.cat.AZ@gmail.com Yeah, I just set that up since I realized I didn't have a good way to contact me for this stuff here on the site. (Sorry those of you have tried to get in touch with me recently.)

All I can do right now is keep trying to get in touch with the management company (MEB) and telling them what I think of their animal tactics. And I ask that you do so, too. You can email them at info@mebmgmt.com or call them at 602-279-5515. (Please note that the number I originally put up, the number I got from the complex manager, was their fax number. Clearly, she was being helpful.)

-----
*Feral cats, with a lot of time and patience, can be tamed (in some cases.) I have met several incredibly friendly formal-ferals who were adults when taken into a home. You would never guess that they were feral for their young lives. On the other hand, I've met some kittens who were just past the age of easy-taming who never became fully domesticated. My point here is that yes, it can happen, and when it does, that's awesome. But it is not a viable option for large-scale rescue ala the Humane Society, and thus it is never what happens when you or someone else takes a feral cat to them.

**Yes, that seems a weird spread to me, too. Here's their website: http://www.mebapts.com/MEB/index.aspx

Perfect timing, Blogger

2011-05-13T11:40:00.001-07:00

The posts I wrote about the current cat situation have been removed by Blogger temporarily because they've been having issues.

To sum up-- MEB Management Company has decided that despite the colony of cats being neutered and managed, they are a nuisance, and has begun trapping them to take to the Humane Society where they are being euthanized. Thus far my appeals to logic have fallen on deaf ears.

If you would like to tell MEB Management what you think of their treatment of animals, you can do so by calling them at 602-279-5515. You can also email them at info@mebmgmt.com.

The have a trap set, they have removed all food and water bowls, they have swept away food when it's been put out for the cats on the ground. They're doing their absolute best to remove these cats and have them killed.

MEB Management Company Kills Cats

2011-05-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

The headline isn't news, of course, if you've read the previous posts. I just want it to be out there. People hide behind terms like "putting to sleep" or concepts like "taking to the Humane Society," and convince themselves that these cats will have a home found for them. Well, no. That's not what happens. Consider the enormous percentage of healthy, friendly, adoptable cats who are euthanized because homes can't be found for them. There is no space at shelters for feral cats who cannot be adopted. So if you, or Villagio's maintenance, or MEB's managers, drop off a feral cat to the Humane Society, you are killing that cat.

I wrote to MEB, as did several people who have commented here and in other places. I have received no response, which is not exactly a surprise, although it is disheartening. (I wonder how many people choose not to live here or to leave not because of the feral cats but because of things like the pants that have been sitting on top of one of the carparks (visible from my stairwell) for the past three years? Accompanied, of course, with two beer bottles and, a recent addition, a glass. Classy! Or the laundry machines that suddenly went up in price, but remained the same in quality and went down in quantity. I'm not saying I'm going to move out because all of the dryers have their lint-traps torn and useless, but it's not exactly enticing me to stay...)

Anyway. I have spent the day thus far sending emails to other organizations in the hopes that someone can give me advice or help, but I'm not hopeful. I've also gone on a walk to do a headcount of the remaining cats. You'll forgive me, I hope, if I don't tell you numbers or names-- I don't wish to make MEB's job any easier since I think it is morally reprehensible. (I have also removed similar information from the previous post.) If you are concerned about a particular cat or just want to know numbers/etc., feel free to contact me through less public channels.

Keep watching this space, though, and keep those emails being sent to MEB Management.

info@mebmgmt.com OR (and I just found this one) leasingcentral@mebmgmt.com

(If I find an email address that seems less slush-pile, I will let you know)

or call 602-279-5515

Let them know what you think of their tactics (which don't work in the long run anyway.)

If I get news that another group can help-- although as I say, I have no idea how-- here may be a necessary fundraiser in the future. We shall see. No need to send donations now, just gather ideas.

And keep these cats in your thoughts.

It's officially Terrible News

2011-05-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

Despite my beautifully reasoned logic, despite my tears upon finding out that they've already taken three cats (which ones?? I don't know.) to the humane society, there is no budging.

I have never said where I lived on this blog, what apartment complex is doing this-- which once worked with me so wonderfully to TNR the cats and is now killing them-- but I might as well now.

It's Villagio Apartment Homes and it's run by MEB Corporation-- a company which owns and leases a huge percentage of apartments in this area.

In fact, if you'd like to call MEB and give them a piece of your mind about how they are KILLING cats, it's 602-279-5553. That's no the office of this complex, that's higher up to the corporation that has made the decree. (This is MEB's website.)

You can also write to them in Phoenix:1215 East Missouri Avenue; Phoenix, AZ 85014

Or email them at info@mebmgmt.com

The story from the manager here is that people have still been complaining about the cats and that two residents have moved out, citing the cats as their reason. (It is, evidently, "too sad" to see them outdoors all summer. So apparently KILLING THEM is the answer?!)

What about the people who LIKE to see the cats here (doing no harm, might I point out-- certainly less damage than the children who live here.)? What about the fact that cats keep away the scorpions?

What about the fact that these are living creatures whose plight is made by stupid people?

I seriously don't know what else to do. (I haven't called the corporate office yet because I can't stop crying.)

I don't know which three cats MEB Management and Villagio have already killed.

And I spoke with one of my neighbors who gave me the only good news I've got -- Tig(g)er has a forever home, an indoor forever home.

I walked the property and found only the one trap-- I don't know how many there are. It's (they're?) not set well, but evidently set well enough to catch three so... crap.

My lease is up in August and I have made it clear that I cannot give money to a company that kills these cats, so I guess I'll be looking for a (non-MEB) apartment very, very soon. Sigh. But then, a huge, huge part of why I hadn't moved in the past 5 years was taking care of these cats.

Other than inundating MEB Management with rational, sane requests to stop their plan (because it won't work-- they won't catch them all; because it's inhumane-- feral cats are killed upon being brought to the humane society; because more cats will move in within months of this colony disappearing; because they will no longer have me to TNR the new cats), I ... don't know what to do.

(Potential) Project-Cat EMERGENCY

2011-05-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

While sitting on my balcony this afternoon to do some work-- enjoying what little of "spring" we get here in the Valley of the Sun-- I discovered a shiny new cat-trap (well, humane trap-- it works for whatever) in place, locked, no less, to a pipe next to the laundry room.

I investigated it, then went to the management office.

Underlings informed me that "maintenance has traps all over the property" and they are trapping the "strays" and taking them to the humane society. I pointed out that that means they're being killed; I was ignored as usual.

I've looked all over the place and haven't found any more traps. And I am about to wash my face (I admit it, I cried. A lot. Frustration, anger, fear.) And I am going back to the office now that a manager should be there-- and in fact a manager I have dealt with before.

All that said, I don't have high hopes for this meeting and I'm downright scared.

Keep your eyes on this spot for more updates.

Percy Meets His Mama

2011-05-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

Friday was a crazy busy day for me and for Percy, too. First thing in the morning, Beatrice's mom picked us up to take me to work and Percy to her house (where he undoubtedly made Beatrice angry by his very presence.) Then she packed him back up, picked me up from work and took us both to the airport.

It took us a while to check in, but it was all straight forward as I'd made reservations before. Then it was time to get through security, which was also straight-forward but not fun. Percy was upset and did not want to come out of his carrier for going through the metal detector. And I discovered that he'd already peed in said carrier, presumably because he was upset/scared. But I kept a hold on him and we got through to our gate.

Both in Phoenix and during our lay over we got a lot of comments because Percy kept up a steady stream of meowing. His carrier, unless you look really closely, looks like an ordinary duffle bag. (The black mesh sides are hard to see, particularly with a black cat inside.) So people would look around, totally confused, upon hearing a cat in the airport. "Is that a cell phone?" they'd ask. "What a weird ringtone." "Is there a cat around here or did I take too many drugs before my flight?" But once I admitted that the noise was from the cat in my bag and explained that he was a foster kitty going to meet his forever mama, everyone was very supportive and pleased and wanted to chat about their cats or about traveling with pets.

When we landed in Charlotte for our layover, I became uncomfortably aware that Percy had pooped in his carrier. I decided that I had to at least try to clean him and the carrier up before the next flight, and so I ducked into a women's room. All the restrooms in Charlotte have attendants, which surprised me, but fortunately the one in the restroom I picked was very friendly and helpful. She even said that last week someone else had a flat-faced cat in the bathroom and was giving it a bath. So I gave Percy a bath, too. He was un-pleased, but since he had poo all over his tail, I felt it was a necessity. His having a harness on made the bathing process possible. I then put him on the floor (while I held on to his leash) so I could clean out his carrier, and he made a new friend of a small toddler who had seen him and started happily calling out, "Cat! Cat!" His mom let him pet Percy until a helpful flight attendant who had seen me bathing Percy told her that he had poop on him (which he no longer did, of course.) The mother was then suitably horrified and scooped up her child to wash his hands. Afterward, the toddler went right back to Percy and then had his hands washed again.

Things cleaned up as best as possible, Percy and I headed for our gate, which was in the back of beyond as we were taking a puddle jumper from Charlotte to a small airport in Virginia. We settled in to wait-- only for me to discover that Percy had pooped again. So to another restroom and another attempt to clean up-- only this restroom was more crowded and I didn't think it was fair to anyone in this space to try and bathe poor Percy again. I did what I could with paper towels and hoped everything would be okay.

Our flight was delayed by a few minutes, meaning we didn't land at our final destination 'til midnight. Percy's mama, although in from Germany, couldn't take him 'til Sunday night, so we went straight to where he and I would be staying for a few nights and I plopped Percy into a bathtub of warm water. The poor dear was miserable for a bit, but I quickly got him clean and then swaddled in a fluffy towel. Once he was dry-ish, we gave him food and he was back to being his usual self. (I, however, still had a bunch of scrubbing to do of his carrier. Ew.)

Anyway, Percy had to stay in bathroom-style isolation for two days because the apartment also held three other cats, but he was fine. Several people, including of course myself, spent time with him and he was his usual helpful self as people showered/brushed their teeth/etc.

Then, yesterday afternoon the Big Moment arrived!! We bundled Percy back up into his carrier, grabbed all his belongings and took him to the hotel where his Mama is staying for a few days before her return to Germany.

Once in the hotel room, Sir Percy popped out of his carrier and made a survey of his new domain. He couldn't really look out the window, but he had an entire human bed to himself, so I think he decided he'd make do. He enjoyed cuddles from everyone, including and especially from his new Mama. I gave him a bit of a brushing (it's his favorite thing ever), and his medicine (his least favorite thing ever) and food (his other favorite thing ever.) He explored everything, from bathroom to desk. I gave him a goodbye hug and then plopped him into his new Mama's arms, and he cuddled there like he'd always belonged. And by the time we left, he was sprawled on a bed, looking for all the world like he'd always been there.

Percy's mama and I talked about his quirks and his health history. I gave her all the necessary customs forms that my vet had filled out. She told me about the many, many cat accessories she'd prepared for him back in Germany-- and he is going to be one very spoiled, loved, happy cat.

He still has adventures to come. On Wednesday they have to drive to DC then take a flight to Amsterdam and then another flight to Germany. I'm sure he won't enjoy any of that, but I'm equally sure that it's brief unpleasantness compared to the happiness of a wonderful forever home.

Some pictures were taken of Percy's meeting his mama and once I get them I'll post a few here. And if I get permission from his mama, I'll also post the super-cute picture of Percy and his mama finally together.

Percy's Leeeeeaving on a Jet Plane (picture heavy post)

2011-04-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

Yup, things have lined up, it seems, for Sir Percy to get to his forever home on the other side of the Atlantic. His new Mama's visa situation worked out, airfare was purchased, and Sir Percy and I will be meeting her in VA. (I was heading to that side of the country this weekend anyway for a wedding, so now Sir Percy is just coming with me.)

Today we'll be visiting the vet to get this Health Certificate (it had to be within 10 days of his traveling abroad, you see, so couldn't be done sooner.) Fingers crossed for a clean bill of health!

Both myself and Beatrice's mom (while she was fostering Sir Percy) had tried to put him in a harness, since he wanted to go outside so much. Both times he screamed bloody murder and then went and hid. But on Tuesday I managed to get it on him with almost no fuss at all. This is a fairly necessary step, I feel, for airline travel. Yes, he'll be in his (brand new) carrier for 99% of his travel, but he's going to have to through security twice. (Once with me, once with his new mama). Cats going through security, as you might recall from my travels with Dean and Max, need to come out of their carriers to go through the metal detector with their human while the carrier goes through x-ray. I can't imagine anything much more troublesome than a scared cat freaking out during his process and running away, so, harness.

I let Sir Percy onto my balcony for fresh air, since I could be sure he wasn't going to take a kamikaze leap off of it (as he was tethered to me.)

Since he behaved so well, I took him downstairs to play in the grass. There he behaved less well (he wanted to be freeeeee) so it was a brief experience.

We also got a glimpse of Daphne while out and about!

Later on, as you can see, Sir Percy was tuckered out and sprawled on he floor.

And showing off his belly!

Thank you very much for all the good thoughts and nice comments you've been sharing. (And no one has pointed out how incredibly bizarre it is that this kitteh is getting a home on a different continent...for which I'm also grateful.) And a huge thank you to recent donor B., who I don't know at all (at least not by real name) and I think is in Australia, who generously chipped into help out Project-Cat. (Project-Cat has truly gone global... My little feral colony is well loved!) I am so grateful to all of you that I cannot adequately express it.

Percy's Busy Week

2011-04-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

Lots has been happening to poor widdle Sir Percy. On Monday I dropped him off at the vet so my cats could have a much needed vacation from him, poor dear. While here he go his final set of vaccinations, so that was good. His "camper report card" indicated that he was calm and spent most of his time hanging out on his shelf and watching out the window.

Bu things got more hectic for him after that. I picked him up on Thursday and he spent the night at Beatrice's house, trying (and absolutely failing) to make friends with that feisty feline. Friday morning he was dropped off a the clinic for his much needed neutering. By Friday evening he was recovering a Beatrice's house-- and already acting perfectly normal (for him, at least!) other than walking a bit funny, poor dear. (Beatrice was still mighty angry.) I brought him back here late last night and he's been acting just fine ever since. (My cats? Still mighty angry.)

So all of that is a relief.

What about Germany, you may be asking? And honestly, I'm not sure where things stand there. I'll update as I learn something...

Finally, a huge shout-out thank you to A.. Knowing her, she wouldn't want public thanks (I'm not sure she'd even want thanks...) but she deserves them because she is awesome. Not only has she helped out financially in the past with Project-Cat, but she is also the person I go to for advice in all feline related matters. She, too, has been a rescuer. And she is a rescuer of this particular cat rescuer. :) Her most recent donation is incredibly appreciated.

Feline Insanity!

2011-04-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Percy is a fairly laid back cat. He seems to like to find a place to sprawl out (he's 10pounds, which isn't all that big, really, but he sprawls well) and just watch the world go by. Sometimes he does like to explore, hopping up on places he really ought not visit, but, well, he's a cat after all.

Despite this happy-go-lucky nature, my cats don't like him. To be fair, they don't like any cat other than each other (and sometimes that's questionable and based on mood). So one is hiding under the bed pretty much constantly and the other is refusing to eat (although she'll still happily take treats, thankyouverymuch, morepleasenow?) Between this and the constant low level of Percy's "Mrow? Mrow? Mrow?" to the other cats and the grooooororrrrrooorrrrrrwwwwwlllll response he gets (punctuated by occasional hisses, of course), I'm also going a bit crazy and would like some sleep, thanks.

So, Percy's going back to the vet for a few days of boarding. This is not entirely a bad thing-- while he's there he'll get his second set of shots and I've also arranged for a fecal test because his elimination has never seemed quite right and he hasn't had one. (He'll be providing them with fresh samples, after all.) I'd put up with the noise and even the hiding cat, but the not-eating cat has me worried, y'know? Percy will have a condo with a window (he likes windows) and it won't be for long, just a break for my cats. If timing works, he'll go for neutering shortly after that, during which he'll recover with Beatrice's mom (who will closer all her windows tightly).

Then, if we're really lucky, he'll be heading to Germany at the end of the month. The end of the month being reeeeally soon, in fact. So, fingers crossed. :)

Sorry no pictures today-- I'm writing this from a coffee shop. And sooper-hyooge thanks to kitty lover (and my personal friend) D. in NYC for the donation I got yesterday towards Percy's care. :D You are the bestest!

The cat came back, the very next day...

2011-04-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

Well, okay, the title is a lie-- I found Percy a few days after his most recent escape, hanging out by the downstairs foodbowl. I said hi, he said "Meow." I scooped him up and he's back here with me. (Seriously, as soon as I got home from the airport, there he was.) So he's back safe and sound. And in fact, this time around he doesn't seem to have gotten into any fights.

[Sorry-- all the pictures below are from my phone-- it was closer to hand than the camera. You know how cats are; you get up to get the camera and they move from whatever pose you wanted.]

