Stray Haven Spaghetti Dinner, Sat. Oct 24th

Who wants to go? Let's do dinner! Click the photo to read the flyer.

Look what mom got! A BOX!

Gary Rith, fellow blogger and potter extraordinaire, has an open studio for the Greater Ithaca Art Trail". You'll see the little signs all over the Ithaca area. Follow them this weekend and next! Each one points to a treasure.

Lots of friends today

Today was a day full of friends. Debra showed up to borrow two traps to catch cats in Waverly and Corning. Great news...her little former-feral kittens that Stray Haven has had up for adoption for many many months was recently adopted! So all of her rescued friendly kitties from her colonies have found homes. Deb came bearing homemade biscotti, so you'll know what I'll be having with my coffee Sunday morning.

Holly, Jack's mom, had Facebooked me that she had a crate to donate to me, so after picking up flowers at the Farmers Market, I headed up to Cayuga Heights. Jack is his same sweet talkative self, and even let me cuddle him. I dropped of a bouquet of flowers to say "thanks for being a wonderful cat-mom!", picked up the crate, and headed out to Etna to Gary Rith's studio open house for the Greater Ithaca Art Trail.

Gary had a present for the cats. He made a gift of this jar, which is now full of cat treats!



I told Gary that just this past Thursday night, my friend K.C. had made me a gift of one of Gary's penguin bowls:



I've had my eye on this tea set since he posted it on his blog. I figured if I waited long enough, someone else would buy it, but alas, there it was, and I succumbed. It looks black in Gary's photo, but if you look at the handle on the right, you'll see a hint of the actual brown-black of the glaze. I guess you'll have to visit to really see what it looks like.



So now it is on the shelf in my house. I've put water onto boil and will use it for the first time tonight. My goal is that one day, all the things I use every day will be things created by, or given to me by, my friends, so every moment of my day I am smiling.

The cats were thrilled when I came home with a boxful of beautiful pottery. Not by the pots, of course--even their own treat jar. They were psyched to have a box full of newspaper to pounce into. I took photos, and I'll shake them out and get them posted in a bit.

The photos here were all poached from Gary's blog. And if you know how much Gary posts, you'll have some sort of idea how long it took me to scroll through them all to track down each of those photos!

Gary's studio IS OPEN TOMORROW (SUNDAY, Oct 11), AND BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY NEXT WEEK! You can't miss the purple house on Rt. 366 in Etna. Tell Gary and Maude that the Wildrun cats sent you!

What your cat is really thinking

Thanks, Stephanie!

Limited Nutro Puppy Food Recall

Thanks to Debra for sending this info.

Petsmart Charities Feline Forum in Chicago

Last Thursday I headed off on what turned out to be a glorious "working" vacation in Chicago at the Feline Forum. 600 (yes, six HUNDRED) cat folk, and I spent the first few hours spinning around as I ran into people from every conference I had ever been to. "Hi there!" "Hey, YOU are here too?" "Wow, what have you been up to?"



You would think after so many conferences, things would sound the same. But as more an more experts and field rescuers work with cats in more and more situations, new ideas emerge, and there is no shortage of people willing to share those ideas.

I didn't "cop out" of a single time slot. Usually there is at least one period where you tell yourself "I've heard that before" and take a break to go check email. But there was none of that this time around. There were concurrent sessions (which means, as much as you might like to, you couldn't see them all). The speakers were all wonderful, but I can't help but think Kit Jenkins (Petsmart Charities) and her constant flow of new ideas is like catnip to a cat person, so I'll mention her by name. I went to her session just to hear her wonderful delivery, and ended up leaving with my head buzzing with plans for the cat facility and a slight sense of chagrin that it took Kit's contagious charm to get my ass back in gear and get some work done at home. But that's Kit's magic.



I took the redeye train from Syracuse to Chicago (arrived in Chicago at 9:30 am Friday, left at 9:00 pm Sunday) which gave me nearly a full day on either side of the conference to explore what I could of the Windy City. I spent my money in street cafes and on water taxis. The weather was beautiful and I wish I'd had more time.



