Help is Needed - Dire Circumstances for Ferals in Grand Rapids

Dear Feral Friends

Gina Marvin of Focus on Ferals (focusonferals.org) is desperate need for a place to relocate a colony of ferals. Typically we do TNR (R standing for RETURN). It is always best to return cats to the location where they came from. But right this moment, there is dire need for TNR (R standing for RELOCATE).

Gina and Erica trapped last night near the Mel Trotter Mission in Downtown Grand Rapids. To their horror, they learned that someone from a nearby apartment building has called in a pest control company to "rid" them of their cat problem. Irresponsible pet owners...once again...make situations that end up in the needless killing of cats. Too many cats. No call in for help in time to fix the situation and so they in the killers. The area residents are in great distress over this because they love these cats. They have been told NOT to feed the cats. It's an awful situation to say the least!

Eight very lucky cats wandered into Gina and Erica's traps last night. This morning they will be fixed by Dr. Langlois in Lowell. But they can't be RETURNED. If they are, they will be rounded up by Animal Control, taken to the shelter and killed.

Gina needs your help. If you know ANYONE who has a farm or a piece of land that might welcome these cats, please contact Gina Marvin immediately. Her email is: crazyforferals@yahoo.com and her number is: 616 826-0927.

Please help her HELP these cats who will surely be killed otherwise.

Thank you-
Carol

So Busy - Can't Keep Blog Updated

Hello Feral Friends

Please forgive me for being so lax in updating the blog. There is so much to tell you about. Soon, read about the kittens who were stranded above a porch on Fuller Street, that are now safe in the care of Ranger Brenda.

I'm heading into festival, so I'll be busy with skewering and selling souvlaki all week. If you are in Grand Rapids, head down to festival this weekend and look for the girl who is pulling her hair out!

Thank you for all of your support and good thoughts as we do our very best to help the cats of Grand Rapids and surrounding areas!

: ) Carol

Sponsor A Hell House Cat Program

Hello Feral Friends-

As you well know, most of the "Hell House" cats were returned to me. While The Cat Fanciers Association was kind enough to pay for the spay/neuters and initial vet care of the cats that went to Clinton Township last month, they were only able to keep 4 pure breed persians and very thankfully the two mothers and 7 kittens (who were not even persian). So this left us with 14 cats. Bless Randy and Roxanne Ketchapaw who are fostering and trying to socialize these "indoor ferals".

While they have had some initial vet care, further care has been necessary already for some of these cats and vet bills, food and kitty litter costs will continue for them for the time they are with us. I hope to one day see them social enough to be adopted into loving homes, but until then, they are my financial responsibility.

This is where you CAN come in if you like. I'm looking for sponsors for the 14 Hell House Cats. I'm not currently a non-profit so I can't offer any sort of tax deduction for your donation. But you can know in your heart that you are helping out some very special kitties.

Please click on the link to the right that reads: Sponsor A Hell House Cat Program. From there you can meet the 14 cats that can use a little long distance love in the form of a monetary donation.

If you would like to sponsor a Hell House Cat, please email me at dollmouse@aol.com. Include the name or number of the cat you would like to sponsor. A donation of $25 (or more if you are feeling very generous) will make you "feral godmother" (or godfather) to one of these cats who up until I came upon them have never had any sort of love or caring from a human being. If the cat doesn't already have a name, you can feel free to pick one for it. We will update the blog with your information and you can keep tabs of your very own Hell House Cat. And if you want...once it is socialized, you can have first dibbs on adoption!!!

Thank you for your consideration-
Carol

Rummage Sale to Benefit Feral Cats

Hello Feral Friends

There is going to be a HUGE Rummage Sale to benefit Focus on Ferals. Gina Marvin is my hero. In the last year, she has fixed nearly 100 cats and found homes for nearly that many kittens who would have been loose on the streets (and breeding) had she not intervened.
To help her continue to do her awesome work, I'm lending a hand....and a little advertising.

HUGE Indoor Rummage Sale
Friday and Saturday - May 19th & 20th
9am - 3pm
Paragon Bowling Center
2425 S. Division
Clothing, Housewares and More!
Something for Everyone!

We welcome you to bring your unwanted goods of value (even if only a little value) to us on Monday and Tuesday - May 15th & 16th between 6pm - 8pm. Bring them directly to Paragon.

All proceeds will further Gina's wonderful work with ferals!

A great story - Get your pet microchipped!