Here's a picture of Percy one week after he was found after his first escape. Kinda gross, but those were all scratches and scabs. There are a lot more that you can't see in the picture. (I was mostly taking it as a reference shot to see if the one below his left eye was getting better-- it has, as you'll see in the next picture. But he was scratched all across his face, had a pretty nasty puncture under his jawline, and two more nasty ones on the top of his head. I think he may have tangled with a dog, perhaps? Something that actually had Percy's head in its mouth? Eek. He also had scratches all along his shoulder blades.]

And here he is today-- you can certainly still see where the scratches are healing and it'll be a while before his fur grows back all the way, but he's getting better. At the tippy top of his head you can see a furrow where there was a scratch (now healed) but the fur is missing. Same thing on the right side of his face-- he's healed up, the scabs are even gone (you can just see new skin) but the fur will take a while.

Poor little beastie. He's still very handsome, I swear-- these pictures don't do him justice!!

And he's getting comfortable-- here's his tummy. :)

Right now he's wandering around meowing fiercely. I have no idea what he wants at the moment...

This week we'll try that whole neutering thing again, and he'll also get his second set of shots. The shipping-him-to-Germany plan is harder than anticipated, but we're working on it.

(Speaking of which, thank you very much to the donor who put a few dollars in the 'jar' to help unite Percy and his momma. Yay!)

Oh, Percy...

2011-04-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

When Bea's mom re-found Percy after his narrow-window escape a few weeks ago, he came back covered in scratches, all beat up. It seems that Percy is way too friendly to defend himself from other cats. This certainly seemed the case against my cats-- mine didn't attack him (or even come near him) but they growled and hissed and Percy just sat there, as if to say, "Why don't you liiiiike meee?"

But Percy also really, really still wants to go outside, and yesterday, while Bea's mom was taking care of all the cats (my pets, foster-Percy and also the ferals, while I'm out of town for a few days doing my 'day job'), Sir Percy escaped. Again. Bea's mom caught him, but he scratched her up and escaped again before she could get him indoors.

So, I guess he's out adventuring again. Worst part is, he was supposed to be neutered today-- that clearly didn't happen. As long as he stays away from the other cats and doesn't get too close to cars or troublesome humans, he should be okay until I can catch him again. And this time he's got a microchip, which helps.

Sigh. Oh, Percy

Send Percy to Germany!

2011-03-27T14:10:00.002-07:00

Sometimes things take a turn you'd never expect.

The good news is that Beatrice's mom successfully found Percy! Hurray! Then she not only wrestled him back inside (I can imagine Percy thinking, "But! But! I was having fun!!!") but also bravely gave him a bath (as he'd gotten quite dirty while out in the big world.) He seems none the worse for wear, other than a couple of new scratches on his face. (He apparently also fought with the big world while out there.)

His adventures have not cured his wanderlust, so we're sending him to Germany.

Just kidding. Well, no, not really-- we are sending him to Germany, but not to cure his wanderlust. (Although while there he'll get neutered, so actually, in a roundabout way, perhaps that's precisely what'll happen...)

Let me explain. A friend of a friend, currently traveling in the US and hoping to live here permanently soon-ish, saw this here this very blog and fell in love with Sir Percy. Who could resist? The downside is her visa expires in a few days and back to Germany she must go.

You see the dilemma? Percy's in AZ, the friend is in NYC, soon to be Germany...

Well, she really wants this cat, so we're attempting what seems pretty impossible. Tomorrow Percy will go to the vet to get his vaccines and microchip and (fingers crossed!!) a clean bill of health (preferably in German... I know some German, but honestly, nothing involving Katzen beyond calling them Katzen. Anyone know the German for "Rabies vaccinated"?)

The second cat I adopted came to me from a few hours away, initially rescued by a now very close friend who was then an online acquaintance whose website I really liked. And I have often felt that that cat and I were meant to find each other, even though it took the internets and circuitous routes for that to happen. So I understand Percy's hopeful adopted momma's desire and I'm doing everything I can to make it work. She is, too-- she has hours on the phone tomorrow to look forward to, in changing her flights, arranging flights, double-checking things with various embassies and customs. Between us, we'll be spending a lot of money to get this cuddly feline to the momma who wants him. He deserves a human who will adore him, and love him to pieces-- he's certainly not gotten a lot of help from humans before this.

My point in this post is threefold--

1. To celebrate Percy's safe return! Huzzah!!

2. To share with you how Percy has found a momma, barring unforeseen circumstances in the next two days. Huzzah!

3. And to ask that, if your fuzzy little heart feels moved and your pockets can afford it, that you drop a few dollars in the Paypal account via the donate button. If it warms the cockles of your heart to see this once unwanted fuzzy-baby to become an adored international feline, maybe you can help it happen?

Very Bad News

2011-03-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

The whole time that Sir Percy was at his first foster home, he tried valiantly to get out the front door, occasionally getting as far as the apartment's steps before being scooped up by his foster dad. At my house, Sir Percy tried to escape by digging through the glass window-- fortunately he is not equipped with diamond claws and thus could not actually succeed as he'd have had nowhere to go but straight down three floors.

At his current foster home, his attempts to escape continued-- only today he was successful in finding a window that was open just a few inches. From there he must have gotten to a lower roof, then to a wall, then, we assume, the ground. This was about four hours ago, and despite repeatedly walking around the neighborhood, putting out food and used litter (not, obviously, together), there has been no sign of Sir Percy.

Both his current foster mom and I are, obviously, devastated. I'm particularly concerned that he's in an area of lots of cats and dogs and cars, and not an area he knows. There are lots of people in this complex who feed strays/ferals, like my complex, but he may be kept from the feeding stations by the ferals, like he was at my place. I'm concerned that I've made things much worse for the little fuzzie, and I miss him, and I just really, really hope he's okay.

Beatrice's mom and I are sitting outside her house with a dish of wet food that seems to be smelling up the area enough to call two other strays cats and several indoor/outdoor nearby pets, but no sign of Percy.

I will keep you updated as I learn anything.

More of Sir Percy

2011-03-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

The friend who was fostering Sir Percy brought him back to my place this evening, which has upset all the cats-- the ones who live here permanently and Sir Percy as well. Sir Percy keeps looking for his foster dad, and being upset when he can't find him, and not settling for me. (It doesn't help that I gave him his medicine.) He'll settle down in a bit, I'm sure. Fortunately, though, Bea's mom has agreed to foster Sir Percy starting tomorrow night. Poor baby really needs a forever home, though, so he can stop being shuffled from house to house and person to person.

Did you know that black cats are the hardest to adopt out? There's mostly only anecdotal evidence to support this, but a lot of shelter workers say it's their experience. This 2008 Seattle Times article cites a 2002 study that supports the claim. Apparently some people just want more "exiting" or "exotic" looking cats, with stripes or spots. Or perhaps people are still made nervous by the old wives' tale about them being unlucky. Not only is that silly-- but it's rather an American superstition. Evidently in the UK and Asia black cats are lucky! A lot of US pet shelters won't adopt black cats out during October, for fear that they'll either be used as props for Halloween and returned, or that they'll be mistreated as part of pranks and rituals.

The only black cat fact that I can prove is that it's hard to photograph them!

I have no idea what Sir Percy's story was before he found his way to me, but I know that he's a sweet little love muffin who deserves a great home.

Meet Sir Percy

2011-03-21T00:43:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, I thought I was out of this business, too. But alas... as long as people are still idiots who dump their pets, soft-hearted people like me will spend their time and money doing what they can...

I started seeing this little guy around when I got back from my winter travels. He'd hang out under people's cars, mostly. But I never saw him around the feeding stations, which made me curious. Then one evening, as I was walking towards the fitness center, I knelt down and called him over-- and he came. Yup, this adorable fuzzy is not the least bit feral-- he's clearly a dumped pet. Sure, he could belong to someone, I suppose, someone who lets him outside, but he's unfixed and had dried bits on his nose/eyes, and was diiiiiirty. He was also a bit cranky after I examined him a bit, and he hopped away from me that night.

Fast-foward a week or so, and as a guest and I were heading out the door to visit some nearby gardens, here was the kitty, sleeping on the landing-- the one opposite the food bowl. I really think that the ferals were keeping him from the food. He didn't protest as I scooped him up and took him to the kitten hatchery.

He chowed down on the offered food and immediately started purring like a motor. Later that day I gave him his first bath. He hated it, and wanted desperately to escape, but he never once scratched me.

A few days later I got him his first checkup at the vet. He is FIV and Feline Leukemia negative. Happy dance!

A friend cared for him for me for a week as I traveled some more, but now I must seek a home for this lovable fuzzy. The vet says this guy is between 1 and 3 years old. He is the most loving cat ever-- he just drapes himself in your lap and starts purring. He even purred at the vet, just sprawling around, waiting for someone to love him. He's also talkative and will hold meowing conversations with you.

Sir Percy is currently in the Phoenix area, but arrangements could probably be made to get him elsewhere, if he has captured your heart. If you know of anyone looking to bring a loving feline into his/her(indoor) life, please let me know, or direct him/her to this post.

Please, please, please spread the word. I absolutely cannot keep him-- I ought not even foster him, but, well, see above re: soft heart.

Quick Update

2010-12-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

The colony is going to be cared for by a friend for a few days while I'm out of town, so I thought I'd give you a quick update.

Miss Hannah Pigpen is still pregnant. I wish she weren't pregnant at all and that we'd caught her before, but if she has to be, then I'm glad she hasn't delivered yet. I want to catch her via those kittens, but see above re: leaving town.

Mr. Tuxie is getting more curious and friendly, in spite of himself. I suspect this has to do with the treats I've been tossing to him... I actually managed to touch him-- not quite pet, but still-- yesterday. Then today he hissed at me before I came near. Go figure. Delayed reaction?

Mr. Tig(g)er has taken to sleeping curled up on the cat bed I put outside, as I mentioned before. This has not yet changed. Since he's tame, he's quite happy to take treats from my hand-- and now waits on my doorstep after I've fed the ferals, knowing that I'll be on my way out and will give him treats. He has a bit of a stuffy nose, however, which has me worried.

Miss Miley Barnaby is still herself-- no difference that I can see. I haven't been much in touch with Neighbor E., alas, to get her take on Miss MB.

Cyrano has been coming around a lot more than usual.

Bessie is still a giant, giant cat, and he has been coming up to the second floor for foods, too.

I've seen Walsingham around a bit, but alas, not Agatha, which has me worried. But both of them have disappeared for a time in the past and come back, so fingers crossed.

I seem to only ever spot Daphne in the dark, or when I don't have my camera-- or both. She seems to be doing well, however.

Mr Mistopholees, or as Beatrice's mom has taken to calling him, "Mangy Cat", seems to be well and is often around. He also looks slightly less mangy.

Daisy is often around, although I haven't seen her in two days. She follows DNL all around the complex-- it's funny. Aloysius is similar-- often around but not in the last day or two. He, however, is quite shy.

On the "I haven't seen them in a long time and I'm worried" list are: Little Gray, Gremlin and Athos. Eek.

In no-longer-colony cats news (which is to say, kittens I've adopted out), I've heard recently from both Zadie and Zoe's moms-- with pictures of the latter-- and they look incredibly well cared for and very happy and spoiled rotten. Miss Beatrice is still ... special... and very loved. (She took quite a fall a few weeks ago, but suffered not at all for it, which was good but surprising. And also means she has not learned her lesson about hanging out on high up ledges.) Dean and Max are doing amazingly-- both are now cuddle bugs (well, Dean always was!!) with their cat-daddy. But they also get along together marvelously-- play fighting and such. (Their dad put up a video for me to see in which they are playfighting, but they also take time out for a second for licks.) Malcom, apparently usually called "Baby Ugs" (and no, I don't know why), also does well. Since he's a desert cat and has all that fur, he's often shaved and funny looking (hence the name, perhaps.) And Sam, aka Whiskey, wanders by occassionally and has grown very large and very fluffy and doesn't mind at all when I pick him up and hug him.

And now I leave you with two articles about a feral colony in Disneyland.

"Disneyland Partners with Feral Cat Colony..."

Disneyland's Feral Cats

(I can't find any information about whether Disney World has feral cats. Anyone know?)

Miss Hannah Pigpen

2010-12-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

aka, my arch nemesis.

I came home this evening to find Pigpen downstairs eating some dry food. I walked towards her, to see if I could take a guess at pregnancy status from getting her to walk way from me. From the side I wasn't sure, and she quickly turned a corner into the dark.

I followed, though, and she looked up at me all, "What?" And then a dog came near and she walked off.

From above/behind? Yeah, she's totally expecting kittens. From that angle you can see the way her belly swings from side to side, but at the sides, not beneath like house-cats. And her belly is clearly wider than her hip bones.

Oh, Pigpen. Sigh.

Catching her and the kittens is all going to come down to timing (and location), I'm afraid. I'll be in and out of town the rest of this month, until almost mid-January. Yes, someone will be caring for the ferals, but there's no way that any of them would be up for TNRing Pigpen or taking the kittens...

It's chilly out, for the AZ desert. Not a good time for a feral kitty to be having kittens. Poor Miss Pigpen.

Fingers crossed that everything works out as best as can...

Oh my...

2010-11-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, I really am fairly terrible at keeping this blog up to date. My sincere apologies! I would like to blame my camera or my internet connection or something, but honestly, it's just my fault.

So, where were we?

(You can click on the pictures to make them bigger.)

First, Ms Miley-Barnaby. She seems to be doing fine, but I have been remiss at talking with her primary caregiver and getting her to a vet to double check.

Second, Ms Hannah-Pigpen does look rather round... could there be kittens? I really hope not. But if there, I've spoken with DNL and if they're had on her porch (as per usual), she'll let me know and we'll use two traps (as per The Volunteer's recommendation) and put the kittens in one and trap mama that way. (Then I suppose the kitten hatchery might have to be open, but let's not think about that right now, shall we??)

Third, the mystery cat has shown up once more. I was only able to get these pictures of him/her (from my balcony, no less), so I feel a bit like I'm chasing a yeti or something. But I did have someone else around when I spotted him/her this time.

Fourth, Tig(g)er remains adorable. But it has gotten chilly here at night (although it's supposed to warm up in another day or so), so I put out a bed for him. (I'd put out shelters for all the cats if I could, but management would not be keen on this.) It's apparently a bit small for him, but he likes it anyway.

Fifth, since she's rarely seen and even more rarely photographed, here's a picture of Daphne:

And sixth, there are fifteen new pictures in the Project-Cat 2010 Flickr Set. (Scroll to the bottom).

Not much new today-- oh crud, yes there is, holy carp.

2010-11-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

I'm doing laundry-- why, you may wonder, is this relevant to a blog about feral cats? Well, for two reasons, actually. First, because today I am doing the laundry that comes about from taking care of feral cats (ie: the trap covers. And actually today, also, the last of the foster kitten towels, as I'd somehow missed a baggie's worth, ew.) And second because doing laundry (for me) means going up and down the stairs and past where the cats generally hang out.

Anyway, I do have a point. Today Tuxie came up to the feeding station for the first time (that I've noticed) since the trapping. He's gotten over it, it seems like. :) Tig(g)er continues to hang out by my door as well.

I'll be happier when their ears heal up-- I hate seeing the edges of their tipped ears, even though it was done for a good reason.

No new news of any kind on Miley. She's around, she's eating. I need to make an appointment for her, but I have to figure out how. I'll update more on her when I know more...

...
I paused in writing this entry because I had to go move the laundry around and I thought, gee, there might be more news after that. Sigh.

The good news-- I saw Walsingham and Miley (and Tuxie and Tig(g)er.) They all seem their usual selves. Walsingham is curled up in the sun, Miley in the shade, while Tig(g)er is currently sprawled across a step.

WHO IS THIS? WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!

But THERE'S A NEW CAT. Sigh. He's big and all black-- he looks like an all black version of Tuxie, actually, with the medium/long hair and poofiness. He was standing in an awkward position over one of the tunnels-- he was so still as I approached him that for a moment I wondered if I were talking to a stuffed cat that someone had put there (although why ...?) But no, he was just being very still and managing to keep an eye on me, Tig(g)er and Tuxie all at once. I sat down nearby in the hope of ascertaining if he is feral or friendly, and he lay down on the tunnel top (while the other two cats were laying in the grass, noses pointed directly at Mr Newcomer.) But then a toddler (with a balloon) and his (I'm guessing) grandfather came trotting up (the toddler trotting, the grandfather just walking) and dashed after Tig(g)er (the grandfather explaining that they have a cat who looks just like him.) Anyway, the toddler got very close to the newcomer and said newcomer didn't flinch-- but as I turned to watch the toddler, the newcomer disappeared! Okay, so he didn't vanish ala Cheshire Cat-- he was sitting in the stairwell of the building across the way-- but it was pretty eerie nonetheless. Anyway, he didn't seem perturbed by people, so the jury is still out on whether this is a feral, a stray or a pet.

