They are not relaxing, not yet- but on a positive note, they are eating and moving about the enclosure.

GiGi

Teo

Turns out the woman whose mother-in-law has a chemical dependency issue has two cats not one. Both of them arrived tonight. The two year old gray and white male looks pretty hammered. He’s a tomcat and I am going to get him neutered (any $ help in that department would be welcomed). The female is a mackerel tabby, spayed (thank God) and she is cross-eyed. There is fear that she has been kicked or hit because she was found cowering on top of the refrigerator when Katherine went over tonight to get her. As Katherine lifted her down, Teo peed all over the front of her shirt. 🙁 So now, they are safe with us here and are still in the cat carriers they arrived in. Katherine said her mother in law wouldn’t even let her visit the cats and they were both covered in fleas! Not any more. Katherine’s husband went over tonight with her and distracted his mom while Katherine grabbed her babies.

I will leave them alone for 24 hours then go and check on them. They have everything they need for now- especially peace and quiet. I will put the boy on the neuter schedule next week as this week is already full- the two kittens in the bedroom will go in on the 18th for their neuter- hopefully, I can put him on the same schedule.

Over ten years ago, I met through the internet a gal in Australia who rescued kittens. We hooked up to create an article for a website that is still in existence today for cat lovers. On the strength of that article, it was suggested by the webmaster that we both create a website for people who found themselves with abandoned or sickly orphaned kittens. It took us almost a year to create kitten-rescue and in that time frame, we became really good cyber friends.

We would meet in the wee hours of the morning (for me) because of the time difference between us on Messenger and talk and email back and forth. Tania, eventually shared with me her horror stories of her childhood (she was a survivor of incest) She would tell me that the pain in her today would lead her to cut herself and at times, she would talk of suicide.

I encouraged her, urged her, pleaded with her to find help. She would laugh and tell me; “Cobber, I am beyond help!” Then she would change the subject to include the latest rescued kitten she was working with. She was the best caregiver for those orphans and our website includes all of her tips and expertise she could offer.

She called me one night quite late in 2008. She told me that there had been an incident and she had accidentally hit a policeman with her car! She had been driving recklessly (but she was not drunk or high) apparently, I learned later, she was on a suicide run that night. She said she was going away for a long time and before she went, she wanted to send me something for the cats. She was talking about a lot of money and I told her that she needed to keep it for legal fees or for her future. She said “Cobber, where I am going, I won’t need it.”

That was the last time I heard from her. The monies arrived about two weeks later with a note attached from Tania. I had no idea what happened to her and tried to trace her but came up empty. The letters I sent her came back undeliverable, her phone disconnected. The silence between us was so unnatural. We used to communicate every night and I missed her a lot.

About four days ago there was an email in my in-bin sent to me by a former friend of hers. Maddie sent me this link, She found me while looking for Tania online. She also sent me this link Jail time

Maddie hadn’t heard from Tania for five years. Like me, she felt this was unnatural and her head was saying like mine was that Tania had finally achieved her goal and taken her life. But, like me, her heart refused to believe it. Then in the coming days, Maddie started doing some investigating and sadly, she found this: RIP

Our heads were right, Tania was gone and no longer in pain. How sad, that she could rescue all those orphaned cats and kittens that crossed her path, but she was unable to reclaim her life, rise above the abuse she suffered and find her own way to happiness.

Tania I hope you finally found your peace:

This is Gypsy and she was cast aside by her family and brought here. I see changes in her daily and she is so confused as to what happened to her people (they got a Cornish Rex) and she was forgotten after that. She is quite vocal but the minute you put your hands on her, she headbumps you and quiets. She just wants someone to love her and I hope to find her that special person this weekend. She has some shades of calico in her lovely pattern but I guess you would call her a tricolor kitty- It is clear to me that being here isn’t her cup of tea at all.

