October 2012
In memory of Smudge: Senselessly shot just because he was a cat. He will never be forgotten.
In memory of Rusty: Killed along with his friend Smudge. Both will be in my heart forever.
Teddy: Miraculously survived getting shot I believe so he could 'tell us' the story of what happened to him and his two pals Rusty and Smudge. He lost a leg but is a true survivor.
. Update Nov 9th: Teddy had the stitches removed this morning and was also neutered. He is doing just great and the vet is very pleased with how well he is healing from the surgery. Teddy will have the best life from here on out. Never will he know a minutes fear or hunger or worry. He has new fur friends and a new human family who love him and will care for him the rest of his life.
Update Oct 30th: It's a certainty we now know who shot the 2 cats and injured Teddy. Unfortunately it can't be proven and the only witness to the despicable and cowardly act just had his front leg amputated and doesn't speak english. The guy didn't come out and admit he shot them, but what he said was just as damning as an admission. We don't even have the bodies of the other two cats....probably dumped in a field at another location since this is all country out here....but Teddy survived because he was meant to tell his story and the story of his two mates he saw murdered so they could be remembered and it can be known that there were people who cared about them and that their lives meant something. I can only pray that the first shot was the kill shot and they didn't suffer. It was their trust in humans that got them killed. They were most likely shot as they walked right up to him wanting to be petted or loved on. I wish I could be there when Karma catches up with the evil man who killed these loving and trusting cats. R.I.P Smudge & Rusty You will not be forgotten
Update Oct: 28th: Well, the vet did do the amputation and I brought Teddy home with me this afternoon. I decided he needed a better name then Pudge and thought Teddy (Theodore) was befitting him because it means.... God-given, happy, fortunate and powerful. Yes, he is a gift from God. Happy.always in spite of what he's gone through and had to endure. Fortunate because he is alive....something kept pulling me back to that farm again Thursday even though i'd been there once already that day...the second time I found him. Powerful because he survived for days without food or water and in pain with a horribly shattered leg. I also have some disturbing news which does not bode well for the other two cats. The vet believes Teddy was shot with a small caliber weapon...probably a .22. I am heartbroken because that most likely means the other two are dead. This surgery would have cost at the very least $1500 at an animal hospital...the vet says pay what we can and he will donate the money to Kat Snips...a spay/neuter program for which he performs the sterilization procedure. I had two of the other cats neutered through Kat Snips. When Teddy is a bit stronger he'll also be done through them. I am going to get a chip-in going for Teddy, but if anyone would like to contribute directly to the vet please message me for his contact info.
Update Oct 26th: It's been a physically and emotionally exhausting week starting when the 3 abandoned cats I'd been feeding went missing this past Sunday. Then to find one yesterday with one of his front legs mangled so badly it'll have to be amputated. Plus he was in horrible dirty condition, dehydrated and starving and the vet can't do the surgery until he is hydrated and better physically to undergo the procedure. I haven't slept much since Sunday, overwhelmed with worry for the cats, two whose whereabouts still remain unknown. When I found 'Pudge" (what Ii named almost 2 weeks ago), I called the vet in my town just to find out they don't do 'orthopedic' surgery (the amputation he'll need) I didn't have the Manchester vets phone number programmed into my cell phone so I drove there...only about 6 miles...to find out they also 'aren't equipped to do such surgeries'. The idiot receptionist there wanted to know if i wanted the cat euthanized. Well, of course not, there are plenty of 3 legged animals who do just fine and this guy is a real survivor. So I asked if there were any vets that could do the surgery in the area. She found a vet in Tecumseh who could, but I knew they were a big clinic and so would cost a lot (sadly the reality is money is an issue right now because of my part time job, although I would definitely take him there if I could't find another vet) also this animal hospital wasn't exactly close, and even though Pudge had been so very, very brave and good during the ordeal, I still wanted him into to a vet as soon as possible. I remember someone telling me about the vet in Bridgewater, an old country vet, who even though in his 80's still had hands as steady as a rock. They were also half the distance of the Tecumseh clinic, so I asked the receptionist for his number also. With the ph# and directions to both vets in hand, i first had to stop for gas if I was going to make it to either place, used my very last $17 dollars to put gas in the tank and started on the journey. Once on my way, I called the Bridgewater vet and was overjoyed to hear he did perform amputations. I literally flew there because it had been close to a good 45 minutes already with poor Pudge, and I knew he had to be in pain although he never once complained. Such an amazing boy. So now I await news or an update on his condition. I doubt if they'll do the surgery before Monday but I won't know for sure, possibly by tonight or tomorrow morning I'll have more info. I doubt if I'll be getting much sleep in the coming days, maybe not for a long while, because I won't rest easy without knowing the status of the other two. The farmer next to the place where the cats were left told me a guy in the area sets traps out to catch coyotes although he does release non target animals that get caught. Maybe Pudge got caught in one of his traps. Now, I truly AM hoping it was the lady who originally abandoned them finally come and got them, that Pudge escaped and got hit by a car making it back to his former home. I hope with all my heart she has the other two and they're safe. I'm still trying to track her down to find out. If she didn't take them, then I fear the worse happened to the other two boys. It's heartbreaking. These guys were all so friendly and affectionate and didn't deserve bad things happening to them because someone abandoned them and didn't care what horrible fate they could meet.