As you can imagine, I'm hoping it's an already speutered pet! But no collar. Sigh.

I still have to get my laundry in another 40 minutes so you never know, there might be another update. (And I did get a picture of the newcomer on my phone.)

Tuesday Cats

2010-11-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

When I left this morning to go to a meeting, Tig(g)er was curled up across from my door. He has, evidently, forgiven me for his sojourn in a trap. Upon my return and leaving again he was hanging around my door still. (There's food and water available, no worries.) So that was nice. But of course I was worried about Miley.

Upon returning home for the first time today, I spent some time just standing in the courtyard hoping to spy cats in general and Miley in particular. (I only saw Bessie, and didn't not have my camera then.) But I ran into Neighbor J. (and her little dog Scrappy) and she said that she'd seen a cat matching my description of Miley this morning, sunning herself a bit. Well, that was good news, but an unconfirmed sighting wasn't enough to totally ease my mind of course. (She and I also talked a bit about Pigpen and how next time we'll catch her when she has kittens-- not ideal, but better than not catching her.)

Upon returning home for the second time today, I was DELIGHTED to see Miley hanging out in the stairwell!! I still didn't have my camera with me, and tried to take pictures with my phone, but they weren't any good-- it could have been Miely or an alien for all you knew. So I ran up the steps and nearly tripped over Tig(g)er, sprawled out and looking good.

So of course I gave him a scritch, then stepped over him in my haste to get to my flat and get my camera. I needed photos of Miley, darn it!

And succeeded! She'd only gone as far as the edge of my building at this point, but she's always been nervous around me, and more so now, so my movement sent her off into the grass:

And then she settled in to hang out amongst the rocks at the edge of the next building. If you didn't know she was there (and have a semi-decent zoom on your camera), you'd think she was one of the rocks. Excellent camouflage for the kitties.

It's a nice day out, so I sat down on the pavement to see if I couldn't get some better shots. At this point I called Neighbor E. to let her know that Miley was around, but alas, E. did not answer. Then the UPS guy came to a door and scared Cyrano towards me! Run, Cyrano, run! I was glad to get a picture of him-- it's been a while!

Then Mr. Tig(g)er sauntered over as if to say, "I'm right here. Why are you not fawning over me?!" So I took a picture.

And then he hammed it up.

The sprinklers came on then, chasing me back from the grass, and the same for Miley. So I circled around the buildings and got this picture of her in a stairwell:

And another, getting just a bit closer-- she's ready to run from me now, though.

And then I headed home, but snapped one more picture of her, as she'd moved again:

So hopefully she went to Neighbor E.'s house to eat some gooshy food tonight, and she continues to feel better.

Monday Pictures

2010-11-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

To the left, Mistoffolees. A picture taken on Saturday, actually. It's completely unrelated, since he wasn't trapped this time, but he's cute, so I felt like sharing it. :) No, I don't know what those weird patches on his back/rump are-- they've been there for months. He acts normal, though, so that's all right then.

I already wrote about Moday's release of the feral-five here, but I've got some pictures of the release for you now: You can click on each to see it bigger.

The Beast, pictured below, is the kind of cat that all those TNR safety warnings are about. He was angry the whole time. Alert after anesthesia sooper quick. After I released him, he ran straight into one of the tunnels.

In the trap, Paint, below, was much calmer. He even let F (Bea's Mom) pet him a little (not recommended). When I released him, he ran for the other side of the apartment complex.

Honestly, I had expected Tuxie to be a good little (big) patient. Not so much, though. Upon capture he yowled and yowled piteously. He was quiet most of Sunday, coming out of anesthesia, but back to hissing and howling on Monday. His release, necessitating a trip down the stairs accompanied by his caterwauling, attracted us an audience of nosy neighbors in pajamas. Thanks, Tux.

He ran straight from his trap to a tunnel-- where he had to stop short because The Beast already occupied that tunnel. (Yeah, it's a lousy picture with laser-eyed kitties, but it's amusing.) He seemed completely at a loss as to what to do, despite the existence of another tunnel directly beside the first, and two more just a few feet away.

Sorry for another lousy quality shot, but proof that after a few minutes in the clearly lesser tunnel (he finally went into the one beside The Beast), Tuxie came back out and started surveying the area as king again.

Tig(g)er dealt with captivity better than anyone else. Upon original capture he did freak out a bit (he has a small cut on his nose from banging his head into the trap before I could get the sheet on it) but after that he was fine. He meowed a little, wanting attention, arched his back into the crate for pets, and generally wanted love and food.

Consequently, upon being left out of his trap, he was calm and investigated the situation.

He sort of gave off an air of, "What now? What to do? What to do?"

And within a few minutes, the obvious answer was "Go right back where I started and eat some food."

As you know, Miley had me and The Volunteer and even the vets nervous. She took a long while to fully wake up from the anesthesia. The vets gave her a shot of penicillin (because she looked like she needed it...) I was so happy that she ate in the trap, though-- great to get some calories into her, lots of canned kitten food.

You can't tell from this picture, but she's actually mid-hiss here. I got a pretty good look at her teeth while she was snapping at me Monday morning-- gots pretty many of them, it seems. :) As I said before, I chose to take her orneriness as a good sign, a sign of energy.

She was the last one I let out and she went for the tunnels across from where The Beast had gone. I had to go to work then, and did not see Miley all day, nor in the evening. As I mentioned in the last post, Neighbor E. came over to ask if I still had her since she had not shown up for supper. And we both were worried. Read the next post for more on Miss Miley.

The Day After

2010-11-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

This morning I discovered that all five cats-in-traps (the groggy moggies, if you will, which is so going to be my band's name, if I ever have a band) had eaten overnight, at least a little. (A lot in some cases. Miley had had tons of wet food [relatively speaking] although no dry food, so I wonder if there's something wrong with her teeth/mouth). So that was a good sign. Also, all the cats were more than ready to be let go. Miley was even up and hissing at me. (Hey, The Volunteer-- her teeth look pretty good on a quick inspection... heh.)

So, I carted each cat down to the grass, one at a time, and left them out (one at a time), starting with The Beast. I garnered an audience for a while, some nosy-people in nightgowns. I think they were probably alerted to the action by Tuxie's incessant meowling which started as soon as I picked up his trap. I was smart this time (unlike in 2008) and wrapped cloth around the handles of the traps I carted them up and down, and so didn't hurt my hands nearly as much as before.

We grow our feral cats big in my apartment complex-- at least the males. The Volunteer joked that even though he only took 5 of my cats to the clinic, in poundage he'd brought the most! :)

The Beast immediately ran into a tunnel upon release. Tuxie ran for the same tunnel, but then saw The Beast and decided maybe he wouldn't hang out in there. A few minutes later he was sauntering around the courtyard as though nothing had ever happened-- no, he wasn't trapped, or neutered or anything... Paint rain towards the center of the complex, so I'm not sure where he ended up. Tig(g)er sauntered out of his trap, paused to let me pet him-- then went back up the stairs I'd just carried him down so as to ask for foods. I let Miss Barnaby-Miley out last and she went into a tunnel (a different one than The Beast.)

I was gone most of today, so I haven't seen any of the cats, except Tig(g)er who was waiting by my door upon my return home. This was somewhat surprising. He let me pet him, and then wandered exactly two feet away and flopped down again. He seems to have forgiven me rather easily.

This afternoon I spoke with The Volunteer to hear about my options as far as Miley and further testing/lab work/vet care is concerned. Monetarily, it can be done (at least as far as finding out what's wrong via blood test, etc.) but it depends on a few things like, can we catch her again? and what happens if we find out some particularly bad news? or even mediocre news in a tame cat, but bad in that she's feral and how do you treat something ongoing in a feral? So I'm not looking forward to any of that... I'll worry about it a bit later. Neighbor E. agrees that Miley doesn't look well, and is all for my taking her to the vet, etc. It even turns out that she's been feeding Miley kitten food (different than the other cats), which is good, since it's high calorie.

Frankly, there's a more pressing worry. Neighbor E. came over this evening to ask if I still had Miley (no), and if I'd fed her (not since this morning), or if I'd seen her (ditto.) Apparently Tuxie, Pigpen(Hannah, the Arch-Nemesis), Tig(g)er and even Whiskey (!! Hey, silly cat, you have a home!) all showed up right on time for dinner tonight, but not Miley. As if knowing something was up, Pigpen(Hannah) even let E. pet her (!!) and walked along with E. as she walked around calling for Miley. But no Miley tonight.

Obviously we're both worried, and this is hitting E. very hard. We sat and talked for a while, and we're hoping she's just lying low tonight, huddled in a cozy tunnel, sleeping and healing. If she's not out and about tomorrow, though, I'm going to be really worried and it'll be time to start searching the spots I know of, and looking for spots I don't know of...

Fingers crossed.

Oh, and Neighbor E. is concerned that Pigpen/Hannah might be pregnant. It's certainly possible... And while equally certainly don't need more kittens, it would, if we find the kittens, mean we could probably catch Pigpen and put an end to this pregnancy/kitten madness.

Anyway, more updates as they come. Also, I took some pictures today of the cats more alert and awake in their traps, and I'll post those later, too.

Peek-chures

2010-10-31T22:26:00.001-07:00

In the trapping and blogging last night, and recovery today, there wasn't much time for pictures. Let's catch up. (There aren't many from last night 'cause, y'know, it got dark.)


Tuxie watches as I set up the traps.

Nine traps, not yet set.

You read all the posts from yesterday, I'm sure. Other than Pigpen, trapping went really well. First we caught Barnaby (Miley), right outside Neighbor E.'s door (neighbor E. cried, feeling like she was betraying the poor fuzzy.) Then the Mysterious Gray Cat was trapped behind a bush. I moved another trap to behind the bush, which is where I caught Paint AND Tig(g)er. But before then, we caught Tuxie between some bushes.

The Volunteer picked up the cats at around midnight so that he could take them to the clinic first thing this morning. Then he called around 1 and delivered that cats to me.

The cats on the balcony to recover.

Things haven't been as smooth as they could have been, alas, but everything is stable at the moment.

Tig(g)er

Tig(g)er is doing just fine now, and has eaten three helpings of food. He's also looking for love. But during surgery, while under anesthesia, he spiked a fever and the techs drenched him with water to cool him down. It worked, and as I said he's fine, but it also meant that his paper was wet, he was wet, and such. Also, he vomited earlier this evening (and wasn't that a joy to clean up, although thankfully, since he's tame, I was able to change his paper and everything) but that was before supper and he's keeping his supper down fine now.

The Beast.

The big gray cat, who is huge and male and who The Volunteer suggests we name The Beast because he's so big. He was also very awake even at 1, which was reassuring. He's also angry. He's definitely the most feral of the five we caught. ANGRY. But really handsome. He's not eating, presumably out of anger and//or fear. He'll be fine, though.


Miley

Miss Barnaby, aka Miley, is the one I'm worried about. Now that we've caught her we can see that she's really really skinny, like scary skinny, even though we know she's been eating (since she's been eating dry food at my house and canned at Neighbor E.'s.) She had a really hard time waking up. She looked sick, I guess, so she was also given a shot of penicillin. When she came to me, she was groggy, couldn't stand up and seemed miserable. A few hours later she was trying to stand up but kept flopping over, breaking my heart every time.

The Volunteer has contacted the clinic and I think we'll try to get a bloodtest next weekend (if we can catch Miley again) to see if she has something we can do something about (which... I dunno. If it's teeth? Yeah, we can fix that. If it's something that requires long term medicine? Well, she doesn't come to humans... so... eek.)

But, lest you think all is lost, she is up and about now. AND she ate three helpings of food, which is a great sign. I think I'll offer her more before letting her go, too.

Paint disdains your offering.

Mr (yes, Mr) Paint is doing quite well. He woke up easily and has been very calm since He hasn't eaten, but I'm not concerned. He has actually let F. (Bea's Mom) pet him a little (both today and yesterday when she thought she was petting Tuxie.) [Yes, I told her to be careful, after that it's her choice if she wants to risk limbs!] I'm not concerned about him.

If Tuxie ignores you, will you go away?

Which brings me finally to the suddenly camera-shy Tuxie. Tuxie, it may surprise you to learn, is a boy. A big boy, actually. He came out of anesthesia just fine, but is cranky pants (although not as cranky pants as he was when he was yowling in the crate last night. I got some video of what Tuxie sounds like when hungry, and will post it at some point, but he was even louder and sadder in the crate.) He hasn't eaten, and won't investigate much, but he's alert and coming out of it just fine.

Tomorrow morning, if they seem alert and well, I'll release them. Alas, I won't write about it 'til much later because I'll have to dash off to get ready for work/class/rehearsal/etc.

Keep your fingers crossed that they continue to do do well. :)

Oh, and no sign of Pigpen today-- she seems to be keeping a low profile for now.

The Cats are Home!

2010-10-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

All five kitties are in their crates, being groggy, on my balcony. More details later.

Waiting, waiting, waiting

2010-10-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

Generally, cats are ready for pick-up from clinics around between 12 and 2, and it is now 12. So I'm officially all set to greet The Volunteer whenever the cats (and he!) are ready for me. We'll bring all five up to my balcony and I'll tend their after care, poor things.

This part makes me nervous because there's always a risk any time any animal (including humans, of course) goes under anesthesia. So fingers crossed that all my feral friends come back safe and sound to me.

But hey, when they return we'll know exactly if they're male or female. We know Tig(g)er is male, but everyone else is up for grabs. Anyone want to place bets* on Tuxie, Barnaby/Miley, Mysterious Gray Tabby, or Paint?

Once the kitties are back here, I'll take some pictures of the groggy moggies, and post the pictures I took last night, too.

-----
*Please note that I am not actually suggesting betting as that would be gambling and then Project-Cat would be in trouble and that would be bad. >^.^<

Throwing in the towel

2010-10-30T23:54:00.001-07:00

Alas, no Pigpen tonight. I have to feel pretty good about the 5 we did catch, of course, but it's still disappointing. She sat around all evening, never near the traps, but never far away either. Then around 10:30 some teens were hanging out nearby and being kinda loud, and we haven't seen her since.

Now it's midnight and The Volunteer is coming by to take away the 5 we were successful with. Poor Tuxie is curled up in the smallest ball I've ever seen her make-- turns out she really is mostly fur! Paint is actually the calmest. Barnaby/Miley came right up to neighbor E. when E. wanted to see her to say goodbye 'til Monday. And Tig(g)er is rubbing his back on the top of the cage asking for pets. All in all, fairly calm kitties.

I'll update more tomorrow, of course-- they'll be out of surgery and back here for after-care by afternoon.

Pigpen, staying true to her epithet

2010-10-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

Caught a fifth cat-- Paint! This is good. But we're still missing Miss Pigpen (aka Hannah.) So five cats in crates are on my balcony, awaiting pickup, and four more sit, loaded and ready, outside.

Three of the five cats were caught in the same place-- I just keep replacing that crate with an empty one. Fingers crossed, maybe Pigpen will visit there next.

Funnily enough, I've caught 6 cats tonight and 5 were ones I wanted. The sixth was Raven, a domestic (and already spayed) black cat wearing a collar who is sibling to Whiskey (aka Sam). Obviously I let her go right away!

If I'm interpreting DNL's comments correctly, though, Miss Pigpen had a litter of kittens this past Spring (which were domesticated and taken to Petco, apparently), so she's definitely not speutered.

Everyone, please send "Pigpen go in the trap," vibes.

Fourth!

2010-10-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

Neighbor E. had a great plan involving letting Ti(g)ger eat at her house like he normally does and letting us catch him that way. Tig(g)er had other plans, though, and when Beatrice's Mom came over to hang out, she pointed out "Hey, there's a cat in that trap." And there was indeed-- a rather angry Tig(g)er who started throwing himself against the edge of his crate, poor kitty. He settled down quickly once the cover was atop, and he's now awaiting pick-up with the other three.

That leaves Paint and Pigpen. It figures that my nemesis would, once again, refuse to cooperate. But it's only 8:30, so we shall see.

Another one caught!

2010-10-30T18:35:00.001-07:00

Tuxie is VERY angry about it, but she's been caught. She is now in a trap and yowling.

This leaves Tig(g)er (and we have a plan for him), Pigpen (MY NEMESIS) and Paint, who I've seen around, sniffing at the traps, but has not deigned to yet go in.

We wait...

Amidst the Trapping

2010-10-30T18:03:00.001-07:00

While hanging out with neighbor E., who is unfortunately not well enough to help trap tonight, we caught Barnaby/Miley! Huzzah!

And then another neighbor came to my door to tell me that there was a cat in one of my traps-- and we've caught the sooper mysterious grey tabby! Huzzah!

But Tuxie is just taunting us.

T-minus-1.5hours...