Bi-mart is having a great sale on kitty krack (fancy feast) so I ran over to get 20 cans. The checker saw my CATS inc check and almost started crying. The store was fairly quiet so she took me into her confidence. She recently married her high school sweetheart and they moved in with his mom. Apparently, mom has a flavor for drugs and living with her was a nightmare. The kids were kicked out in the middle of the night and when she left, she left her cat in the home. This was a few weeks ago. She has been trying to get her ever since. She suspects her mother-in-law’s hatred toward her is now being transferred to the cat. Said she sees her kitty in the window and sees pee spots all around the window seat, but is unable to get her back because where they live now, no cats are allowed.

She asked me if I could take her for a month (how many times have I heard that before)? Months sometimes stretch into years in this case, but the fact that this cat is getting terrorized by a meth head did it for me. She’s going to take proactive action tonight and will call me when she finally has her hands on her kitty. I don’t need another cat- but I know what meth does to people- they lose their damn mind on this drug. If this cat is being terrorized then she needs to get the police into the mix and get the cat out of danger. Hopefully, she will do the right thing and cancel out what she feels it might do to her marriage by turning in a meth head. I guess I will have to wait and see. I told her, I would go over and get the cat but she said she doesn’t think that would be a good idea.

With Malcolm fully integrated into the house and Stryker now in a feral cat colony in town, the deck enclosure is empty. I could put the new kitty in there for 30 days (yeah right!) LOL I just hope she gets the cat out of danger. That is the main focus. The cat is the innocent here.

I took Mike to Portland this morning and we were hung up most of the day. Mike will be going back in the hospital next week. They are going to do an occlusion on his leg. They are going to shoot a laser into his bad leg and close off the one abnormal artery that is pumping blood backward. Then they will do a de-breedment of the leg to get rid of the crust he has forming over 90% of the leg. So there was a lot to process.

When I got home, I went into the kitten’s room and found Dusky lying very still. She was on the bed, but her heart had stopped. There was not a mark on her- but she was gone. When I left, she was fighting a massive URI and I had just given her some new medication. Now, she is gone. I’m sitting her wondering if she choked on these pills? Did she just stop breathing? Did she have heart issues? She was playing and acting normal yesterday. I am so sad- there was a woman interested in adopting this beautiful girl after the 18th when she, Mason and Maybelline were scheduled for a neuter. She didn’t even make it to her fourth month. I know she was the runt and the boys would beat up on her from time to time, but she seemed to be able to hold her own.

So that leaves just two kittens now. Maybelline the gray and white beauty and the freeway kitty Mason. Dusky, I am so sorry to have missed the signs that something was majorly wrong with you. Run free in heaven where you can breathe normally and play without pain. Your life was way to short-=

This morning, two of my regular barn cats aren’t showing up for food, but three unfamiliar cats are now in the yard. I have checked all the roads nearby knowing the fear of the noise, the smell can sometimes drive cats into the road where they get hit. I did find a family of coons 🙁 I moved them out of the way and said a prayer for the family of four.

There are two large black cats (fluffy and they look like they are pampered) a mackerel tabby with a striking black streak down the back and a dirty white kitten who just looks terrified. Looks like she rolled in the mud. I brought her inside and she has had a bath and is hanging out with the kittens in the bedroom. The other adult cats are keeping their distance.

It was crazy noisy last night. Brandi was hiding in the shower- she hates loud noises but all the other cats besides Stalker and Axle are doing okay. I might have found a home for Gypsy- will know later tomorrow if it is a go. I hope so, she just misses her people so much and our sanctuary is not good for her. Some cats just can’t adapt. It’s one thing to ask a stray cat to adapt to this outdoor enclosure with all the other cats running around, but owner surrenders have a harder time, because they are used to being indoors and being loved on. I am really going to try and find her a good, loving home if this one home doesn’t pan out.

Happy, Safe, Fourth of July to all of you. Yesterday we drove to Portland so Mike could see competent doctors/surgeons in wound care. He will be followed weekly by a vascular surgeon and a wound care specialist at OHSU. His swelling is down so much- the size of his legs look almost “normal.” His legs will never be normal looking, but the good news is that he will heal! It will just take a very long time. He is on bed-rest for a long time (months actually) He can dangle his legs for 3 hours (max) a day. He can travel. Walk etc…but he has to have these special compression wraps on when he does. He also now weighs 310 pounds.