From the Fox News Website:

Better Late Than Never

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sneakers the cat is being reunited with his owner, hundreds of miles away from where he disappeared in 1996.

The long-haired black cat was given to Sacramento's Animal Care Services last week, where an employee scanned him for a microchip, a routine procedure.

The number on the chip was used to track down Allison MacEwan of Seattle, who said she placed newspaper ads and went door-to-door with fliers in a futile search for her lost cat a decade ago.

"It was very surreal," said MacEwan about first hearing the news. "I was completely surprised. I mean, completely."

Officials said they aren't sure how the cat wound up in Sacramento.

MacEwan's daughter was four years old when her cat disappeared, and officials said she is now looking forward to being reunited with her childhood pet.

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Everyone, regardless of whether or not your pets go outside, should have their animals microchipped! Here is where you can have it done easily and inexpensively!

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!

Spread the word!

Mango Needs a Foster or Forever Home!

This is Mango! Mango came to me via Amy Pietras. Amy was working on the day that the Animal Sanctuary in Fenton, MI brought her to Grand Rapids. Mango is a Katrina kitty that came into their program in January.

After assessing some behavior it was thought that she was feral and Best Friends Animal Socitey refered the rescue to Amy. It was agreed that she would be aclimated and released in an area where she would have a feral caregiver to feed and watch over her...as best as one can watch over a feral.

But upon closer inspection, I'm sure that she is actually not a candidate for a feral lifestyle at all. At the sanctuary in Fenton, she liked to be petted while she was in her cage, but getting her out was a battle. I think she must have been intimidated by the other animals because she is fine and dandy about being let out of her cage at my house. She loves to roam and explore the garage. Getting her back into ther cage is the real trick. I have just discovered that tuna helps!

She is around 6 years old, negative for felv/fiv and has all shots. She is super fun and vocal and if I could, I'd keep her myself, but that is impossible with my Trixie who is now diabetic (again) and needs to be as stress free as possible.

You will love Mango if you meet her. I need a foster home where she can have a room without other animals to herself. For adoption I think she might be best suited for a cat free house. Time will tell on that one.

Please contact me if you can offer her a temporary or FOREVER home!
616 560-0555

Thanks-
Carol

Hell House Cats Update

Hello Feral Friends

I know many of you have been tracking the Hell House Cats. Here is the latest update. The Persian Rescue was nothing short of amazing to allow me to bring 16 cats and 7 kittens to Parkway Small Animal Clinic in Clinton Township, MI last week. They fixed and vetted all cats at no cost to me. But because they are a pure breed rescue, they were unable to keep the non-pures so I picked them up on Friday. I actually brought Puff, the last Persian hold out to them and picked up 8 and left two for my dear friend Karen (also my Detroit dental assistant) to take into her loving home.

So 8 cats came back west and landed at Roxanne and Randy's cat pad in Wayland. R & R are the wonderful couple that took in Amy's Katrina Cats. Now besides taking on the Hell House Cats, they are going to allow the FIV positive Katrina ferals to live on their land behind their house. They have no other outside cats and FIV doesn't pose as great a risk in neutered cats because fighting is kept at a minimum (and FIV is spread by sex and deep bites mostly). This is the best outcome for these cats being that they would not have anywhere else to go. Thank you R & R for taking in these cats, socializing the ones you did and allowing these to stay where you will care for them as outdoor cats for the rest of their natural lives. ***by the way....two of the Katrina cats that they socialized have already been adopted through Crash's Landing! A happy ending for Carlyle and Barnaby!

After only 24 hours of being at R & R's place, 4-5 of the 8 Hell House cats were allowing petting. And Stumpy Joe was enjoying being held by their niece.

I have 4 more that have been rescued from outide of the Hell House that are awaiting or in various degrees of recovering from spay/netuer surgery. After they recuperate at Barb's, they will join the other 8 at R & R's.

I have been told by the upstairs Hell House neighbors that there is at least one more big gray cat outside. So far he has not gotten into a trap, but hopefully soon I will get him and Project Hell House will be finished.

Here are pix of the 8 at Roxanne and Randy's. They are all fixed and vetted and in clean comfortable surroundings now. ****note: after only 30 minutes of setting up their crates, they were all in different positions around the room. One carrier ended up with three cats in it! No doubt after spending a week in separate cages at the vet's office, they are happy to be together again!