2010-10-30T14:58:00.000-07:00

This part? Sucks. The cats are hungry-- I haven't fed them, E. hasn't fed them. Even DNL doesn't seem to have fed them today. This is good-- hungry cats go in traps. But it's bad-- they're crying. Tuxie is sitting on my door step yowling.

So far today (in going between house and car) I've seen Tuxie, Tig(g)er, Barnaby(Miley) and Paint (!!) -- so that's 4 of the 6. (I've also seen Mistoffolees and Daisy, and I feel awful for them since they don't need to be caught, but are hungry, poor things.) Just a few more hours and there will be yummy tuna in oil (eww.)

Meeple.

Good news! and GREAT NEWS! and mediocre news...

2010-10-29T23:16:00.001-07:00

All the pictures in this post are from this morning. :) And you click them to make them bigger. (Also, I've recently updated the Flickr Set with about 60 photos.)

Mediocre News:
Let's start with the mediocre news because that way we can end with the great news. The mediocre news is that when I came home this evening I saw that DNL had fed the cats. This despite the note I put on her door. DNL, as you may recall, doesn't approve of TNR because it's against Jesus's wishes. I... am not happy. But I don't want to say nasty things behind her back (although I will admit that a good 50% of why I asked a friend to help me tomorrow night was so that I'd have backup in dealing with DNL. Not because she's dangerous, but because she's batty.) I'm assuming she didn't get my note, or she got it and didn't read it, or she got it and didn't understand it. (She didn't seem to understand, quite, two years ago the first time around...) I just have to hope that the other people who have been feeding the cats did not today and won't tomorrow, in and that DNL's actions don't ruin the trapping.

Hullo, Barnaby. Um, I mean, Miley.

Good News:

Speaking of other people who feed the cats, I got a knock on my door last night and found a man and a woman, the latter of which was clutching the note I'd put on (I assume) her door. She was very nice (the man didn't speak much), and just wanted to meet me, and to be sure she understood what was going on, and even offered to help tomorrow evening. She told me all about her cat (and I gave her a cat toy to take to him). Just like whenever I find a note on my door, she got scared upon seeing the one I put on hers. Even though I was really careful to state many times in said note that we are bringing the cats back, that this is TNR, etc., she wanted to make sure, and that's cool. (That's why I put contact information on the note!)

It turns out that this is the woman who has been putting collars on Tig(g)er. (She calls him Tiger, I've been calling him Tigger, and a little girl in the complex calls him Garfield.) She knew the previous owner. She'd even tried to take Tig(g)er inside to live with her and her cat (and husband and possibly other family members), but Tig(g)er just refuses to stay only indoors. He does, however, come inside every evening to eat dinner-- and now we know how he got handsome and filled out again!! She says that if she'd known Tig(g)er wasn't neutered she'd have taken him to get it done, so she's glad that I'm going to.

I love how sprawled Tuxie looks-- that back paw hanging out just makes the picture.

ALSO, she's apparently exceptionally fond of Barnaby and Pigpen-- although she calls them Miley and Hannah. (Yes, you got the reference right. Evidently it's her favorite show.) So she is the one I have to thank for getting them so much less skittish-- she's been feeding them canned food every day!! She says that she's gotten Barnaby/Miley close enough to touch her nose (and that Barnaby/Miley has put her head in the doorway and touched noses with her cat) but not close enough to really pet, yet. She's been working on it for 6 months. We both have high hopes of being able to catch them tomorrow evening.

It was great to be in touch with one of the other cat lovers in the neighborhood, and to have her support. (She kept telling me how 'beautiful' it is what I'm doing and such.) And like I said, she'll be out tomorrow night because she wants to see how it all works.

And now the Great News:
We did it! Actually, you did it. Between donations and purchases in my Etsy shop we have raised (are you sitting down?) $504.50. And that's not including the matching donations!!!

You guys make me cry with happiness. Your generosity reminds me that there are good people out there. (It's an easy thing to forget when you're dealing with abandoned cats, and hearing about ferals being poisoned and shot.) You guys, from all over the world (well, okay, I think you're relatively confined to North America, but that's okay) know that these little feral cats just want to be allowed to live and do their thing, and you've made it possible. I am so genuinely grateful and humbled by your generosity. With this money not only have we enough to pay for the TNR via the Spay and Neuter Hotline (who, let me just say again, have been incredible and patient with me as I've tried to schedule all this), but also for me to feed the ferals for a year! (And having TNRed the rest of the colony there shouldn't be any more kittens for me to care for, and therefore no more vet bills... knock on wood!) I ... yeah... just... wow.

Thank you. Thank you so very much. No matter how much you contributed-- a few dollars, a link from your blog or your FB or Twitter-- I appreciate it more than I can properly express.

So now we just have to hope the cats go in the traps...

They're more excited about making the goal than they look. Promise.

Matching Donations! Trapping! Mousies! Oh my!

2010-10-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

SO MUCH NEWS

This is an older picture of PigPen (she's cleaner now!) but one of my favorites!

First, if you follow Project-Cat (well, the blogger behind P-C) on any other social-media-venue, you might have noticed a bit of a tizzy as far as just when the trapping will occur. Originally, it would be this weekend, and then I had taken too long to get the ferals signed up for a Sunday clinic, so it was going to be two weeks, then it turned out that there is room, so it's back on for this weekend.

To reiterate: SATURDAY NIGHT I AM A'TRAPPIN' FERALS.

Fortunately, I have a colleague and friend who is going to hang out and provide (a)moral support, and The Volunteer is providing traps and transportation. (I get to do after-care all on my own though, and won't that be a challenge? Heh. Well, I'll worry about that part later.)

But this means we's got to raise monies. Thanks to the incredible generosity of several friends, we have raised $65. The Spay And Neuter Hotline requests a donation of $25/cat for TNR to offset costs. (Note that's offset, not cover, so if I could raise more for them? How wonderful!) So that's a minimum of $150 needed, assuming I catch all 6 cats. (Fingers crossed!) (Note how much less this is than last time, when it was $50/cat, and aiming for 14+! So hey, we're making progress in all sorts of ways!) So $150 is the bottom goal, but a little more for small purchases for trapping (ie: tuna in oil, mostly) and more for the Hotline would be awesome-sauce. Too, as a friend pointed out, there's the continuing feeding of the ferals (which I've been doing out of pocket) and, alas, you never know when another kitten or cat will be dumped and need care.

To that end, you can help!

First off, an Anonymous Donor, who has asked that I not reveal his/her/their identity, nor use adjectives of description, has offered MATCHING DONATIONS up to $250!!! So if you hit that there donation button on the left (or below!), this wonderful, fantastic and kind donor (Okay, so I don't always follow directions) will match your donation, up to raising $250!! NOW IS THE TIME TO DONATE! Your money gets doubled! How awesome is that?!?!

(There, I'll describe this donor's actions as AMAZING AND INCREDIBLE, instead of the donor him/herself/themselves. That's sort of following directions, eh?)

So hit the button, if you can!!

Tuxie is telling me to stop taking pictures and to clean out and refill her water-bowl, thankyouverymuch.

If you can't? I totally understand. But you can still help by re-tweeting, re-face-booking and linking to Project-Cat. Spread the word! (The plight of the feral cat should be spread anyway.)

ALSO. (I don't know what it is with me and all-caps today. My sincere apologies-- I'm not shouting, I'm just excited!) There are new cat toys in my Etsy shop. Visit them here! (There's yarn there, too, handspun, by me! And not from cat fur, I promise. Cat fur is too short to spin well. No, I haven't tried it. What? I haven't! I swear! I just know people who have.) All money from purchases in my shop will go towards this fund! (This is not included in the matching donations, of course, 'cause that's for donations. And with this you get an object, after all.)

I also take commissions-- you have a cat who choose his/her toys? I can make double-strength mousies! Allergic to wool? I can make the toys out of cotton or acyclic. Want a different creature? I've made bunnies, ants, spiders, lady-bugs and sheep, and I'd be happy to try anything!

Guh. I'm all hot and sticky because it is 93degrees out there, and I just went up and down stairs and door to door, putting notes on all my neighbors' doors, asking them not to feed the cats in time for the trapping. The whole not-feeding part makes me sad, even though it's for a good cause. Poor hungry fuzzies. But they'll get tuna-in-oil in traps on Saturday, and they'll be back to being fed regularly right after that.

Barnaby asks you to spread the word. Every little bit helps!

BIG FERAL NEWS!!

2010-10-26T18:46:00.002-07:00

You know how there are cats I didn't catch last time? And a few cats who have shown up randomly since? Well, now it's time to turn my (and your!) attention to them.

In two weeks, we'll be trapping my ferals-- hopefully catching the 6 colony cats who still need to be speutered. (Speuter = spay/neuter.)

Who are we aiming for?

Well, of course there's Pigpen. Pigpen is my Arch-Nemesis because I tried to catch her last time and failed. But she's gotten more friendly since then (if by friendly I mean comes up to the second floor to eat and only runs when I get within 6 feet of her instead of 10.) So there's hope!

(Click the pictures to make them bigger if you like.)

She's a cutie, and since she's a calico I can be reasonably sure she's a she. Gotta catch her so that she can be saved from more litters of kittens.

Then there's Tuxie. I've spoken at length about Tuxie before. She's beautiful and she's brave (she comes running when she hears my door open as she knows it means food. How she knows it's my door, I do not know.) She routinely comes within a foot or so of me, sometimes following me all the way to the door. I think she must have been dumped as a kitten, to be so calm around humans. But what human wouldn't have wanted to keep this beauty?


Tuxie normally shows up whenever I'm outside, but today she did not until dusk (when it was too late for a picture) so this is an older picture. The cat behind her is Whiskey (aka Sam), and is not feral but sometimes comes over to my apartment to munch on some stolen cat food and hang out with the ferals.

Also to be caught is Barnaby. Barnaby, like Pigpen, has been around for a while, but I was unable to catch him/her last time. However, Barnaby's been hanging out a lot more often, as evidenced not only by these two photos, but by the fact that I have lots of photos of him/her. (Despite the masculine name, I'm actually guessing Barnaby to be female, given the petite size and plethora of colors. This is only a guess. And while kitten fur color can often have absolutely no relation to the color of the mother's fur, note how much Barnaby looks like the last full litter of kittens I had-- Dean, Zadie, Iso and Violetta. Could this cat have been their mom? Who knows!)

What? What do you want from me???

Fine, I'll pose. Happy?!

So you're familiar with those three. Then there's Paint. Paint has never been seen on this here blog because s/he's so elusive. The elusive, elusive Paint. I don't see him/her often, and when I do I rarely have my camera with me. (In fact, one of these photos is from my phone.)

I named Paint "Paint" because of the tip of this one's tail-- it looks like it was dunked in a pot of paint. :)

If I had to place odds, I'd say this kitty is the on I'm least likely to catch this weekend, purely because s/he's rarely around. But fingers crossed!

Number five is actually the cat I have the highest hopes for catching (with Tuxie coming in at number two.) I've mentioned this fuzzy before, but I don't know that I've ever told you all what I know about him. This is Tigger:

Isn't he handsome? (And he is definitely a he.) He's incredibly friendly. He has tried to follow me home (until he realizes that there are already cats in my home.) Obviously he is not a feral.

Sometimes he wears a collar. Sometimes he does not. Sometimes he is really skinny. Sometimes he is not. Sometimes he is really dirty. Sometimes he is really soft and clean. He is a mystery.

But just last week I ran into a little girl playing with him, and said little girl knew some of Tigger's history. Evidently there is someone here in the complex who calls him Tiger, and who puts a collar on him sometimes in the hopes that animal control won't take him away. However, she doesn't actually consider herself Tigger's owner. Apparently someone did once consider him/herself Tigger's owner, but then left him here when said "owner" moved away.

I would now rant and rant and rant about people and their choices when it comes to animals, but if you're reading this here blog you probably already understand and agree. And there's no point in preaching to the choir. So Tigger will get TNRed this weekend, and I will continue to feed him and show him love whenever I can. I wish I could find him a home-- he's a lap cat, frankly-- but with so many homeless cats here already in Phoenix-land, and so many kittens easier to home... I don't have high hopes. (That said, if you were looking to open your home to a sweet natured purring fuzzball who is already full grown and therefore unlikely to do all the kitten antics that destroy things in one's home, let's talk!)

So that's five, and I'd said six before, right? Welllll, yeah. There's no picture of number six, alas. I tried to get one today, but number six is speedy and aloof. S/he's a pale gray tiger cat-- a lot like Tigger but smaller and more dilute (which is to say pastel.) S/he showed up for the first time a few weeks ago (or at least that's when I first spotted her.) I don't know what her story is but if I can catch her, TNRed she will be.

EDIT TO ADD: Turns out I *do* have ONE picture of the elusive dilute tabby...

The Volunteer is loaning me the necessary traps and providing transportation for any of the kitties that I catch. A friend has agreed to help me on Saturday night (for moral support and company more than anything else.) I will photograph and blog it all.

Buuuut, there's one more thing. There's always one more thing, eh? Yeah, it costs money for places like the Spay and Neuter Hotline and the Animal Defense League of Arizona to spay and neuter-- for the vets to work, to lend out traps, etc. And Project-Cat's (ie: me, grad student earning a pittance) has no fundage at present (because much was spent on Meester Max, and of course on-going costs.) So now would be the perfect time to donate even a few dollars to Project-Cat. Thankfully the ferals don't need nearly as much as last time (when we caught 13!), but I do need to cover the cost of their TNRing (and the cost of tuna-in-oil to lure them in! Ewwwww!) Please, if you can, drop a few bucks on the donate button?

(If you're into making things with yarn, you can check out my Etsy page, too, which has a few handspun skeins for sale. I'm hoping to get a few cat toys for sale up yet tonight/tomorrow, too. All proceeds from my Etsy site go to taking care of the ferals.)

Lastly, Daisy, who we TNRed two years ago, says Thanks for your help! (She was hanging out tonight so I snapped her picture.)

Can I go back to eating now?

Max's Forever Home

2010-10-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

Note the shaved bit on his front leg-- from the anesthesia during neutering. Note also the giant paws-he's grown, but has more growing to do!!

Things moved right along for baby Max these past two weeks. He got his big-boy shots (which is to say his rabies vaccine), then a few days later he got neutered. He recovered from the anesthesia faster than any cat I've ever before met, so that was good! In the roughly 6 weeks he lived with me, he gained 3pounds, which is good, given that he started out malnourished! His fur became sleek and soft (instead of patchy and coarse), and his whiskers grew back in. He even started to grow into his long face! Then a week later (yesterday) he and I flew to the Windy City to deliver him to his forever home, where Dean (from the last litter) will be his big brother!

Also, Max changed colors. I'm not kidding. When I took him to the vet the second time, the vet was highly amused. Instead of being a typical tuxie cat, Max is now a ... well, I'm not sure how you'd describe him. His paws are still white, his legs and tail are still black (except in photographs, when his tail appears striped), but his back and the back of his head have turned sort of silvery! He's a seal-point tuxie with mittens? And a stealth striped tail?

His fur grew in silver!

Note the stealth stripes!

Along the way, Max stole my heart with his loud purr and his sweet cuddling. He's the kind of cat that, if you put him in your lap, or on your chest, he'll snuggle right in, head down and everything, and rumble away with a purr that seems twice his size. He even didn't mind (and seemed to like) when I'd nap with him, tucking him under the covers with me! But alas, he could not stay here, of course. My cats were (mostly) displeased by his very existence, and also, I live in a small flat. So off we went.

And it turns out that he's doing wonderfully. He's skittish when his new human moves around (just like here) but otherwise is already behaving so much braver at his new house. He's been playing and exploring! I'm very proud of him!

I'll finish off this post with just a few more pictures. But check back here at Project-Cat for some big news this week!!


I think he's plotting something in this pic.

A study in ignoring. The cat on the left is Jack.

Max likes forts made of pillows and blankies.

Thanks for reading about Max's adventures!

National Feral Cat Day!!

2010-10-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

Yup, today is National Feral Cat Day. Take a look around you-- not literally since you're probably inside your house or coffee shop or office or what-have-you, but around your neighborhood, your home, the nearby restaurants. There are homeless, feral cats who need your help-- yes, yours. Trap-Neuter-Return is the only solution that works-- and the alternative is unthinkable.

Visit Alley Cat Allies to find out how you can help. (And if you're in the Phoenix area, then visit the Spay / Neuter Hotline).

(Or, if you're mostly interested in *this* colony, feel free to drop a few bucks in the donation jar, as it looks like we'll be TNRing the rest of the colony (I hope, I hope) at the end of the month/beginning of next.)

Update on the Run!

2010-10-09T10:30:00.001-07:00

Beatrice's Mommy is going to watch the colony this weekend, as I'll be away. (She's also watching Mr Max.) When I get back, Mr Max goes to the vet on Monday for his second set of shots, and to the vet on Friday to get neutered. Once he's recovered, I'll be taking him to his forever home, to be with his brother former-foster Dean, and two more feline siblings. :)

The ferals are doing well-- and probably think they've suddenly ended up at an all you can eat banquet because I notice that not only is DNL feeding them again, but there are sometimes other caches of cat food scattered about. Being a feral is hard, so I don't begrudge them the meals, but I hope I can get in touch with everyone to withhold food for a few days when it comes to TNR time.

