Microchipping May 13th - Spread the Word

Spread the word!

Microchipping at Mel's Feed Store in Byron Center, Saturday, May 13, 11-1pm. Cost is $25 per cat/dog and includes lifetime registration in a national database.

Mel's Feed Store is located at: 7720 Clyde Park Ave. SW Byron Center, MI 49315.

This microchipping clinic will run by Amy Pietras of Jandy's Home. Please tell everyone you know Bring your pets! It's a great deal!

Hell House Cats - FOSTERS NEEDED!

Hello Feral Friends

Rescued two more! I think we got the last inside hold out thanks to Erin who coaxed it down from the rafters thursday night. When Amy and I picked up the cat, we saw a little gray one outside of the house. It was obviously one of the brood. Set a trap and by morning, it was inside. Now I have just two here with me. They are sharing a cage and pretty timid but happy to be together no doubt!!

It has been determined that only a handfull of the 16 cats and 7 kittens taken to Clinton Twp. are purebred persian, so that means that the non-pures have to come back to Grand Rapids.

They will be fixed, tested for felv/fiv, given vaccines and complete vet work.

I need foster homes for these cats. People who are willing to devote a room to these cats where they can be socialized. They will require work however. These cats are semi-feral and are not going to come right up to you. They will be scared and not want anything to do with you. It will take patience and likely a couple of months at the very minimum. If you would consider fostering at least two cats, please contact me ASAP at 616 560-0555.

Thank you-
Carol

PS It would be best if the room was empty of furniture and we could just put an open cage and some carriers inside so we can see where the cats are. If there is a lot of furniture and places to completely hide, we might never see them again. Also, please note, all cats....even the one crazy cat who was loose in my garage used the litter box that I provided for him.

Hell House Cats - All safe in vet's care!!!

Hello Friends-

Yesterday I was finally able to take a breath and get online and try to locate a persian rescue to take some of these cats off my hands. This excellent suggestion came from Jeanine at Reuben's Room Cat Rescue. Thank you Jeanine!

I emailed several rescues in other states (as there is no persian rescue in Michigan) and within minutes had an email from the New York rescue saying that they would take a few and another would take the kittens if I could get them to NY. I was like...."hell yes, I can get them anywhere they need to go!".

But about an hour later, I received a call from Dr. Linda Mercer of the Cat Fanciers Association who had been forwarded my emails from several of the rescues to whom I had sent my request for help.

She told me to take the cats to Parkway Animal Hospital in Clinton Township, MI. I gasped! She asked if it was too far to drive. And I replied "No, it's only 2.5 hours away and I know the area well...I'll have them there tonight". Whew...that beats the heck out of a trip to NY!

So Gabby got all the cats into carriers (which wasn't as easy as it is with the other ferals cuz these cats were strangely scared and most were hiding behind the carriers, not sitting inside of them). So he used every trick in the book to get them into carriers and loaded them all into my "feral chariot".

Erica (who you know from previous posts and found mom cat giving birth in dresser) and Erin (the amazing gal who found the first kitten and was nursing it when I arrived on the scene at Hell House on Sunday) came along to help with transport.

We dropped the cats safely to this massive veterinary establishment and headed back to GR. We made it home by midnight! Sorry you girls had to work in the morning...but if it's any consulation...I was up at 6am too!

I am still amazed that within 12 hours of sending an email, we had all 16 cats and 7 kittens safely in a vets care. All cats will be fixed and tested for FELV/FIV. Then they will be worked with to socialize them and ready them for adoption.

Erin checked Hell House last night and today and there was nobody in the traps. Today I will go there and pick up traps and test to make sure there is nobody else left by leaving a plate of tuna on the floor. If nobody eats it, that will mean that there aren't any trap-wise hold outs left.

If anyone has any wear-with-all to look into what can be done to the guy who did this to these cats, and is interested in taking on such a project, I have his brother's number and the cooperation of the landlord. So if anyone wants to help nail this guy...let me know!!