Update Oct 25th: The 3 cats i'd been feeding at the rental all disappeared on Sunday Oct. 21st. I've been going over to that house everyday since to see if any would show up. I have no idea what happened to them. It's possible the woman who abandoned them there finally came and got them last Saturday night or Sunday morning. I'd been going over everyday all week to see if any would show up but not a sign of them. However when I went over this morning I heard meowing. The part Siamese one came limping out of the bushes. When I got close I saw the extent of his injury. Bone sticking out and leg almost completely detached. Maggots in the flesh so this must have happened right after they went missing. I don't know the story yet and am trying to locate the woman to see if she did indeed come and get them and this one tried to make it back to his former home and maybe got hit by a car. Anyway, he's at the vet and needs to be rehydrated before any surgery. The leg will have to amputated. I have no idea what this will all cost but when I get the final bill I will set up a Chip-in for his vet care if anyone would like to help. Or I can give you the vet's number and any contribution can be made directly to him. I'm sick with worry for the other two and pray they are OK.
Oct 3rd: I'm currently taking care of some kitties at one of my landlords rentals. The previous renter abandoned her 3 cats and left no food or water for them.
August 27th 2012
Kaylee's person had to go into an assisted living apartment where they only allowed her to have one animal. Unfortunately for Kaylee, her human also had a dog and she was more of a dog person....so I got the call from a frantic lady trying to find her cat a good home because the no-kill shelters were so full they weren't taking any new animals. This was also down to the wire since the lady was moving within a week. I really didn't want to add another cat since I had just taken Stormy at the beginning of the month, but the woman was sobbing because she didn't want to turn her cat into a kill shelter. Knowing what her fate would very likely be at a kill shelter, I made the 40 mile journey with less than 1/8th of a tank of gas in my gas hog truck, virtually no money in the bank at the time and wondering what the hell I was doing.
When I picked Kaylee up, I was also told she was declawed. Well, I knew that would be a problem since all the cats I have still have their claws. Feeling defenseless without claws, it's been almost 2 months and she is just now becoming better adjusted and less stressed. I have to give a lot of credit to the other cats, especially Rufus and Samir. They all have been great at giving her the space she needs and being gentle. Samir and Rufus are little gentlemen trying to be friends with her and being ever so patient as she becomes more confident. She can actually sleep in the same bed with them, albeit at opposite ends, without growling and swatting at them. That's a major milestone. It's too soon to tell if she will ever truly bond with any of the other cats (I am hoping so), but towards me she's been my girl from day 1
Footnote:: I am very much opposed to declawing which is essentially mutilation and a cruel and unnecessary procedure which does not benefit the cat in the least. It is amputation of the first digit of the toes. It's often not done properly and the cat can live in constant pain or experience other issues. Even when done correctly, it often causes psychological problems whereby the cat will urinate outside the box to 'mark' their territory, the end result being many declawed cats are turned into shelters because they eliminate on the carpet or other inappropriate sites. I firmly believe a cat is more important then a piece of furniture and they can be trained to use a scratching post. There are many alternatives to declawing. Most countries ban de-clawing. Unfortunately the US and Canada aren't among them.
Reasons Not To Declaw -written by Veterinarian Dr. Christianne Schelling
August 5th 2012
This is Stormy, one of three very lucky kittens dumped at my friends farm back in June. Lucky kittens because my friend fed them and had them all fixed. Stormy came here in August after my friend found a home for the male and kept one of the females. When asked if I'd take her, I didn't hesitate! She is absolutely a little lover.
Stormy on the cat tower. She loves playing and all the older cats dote on her. Pumpkin is in love with her I think and is quite enamored! They spend all their time grooming, playing and sleeping together.
June 2012
Sheba was also living in the woods behind the same house where I rescued Rufus. Out in the country, it's seems to be a favorite spot for dumping animals. Extremely thin and not spayed, it may be possible she had a litter of kittens before she was abandoned. Friendly, obviously she was someone's at some point.
I named her Sheba because at the time she was the only female in the house and apparently thought she was her majesty......cuffing the males when she felt like it....she's settled down since and gets along great now with all the boys.
February 2012
Rufus was living in the woods behind a house and the family that was feeding him were concerned for his health and safety. (freezing cold and coyotes) He was very skinny when he first showed up at their place (possibly dumped or just wandered on) They had no shelter for him and
Rufus sleeping with his pal Samir who made friends with him in short order. They are best buddies.
July 2011
Pumpkin was found abandoned at 2 weeks old in the aisle way of a barn where he could have been trampled by the horses. Uncertain he would even make it, and if he did, I thought he'd be completely blind. nevertheless, I treated the eye infection aggressively 2X a day...and got him on canned food which he ravenously devoured. As small as he was, he was fearless of the much bigger cats...who actually adored him.
Pumpkin all grown up. You can see his one eye cleared up nicely and he has limited vision in the other. He surprised everyone and has grown into quite a handsome boy with THE biggest personality. And you can't find a bigger love bug .
September 2010
After being left in a house where his humans left him to die of starvation when they moved away...it was by the Powers that be I found him. He is resting from an ordeal of having no food or water for days. Poor Samir ate for 10 minutes straight after I rescued him and brought him home. Then he drank and drank water. He is sleeping and I hope his dreams are sweet of his new home where he will be loved and cherished always.
Samir....once an abandoned kitty....now has a forever home and has made himself quite comfortable as you can see. It's like he's always been here. :) Here he is perched high up on top of a cupboard...one of his favorite vantage points to survey everything!