Speaking of which, it looks like things are slowly moving forward on that front. (Pigpen, Tuxie, Paint, Barnaby? I'm coming for you guys.) In fact, the only *slow* part is *me*! (I am so crazy busy stressed ack!) More news on that as I get it.

'Til my return, I highly recommend checking out the TNR blog for the Animal Defense League of Arizona. You thought my trapping 12 cats in one night was impressive? Go see what real TNR veterans do! Amazing! (And then send them some monies, if you have it... y'know, for the kitties.) :)

Meetup!

2010-10-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

Today was my birthday!Guess what I did!

Well, don't actually, 'cause most of it was lousy. But the part that wasn't lousy just so happened to be feral cat related, hence posting here in the blog.

I had dinner with a group of people from the area all of whom care deeply abut feral cats, who work with them-- care for colonies, organize TNR, advocate for the sake of the cats.

It was pretty awesome. I got to see The Volunteer, who I hadn't seen since Baby Beatrice was brought to me. I got to meet some people I'd only spoken with on the phone, or online. And most importantly I was reminded that I was not alone in caring about these often forgotten, much maligned creatures.

If you're caring for feral cats, you probably already know about resources, but just in case-- look for Meet Up groups in your area, for mailing lists, for allies in helping you care for your ferals. (And remember that caring isn't just feeding them, it's absolutely also TNR!!)

More of Max Playing

2010-09-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

As long as nothing (read: me) moves too much, Max does, in fact, come out from behind the futon to play-- particularly with the turbo scratcher. This doesn't necessarily please the house-cats, but it's a joy to watch Mr Max.

Max vs The Lobster

2010-09-23T13:10:00.001-07:00

I mentioned before that now that Max is playing a little, he tries to play-fight with my hands. This is quite normal kitten behavior, of course, but having been on the receiving end of a full-grown cat who thought that it was fun to bunny-kick at one's wrists and gnaw on one's fingers, I'm all for taking Tam's advice and trying to redirect Max's play-energies. In this case, I want to redirect them to a stuffed lobster.

When allowed out of the Kitten Hatchery-- which is whenever I'm home and a awake-- Max makes a beeline for the futon, and hangs out behind it, as you can see here:

I try to coax him out (he juuuust fits between the slats of my futon), but sometimes he'd rather play than cuddle. So then I introduce the lobster.

Meds for Max

2010-09-20T18:02:00.002-07:00

The vet called me back this afternoon to let me know that I need not worry-- even with blood in the stool. And she prescribed some medicine for Meester Max. I asked if this was treating the symptom or the underlying cause, and she said the latter-- that she thinks he has a bacterial imbalance. So for 10 days Max gets a dropper of meds twice daily.

I just gave him his first dose. I'm fairly certain that Beatrice was on the same meds (or it might have been Zoe and/or Malcom). But Max likes it a whole lot less. He was lying in the sink, so I popped the syringe in his mouth no problem, but apparently not far enough back into his mouth. He sat up and managed to spit some of the medicine out. I didn't know cats could spit! Then he shook his head a bunch and he looked like he was foaming at the mouth. It was hilarious but alas, there I was sans camera.

I cleaned him up and we'll try again in the morning with dose number 2. (I don't know how much he got into him, so I'm not willing to give him more tonight.) I'll update you on his gooey poo (don't you feel lucky??) as the meds take effect. (I asked the vet tech who gave me the meds how long 'til I should see signs of it working-- she said it could actually take up to two courses [20 days] of the meds, so we'll see.)

Eek.

2010-09-20T09:19:00.003-07:00

So, Kitten Max is back in quarantine (ie: the Kitten Hatchery, ie: the bathroom.) For the past few days he's eaten less and less of his canned food (although he's still eating the dry) and his litter box didn't seem right somehow. Today I discovered ... well, it wasn't a pleasant first-thing-in-the-morning sight... exceptionally liquid poo next to the litter box. I then had the, uh, fortune? To see Max actually use the litter box, and also not pleasant... And also with a bit of blood in it.

So there's a phone call in to the vet regarding Mr Max's diarrhea, to which I'm waiting a response. Meanwhile I got him to eat a whole jar of baby food with no problem (he was far more interested in that than he'd been in canned cat food for a while now) and I'll give him another when I get back this afternoon. He's playing-- more than ever before! I can hear him with a jingle ball right now, in fact. So he's still acting himself, but I'm worried.

He's getting a little braver each day, though. Today while I was brushing my teeth and stuff, he twined about my ankles and sat next to my feet. Considering the last batch of kittens would climb up my pants legs, this is nothing, but it's still a huge step from his previous modus operandi, which was to hide behind the toilet, even when he knew it was me and not some kind of horrible monster come to eat him.

More when I know more.

A Little Progress Every Day

2010-09-18T17:35:00.006-07:00

Max is still a loving but spooky kitty. He's brave in his own way-- as I said, he doesn't seem put out by my other cats distaste for him. If you open up the Kitten Hatchery and let him have the run of the place, he'll eventually ninja kitty his way out and under the futon. (I've never seen him do this, but I have several times thought he was in the bathroom but found him under the futon. Hence 'ninja'.) He even took a nap with me today on the futon for a while before he decided to hide under it.

He's playing a little with me, but more by himself. I can hear and later see the evidence of this. When I'm home, he's only stuck in the Kitten Hatchery at night, and I can hear him playing with the jingle ball sometimes. Also, I found one of his toys in his litter box this morning.

Not just in the litter box, but, y'know, buried. Very strange. I'm fairly certain that Max is playing in the litter box. He definitely spends a lot of time in it-- he scratches everything up. (Because this includes the "clumps", I've had to change his litter box many times 'cause there was no other way to get it clean.) Unfortunately I didn't think ahead, and was using ordinary clay clumping cat litter and he's been getting himself dirty with it. While I've only ever seen him clean himself after a bath, I have to imagine he's cleaning himself other times, too, and getting all that cat litter into his tummy is a *bad* thing. Today we began the process of switching him to Swheat Scoop, (which is what I ought to have started with anyway, that or Yesterday's News, but I wasn't thinking) at least until he stops playing in said litter box.

I had a heck of a time getting the clumped clay litter out from between his claws. He doesn't mind me touching his feet at all which is good, but it still wasn't easy. In the end Max got his second bath today. I'd not say he enjoyed it but he seemed to mind it even less than the first time. And again he liked the post-bath snuggle in the towel, at which point he started to groom himself, as well as enjoying the brushing I gave him.

His thin patches are starting to fill in. They're still noticeable, but it's coming in as quite soft fur. The rest of his coat is becoming shiny, too. Now if we could just keep his paws clean... :)

He's starting to grow into his round belly, which is good. His ears and feet, though... well, he still has a lot of growing to do before he'll fit those!

NEWS! of the GOOD variety!

2010-09-16T12:24:00.006-07:00

Wheee! All sorts of happy-making news to report today regarding little kitten Max's progress.

First, and most importantly, I got the results from his Feline Leukemia and Feline-Immuno-deficiency-Virus tests-- and he is NEGATIVE. Huzzah!! Much rejoicing!! Yay!
Because I know now that he's not dangerous to my house cats, I've let little Max out and about from the Kitten Hatchery a bit. My cats are less than thrilled about this, but he doesn't seem to mind them so much. He is, however, still pretty much afraid of everything and prefers to sleep in the sink even when he could be out and exploring or hanging out with me. Poor fuzzy, he's clearly had a bad time of it before now. I'm glad that thanks to your help, I'm able to give him a better, healthier life.

He's still a purr-monster. Oh! And progress-- he still meows when you get close for the first time (and by "first time" I mean any time he hasn't seen you in more than 10minutes) but the growling and hissing has stopped. And as soon as you touch him, he goes into purring mode, pretty quickly flopping over to give you his belly and ask for rubs.

I noticed at that present Mr Max has TWO sets of upper canines, which amuses me to no end. (The first time I saw this happen in a kitten I freaked out, wondering, WHY IS MY CAT A MUTANT?! Now though I know it just means his baby teeth haven't come out yet, and it definitely means he's about 5months old.) It does, however, mean I can call him Mutant Max for a bit.

My very favoritest thing for a kitten to do is to be on his back in your lap and to suddenly catch sight of his tail and grab at it with his paws. And kitten Max pleased me to no end last night when he suddenly did this. Not only is it freakin' adorable, but it was the first time I'd seen him play since he moved in last week. After that, he did a bit of wrestling with me (as if my hand were another kitten.) I know that I ought not encourage him to attack human hands, but I was so pleased to see him playing!!

(One of my cats, a rescue brought to me by The Most Awesome Cat Rescuer and Friend Ever, Tam, came with her very own lobster. At the time, the lobster was the same size as the kitten, and perfect for wrestling. The cat, how an adult who prefers wrestling with my yarn skeins, eschews the lobster now, and so it has become a fostering toy. I will find dig it out tonight so that Max will have something other than human hands with which to tussle.)

And last, but by no means least, I think it's safe for me to announce one more piece of good news. Kitten Max has a forever home. Yes, that's right. And even better? Max will have siblings-- one of which is the previous foster, Dean!! Dean's Dad has opened his heart and home again, and when Max has been neutered and gotten his second set of shots (so a month yet) he'll be off to his forever home. Dean has blossomed in his forever home (and grown huge, and apparently stayed very, very cuddly) so I'm certain that Max will do wonderfully.

More updates (and pictures) as they're warranted. :D

Baby's First Vet Visit

2010-09-13T18:54:00.003-07:00

Mr Max's first vet visit went as well as could be. Unfortunately, right before we had to leave to get there, Max had a bit of a poo-problem, getting it all over the Kitten Hatchery floor and on his head. How does that even happen? On the bright side, it certainly meant I had a nice fresh fecal sample for the vet... ew.

(Aren't you glad *every* Project-Cat blog post doesn't start out with "fecal sample"?)

The vet and techs are guessing Max to be older than I thought-- four to five months. (I was guessing three to four.) And because he's so friendly (even if very scared) at such an advanced age, he must have had human contact before this-- meaning he wasn't from the colony but was dumped by someone. ARG, people. ARG, I say.

Actually, this might explain his whiskers, too. I couldn't figure out how a cat who had had no contact with people could have had a number of his whiskers be cropped close to his face. Now I'm even crankier at people....

Anyway, before the vet came in, Mr Max actually explored a wee little bit-- hopping into the sink, and then deciding to hide beneath the paper towel dispenser. When the vet came in, though, he let her slide him out and submitted to her will. He was very good, apparently, at getting his blood drawn and everything (they did this in the back) and was good at getting his shot. (This last was done in the exam room.)

We won't know the results of the FIV/FLeuk test 'til tomorrow. Fingers crossed!! Similarly the fecal exam won't be back 'til tomorrow. But the vet agreed that he has worms, and gave him the dewormer today already. If anything else comes back as unfortunate from the fecal, she'll prescribe as necessary. (Beatrice, you might remember, came with her own case of ... something I can't spell. Nevermind then...)

She's not concerned about his thin fur-- she says even the bald patches on his ears are likely just malnutrition (not ear mites! Yay!) She even thinks he *might* be a medium-haired cat when his hair fills in.

She's also not concerned with his lack of playing-- she's guessing it's just that he's not comfortable yet. And while his temperature is at the upper end of normal, he doesn't have a fever. So overall, Mr Max is doing pretty well. I'll update you tomorrow on what the vet says when she calls. 'Til then, keep your fingers (and paws) crossed for negative results!!

Baby's First Bath

2010-09-13T09:44:00.005-07:00

Life with little Napoleon Maximilian continues with progress. Some progress, like the purring and the loving, is leaps and bounds. Other progress, like the lack of playing, is slow going.

Yesterday morning I entered the Kitten Hatchery to discover little Max curled up in the sink with my toothbrush holder. I've never seen him jump that high, but clearly he can or he'd not have been in the sink. I took this as a sign of his being ready for a bath. He was sitting up and watching my every movement as I prepared (I wanted to clean everything off of the countertop so as to protect it) but not as wary as he might have been.

He submitted to the bath with, if not grace then at least without anger. His wee little paws kept scrabbling at the faucet as if to grab on and pull himself away from me. But he never scratched or bit, and didn't even hiss, howl or growl. Instead, he just meowed in a forlorn kind of way. We turned two basins full of water dirty, and still I couldn't get his paws quite white. Then we sat down, little Max bundled up in a towel, and cuddled for a while. He seemed to like this part-- he was purring up a storm. Eventually he even ventured so far as to start bathing himself-- so far the only time I've seen him do this. He let me trim his claws, too. And all this before his breakfast!

Speaking of which, he's still eating quite well, both dry and wet food. And he noms down the vitamin gel I bought for him like it's -- frankly, I don't know how to describe how much he loves this vitamin gel. He eats it straight from the tube! Kittens are supposed to gain weight fairly rapidly and little Max certainly is. I don't have a feel yet for how big he'll be at full size-- I need the vet's estimate on his age first-- but he'll be a sizeable cat. (All the male cats from our colony tend to be pretty big, it seems.) He's got the bat ears and oversized paws, after all.

He still hisses when you go towards him the first time you enter the room, but the instant you touch him he purrs. And he has a loud, deep purr. I was washing my face this morning (after all, the Kitten Hatchery must do double duty as my bathroom) and I realized I could hear him all the way down on the floor and a few feet away. Notice that at this point I was not (obviously) touching him, but he was still purring. A good sign, I think.

I'm a little worried about his health, but I hope his ailments are simply the usual outdoor kitten ones. His fur is thin and coarse, but I think good food will help that. His ears are scratched up on the outside, and missing fur, and I assume that's due to scratching due to ear mites. (He let me clean out his hears no problem with kitten-ear-cleaner and a cotton ball, but I'll ask a vet to do a more thorough clean out, and of course there'll be drops and such if there are mites.) As I mentioned before, he has the roundest belly of all time, so there'll be deworming. Eeww. He also seemed to be running rather hot last night, although much less so this morning. Fever? I don't know. But this may well explain why he isn't playing, if he's not feeling up to it.

The good news, though, is that thanks to the incredible generosity of Project-Cat donors, little Max has enough funds for at least his first vet visit, and probably his second as well. (Okay, so this assumes that there's nothing majorly wrong with him... Fingers crossed.) So thank you thank you thank you, donors. You are Teh Awesome.
I've mentioned the vet several times in this entry. We are heading to see said vet this evening (5pm AZ time). The Animal Hospital I go to has a lot of vets in it, but we are seeing one that I've gone to once before (with one of the kittens-- which one I am not sure... Malcolm and Zoe the first time maybe?) and so that is good. There'll be an update tonight or tomorrow about how the vet visit goes, I'm sure.

I'm always terrified when taking one of these kittens to the vet for the first time. The diagnoses... So 'til then cross your fingers that it goes boringly frankly. Boring in this kind of thing is good. Boring is healthy!

Meet Napoleon Maximilian

2010-09-11T21:58:00.007-07:00

Or "Max" to his friends.

In other words, the Kitten Hatchery is unexpectedly open...

Two nights ago Beatrice's Mom came over to watch some television. When I opened the door, however, and said "Hi," she responded with, "Kitten." Uh, kitten? Sure enough, there by the food dish was a kitten I'd never seen before. A bit of chasing later and hey, there's an angry, angry kitten in my bathroom. (And a lot of blood from a kitten bite on my thumb, and a trip to the doctor for a tetanus shot in my very near future.)

He seems to be about 3months old or so and very, very dirty. He spent most of yesterday growling and huddling in the bathtub. But by last night he let me pet him a little (while hissing.) This morning he let me pet him, and leaned into the pets. Then, breakthrough! This afternoon he stretched up into the pets and started purring! I was able to pick him up (and discover that he is, in fact, a he) and plop him my lap-- where he promptly started rolling about and asking for me to pet his belly!!
We still have a ways to go-- I can't get him to play, for example. And he starts to growl whenever he sees me, but stops when I start petting him. He's eating well, and using the litter box with no trouble. He let me clean out his very dirty, very gross ears, although I suspect there'll be more of that to come, too. He clearly has worms (ew!) because he has the roundest belly ever.

So here's the thing. Fuzzy funny face, aka Angry Kitty (who is no longer so angry), aka Napoleon Maximilian, aka Max, needs a few things. First, he needs vet visits. Second, he needs a home. Should you wish to, you can help me with either of those...

I'm hoping to take him to the vet on Tuesday for his first kitten check up/vaccinations, etc. (De-worming.) If you'd like to help this poor, poor graduate student afford said vet visit, you can kick a few dollars my way via that PayPal button over there....

(Tomorrow he gets a bath... I'll try to take pictures.)

Holy Carp! An update!