Thanks for all of your support through these past 5 really harrowing days!
Carol

Cats From Hell House

Hello Feral Friends-

Here are pix of some of the cats from Hell House. Jen suggested that I double them up in cages. This is actually a necessity for 12 cats! They seem happier that way and some are actually coming out of their shell a bit. I hope to get a couple more out of Hell House tomorrow. Hopefully it will be the end of the project! We can hope.

I am looking for foster homes to help socialize these cats. They will need a room all to themselves away from other family pets.

I am having them all fixed and tested for felv/fiv on Thursday. Then they will be ready for fostering. If you can help take one or two....or all 15 (ha), please get in touch with me PRONTO!

Thanks much-
Carol

PS This blog is also available by going to www.carolsferals.blogspot.com
A little easier to remember than ffff!

Sure it's a cage, but it's a lot better than Hell House!

Soft food, fresh water, a nice clean litter box and a roommate

that doesn't come out from behind the carriers...
what more can a guy ask for?

Meow! Ok....I'm nearly feral so I don't meow.
In fact I am totally silent.
I even hiss silently!
***It's true, the one hisser in the bunch hissed silently...
but now is better adjusted and doesn't hiss at all!

Hell....it's not just Cedar Springs anymore!!!

Hello Friends-

Saturday afternoon (April 22^nd) I received a call from Bob, a gentleman who knows I'm a cat person and into TNR. Seems the man who lived in one of the apartments in the house next door to him was a “hoarder” and left a slew of his cats both inside and outside when he moved out. One cat dropped a kitten right after giving birth when she was retreating under the porch. Others were skulking around the house absolutely terrified. Others were locked helplessly inside.

I arrived on the scene with Amy from Jandy's Home. After assessing the situation we set traps near the outside cats and called Animal Control. All that got us was a notice put up on the door. Pretty much useless. We wanted to get into the apartment. After talking to other residents of the apartment house we found the landlord's legal guardian as aged landlord is in a nursing home. She gave us OK to do whatever it took to get into house.

Bob's son in law used a shovel to push in a board that was keeping anyone from viewing the horror inside. He crawled into the house and unlocked the back door for us. God bless him!

Hell is a nicer place than this! I have smelled plenty of concentrated cat pee in my day, but this was overwhelming. The neighbors have been complaining for years and nothing has been done to this guy. Had it, perhaps we wouldn't have found what we did. Inside hiding in the rafters of the roof of the bathroom were a bunch of cats. All cats are Persians with either long or short hair. All are gray or orange, except we have one callico who turned up in a trap later who looks like she is from that old Seseme Street bit....”One of these things is not like the others, One of these things...doesn't belong, Can you tell which thing is not like the others by the time I finish this song”.

Good grief, I HAVE lost my mind.

With the help of Erin (Bob's son's wonderful girlfriend) who immediately went out to get kitten milk replacement and began feeding the kitten, and Bob's other kids, Amy and I took a few of the cats out.

Day two: Sunday – April 23^rd

I can't actually remember much about Sunday really except that I did go and get a bunch more traps from Gina Marvin of “Focus on Ferals” and set them in the house. I had my beau change the locks incase the man came back to the apartment and made off with trapped cats in our traps! I'm sure he was surprised to find this, but you can imagine how bad I feel for HIM!

In any case, we got more cats out. I think the count was 8 at this point with a Mama cat and a kitten. Gina took the Mama cat in and since that point Mama has had another and also is fostering yet another one day old kitten that was found abandoned that same day by Erica Carranco. For such a stressed out Mama, she is doing a fine job taking care of her two and the foster kitten! Bless her little heart!

Another cat was rescued with a tail that I originally thought just was lacerated. Come to find out, it wasn't a tail laceration, it was a tail that had been caught somehow leaving nothing more than a bloody piece of whatever tails are made of. It looked like a bloody stick. Dr. Bruce Langlois (my hero) allowed me to bring cat to his clinic in Lowell later that evening where he administered anti-biotics and scheduled amputation surgery for Tuesday. We will be lovingly referring to this cat “Stumpy Joe” after a character in “This is Spinal Tap”, one of our favorite movies!

Day three: Monday – April 24th

Erica and I went out on a completely unrelated mission to trap a mom cat and her 6 kittens in Cascade. Once we took care of that, we went to the Hell House to pick up anyone who was trapped overnight. As we carried full traps into my car, Erica with her “special kitten hearing” heard kittens crying in a dresser that the “hoarder” left sitting out back of the building.