I have given two of the cats names, the others are just numbers
till they show thier personalities to Roxanne and Randy.

#9 - Male

#12 Male

#10 - Female

Stumpy Joe - #8 - Male
Stumpy Joe got his name after his tail amputation
performed by Dr. Langlois in Lowell.
When found at Hell House he had a tail that was stripped of skin and hair.
Now he is comfortable and I hear allows himself to be held.

#6 - Male

#4 - Female

#3 - Female
Not sure how this one found herself in the bunch.
If I weren't assured by Erin that she was trapped inside Hell House and not outside,
I would swear that I got a neighbor's cat by mistake.

Houdini - #1 - Male
I call this one Houdini because he escaped during transfer from trap to cage. He kept us with a closed garage for three days. Finally Gabby trapped him and transfered him back to a cage. A day later he had to be recaptured within the cage to take to Parkway. Gabby instituted a plan and was successful. Transport was made and Houdini escaped the vets at the clinic and was on the loose yet again. Big Trouble Maker this one!!



***Special Thanks to Linda Mercer of purebredcatbreedrescue.org who organized these cats being taken into her wonderful program and who arranged for
The Cat Fanciers Association to pay for all of their spay/neuters and vet care.

And to Dr. Thomas Banksthal of Parkway Small Animal & Exotic Hospital in Clinton Twp, MI
for his kindness and caring of these "kids" as he calls them.

Annie, Angel's Kitten...now with the angels in heaven.

Hello Friends-

When I began posting, I decided that I need to keep the blog honest. If there is sad news, you all need to know about it. Can't sugar coat things in the rescue world. So it is with heavy heart that I inform you that Annie, one of Angel's three kittens passed away this week. Jeanine Buckner of Reubens Room Cat Rescue took Angel and her three Kittens, Annie, Alex and Spooky in two days after Angel gave birth in my garage. Jeanine is an angel herself for all that she did to keep this kitten alive. Annie came down with pneumonia which was a result of mom's sever Upper Resperatory Infection. Jeanine bottle fed the kitten when Mom couldn't or wouldn't and even began to tube feed her by inserting a tube into her stomach through her open mouth. Kittens that have severe URIs or pneumonia can't breathe through their noses, so they breathe through their mouths. If they nurse, thier lungs will fill with milk and they will die. So tube feeding every two hours was made necessary and lovingly carried out by my dear Jeanine. During the day, Annie spent time in an incubator at Schmitt's Vet Clinic under the watchful eyes of the vets there. But like many "uphill" battles, this one was lost and Annie succumbed to her pneumonia on Tuesday. Jeanine is understandably devastated.

Spooky and Alex were not as sick as little Annie but they still are not out of the woods. And while Mom Angel is better, she is not 100% yet either. These three can still use your prayers.

There is no magic fix to the feelings of loss that have been experienced during this past week.
But I am of a mind that after death there is amazing peace...so regardless of the circumstances surrounding death, there is beauty after life.

Luckily little Annie had love and compassion around her before she crossed over. Had my new dear friends Sharon and Sandy in Cedar Springs not handed Angel to me, and I not handed her and her kittens over to Jeanine's loving care, I'm sure that she would have had a way worse end to her short little life.

Jeanine, you are amazing and you did everything humanly possible for this little girl. Now there is yet another kitten angel looking down on you as you continue to do your amazing work for cats in need. God Bless You!

Carol

Annie at 10 days.

Losses in the Rescue World

Hello Friends

It's been a rough week. On Wednesday, we lost Precious' kitten Spot. Pat called me and gave me the sad news. Spot is respectuflly buried in a flower bed and will be remembered for the fighter that he was. I will remember him as the first kitten that I ever nursed. Precious still is producing milk, so if you know of an orphan kitten, call me immediately at 616 560-0555 and we will hook it up with Precious.

***UPDATE....Jen Petrovich found a kitten in need and Precious was taken to Crash's Landing to foster it. I'll keep you posted as to how things go!!



On another sad note, Omar the Fel-leuk positive cat that I took out of Cedar Springs way back on that night that I went in search of Angus, was euthanized today. He had cutaneous lymphoma (cancer like leprosy). It came on quick and was ravaging his poor body. My angel Jen Petrovich took mercy on him and crossed him over. It was a lucky day when that boy walked into my mackeral baited trap. Can you imagine how wonderful his life has been these past two months! Can you imagine how tragic his end would have been had he been allowed to die in that Cedar Springs Hell Hole? Omar was lucky. He found Jen.