2010-09-09T23:13:00.008-07:00

I know, I know... I'm well aware that I have been pretty much the worst blogger ever. The good news is that I have been keeping a close eye on our colony and everyone is doing pretty well. Okay, so Mistoffolees looks like he's molting, which is weird but doesn't seem too problematic. Tuxie is a bit pushy-- alternately mewing and hissing when I feed her. And everyone else is, well, everyone else.

See? I still take pictures! To the right, Agatha says hi (from between a set of stairs, if you're wondering).

As long as the colony is its usual self-- just requiring food and water-- we're good. I don't mind finding the cash for the food (and while they do go through a lot, some of my neighbors feed them, too), and I've got friends around here who have been lovely in helping to take care of the colony when I've had to frequently go out of town.

More pictures:

Lovely Daphne wondering why I'm bothering her with that flashy, clicky thing....

And Tuxie playing at being shy. (She's not really.)

However, two things have come up. First, I really do need to get the last of the colony TNRed, both for the sake of not wanting any more kittens, and for their own health. Remember that Pigpen, Tuxie and Barnaby all escaped TNR the first time around. And since then we've been joined by Tuxie and Paint.

And then there's Tigger, but he's better left to his own entry.

So I need to raise some monies to TNR these guys. Fortunately, it's not quite the undertaking that getting the first THIRTEEN was, but still. So if you're feeling in the mood, please feel free to hit the donate button over there on the left. (My birthday's in about two weeks-- you can make it a gift!)

I can't run another raffle-- well, I could, and I'd be happy to, but as it turns out they're illegal... So any other thoughts on how we can raise the moolah for these guys' TNR?

Drive By Posting!

2010-07-21T09:42:00.002-07:00

This summer has been... well, let's just say not my best summer ever. The cats, however, have been doing well. I've been seeing more of the group every day (this is partly because of how early in the morning I've been having to leave...) and everyone looks healthy and well. Tuxie, Aloysius, Bessie and Pigpen are generally eating as soon as I put down food. Barnaby stops by frequently, as does Agatha and Walsingham and Gremlin. I see Daisy nearly every afternoon as she likes to sleep on the cement floor of the building where it's coolest (it's been about 110degrees every day for the past ... forever). Daphne is a frequent sight as well. No kittens have been spotted this spring or summer, which is great. And I hvae taken some pictures and want to take more and as soon as I can, I'll get back to posting.

'Til then, I really hope you know about the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee. If you do, then I'm probably preaching to the choir, and you know about how they're trying to use 40squillion (that's thousands) dollars for the Tacoma Humane Society. If you're considering donating, I hope you'll do so today because not only are they only 3 days away from the end of their 'thon, but also because all donations today go directly to their spay/neuter fund, which helps ferals and free-roaming cats, like the ones in this colony. So if you have a few dollars to spare (every bit helps!!) consider sending it their way today.

Pictures!

2010-04-25T17:23:00.004-07:00

We haven't moved forward, alas. I haven't heard back from TNR Group #2 yet, you see. So we'll try again in June. Why not May, you ask? Because I am going out of town. No need to worry about our Colony-- people I trust very much will be taking care of the fuzzies for me, stopping by every day.

Come back in June when things will gear up, one way or another. :)

'Til then, enjoy these pictures...

Below, Daphne contemplates me with uncertainty, while Bessie tries to do a photobomb. Okay, Bessie probably was just wondering whether to run, but still...

Tuxie in the sunset. She's usually within earshot of my front door.

Streeeeeetch and yawn, wee Agatha, stretch!

Agatha, aka Crooked Kitty, close up. I'm always so happy to see this little girl.

It's Daisy! I have no idea why she looks so cranky here...

And finally, Beatrice, the not-feral, though you wouldn't know it to pet her, says you'd better come back in June for more updates and pictures!!!

It's Never Easy-- So Thank Goodness for Help

2010-04-13T14:50:00.004-07:00

::Sigh:: Another water bowl gone. (The one in the above picture, in fact, with Bessie-the-Former-Tomcat.) I think I may need to go to a big box store and purchase a dozen cheap dishes. I have no idea if it's gone thanks to neighbors or thanks to management...

I spoke with the wonderful person from AZCats who helped me last time (2008), and it turns out that there's been some kinds of machinations in animal groups in the past two years. I didn't get details, but suffice it to say that due to distance (Phoenix is a big city, especially for transporting angry caged animals in) I have been referred to a different group. I'll update more as I know it. She also referred me to some online resources which may help in the on-going communications with the management here.

'Til I know more, I leave you with pictures. Everyone likes pictures! These are the fuzzies you are directly helping when you donate to Project-Cat.

Mr Mistoffolees from above-- He seems to be saying, "I can see you up there. But I know the food is up there. How do I get to the latter, and not the former..."

Tuxie, being her adorable self. Behind her, however, is one of the two Problem Tiger Tabbies. These are two gray tabbies that belong to a neighbor. They are not, however, neutered.

Walsingham, lounging in the desert.

Feeding time at the zoo. This is by no means an ideal place to feed a number of cats, as you can see by the congestion in the next two photos. But since DNL is fearful of my feeding them in the old spot (seen in the photo following these two), I don't know what else to do...

Cats in photo directly below: Tuxie, Pigpen, Aloysius and Barnaby.

Cats in photo directly below: Walsingham, Agatha, Mistoffolees, Aloysius (I think), Tuxie and Pigpen.

The old feeding spot-- much bigger, much more secure for cats (in that they can run from people easier. Note the water dish-- it's also gone. Cats in the picture include: Daphne, Mistoffolees, Athos, Tuxie, Daisy, Walsingham, and one of the Terrible Tiger Tabbies (who is really friendly and affectionate and I call him Tigger, but he is also very, very clearly not neutered.)
This is Paint. She's cute, no? But she's very shy. She'll get her own post-- just as soon as I get some more pictures of her!!

Walsingham and Agatha. They're always together, which warms my heart.

No updates, 'cause no news...

2010-04-11T12:36:00.002-07:00

The ferals are chillin', doing their feral thing. It's getting warm here in AZ-land (82 today and 91 tomorrow! Yikes.) I'm finding occasional tufts of fur around the feeding area as they blow coat. I imagine that Tuxie is not enjoying the return of the hot weather, what with her long fur.

Another neighbor-- though I'm not sure who-- has started occasionally leaving food for the fuzzies, which I appreciate greatly. (Food's expensive! Well, it gets expensive when you're feeding so many.)

The TNR Fund for this go-round is at $125, and I'm exceptionally grateful to my two donors. (I don't know if they want to be named at all here in the blog, so I shan't for now. But if you're reading this, know that you have my thanks!!)

I've just gotten in touch with Altered Tails, the fabulous people who helped last time, to see what the upcoming schedule is like for high volume spay/neuter days. I suspect that we shan't be able to TNR 'til June, which I regret as we'll be deep into kitten season by then. But alas, April is rapidly running out and I, lucky me, will be leaving town for May. (I'll try to get a guest blogger-- perhaps she'll be better at updating than I am!)

I do have pictures, I promise... but I also have a list of things to do a mile long, so ... um... sorry. (I know, I'm a terrible blogger. But at least when I do post pictures they're of cute, cute kitties.)

GOOD NEWS!

2010-03-31T14:47:00.004-07:00

I spoke with the office people today, and pointed out that it is Spring. It is warm, and it has been warm. There are two (2!!!) unneutered male cats belonging to my neighbor, and there are several cats in the colony who are either new or whom I couldn't catch last time. There will soon be kittens. Can I, I asked, TNR? Please? Or would you like some kittens?

They said yes! I haven't made any arrangements yet (I didn't want to start any balls rolling, so to speak 'til I'd gotten a feel for where management/owners stood), so watch this space for more news.

I have to let the office know when *I* (and you) know more, so that they can leave notes on people's doors about what's going on. The office person I spoke with said that people had come and asked what they could do to help about the cats, so that's a good sign.

And, uh, if you have a few dollars to chip into the TNR-fund, now might be a fantastic time to do so. The fund is empty (I've been paying for cat chow out of my own pocket, which I don't mind, but at $50/cat for speutering, even if I only catch a few, it becomes costly for one person. ) Even just a few dollars helps a lot.

(More updates -- and cat pictures-- next week. Maybe sooner. But life has gotten crazy 'round here...)

In Memory

2010-03-17T18:36:00.003-07:00

I haven't updated P-C in a few days partly because I've been busy (as always), partly because there's no news on the Office Management front (still), and a lot because every time I sat down to write this post I didn't know how to write what I need to write... So I've been putting it off.

Being a feral cat is hard. It's not the worst life, I imagine. It's better than many other kinds of wild animals. It gets a lot easier once you've in a managed community-- getting food and water, and, once you're speutered, free of the dangers of territorial fights and the unhealthy effects of near-constant pregnancies.But still, there's no way of knowing how old the cats in the colony are, with the exception of Paint (who I have yet to introduce to you all because I can't get a good picture of her) and Tuxie, both of whom showed up as kittens this past summer. And there are dangers, mostly from humans. So it's no surprise, although it is sad, when one of the ferals doesn't show up for a long time. Gremlin, for example, has not been seen in a long time. Even more worrisome, Little Grey (Amaranth) hasn't been seen for months now, either.

(Then again, sometimes they just aren't seen for months and months and months and magically reappear, the way Creamsicle did a few weeks ago...)

But it's more surprising, and more definite, when something happens to cats who've been adopted.

Last week I got a phone message from the woman who adopted Dolce, the littlest of the last litter. She'd gotten very, very sick. The vet's best guess was that she was poisoned by something, although she was an indoor cat, and her constant companion (a Chihuahua) is fine. It's hard to process this news, knowing so little, and knowing how young Dolce was, and thinking about her as a tiny bottle-fed kitten. There was little to be done, and what there was was astronomically costly and unlikely to work, and so little Dolce was euthanized.

Then, a few days ago, AZMum wrote to let me know about Gandolf aka Skinny Kitty. You may recall that Gandolf was not actually feral-- in fact, once he started getting regularly fed gooshy food by AZMum, he was quite a lover. AZMum had also been giving him daily insulin shots to take care of his diabetes. When AZMum and her family moved away from the apartment complex, they took Gandolf with them to be their outdoor kitty. Unfortunately, this past weekend Gandolf was attacked and killed by either coyotes or a neighboring dog. I'm grateful that Gandolf got so much more time, thanks to AZMum's care, but of course I'm also very sad to think of him gone.

I don't know how to end this update. I wish I had some cute pictures of kittens or cheerful news about being allowed to TNR, but I don't at the moment.

As for the rest of the colony, life continues, I'm glad to say. I've been feeding them up on the second floor, as per DNL's wishes. No one has taken away the new water bowl. Tuxie seems to live by the food dish, meowing to get my attention whenever I leave my flat. Mistoffolees can be counted on to be around most of the time too. Other regular vistors include Pigpen, Barnaby, Agatha, Walsingham, Bessie, Athos and Aloysius. I'm still regularly seeing Daisy, but not up by the food dish. Paint comes and goes, and again, not usually up by the food. Creamiscle is ghostlike, disappearing into the wood work just as soon as you've come to expect him.

I'll try to update again soon, with something more cheery.

Not Looking Good

2010-03-03T16:08:00.002-07:00

I spoke with someone in the office on Monday and she said there'd been no word (yes or no) regarding the cats, feeding them, TNR, etc.

I spoke with DNL on Sunday. She has decided she will no longer feed or water the cats. She thinks that management is trying to push her out of the complex and that's part of it. She doesn't care if I still feed/water them, but she wants me to do it somewhere other than in front of her flat/beneath the stairs, where the cats have always been fed/watered.

This, of course, puts more responsibility (time and finances) on me. Great.

For the lack of a better place to feed the cats, I started feeding them on the landing between the second and third floors. (The stairwells are open air.) I moved the water dish upstairs, and put out dry food. Because some of the cats are too skittish to come upstairs, I've also started pouring out a bit of food closer to the drainage bolt holes.

When I left today, Pigpen and Agatha were going for the food downstairs and Tuxie for the food upstairs. There was a water dish there.

Today when I came home, about 8 hours later, the water dish is gone. Just like the food dish was gone two years ago. But this water dish had been in use for almost two years, and today they decide to get rid of it?

Mind you, there were maintenance people in my flat today, so they may have noticed it up on the second floor for the first time and that's why it's gone. I don't know.

But now I have no water dish.

Should anyone like to donate a water dish, please feel free. :( See, I use the kind where you have a reservoir so that I only had to refill it every other day. This is ARIZONA. The desert part! It's hot! Even today, in early March, it's 75 degrees (Fahrenheit.) The cats deserve freshwater.

I am so angry. And so frustrated. And sad. Who steals water from cats?!

ARG.

Typical

2010-02-24T20:31:00.005-07:00

I was on my way out the door to meet some friends for dinner, but as I was locking up, I saw Barnaby out in the grass. Clearly I had to run back inside and grab my camera as pictures of Barnaby are on the scarce side.

So I had my camera and was locking up when Tuxie came bounding up the stairs, squeaking.

Clearly I had to run back inside and grab some food since Tuxie seemed hungry.

So I had the food and my camera and was locking up when Mr Mistoffolees came peeking up the stairs.

I poured out the food and stepped back and Tuxie came on up and started chowing down. Knowing that pretty much any other kitty would be too nervous with me there, I went down the second set of stairs, ready to head for my car.

And found Walsingham bounding towards me.

Then Athos showed up, but he's a spooky kitty and not so sure.

Walsingham led the way up the stairs.

Tuxie showed him where the food was.

The others weren't so sure 'til I was farther away.

Barnaby even finally joined the party.

Need I mention I was late for *my* dinner?

-----

In other news, two things:

1. Still no word from management. I'm playing it a bit coy, for now. When I pay my rent this week, I'll ask. As a professor of mine just put it, I want to be the squeaky wheel who gets the grease, not the wheel that squeaks so much it gets replaced.

2. It seems that DNL is no longer feeding the kitties. I think that's why Tuxie was so brave to come so close, squeaking for food, and the other cats all came running when they heard me pour out the fuds. I haven't seen any food out near DNL's usual feeding spot. Worse, the water dish-- one of those deals where you fill up a reservoir and gravity does the rest-- was completely empty. DNL always took care of that. I haven't yet spoken with DNL, so I don't know if this is a temporary lapse, if she's away, or if she's abiding by the rules that appeared on our doors last week, but it means more responsibility (and more financial issues) for me. I'm not pushing for donations just now 'cause I haven't heard anything yet about being allowed to TNR, but if you wanted to put a few dollars in to go towards buying food, I'd appreciate it. (And sooper special thanks to Duckierose for her recent donation! Pigpen and all the others thank you.)

Meet Pigpen

2010-02-21T23:26:00.010-07:00

(Each, um, every-once-in-a-while Project Cat will post a profile and pictures of a Colony Cat, whether it's one who has been around from the get-go, or a new comer. Today? Pigpen.)

Name: Pigpen, named for the Peanuts character who is always followed by his own little cloud of dust. Pigpen, as you can tell from her pictures, always looks dirty.

Sponsor: Yes, by the wonderful Duckierose.

Joined Colony: Pigpen's been around as long as I've been watching and taking notes on the colony.
Altered: Alas, no. During the great TNR-Adventure of 2008, Pigpen became my nemesis as she consistently investigated by avoided all the traps we set out-- both the usual kind triggered by an animal walking in, and drop traps, where cats can walk under what amounts to a box and have a stick pulled out from it. The only reason I can, with any certainty, call her a "she" is because calico markings are genetically sex-linked-- only female cats can have both orange and black spots (generally.) Calicos and tortoiseshells are almost always female.

(The picture below is one of my absolute favorites I've ever taken of the colony. And you wonder why I call her my nemesis?)

Distinguishing Characteristics: Pigpen is precisely the style of cat I think of when someone says calico. Technically a calico is any cat with orange, black and white spots, and Pigpen certainly exemplifies this style, being mostly white, with the other two colors as splotches. Also, as I mentioned above, she is almost always dirty looking. I don't know if she's actually dirtier than the other cats in the colony, or just appears this way because she's mostly white.

Most Likely to be Found: Miss Pigpen seems to very much enjoy hanging out underneath a set of bushes directly across the courtyard from my apartment. However, she also seems to enjoy a good laze in the sunlight, so you'll occasionally see her spread out on the rocks (and her coloring-- dirt included-- provides excellent camouflage for this) or sometimes just being a kitty-loaf right in the middle of the grass.

There isn't any BAD news...

2010-02-16T17:17:00.003-07:00

Okay. So, after a nailbiting day during which I heard nothing, I decided to show them all how determined I am and went to sit in the apartment office so that I could be convenient whenever the owners were ready to talk to me.

Well, instead, the manager spoke with me-- as far as I can tell in the grand hierarchy of the apartment complex, she is the highest local person since the new company took over in the summer. She told me that it's the management company, not the new owners, who put out the "stop feeding the cats" directive. And that she gave them my information (which I had put together yesterday), and they weren't interested in dealing with it just now. However, as soon as they tell her something, she'll tell me.