Erica opened the drawers and we found one terrified mother in labor, and two kittens, one with the placenta still attached. When we grabbed for kittens, Mom ran out and was slunk down beside the house. Erica in all her “kitten wisdom” put babies into a carrier and Mom walked in after them. Then she took Mom and Kits to Gina's house where they will stay till we can figure out something else to do with them. I think this guy was tossing out the pregnant cats. I have heard rumors of his very cruel methods of keeping his population down so I think he was intending to come back for the cats one by one but didn't want to deal with the mothers, so he tossed them outside. Nice guy!

After Angel and her three kittens, Precious and Spot and little Ruth, I have had my fill of kittens. Nothing stresses me more. I will forever be indebted to Gina for taking these mom's and kits so I can concentrate on the rest of the rescue. Thank you Gina!

We ended up getting even more cats out bringing the count to like 13. The mom that had kittens in dresser had two more one of which was a still born. Gabby (my beau) and I had a little ceremony for him and laid him to rest.

Day 4: Tuesday – April 25^th

This morning after Amy and I dropped 8 unrelated ferals off to Dr. Langlois for spay/neuter, I returned to Hell House to find two more cats trapped inside. Erin is checking traps several times a day and when she finds a trapped cat, she covers it and puts it in a safe place inside. This brings the count to 15 cats and 5 kittens. There is still one more that I can see in the rafters. I am praying that this is the last one. I do think there might be one or two still wandering the neighborhood as well.

What is disturbing is that none of these cats had ever been outside. Well, that in itself is good, not disturbing...but what bothers me and haunts me is that these indoor ferals have never been outdoors and have no idea how to cope. They are just terrified and it breaks my heart thinking that there are still others out there.

Where do we go from here?

These are not currently adoptable cats. They will need some work to bring them around to where they are able to be handled. They are basically indoor ferals (some might call them semi-feral). I am not able to keep them so I have to locate a rescue that will take them. I'm praying that today there will be a persian rescue that will step up and help me. I don't want to take these cats to be euthanzied. I know that is what happens to most cats belonging to hoarders and I just don't want to be involved in a death march.

I can use any help or suggestions you may have. Please email me at dollmouse@aol.com with any help you can offer. If you are interested in donating funds to help pay for the amputation surgery and medical bills that they will likely be racking up it would be greatly appreciated.

As you all know, TNR was my game, how it morphed into rescue is beyond me. But I am thankful that I was called and I will do all I can to help these poor cats.

Thank you all for being patient with me while I have neglected returning you calls or emails. I've been absolutely railed. One good by product is that I'm losing weight, so it's not all bad!

Thanks for reading...disturbing pictures follow!

Carol

Bathroom Ceiling - where the cats hang out.

Nice place huh?

Cats jump from floor, to sink, to top of shower, to ceiling rafters!

Hell Sweet Hell!

Ok, I will never complain about my house being dirty again!

Entry Way!

Welcome to Hell - Check your nostrils at the door!
PS I will take credit for tuna cans on the floor!

Ruth / Rutherford - The Plaster Creek Kitten

Hello Feral Friends-

Last night I went trapping with Erica Carranco, my new trapping buddy! We were staking out a stretch of Plaster Creek about a block from her home. We set several traps with the second most disgusting fish to mackeral....sardines. Thankfully Erica isn't as squeemish about them as I am so she dished them out!

We managed to trap one cat, but upon inspection found it to be a nursing mother. Not wanting to leave behind a litter of helpless kittens, we let her go. Later we discovered a small cry coming from a pile of brush and debris. Erica crawled in and found this cute little furball that she has named Ruth. We are unsure of the sex at this point, so it's Ruth for now and will be Rutherford if we find it to be a boy! We didn't get any indication that this kitten belonged to the nursing mother that we set free. This little one was young enough that we could tame it and find it a nice home, so she came with us!

Currently Ruth is hanging out with Our Kitten Caregiver - Amy Townsend. See photo below of Amy with Ruth.