We will be driving to Portland every week. The gas is going to be a challenge, it is a long drive but we will make it work. He is now in the best hands he could be in. We had a home health care worker come on Tuesday to “care” for him. All I can say is “Ugh!” She had no idea how to put the circaid on his legs, she said she was going to “rewrite” all his orders from the hospital because they were “wrong.” First of all, she doesn’t have the authority to rewrite doctor’s orders and I followed her outside and gave her an order all my own. I told her not to come back, she is not going to be his home health care worker. Then I went into the house and called the service and cancelled any health care worker coming here. Yesterday, the surgeon who will now be seeing Mike weekly in Portland applauded my actions. He will be following Mike closely and he said that if we run into any issues to contact him immediately. So that is what I am doing.

Mike’s legs are crusty- but they aren’t the angry red color they used to be. He’s grumbling about the bed rest- but he has to grumble about something. LOL I have to say I am the most encouraged I have been in quite awhile about his legs and the care he will be getting. I will do my best to get him to lose the weight they want him to lose ( a slow gradual loss of 150 pounds is what they are shooting for.) Once he is healthy and slimmer, they will go in and do a surgical debreedment of his legs but not until then. They wear these tags at this hospital that says “I Care” I have to say, by their actions yesterday, they live by their motto.

I met so many people yesterday who have been traveling great distances to this hospital to get quality care. One woman drives from Medford to Portland weekly! She has an autoimmune disease and she said that for the first time in 8 years, she can finally breathe again. She’s off oxygen entirely now and said the trip is arduous and expensive but well worth the rewards it has reaped for her and her family. Medford is 7 hours from Portland.

3 month old Tate is now in a new loving home. I had to laugh on his neuter certificate, they got his name wrong, they called him Pate. I asked the tech if that was Pate or Patay (I can’t do the symbol here). I don’t name cats after food- it just goes against the grain.

Tate was fearless this afternoon when he met his new family. He has a man and woman and two dogs who will love him. I think when he met the schnauzer- he didn’t know what to think, but the laid-back lab was so much like Brandi, he could have cared less. I don’t usually adopt over holidays, but where Kaitlen lives, fireworks are prohibited so he is safer there than he would be here. Our neighbors like to have sky rocket wars over our pasture and they are already setting off fireworks earlier than last year.

And yes, life goes on regardless

Speaking of happy adopted home- here is Trick enjoying her new napping spot-

Pippi just got back from the vet. I was concerned because she was so lethargic and her gums look so pale. I just keep thinking of all the blood washing down the drain when I was gently bathing her. They flushed out her wound, gave her a shot of Covenia and told me that there is a possibility of brain damage due to trauma. She’s just not “here” right now. I have her in Jedi’s old cage and will just keep an eye on her. The hole is deep and there is tissue trauma and maybe she just needs to regroup.

I thought about just chucking it all in. Hanging it all up. Stepping down and letting someone else deal with the feral and stray cat problem in this area- which doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. But when I told Mike last night how I was thinking, he kind of let me have it. He told me that I am these cats only hope and if I hang it up, then the bully wins. He won’t know (or care) that I have stepped down but other cats in the future will know when they find themselves with no where to turn and get dumped into the river, or the wilderness or whatever. Do I want that on my head? Mike asked.

I don’t. I’m just sad. I lost Fiona, GOofy Gus, and Piper within a very short time- all wonderful cats in their own right. Goof couldn’t help it if somewhere along his life a person scared the living pee out of him. He had a few months of just not being terrorized but his fear for humans seemed to intensify regardless.

Thank you to ALL of you once again for stepping out to contact me in all sorts of ways and helping me get a bit of handle on this vet debt we have. Thanks for reading this blog- believing in what we do-and helping me over the very rough spots (especially lately)