Took li’l Ms. Dickens and a few others  to the vet today to see what is up with them. On Dickens the vet believes the kitten has been stepped on (in the past) and the breaks were ignored. One leg has healed and fused- the other has just mended (but not healed) 🙁  The surgery for fixing the break would be tedious, stressful and several thousands of dollars! Amputation was discussed, but I am not a fan of having such a young kitten lose a leg-so we are in a “wait and see” mode. He said she is past the point where the leg is painful. he says she probably feels a bit odd at the joint because of the dangling and she may in the future develop callouses on her elbows unless her care from here on in aids in her dealing with this old injury. The little calico girl Pocket who attacks the vacuum does so because she is stone deaf. The Cow Kitty Brumbles has a rectal tumor which will have to be removed down the line when she is stronger.

Please keep sending your nickels, dimes and quarters. After this weekend, I will be hitting the ground running talking to local merchants to see if anyone will help out with fundraisers. One merchant has said he will do a round-up for a good cause for me. It is the local feed store and if the customer wants to round up their purchase to the next dollar, that change will be added to our donation box. I am going to hit restaurants and stores and just do my best to knock this vet bill down. I thought it was smaller then it actually turned out to be. The last bill I got, apparently there was a mix-up. At any rate- these kittens are now safe, fed, warm and tearing up the room about six times a day.LOL Dickens is no longer in her own cage, she is with the group and holding her own quite nicely. Barley, Trent and Nemo the oldest boy kittens go to the vet tomorrow to get neutered. I know they will adopt out quickly- Nemo is a muted flamepoint and Trent and Barley are long-haired orange kitties. And life continues here along with all the worry and all the prayers-

Finally got someone to listen to me and the authorities are now going to take over and visit the home and rescue the remaining kittens and the adults as well. I told the officer that it is not a case of intentional abuse. The woman is elderly and she has pumped a lot of love into these kittens- none are “feral.” It’s just she didn’t understand the importance of spaying and neutering and proper care for these cats and it just got out of control. He asked me a few minutes ago how many kittens were left. I told him, that they initially told me they had 25 kittens. I already had 20 in my carriers. IF there were only five left, I would have stuffed them in my carriers and ran home with all of them. I told him substantially more than five. He said that is what he would go on and he would take it from here.

I’ve had nightmares about the pile -up of kittens on that kitchen floor that I left behind so I am so grateful that someone has finally responded to the multitude of phone calls I made yesterday. He said this is common- they get calls from someone who says they have ten cats, they go over there and find 50 instead!

In the night, two more unable to overcome the neglect and malnourishment has left us. Both Mackerel Tabbies. People don’t seem to grasp the damage improper diet and fleas can do to the really young ones, and by the time they do understand, it is often to late. The others are still here- most of the gunky eye discharge has given way to clear drainage. We have the sneezers and one cougher who I hope doesn’t have asthma. But for now, no one is going to the vet to be tested, because quite frankly they don’t have enough blood right now to be able to offer up even a drop. Their appetites are increasing oy vey is it ever! LOL If I don’t leave enough wet food down- they ambush me and crawl up my legs or after I leave isolation they climb the screen screaming! I am feeding them fancy feast adult right now and those cans are so bloody small. I am also giving them generous helpings of baked chicken livers which they love and they need the taurine and the iron inside as well as sorghum syrup and goat’s milk and of course kitten chow. But kittens deprived of good food when it does finally start to arrive, they feel that it won’t always be available so they go a bit nuts. It will all calm down in time.

On a brighter note, got this in my email this morning- Axle in his new home- still not entirely relaxed but laying on the bed not under it!

The little tuxedo girl- Dickens, the one who hasn’t moved much since arriving here has a very good reason why she lays in one spot. She walks on her front elbows! I have placed her in a small cage and will take her to the vet in the morning. He tries to give every kitten and cat a chance, I hope that holds true with her. I know she is in pain, but all I have are painkillers for adult cats. Doggone it anyway-

Tried to take a  photo of what I am talking about but she didn’t want to stand up much- not that I blame her!

On a happier note, the calico who would hardly move the first 24 hours here is making me reconsider her name. “Pocket” and replace it with “Fearless!” The vacuum was on full tilt when she attacked it-LOL

Just wanted to add that the first available appointment isn’t until Weds at 3:40 if your prayers can fly during that timespot- please give them wings! I have called everyone I know, anyone I can think of that might be able to help and get in and get the rest of those kittens. Mike wants me to just go in and take them all regardless but I can’t. I took all I could and probably more than I should have in the first place.

The little cow kitty passed in the night. It looked to me after all was treated and inspected that he had a wound on him that had healed but was still infected. He was probably 9 weeks old thereabouts. Here are the rest of the survivors (or some of them)

I just got back from a hoarding call was there most of the day. I came back with 20 kittens all pretty much near death from parasites. One of them, a little calico probably won’t last the night. I stopped at my vet to get worming medicine, antibiotics, eye ointment and I got the lecture about the bill. Please if you can send a dollar, send it, if you send a dime, send it. I don’t care. I couldn’t leave these babies at the home and I didn’t take all of them. There are plenty more I had to leave behind. 🙁  I haven’t been home all day- I just got in and bathed and treated everyone. I just wanted to let you know how desperately we need financial help right now.

(The woman’s kittens are all genetically inbred none over 4 months old traced back to the original nine “strays” she fed and let indoors and just kept feeding)  I took the sickest of the lot hoping that if I left some of the active kittens behind someone else would take them 🙁

Thank you for your time-

They have decided that IF they do a major fundraiser for our organization, everybody and their brother will step out of the woodwork and want the same thing. They will keep the donation jar in the store until end of December but that is it. 🙁   Back to the drawing board. Our vet bill right now stands at $1,083.78  I have been hitting it every chance I get. It was $2,500.00 a few months ago.

Adopted out this weekend were the following kittens/cats

Medora
Bravo
Bojangles
Mudslide
Axle (our 5 year old black kitty!)

And what homes they were!  Thank you to the two of you who sent gas money so I could go gallivanting all over Oregon placing these beauties! You know who you are and I love you both very much for so many reasons!

Here are the lucky ones:

I hope these photos will do these beauties justice and we can find them a home. For your viewing pleasure!

In 30 minutes, I have an interview with the owner of one of the grocery stores in town. IF all goes well, the store will do a fundraiser for CATS. They will put a special ad in the local flyers and when a special coupon is scanned $1.00 will be put towards the CATS fund. I have already seen two of the people in charge so this is last interview. I understand the gentleman is a cat lover but he recently lost his cat in a pretty brutal way and I do not wish to stir up any bad memories for him. I didn’t get the details, but I can only imagine what might have happened to this inside/outside kitty. So I am sitting on pins and needles waiting for the appointment time. Would appreciate prayers being sent out, and who knows, perhaps his heart might be ready to adopt a kitten. We have several really wonderful kitties needing good inside-only homes!

Then at three, I meet with one of my volunteers who takes the most amazing photos of cats. I am taking 8 of the kittens with me as well as Aurora to see if I can get good photos and get these babies into a home not that I don’t love them, but our phone is still ringing with people desperate to find homes for newborn kittens- NEWBORNS in November- terrible thing!