If you are interested in adopting little Ruth, please contact me at dollmouse@aol.com. This kitty is currently about 3 weeks old and will be ready for adoption in about 5 weeks!

Crash's Visit / New Vet / Funding / New Trapping Location

Hello Feral Friends-

What a great afternoon. I went to visit the former Cedar Springs kitties at Crash's Landing. Wow, they are all doing awesome! It's amazing what some love, medical attention and decent food will do for a cat! Actually what they are getting is a great deal of LOVE, much needed and excellent medical attention (from Jen Petrovich....NOW my own personal vet too) and delicious food served up in bowls (not scraps from garbage dumpsters).

What a transformation for them! They are all so thankful. They are all so content. It does my heart good.

I will have to get pictures next time I go. This time was just for LOVING! I gave attention to everyone that Amy Pietras and I have brought there, with exception of Gregory who I think may be at Jen's clinic. Lots of petting, purring and fawning! When I found my beloved Angus, I took him to the big comfy leather couch and laid down with him on my chest. He head butted me over and over. He will still nip when you pet him the wrong way or stop when he wants more (still unable to distinguish one from the other) but his bite is a lot less harsh than it was when I first visited him a few weeks back. He is such a great cat. So battle scarred that he is hardly cuddly looking, but in reality he just loves to be loved!

Other good news: Vicki's Pet Connection hooked us up with Dr. Bruce Langlois in Lowell for Spays and Neuters so we have another place to bring our cats when C-SNIP is full. He is a very nice man and very patient with me. He has dubbed me "The Crazy Cat Lady" because I'm so picky about how the cats are handled, recuperated and such. I'm such a control freak! But thankfully for me, he is very good natured!

Vicki and Nancy have stepped in to pay for spays and neuters of the ferals. It's a great relief to me. I was worried what would happen once the "Feral Fund" at C-SNIP ran dry. They have also said that they would replenish the fund when that happens. Still donations should be made to C-SNIP as a whole. Private donations keep them going. They only charge a fraction of the actual cost of a spay/neuter. Without funding, they will not be able to give this community the great service they do. Visit www.csnip.org for more information. And I will still ask that if you have extra funds or supplies to put towards this effort, please check out the link "howyou can help with this project". There you will find the needs we have for specific items and financial donations to purchase FELV/FIV tests, vaccines, food, litter, etc.

Tonight I am trapping in a new location with Erica Carranco. She has a place all mapped out with a seemingly endless supply of feral cats. I spent my last night (for a while) at Burger King. Last night was the 5th night that I set traps and got nothing. 8 traps, three hours, and I only saw two cats...neither of which would walk into my tuna baited traps. We are in the thick of full blown kitten season. Any cat spayed will make a difference. For now, I will put efforts toward getting the most bang for my buck...sorta speak!

Thanks for reading!
Wish us luck tonight!
Carol

Angel and Kits Update

Hello All You Angel Lovers Out There!

Today my neighbor Jonelle and I went to visit Angel in her new digs at Reubens Room Cat Rescue. She and her kittens are doing great. It's amazing how big her kits are compared to Precious' baby. These were born just one day prior to Spot. I think Precious having that still born inside her made her feel pretty crappy for a few days so it wasn't until she was spayed on Monday that she started coming around and playing "good mama". Despite Angel's really bad eye issues, I think she was just so happy to be inside to birth her little ones, it brought out the best in her making her "super mom extrordinare" from the get-go!

Here are pix! Enjoy! Happy Easter!
Carol

Angel and kittens in their new home in the

breezeway of Reuben's Room.
Notice how Mom even while washing her face,
keeps a paw over Annie.
Now that's what I call multi tasking!

Alex at 10 days!

Anastasia (Annie for short) at 10 days!

Jonelle and Spooky!

Precious and Kitten Update

Hello Feral Friends-


Precious was spayed on Monday at C-SNIP. Dr. Karen palpated her and thought it would be best to fix her immediately just incase there was another kitten left inside. When spaying a lactating mother, there is risk of her not being able to produce milk, so it wasn't the easiest decision to make. But considering that mom's health was at risk otherwise, we opted for surgery. My neighbor Jonelle hand fed the baby every two hours while mom was away.
When she arrived back at 5pm, baby latched right onto to at nipple and went to town. It was apparent that the kit was getting some milk so we were relieved that he/she would not have to rely on bottle feeding only. We are however supplementing the kitten with KMR (kitten milk replacement).