God bless you Jen for all you do for the animals. I know your job is heartwrenching a lot of the time. But darlin, you earn jewels in your crown in heaven for all that you do for God's little creatures. Bless you!!

Carol

TNR and RESCUE Updates

Hello Feral Feline Friends-

Boy, it sure has been a busy couple of weeks. I am just breathing for the first time in what seems like an eternity! Here are some updates for those of you who have been wondering.

Hell House Cats:
Today Puff, the last Hell House hold out was fixed, got all shots and was shaved down to practically nothing to remove her mats. I am very happy to report that she is negative for FELV and FIV. Her friend Smoke, a very tiny gray American or British Short Haired mix is going to have the works done tomorrow.

Because most of the cats are not pure breds, I will have to take them back from the Vet on the East Side of the state. I plan to pick them up on Friday. Roxanne and Randy (who have fostered 13 of the Katrina cats) have agreed to take on The Hell House Kitties! What saints they are! They are also going to allow the FIV positive Katrina cats that have been deemed as feral to live on their property outside with all the love and protection that you can lavish on cats that want absolutely nothing to do with you! They will be aclimated to their outdoor surroundings for a week or two, then released with shelter and food provided for the rest of their natural lives.

Precious and Spot:
Kitten was showing signs of an Upper Resperatory Infection so her Foster Mama, Pat took kit to see Dr. Langlois (The God of Spay/Neuter and all things Rescued) and gave it necessary meds to bring it around. So far Spot is showing signs of improvement. Both Mom and Kitten are allowed out of crate to free roam thier bedroom and Spot may have adoptive parents when he is old enough to leave mama. Precious will still be up for adoption, so if you are interested, please let me know! She is a super sweet girl and obviously an awesome mother. Any mother who lets her baby nurse right on her spay incision, is all aces in my book!




Angel and Kittens:
Angel and Kittens, Annie, Alex and Spooky are in the best hands possible. They are in under the loving care of Jeanine at Reuben's Room Cat Rescue. One kitten has been really touch and go for the last few days with pneumonia. We need prayers for the kitten and Jeanine who has been hand feeding her for days. Angel and other kits are doing well.

Ruth, The Plaster Creek Kitten:
Remember the gray little ball of fluff that Erica and I found abandoned in some brush down at the creek while trapping a few weeks ago? Well sweet little Ruthie didn't make it. I think she must have been away from her mother for too long before we found her. It's sad to think of kittens dying...but I am happy we found her and that she was warm and received love before she crossed over the rainbow bridge.

Cedar Springs:
I have only been able to go into Cedar Springs under cover of night to do rescue when Crash's Landing has an opening. I am not welcome there because the management has a problem with cat rescue but not with people being horrible irresponsible rule breaking pet owners. So I have only gotten two more cats out of there since taking the big group last month. These two precious girls are Melissa and Graham and you can see them by viewing the link that reads "Rescued cats at Crash's Landing and Reuben's Room".

Operation Sandy Pines:
Amy Pietras continues to trap like a mad bandit at Sandy Pines Resort. I am not even sure of how many she has trapped currently, but it's nearly 30. Last week alone she TNR'd 7 females and 5 males. If you consider that for every cat you fix you are stopping the unwanted births of 11,000 cats over 9 years, she has made a HUGE difference! Thank you Amy for giving up your sleep and sanity to make these TNRs happen.

Burger King:
After 5 nights of no catch, I put trapping at BK aside to do other missions. Laura is still taking care of the colony until she moves across town. In an effort to find another feral caregiver, I put my number on the feeding station and got a call from a cat lover named Mike. He had been feeding the BK ferals for 6 months last year till he found that others were doing the same and stepped back. But this amazing guy actually went to the feeding area every day for so long that the cats began to trust him. He would scoop the trusting cat up into his arms, put it in a carrier, get it fixed and find it a home. This man is unbelievable. We have spoke on the phone only, but I look forward to meeting with him soon. He is going to help with socializing the cats of Hell House once they get to Roxanne and Randy's cat haven! He will also be taking over the care of the BK ferals. Thank you Feral Mike!

Thank you to all of you who have helped me these past weeks. There are many hands besides mine involved in this rescue TNR business. A special thank you to my Gabby who got all the Hell House cats out of big cages and into carriers for transport to Clinton Twp. Bless you all!