Sound just like February 2008? It should because it's precisely what happened then, too. I did, however, forthrightly tell the manager that I will be continuing to feed the cats until I hear more. She agreed that I should do what I need to do.

Honestly, I think the company saw a lot of cats and went, vermin! What shall we do?! And thought, hey, if we don't feed them, maybe they'll go away. (Admittedly, one of the women in the office told me she tried calling every shelter in the area to come get them. I could have told them no one would come get them-- actually, I did tell them that in 2008. So they did try to take action.) But as my dad pointed out when I was filling him in on all this, it's not like there are marauding gangs of cats wearing black leather clothes and eye patches just roaming the complex in search of small children to eat. I don't think that the company considers this a pressing matter, but still, better to be proactive on our part.

So, in concrete terms, what does this mean for Project-Cat?

Honestly, not much. It means that we're in a holding pattern as far as TNRing the rest of the cats goes. I had started to think that maybe I could trap/etc. during Spring Break, when I'm not teachign, but that's in mid-March, so fundraising would have had to start now. I'm not comfortable doing that 'til we know more. So that's on hold. (But hey, if you were planning on donating, feel free to keep an eye on that money and send it later...)

As far as everything else-- well, I'll keep feeding, I'll keep tracking, and I'll keep posting. And, I'll keep in touch with the office to find out if they've heard anything. I don't want to be a nuisance (although I suspect many already think I am) but I also don't want to be forgotten. I'll also be continuing to speak with advocates of various sorts to see what other advice might be out there for convincing people to keep these cats safe.

No need for any action on your parts yet, other than to keep following along. I'll keep carting my camera around, and tracking the cats. You keep reading and letting other people know they should read, too. :)

The Suspense... arg! THE SUSPENSE

2010-02-16T15:23:00.003-07:00

I know that the owners are visiting the apartment complex today, and that the question of the cats will come up. I do not know when this conversation will happen, whether I'll get to be involved, what the answer will be, or when I'll hear anything.

The waiting and uncertainty are driving me mad!

So, as an antidote, have some pictures, never before posted here. (I was saving them for the posts about individual cats, but when I do those, I'll just have to get more pictures is all.)

Below: Athos, Walsingham, Mr Mistofolees and Cyrano

No News is... No News

2010-02-15T15:03:00.009-07:00

UPDATE: I stopped by the office again to drop off my packet of information (a new letter explaining the situation, the 2008 letter, some information on ferals and TNR, and my new spreadsheet showing that we have had a 10% decrease in the local colony) and was told again that they think it'd be a good idea if I spoke with the district manager, and that they'd probably be giving me a call. I'd very much like the chance to advocate for these cats in person, so keep your fingers crossed for me tomorrow.

As soon as I could (2:30pm) I went to the apartment office and asked about the note I'd gotten regarding the cats and not feeding them and "working to reduce the stray cat population." The first person I asked (the woman who adopted Dolce) didn't know anything. She asked the assistant manager who didn't know anything but suggested talking to the person who had typed up the notices. I asked her (she's very nice and has been helpful in the past) and between her and the manager-manager, we discovered that this is an edict from the company who owns the apartment complex. This is not the same company who used to own the complex, but, in fact, a new one as of this past summer.

So basically, no one here knows anything. But apparently the district manager is coming by tomorrow and they're going to give her the paperwork I had just created, so then maybe we'll learn something? They promised to call me when the manager is there, but I don't actually see that happening. Instead, I'm going to create a bigger packet of information on TNR and the agreement I'd had with the last company and drop it off in the morning. Then, assuming I don't hear anything all day, I'll stop by in the evening to find out more.

I guess the reason I feel that I'm having the same argument I had 2 years ago is because I am...

Again, I'll update just as soon as I learn anything.

(Pictures from top: Agatha out in the grass, Walsingham in a bush, Bessie-the-Tomcat with laser eyes, Barnaby from the second floor landing, at dusk.)

Colony Under Attack?

2010-02-12T20:37:00.003-07:00

As I left my flat tonight to join a friend (Beatrice's mom, in fact) I found a note on my door. It wasn't unexpected as I had spoken with management and the office staff told me there'd be notes upon everyone's doors announcing the new fitness center.

But there was another message included with the fitness announcement. I'll quote in its entirety:

"Finally, please refrain from feeding any stray cats that are on the property. We are working to reduce the stray cat population and would appreciate your assistance with the issue."

First, I had permission to take care of this colony-- permission from the management company, not just from the apartment complex. But the complex has been sinking a lot of money into upgrades lately...

Second, "working to reduce the stray cat population" does not sound good. The only way to effectively reduce the population, as you, dear readers, know, is TNR, and that takes time, and does not require not feeding, and has already been done, as you know. In fact, in the two years since the TNR project, the population has remained steady and stable. No, in this context, "working tor reduce the population" has got to mean something much less ethical-- trap and kill.

I will be asking for specifics on Monday-- the office is closed on weekends, of course. However, if I'm not just borrowing trouble, but am, in fact, correct with my above assessment, I will need your help.

Thus far, I have kept the apartment complex's name out of this blog, out of my commentary on the situation. However, if they are planning on killing these cats, I will be asking for your help in a letter/email/phone call campaign. A few minutes of your time to deluge first the apartment complex and then the management company in voicing displeasure would be helpful.

So watch this space on Monday afternoon/evening (I'm in AZ, so a few hours behind East Coast time), and get ready to mobilize the troops to save these kitties again.

Mystery in the Colony

2010-02-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

Technically the cat who woke me up this morning, in the still dark hour of 6:30am, isn’t feral—it was Jack, my fuzzy companion of six years. When he gets hungry and decides it’s time for breakfast he tears up paper, generally from books. Given that I’m a doctoral candidate in literature, there’s a lot of it about. I have various methods for dealing with this, starting with distracting him—sometimes he’ll then jump up on the bed and curl up with me and we can sleep ‘til the alarm goes off. This time, however, while I tried to get him to stop destroying things, without having to leave the warm cocoon of my bed, I heard yowling and howling.

Clearly this noise was not coming from my cats, but it was quite loud. It’s not frigidly cold here—after all I live in a dessert—but it’s cold enough that my windows were shut. All the same, I quite clearly heard angry cat voices. So I hopped out of my oh-so-comfy bed and went out on my balcony to see what I could see. Unfortunately, while I could still hear the howling, I couldn’t see a thing.

So, despite the early hour, the darkened morning, and my desire to return to sleep, I pulled on shoes and a sweatshirt and jogged outside and down three flights of stairs. I wanted to know what was going on, if anyone was hurt, and that sort of thing. No cats (angry or otherwise) were visible in my building’s courtyard, so I moved into the next.

I only saw one of what had to have been two culprits. A large, orange tabby stood in the space between the two halves of the next-door building. Upon seeing me he turned and trotted off towards the parking lot.

Wait, a large orange tabby? Who was this?

There are only four orange cats who have been part of this here blog. First was Bozo, also known as Waffles, who, as you’ll probably recall, had to be put to sleep a while ago, following an injury to his mouth that became infected, keeping him from eating, all atop his FIV/FLeuk status. Second was Gandolf, also known as Skinny Kitty. It turned out that he, too, was not feral, and was rapidly losing weight due to diabetes. My one-time-neighbor took care of him, giving him daily insulin shots. She and her family recently moved a few blocks away into a house, and she took Gandolf with him. Third is Walsingham, a young feral who is fairly large but not quite filled out, and has a whole bunch of white on his legs and belly. And finally, Sam, who became Whiskey, who was a kitten that I took in for a few days and rapidly adopted out to a neighbor. He’s been around a lot lately (with a collar on—he’s become indoor/outdoor. I’m not entirely okay with that, but that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, Sam/Whiskey is still pretty small, but has a tail that’s so long and fluffy that it makes him twice his size.

This was not any of those orange cats.

So who is it? Well, there are three options, as far as I can tell.

First, he might be an indoor/outdoor who belongs to someone in the apartment complex. There are a lot of indoor/outdoor kitties around, which is strange to me, given that the complex houses a feral colony, but who am I to comment?

Second, he may have recently joined the colony and I just hadn’t noticed him. This seems unlikely, however—why would I have never seen him before? And why would the colony have accepted a grown cat?

Third, he may have been trying to join the colony (which is to say get to their food) and was being kept out. From what I understand about feral colonies, this seems likely—cats being territorial.

Anyway, the answer is unclear and will require more investigation. More information as I (if I) find it

Help for some Fuzzy Babies?

2010-02-09T00:05:00.006-07:00

I know this blog doesn't exactly get high readership, and I don't want to turn it into pleas for kitty assistance, but ... this makes me sad and I want to help.

You can read the whole situation here, but basically, a momma to four kitties (of various ages and temperaments, 2 dsh and 2 maine coons) has to go into assisted living and can only take one kitty with her. The cats are in Phoenix (same as my feral colony), and need loving homes. I've maxed out homes for cats, as you know, with the kittens over the past few years, so I'm hoping against hope that posting here will boost the signal and help get these fuzzies adopted. (She's not looking to necessarily place them into the same home, although I'm sure that would be great, so if anyone can open his/her heart and home to one of these guys, you can contact her via the link above.)

:(

Meet Tuxie

2010-02-05T12:11:00.007-07:00

(Each, um, every-once-in-a-while Project Cat will post a profile and pictures of a Colony Cat, whether it's one who has been around from the get-go, or a new comer. Today? Tuxie.)

Name: Tuxie. Because s/he is, well, a tuxedo style cat. I'm not very creative in this regard.

Sponsor: None, as of yet

Gender: Unknown

Joined Colony?: This past (2009) summer, s/he showed up as a small kitten. Alas, between my traveling and his/her wiles, I was unable to catch him/her, and so, now that s/he's an adult, s/he has joined the colony and is quite skittish of humans.

Altered?: Not yet. S/he'll be one of several I try to catch, after raising enough money, hopefully this Spring, definitely by Summer.

Distinguishing Characteristics: As you can see, Tuxie is the only medium/long haired cat in the colony. Where did this trait come from? I do not know... But it certainly makes Tuxie easy to distinguish from all the others!!

Also, s/he, like a few of the younger cats (Walsingham, in particular, the orange boy visible behind Tuxie in the picture at right) is slightly less skittish than many of the cats. I was quite close when snapping the picture s of Tuxie at the water fountain.

Doesn't Tuxie have such a pretty (handsome?) face? I can't quite tell what color his/her eyes are-- at one point I was convinced that s/he had one blue, one green, but that might just be the way they look because of the black fur surrounding one eye, and white surrounding the other.

Most Likely to be Found: Curled up on the second floor landing, napping, but keeping a wary eye out for strangers all the same.

General Colony Update: Everyone seems to be doing well. Since the great TNR, we've had only three newcomers to the colony (not, of course, counting the kittens taken from it): Tuxie (above), a gray tabby (who's very shy and hard to even photograph) and a domestic gray tabby who technically has a home but who roams about with the colony. So it definitely seems that the TNR (mostly) worked.

As I hinted above, I do want to try TNRing again sometime relatively soon-- when I find both the time and money. I want to catch the several cats I didn't catch the first time around (Pigpen, I'm looking at you!) and the newcomers.

Oops!

2010-01-16T15:32:00.005-07:00

We're very sorry...

...that Project-Cat has been in hiding....

And promise to try to do better when
Project-Cat returns in February.

Dean Kitty Goes Home (And Other Updates)

2009-07-12T12:49:00.007-07:00

Wow, I have seriously neglected this blog, especially in light of the fact that until *yesterday* I still had a foster kitten. Happily for all involved, this is no longer the case as Dean has gone to his forever home-- a forever home that just happens to be many states away from here. (He has gone from being a Desert Cat to a Plains Cat.)

Thanks to online friends posting about Dean needing a home on various blogging sites, Dean found a home. It took months of finagling to get it all worked out, but yesterday I flew him to Chicago. Yes, really.

And Dean was *great* about it all, a perfect angel. He took to wearing a harness and leash with no trouble (which, as you'll see, was a very good thing) and didn't make a sound in his carrier. At security, I had to take him out of his carrier to go through the metal detector (while his carrier went through the x-ray machine), and this was the only moment he got a bit freaked. It didn't help that I was juggling him as well as my belongings. He went through the metal detector riding on my shoulder, but then hopped down and tried to hide beneath the X-ray machine. Hee. Fortunately, my hold on his leash kept him from getting too far, and the traumatic part was done.

I'd heard that you're not supposed to take your pet from his carrier at the airport, but no one had officially told me that, so while we were at the gate Dean mostly sat in my lap, purring. At one point a little girl and her grandfather came up to look at Dean, the grandfather assuring me that they wouldn't touch. I told the little girl she could if she wanted, that Dean was a bit nervous but purring. She got a big smile when she pat Dean on his head.

I am incapable of staying awake on an airplane, so dozed off shortly after take-off. I woke several times to the sound of squeaking, but it was never Dean. (Apparently there was another, less happy, pet on the plane.)
(Check out the tiiiiiny Dean in the picture at left!)

Upon landing in Chicago, C., Dean's new daddy, met me at the security gate. We found a quiet(ish) space to chat, and to introduce Dean and C. C. has had many cats, so he didn't need any advice about integrating Dean into his household or anything. Mostly the time was taken up by me snuggling Dean, knowing that I was going to miss him a lot. C. told me some more about his cats, which made me feel better. (C. seems really awesome, and I was reassured by the whole situation.)

And... that was that, at least as far as Dean and airports go. C. had a long drive back home with Dean, and was kind enough to call me upon reaching his destination to give me an update. Dean was curious during the drive, and immediately started exploring upon reaching his new home. C.'s other cats have been interested thus far, although I haven't heard if there have been any official meetings betwixt them yet. And best of all, Dean spent much of the evening in C.'s lap-- so I don't have to worry about the two of them not connecting!!

EDIT TO ADD: Check out this video which C sent me of Dean playing and being all adorably cuuuuute!

-----

In other Former Foster Felines News...

Malcolm (and his brother, Fritz) have moved into a new home (with their people) and have adjusted quickly.

Zoe and Zadie met each other when the former came home for the summer with her person. Apparently the two of them (and their sister, Arwen) have staked out various bits of their family's house. I've seen Zadie a couple times since her move, and she remained, at least at that point, a teeny-tiny bundle of engergy and adorableness. Apparently Zoe has grown into quite the large cat, however, and is intensely loved by her human (as is Zadie by hers.)

Momo, formerly Iso, has completely adapted to his new home, so much so that it's rare to see him without his sister, Pynn.

Similarly, Dolce is completely attached to her doggie-brother (a chihuahua.)

And last I heard, Whiskey, formerly Sam, is also doing well, and is best friends with his doggie-sibling, a labrador.

And finally, what to say about Miss Beatrice? She has also moved into a new home with her mommy. At first she was so scared that she peed on her mommy (yeah, I shouldn't laugh, and yet, I do.) Right now her mom is traveling, but I've been checking on Miss Beatrice and she is her usual self. I think this cat is bi-polar. One moment she wants love, the next moment she's trying to gnaw on your face. She has actually made her other cat-sitter bleed. Oh, Beatrice. We love you anyway.

Are you my family?

2009-05-20T00:27:00.009-07:00

In many ways, Dean is the perfect kitten. He wants to be with his human (who, at the moment, is me.) When he's sleepy, he wants to sleep in a human lap. That's where he is right now, as I type this.

He's also very good at playing by himself. (He was supervised with those ribbons, of course.) The jingle ball in the left picture is his favorite at the moment. He also already likes catnip (which is early-- most kittens aren't affected by it) and likes to bunny kick at mousies filled with it.

He'll be happy in any loving family-- he's been adjusting very well to whatever comes his way. He wants very much to play with my adult kitties (he keeps offering, they keep hissing or ignoring him) so he'd adjust just fine into a house with other kitties. Conversely, he's very much a people cat, happy to play with you, curl up with you, sleep beside you and purr, so he'd be equally happy in a home with an attentive, loving person or people.

He's ready to be adopted at any time now, and just wants a loving family.

You don't have to be local, if you're interested in this perfect fuzzy feline companion. As long as you're in the continental US, I can find a way to get him to you.

If you can't adopt him, please forward this address along to anyone you know who might be interested. If you're on FaceBook or MySpace or Twitter, maybe you could pass this information along? I know that someone perfect for this little boy is out there.

Thirty new pictures of Dean in the Flickr Set.

Adopted Kitten Update

2009-05-19T15:42:00.002-07:00

So, on Saturday morning, Iso went to meet his new family. They live quite close, so that's nice, and hopefully I'll hear lots of good things about his adjustment to his new home. Iso's name is now Momo, and he has a big sister named Pynn. Pynn is all black (with a wee tuft of white), and is the most hyper kitten I have ever met. She's amazing, and was bouncing, pouncing and playing the entire time I was there. She immediately took to Iso/Momo, demanding that he play. She's a bit bigger than he is, so he wasn't entirely sure what to make of the situation, but was pretty game. He happily explored around his new home, while his new sister pounced on him.