Yesterday I took Precious and kit to their new foster home. Pat Baxter (Garage Sale Goddess) and her daughters took in this sweet mama. Thank you Pat and girls! Pat's husband doesn't know there are two more cats in the house, so don't hand him a congratulatory cigar if you see him out on the street! He is a peach, he will be fine with the temporary guests.

Kitten is putting on weight and Melissa (Pat's daughter) reported today that she thinks the kitten may actually be a boy! She must have good trained eyes, cuz I sure couldn't tell for sure. Maybe it's just experience. I swear, nothing has stressed me out as much as having kittens in my midst. Like human babies and children...they make me nervous.

Mama had a green tattoo put on her incision to show that she was spayed. C-SNIP does this with all spays to help make it very apparent should the cat be taken to a vet for a spay that was already preformed. Brilliant idea! But this little baby kitten didn't notice the green Frankenbelly of it's mama nad went right to nursing from the nearby nipple. Now it has a little green on it's nose. Will be interesting to see if it comes off or if it will stay on forever. He will definately be identifiable that way!

Both Precious and Kitten will be ready for adoption in two months when kitten can be fixed. If you are interested in adopting them, please contact me at dollmouse@aol.com.

Thanks for hanging in with me!
Carol

PS Thank you to all who offered to foster Precious and her baby. I now have another foster available and one more who can do feral kitten rehab. But I will still have need for more of you waiting in the wings, so please let me know if you can foster cats or kittens!!! Thanks so much!

MAMA & KITTEN FOSTER HOME NEEDED

If anyone can foster Mama cats and kittens, I can really use your help! I have a mama that has just been through the ringer.

Precious was given to me on Thursday when I stopped by the Cedar Springs Trailer Park to visit Sharon and Sandy. A young man brought her to me along with her one day old kitten. His girlfriend is pregnant and she is afraid of the litter box (or some such thing...whatever).

So I brought Precious and baby back to Grand Rapids. Upon returning home, I found a message saying that it was discovered that the guy wasn't up front with the cat's situation. Turns out that the day prior, Precious tried to deliver another kitten but it didn't come out. This would have been nice to know at the time of picking her up. But not unlike most things at the park, this too was a mess.

Too late to get her to a vet that day, I was counciled by Jeanine Buckner to take her to her own vet the following morning to palpate her and see if there was another kitten still inside.

On Saturday morning, I took her to Schmitt's Animal Hospital where they determined that there was a very good chance that she had another kitten inside and that it was likely dead and she needed to be spayed.

The earliest slot for a spay would be Monday. So we had to wait it out. Saturday passed as did a placenta. Then on Sunday I found her still born kitten beside her in her bed. She seems to be feeling better now but I'm still not sure that she is out of the woods.

On Monday I will take her for an X-Ray and see if there are any more kittens inside that can be putting her in grave danger. If so, we will have her spayed immediately. If not, then I will be able to return her to her kitten and life will be swell. EXCEPT....I have to find her a foster home till the kitten is weaned.

Can anyone offer a place for Precious and her Kitten? I have a cage and will supply all food, kitty litter and supplies. All it will take is an extra bedroom with the door closed off to your other pets.

If you can help, please contact me by email at: dollmouse@aol.com

Thanks so much
Carol

Mama Precious and tiny little tiger baby that I call "Spot"
because he/she has a little spot on it's rear left foot!

Check out all the rescued cats!!!

Hello Feral Friends-

I have just added a link to the blog! When you have some time, check out the link that will take you to the listings of cats that have been rescued since I embarked on this little TNR adventure.

While doing RESCUE was not part of my original plan, it has come to be and I'm very happy to report that to date, I have been lucky enough to have Jen from Crash's Landing and Jeanine from Reuben's Room Cat Rescue take 11 cats and 3 kittens into their rescue and placement programs.

Most have come from the Trailer Park in Cedar Springs. No telling where the others will come from. But am eternally thankful to both Jen and Jeanine for their terriffic work in cat rescue. They make it possible for me to help out these poor lost souls.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Angel Update

Hello Feral Friends-

Angel is getting exceptional care with Jeanine and her team of volunteers at Reuben's Room Cat Rescue. To learn more about her special situation, her kittens and how you can help them, please copy and paste this link into your browser. You can make donations to Reuben's Room immediately via paypal.com.

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MI420.html

A special thank you Jeanine for taking Angel and her babies. With her health issues, there is no doubt that she and her babies wouldn't have made it without your intervention.

Also, thank you Jeanine for helping me understand a little more about kittens in general. And for all the supplies you have been donating to our cause! Bless you!

Carol

Angel & Her Kittens

Hello Feral Friends

Last night, April 5th at around 7pm EST, Angel went into labor. She had three beautiful kittens. We named the first one Spooky after my beloved baby who passed in the Spring of 2004. The next one was named Anastasia and the third Angelina. Jury is still out on the exact sex of each, but we'll go with this for now. Thanks Jonelle for coming up with the names for the white kittens and for assisting in the birthing.

This morning Angel ate two whole cans of tuna fish and continued to be the best mom ever! Jeanine Buckner from Reuben's Room Cat Rescue came by today and took Mama and Babies to her vet for physicals. Poor Angel Mama has some serious eye problems including possible herpes which if left unchecked will actually cause blindness. She also has severely ulcerated gums and mouth and several broken teeth. The babies are doing great so far.

While her story has a happy "middle" (the end will come when she is adopted into a home with a loving family), this is the sad truth that cats left unfixed outside face. This sweet kitty was just abandoned when some very careless people moved out of the park. Can you imagine what she must have thought, being left to fend for herself. God smiled on her the day she happened into the yard of Sharon and Sandy who have been feeding her for two years. They found homes for her last litter of two kittens and were responsible for my getting to her just in a nick of time. Had they not grabbed her up and held her for me on Tuesday, she surely would have had her kittens under some abandoned trailer in the park. Perish the thought, though I have no doubt it's happening out there to some other poor cat tonight!

But this is a happy story. With a happy middle thanks to Sharon, Sandy and Jeanine. If you are intersted in adopting Angel or her babies when they are recovered and ready, you can contact Reuben's Room Cat Rescue by calling 616 791-9696.

Check out the photos!!!

To sponsor Angel and her Kittens, follow this link: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MI420.html

Soon Information will be up on the Reuben's Room webpage, making Angel "The Featured Pet"

Thaks for reading!
Carol

Mama Angel and Her Thee Beautiful Babies

Babies!

Spooky

Anastasia

A very contented Mama Angel.
Eyes hurt, bottom hurts, but she is warm and safe and nourished and thankful.
And thankfully, this will be her last litter of kittens!

OH MY GOD! ANGEL IS HAVING HER KITTENS RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE

Hello Feral Friends

My friend came by to help me clean Angel's eyes and noticed something dark near her bottom! It was a KITTEN! I am a grandmom! Kitten number one is black. She just had kitten number two which is white! Stay tuned for details. I will update blog tonight after she is finished!

I have to go and call Sandy and Sharon!!!

Operation Cedar Springs Underway!

Hello Feral Friends-

Operation Cedar Springs officially began on Monday, April 3rd. Sue Carl (C-SNIP's Volunteer Coordinator and I set out to begin the seemingly insurmountable task of rescuing the cats from the park.

At first, it was very slow going and I was having flashbacks to my last 4 nights behind Burger King with no catch! We set 6 traps with the stinkiest of all fish....mackeral, but still nothing! By the way....thanks Sue for dishing it out and keeping me from getting sick to my stomach!

Rather than just sit and watch traps, we decided to go around and put food out under abandoned trailers and by the dumpsters. That was a good thing to do because in our driving around we found a cat! This very hungry and very pregnant kitty walked right up to me and got in the carrier after I put a few pieces of kibble into it. Our first catch of the night, we were on our way.