I haven't heard much about Dolce, other than that she's settling in, and that her human-siblings are taking good care of her.

Zadie has become much more adventurous in her time at her new home, and has taken to waking up her human with love-bites. Ouch! Her family's other cat, Arwen, has taken to grooming her and acting as a mommy. (Aww!) Zadie has been to the vet and been declared healthy. Hurrah!!

So all the adopted babies seem to be doing very well.

That just leaves Dean, who has just stolen my cell phone and now my crochet hook. Silly boy. He's doing fine, but he obviously misses his siblings. He tries to play with my cats, but they aren't interested (and in fact are desperately counting the days 'til I can find him a new home.) I'm really grateful for teh homes I've found for the first three, but Dean is a special baby who needs a home, too.

"Sam" Update

2009-05-08T11:39:00.002-07:00

You might recall Sam, the orange kitten I had for a few days back in, um, March? Yeah, that sounds about right. Just ran into his human, and his canine-sister (a yellow lab named Bailey.) Sounds like the puppy and the kitty are getting along really well-- they apparently go through cycles of antagonizing each other, and loving on each other. They *both* chase the laser pointer, hee! The kitty's new name is "Whiskey" but apparently he's mostly called "Kitty" because that's what he comes to.

I'm *so* glad to hear that that family worked out. (I hadn't touched base with them since the night the kitty moved, even though they are only one building over from me. Fortuitously, I had just dropped my pen off of my balcony (where I was grading papers) and when I went down to get it, Bailey was out chasing a ball, so I got to chat with her human.)

Pictures

2009-05-06T19:40:00.001-07:00

There are 7o new pictures of the kittens in the April 2009 Kitten Set. Including lots of cute ones of Dean and Iso, the babies who need homes. (They've just been dropped back off. The poor things are probably so confused.)

New Plan (Needed)

2009-05-06T18:04:00.004-07:00

Well, crud. On the bright side, Iso's mom got a scholarship to Ireland. On the downside, that means she can't keep Iso. And it also means her sister can't keep Dean, because she'll have to move into a dorm. So... the hardest part of cat rescue begins again: finding homes.

Please get the word out that Iso and Dean need homes (or a home). They're about 6 weeks old, have been healthy as long as I've had them. Iso is a bit reserved-- he likes to sit in your lap and watch his siblings play-- but he can also hold his own in a tussle. Dean is more outgoing, and will play and wrestle 'til he completely tires himself out-- at which point he wants to curl up in your lap.

Homes need not be local to AZ, as I can travel in the months of May and June. Please repost and help me find these great little guys homes!!

And then there was one...

2009-05-04T17:05:00.003-07:00

Mr Dean and Mr Iso left with their mommies a few hours ago. And Miss Dolce was just delivered to her mommy a few minutes ago. So Miss Zadie and I are hanging out together. She's a bit confused, but content because I'm letting her explore my desk. Her mommy comes to get her tomorrow (and she'll be cousins with Zoe!)

I'm so happy I found such great homes for the kittens. And I'm lucy to have been a part of their lives. But it has also been expensive and exhausting, so while a part of me is sad, a part of me is also very glad. These kittens are going to be very well loved, and parts of great families.

I have taken so many pictures. Classes ended today, so while I still have a elventy-billion things to do, I should be able to find some time to work on and post those pictures sometime in the next few days.

Quick Update!!

2009-04-24T16:43:00.003-07:00

(More to come later-- and that with pictures.)

I have found potential homes for all the kittens at this time. Violetta (Dolce), of course, I already mentioned. Zadie, it seems, will be going to the sister of the woman who adopted Zoe, so they will be first cousins! (Her new mommy will meet her tomorrow, after which it will, I imagine, be definite.) And it appears that Dean and Iso will be going to a pair of sisters, too, although those details have not yet been worked out.

Nothing is yet definite. Keep your fingers crossed for me and the kittens please, but also, if you're interested in one of the kittens, let me know and I'll be in touch.

If you're interested in other kittens, please visit a shelter near you. Those kittens need love more than you can imagine, and in many cases their days are numbered if a human doesn't choose to adopt them. And if you can, adopt an adult cat-- they have an even more difficult time finding families.

And so I'm not ending on a completely sad note, here's a silly picture of Zadie:

So many kittehs!

2009-04-21T19:34:00.009-07:00

Well, they're definitely over their "shy" phase. Now when I walk into the Kitten Hatchery they swarm me! If I sit down, I immediately have all four kittens in my lap, generally tussling with each other. It makes it difficult to take pictures-- for every picture I post, imagine that there were 2 more that I had to erase because they were blurry, or only had half a kitten in the frame by the time the shutter clicked. Also, these kittens, like most, are so much cuter in person-- assume 75% more cuteness that you just can't see in the pictures. :)

I gave them all Foster-Names, but even those change quickly. The good news is that I have an official forever home for Violetta. I took her to the apartment complex's office today as an example of how well the kittens were doing. The staff-person who had said she might want to adopt one decided that she does want to adopt one, and moreover, wants this one! So Violetta has a forever home waiting for her in a few weeks. She will have a big sister: a chihuahua named Coco Chanel!! Violetta's name has been changed as befits her new home: she is now Dolce!

I hope I can find such good homes so quickly for the other three!! Shy little Zadie has become more out-going. She joins her siblings in hanging out with me, and likes to be held. She has even started purring. When you see her by herself, or sitting in a lap, it's hard to imagine her doing the rough and tumble of other kittens, but she'll get in there and fight with her siblings just like the others. Ideally, I'd love to be able to adopt her out with Dean, her big brother.

Dean is living up to his television namesake, being the first and last at the dinner table, and being completely outgoing. He seems to need to be aware of everything, but he also takes care of his siblings, curling up with them when they've all just had a bath. Dean is also the one who is most like Baby Beatrice-- he has taken to gnawing on everything, up to and including my feet and ankles. Silly boy. Also, it is not unusual for me to be dealing with one of the other kittens, or brushing my teeth, and to suddenly have Dean climbing up my pants leg.

Istref (Iso for short) is the only one who won't purr, but he does seem to like curling up in my lap, and he's certainly not shy any more. He plays and he cuddles and he's got such cute moo-cow-kitty spots! He's hard to get pictures, of though, 'cause he moves fast! He and Dean are already bigger than the girls (Dean is biggest, though) -- not so noticeable in pictures, perhaps, but definitely noticeable when you go to pick them up!!

The kittens are using the litter box, although there have been a few accidents. I chalk those, however, up to the changes in food which is making their stool less than delightful. (Lucky me.) Still, for the most part they're using the box fine, and I'm sure they'll be perfect with it once their little kitten tummies fully adjust to the switch over in foods. Speaking of foods, they're still eating a mix of baby food and kitten food, but they've also taken to snacking on dry kitten food, so this is good. They're not so good at the water dish, though, generally dumping it on the floor rather than drinking from it, presumably in their raucous kitty fights.

So, things continue apace. But please spread the word about these babies needing homes. Classes end relatively soon, so I can even get them fairly far afield, should you be reading this from a place that is not AZ. (Import your kittens!) Cuddly fuzzy babies need homes!

45 (!!) new pictures in the April 2009 Kittens Flickr Set

Progess Report

2009-04-17T19:58:00.005-07:00

The kittens are doing really well. They're happily eating out of a dish, slurp, slurp, slurp. I'm going to mix baby food and kitten food next, so hopefully they'll be over to canned kitten food really soon.

Two of them are no longer afraid of me-- the adventurous tabby boy, and the sweet little grey/white girl. The Moo-Cow still hisses, and the tabby-girl still hides. But it's only been 2 days, so we'll work on that. :)

They understand the litterbox, which is fantastic. Woot! Thank goodness for instinct!!

They need names, even if they're just "foster" names. I considered continuing the Firefly theme (from which Mal and Zoe came), which would make them Simon, River, Kaylee and Wash. Then I thought that since I had a Sam, I should have a Dean (and Adventure Kitty loves to eat, so that's pretty much perfect), but SPN really doesn't have a lot of other names, and most of the girl names would be lousy for cats (and before you ask, no, I will not name one after Ruby.) I thought about naming the girls Viola and Olivia (from Twelfth Night) but an... acquaintance already has a cat named Viola, and I didn't like the association. When talking with Beatrice's Mom tonight, she suggested givign them all Albanian names (which is where her family is from), adn while I'm not 100% sold on all the names, the little grey/white girl is now named Violetta, Vee for short.

Beatrice's Mom hung out here tonight for a good long while, and for most of that time we had at least one kitten with us. Cranky-boy and Scaredy-Girl both fell asleep in our laps (awwww.) When other friends were visiting, (Mr and Mrs Gecko), we had all four out to play-- so very cute, and they're getting braver all the time.

Now, however, I must needs clean up the enormous mess they've made, with litter out of the box, someone has been sick, and just the general debris of kitten care. Then, bedtime.

More pictures are now up in their set.

The Kitten-Hatchery is Open

2009-04-16T11:11:00.004-07:00

Yesterday I just happened to check my messages between classes, and wouldn't you know, there was one from my apartment management asking for my help again. Four baby kittens were found on a currently empty apartment's porch, and could I do something about them? I called to find out that their eyes were open, but they were very small. The manager said they were hissing, but otherwise mostly just huddling together. They had them in a shopping basket with a towel.

(Seriously-- when I showed up and found a shopping basket full of kittens? Cutest thing ever. Too bad I didn't have my camera.)

So I promised I'd be there as soon as I could and spent the next lecture trying to re-configure my day's schedule deciding if I had enough supplies at home to start the Baby-Kitten Process again. (What? Doesn't everyone have powdered Kitten Replacement Milk, baby food and syringes (sans needle, of course) in their pantry?)

Clearly these were kittens who had not met humans before as no matter what you do they hiss. The cutest part was when they hiss in between taking sips of milk from the syringe. "sip, sip, slurp, hiss-hiss, slurp, hiss, sip."

I'm not much good at determining kittens' sexes, but my friend F (Beatrice's mommy!) joined me and agreed with my guesses that there are two girls and two boys. All four took milk several times yesterday, and today I got them eating baby food, too (with gusto!) We cleaned out their ears (ew!) and got most of the goop off of their eyes and noses (ew) and gave them baths. The poor things were so dirty that they immediately turned their bath water grey and gross. They will need baths again today, but that's because of the food that gets on them when they eat/dribble.

They're already starting to show individual personalities. The polka-dot one is generally anti-people. The grey-almost-tuxie is the friendliest, calmest, and fell asleep on my stomach last night. The most-tabby one is an adventurer and explorer, and the slightly-less-tabby one is a hider.

One of the office people said she'd probably like to adopt one when they're old enough. Fingers crossed on that. And the office people also promised to help me find homes for these guys.

Here's hoping I can help them grow up and be strong. :)

More of the initial pictures here.

Sammy's Forever Home (Probably)

2009-03-17T22:03:00.003-07:00

Wow. That... was the fastest adoption ever. The neighbor I met completely randomly for the first time yesterday really wanted Sammy, with his adorableness and copper colored eyes. Tonight I took him over to their house (hey, we really are neighbors! Neat!) so that the boyfriend could meet the kitty. They have a 18 week old labrador puppy, with all that that entails-- rambunctious, sweet, curious and bouncy. While it's going to take a few days for the two critters to get to know each other, the first meeting actually went really well. The puppy was curious, but not overly so, finding more interest in the toys I brought with Sammy. The kitten didn't hide-- he walked around and investigated, although he gave the puppy a wide berth.

His new family is very nice, and were happy to have all the information I gave them. (Well, heck, I've accumulated a lot of info over the past, between my own cats, and then the ferals and the kittens!)

AND, in a move I learned from the best (Tamnonlinear, she of the brownies), I insisted they knew that once a cat is rescued, s/he stays rescued. They know that if they ever need anything, or need to give away the cat, I'm only a phone call away and I'll help figure something out.

Anyway, Sammy has moved to the new house. It's somewhat conditional-- if things really seem like they're not going to work out between the puppy and the kitten, that's understandable. But fingers crossed, Sammy has a new home, where he's loved and safe. In which case? Fastest rescue ever.

Next, there's a stray (not a feral) tabby boy who needs to be neutered, just as soon as I can catch him. Well, I've picked up plenty of times, but can I get him to the third floor? :)

[I'll keep you up to date on Sammy's progress as I learn of it.]

Pictures!

2009-03-16T23:50:00.004-07:00

Okay, I could not call him "Mr Jingles"... I just couldn't. So in honor of my new obsession with the tv show Supernatural, I have named him Sam. (I think he's going to be big, plus he doesn't seem to have the attitude of a Dean.) Anyway, it's irrelevant, since I'm sure his Forever Home, as soon as we find him one, will give him his Forever Name.

But, 'til then, and to pass around to people who might like to adopt a fuzzy love-kin, here are some pictures!

I'd have posted this sooner, but he fell asleep sprawled across my lap, so I couldn't leave, obviously.

Meet... Mr Jingles?

2009-03-16T14:51:00.003-07:00

So... yeah. I'd say this isn't what I anticipated, but it never is, is it?

There is now a tiny orange kitten in my bathroom.

Why? That's an excellent question.

Apparently, the promise I had gotten regarding the feral colony was not the only thing that wasn't communicated quite right from old manager to new. Somehow the people currently working there thought that I work for the humane society, so when a small orange kitten was found today, they called me. Well, first they called animal control, but when an officer came out, she said that he looks healthy, so she couldn't take him.

Why did I spring into action? Well, first because I always do. And second because it buys me good will from the office people (I met the manager today, and gave a small spiel about the ferals, for example.)

So here's the low down on this kitten-- approximately 12-16 weeks, orange tabby, male. He's not at all scared of humans (he was purring and kneading and quite content in my arms.) He doesn't seem to have any flea dirt on him (will investigate further with a flea comb) so he couldn't have been out long, but his tail and paws are quite dirty, so long enough for that. When he was found he seemed to be foaming at the mouth (??) which is why animal control was called, but that has long since ceased. He's eating no problem-- he was very fond of the baby food (beef, if you're curious), but happily chowed down on some adult (canned) cat food, too. (I mixed it together because I don't have any kitten food here and I wanted him to have the extra nutrients.)

The name is not what I would have chosen (the office staff picked it.)

I'm going to give him a bath (that should be fun...) and just hang out with him. The office staff thinks that maybe he just got away from his humans today, so I should probably put up Found Cat flyers. By the same token, there should be Lost Cat Flyers up if someone wants him back...

The potential good news is that as I was walking out of the office with the kitten, I ran into a woman who lives here with her boyfriend and puppy. The puppy was very interested. The kitten was really calm for a kitten, but did eventually puff up his tail and hiss. However, the woman really loves cats, apparently, and is maybe interested in adopting him-- we've tentatively set up a time for the cat and dog to meet tomorrow. Please, please, please cross your fingers because that would be an awesome fix to the situation.

Otherwise, I'll be putting out feelers with every acquaintance I know because the older he gets the harder he'll be to adopt out.

He's making cute little chirpy noises now. After posting this, I'm going to go hang out with him. (He's got all the comforts of home, but now he needs a people.)

And so we start again...

2009-03-04T14:56:00.002-07:00

Okay, I actually, for once, had things I wanted to say here. I got pictures, I have links, I have Update Worthy Material.

But it's all been preempted. Upon my return home from campus today I ran into Downstairs Neighbor Lady. She has just renewed her lease. And in the lease was a clause which declares that if you feed the cats you will be fined $400.

::blink::

I pointed out that I have permission to feed the cats and otherwise manage the colony. DNL pointed out that the manager with whom I had made all the arrangements is no longer here at the apartment complex.

Fudgesicles.

Now, technically, my agreement went higher than this, with the company who actually manages this property as opposed to the manager of the property (if that's clear.) But DNL had a good point-- since I have not heard anything about this directly (and my lease doesn't need to be renewed until August), I'm not going to say anything about it yet. I'm going to continue to feed the cats.

This does, however, explain why my box (ie: cardboard food dish) has been removed. I'm grateful that the water dish is still there.

I know times are tight, but if anyone would like to chip in a few bucks towards a Fine Protection Fund, please feel free to hit the button on the left. (Likewise, I'll be taking another cat for altering sometime in the next week or so, and a donation towards that would rock. But that's for another post-- see? I told you I actually have interesting things to say, but noooooo, management's gotta go be all stoopid. Which just angers me greatly-- the colony has not grown at all with the exception of one stray left by !@#$!@#$ residents, and that is through my work, and The Volunteer's work, and the incredible donations of all of you. So they should shut up and be glad. The cats aren't doing anything wrong. )

I wonder if this explains why I found the tunnels all blocked with rocks last week. (I promptly unblocked them, of course.)