Then we decided to pick up some of the traps we had set and place them in other areas if we saw a cat or two. Well, when passing one trailer at dusk, we saw two cats playing in the yard. A woman sitting at the window looked at me quizically as I approached her door. I asked her if these were her cats. She said, "No, we just feed them". Sue and I explained what we were doing in the park and she welcomed us and asked us to please take them and find them homes. We set two traps and within 10 minutes, both were filled.

We then went back to our first spot to pick up the other traps believing this trailer to be the best place to trap. Sandy and Sharon have been feeding stray cats of the park for years now. They are two of the most loving animal people I have met in a long time. With limited means, they feed anyone who wants to stop on over. When we arrived at the first trapping location, we found we had gotten another one! Yeah, that made 4. It truly is like "shooting fish in a barrel" out there.

When we returned to Sharon and Sandy's place we put down another two traps. And as we were leaving we got another kitty. This made 5 for the night! NOW, that's what I call a fruitful mission!

As we were leaving Sharon asked if we could take Angel to a shelter as well. I said that I would if they could catch her for me the following day. And they did! Angel hung out in thier car feasting on tuna until I picked her up yesterday afternoon! Angel is a sweet "light point" siamese girl whose last litter of kittens were all found nice homes due to the loving care of Sharon and Sandy. They have a daughter kitty named Little Foot who we will be getting fixed at C-SNIP this month! These gals are just what we needed... allies in the park. They are going to distribute educational maerials to all the residents this weekend. People will know the dangers their cats face outdoors and they will be reminded of the great work done by C-SNIP.

Jen took three boys into Crash's Landing on Tuesday. I just visited them today. They are all fixed, declawed and in a few days will be ready for adoption! And best of all...they all tested negative for FELEUK AND FIV! I will take the three girls to her on Monday.

That same night, Amy was trapping at Sandy Pines. She got two girls. One was named Elizabeth by our wonderful rehab foster care extroidinaire' Barb. Her photo can be viewed on the Operation Sandy Pines Page Link (available on the right side of this blog). You can also see a photo of Patty who walked into one of Amy's traps for a second time. Because it's dark and tabbies look a lot alike, and HS didn't do a very aggressive ear notching, she was brought back for "fixing". But one look at that shaved belly and a closer look at the ear and it was determined that she wouldn't be needing another sugery! So Patty had a nice couple of nights at the Kitty Hilton thanks to Amy. I think she goes into the traps on purpose knowing what's on the other end!

Thanks for hanging in with me through all of my weeks of not catching a darned thing! Seems like the tides are turning!

If anyone is interested in helping with Operation Cedar Springs, please contact me. We need funds for this special project. Checks can be made payable to Crash's Landing. We can also use a donation of smaller cat carriers, not cages, but carriers.

: ) Carol

PS KUDOS to Cynthia and Larry for trapping a neighborhood stray who we named Larry. Larry is a sweet black kitty for whom we are desperate to find a home. If you are intersted in adopting a nice freshly neutered male kitty, please contact me asap at: 616 560-0555.





This is Mimsie. She walked right up to me and got into the carrier when presented with some food. She was very pregnant and starving. When she got to her foster location, she ate nearly two cans of soft food in less than a half an hour. She will be available for adoption at Crash's Landing (although Jen will likely change her name).




This is one of the boys we trapped at Sandy and Sharon's feeding haven! This is the day after his surgeries for neuter and declaw. He has not been named yet, but is up for adoption. Jen doesn't name cats till they present a good name for themselves.




Just like the orange boy above, Pierre is resting comfortably after his surgeries and will be adoptable through Crash's Landing. www.crashslanding.org.






This is Annabelle. She will be going to see Dr. Jen on Monday. Until then, she is very happy to talk to anyone who passes her cage She eats like a little piggy and is sooo sweet. She is just adorable!




Finally, this is Angel. Besides being pregnant, Angel has some eye issues that I will be working on clearing up starting this evening. She is just a love! Thank you Sharon and Sandy for catching her and ending her life of homeless misery.

PS So far all the females (except for Patty of course) have been pregnant. We are heading into full blown kitten season. With time and effort, we can break this cycle. We might not get them all, but we will make a significant difference to all cats by continuing TNR and Rescue work!