I'd heard about the famous glass balconies on the SkyDeck in Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). While the view was amazing from the regular windows, the glass balcony was less than spectacular. It seems I'd read somewhere that it put you "thirty-some feet out" but the glass really only extended about eight feet at most, making you feel mostly like a goldfish in a very small tank. There were so many people trying to get on, it just wasn't worth it. I would suggest going early in the morning.

As promised, here's my photo of the ground.



It was a bit more Disneyesque than I expected, but I imagine it has to be to manage the number of people who wish to get up there. It was only $14, and worth it for the view, the educational displays, and the chance to take some truly spectacular photos.

Some day I'll go back with someone who is into kicking around the streets and waterways. It truly is a beautiful city.

I went to check out Sunday, and nearly extended my reservation to see if I could stowaway into the next conference!



As usual, there is a quirk to every trip I take. This time my truck broke down only a quarter mile out of the train station on my way home. Ah well. All is well now.

Burp gets adopted

Burp was off to his new home on Saturday, which he is sharing with two beautiful English bulldogs. He wouldn't sit still long enough for a decent goodbye photo!

Big and little

09/11/01

AP photo

Biggest cat shelter in the world

I poached this from Nancy's Facebook page. Look how fast this is going up! I know it looks huge, but to realize how huge...look all the way to the right at the tiny human on the roof.

Amazing.

I'm betting he puts in cat doors. If he does, we definitely will get photos.

And look, Nancy also posted a photo of house feral Handsome, who had lived the previous three years outdoors until she trapped him again and hauled him inside off the countryside. Handsome was here for a short stay last week to go to the vet for combo testing and booster shots.



It looks like he's settling in well. Stay smart, Handsome! Stay inside!

Kittens get a pit bull of their very own

Fart and Hiccup (Fart is now "Maple" and they are wondering about "Lily" for Hiccup) have a brave protector.



Although they seem more fascinated with the tail than the entire dog.



Meanwhile, little Burp is sleeping alone:



Oh, no, don't worry. :) He's fine. In fact, he trundles around the house amusing himself and trying to decide whether he should take on the big kittens.



You know the kittens got a great home if I get pictures the very first day! Maple still has diarrhea, but he's eating and playing in his new home. I think I'll send some Bene-bac their way until the lab results come back on the stool sample. I'm betting it's a parasite, but there's also the chance I wiped out all his gut flora over-worming him or something.

Three down!

Henry, Fart, and Hiccup were adopted this week!



Henry went to live with a friend referred by Christy and Gordon.



Fart (black and white) and Hiccup (full orange) were adopted by a couple today. Fart unfortunately has come down with yellowish loose stool (coccidia? giardia? getting into the adult urinary diet? Being wormed yesterday) but his adopter used to work in an animal shelter, and promised to keep Fart away from her own cat, so we will stay in close contact. I've sent a stool sample off for testing, so if there are any creepy crawlies they haven't been treated for, we'll soon know. I also sent them off as "foster to adopt" so technically they are still mine and I can arrange to get them treated. Fart's temp. was 101.5 which is normal for a kitten and he was eating and playing normally.

Damned kitten poop!

I'm now wavering on whom to send to Cornerstone for the off-site adoption cage. I probably should send Francine, who is larger, rather than Burp. Burp would be fine alone, but he's still tiny and could go next week. Francine needs a home ASAP and soon will be too large for an off-site adoption cage.

Three kittens in good homes! Fart and Hiccup should get new respectable cat names now.

New kittens and a new Wildrun friend?

Yesterday, as I was preparing to mow my lawn (leisurely, from the seat of my new lawn tractor, yeehaw!) an S-10 (good taste in trucks) pulled over at the side of the road and a woman leaned out. She's a friend of Donna and Tim--without whom Wildrun would be up the creek without a paddle when I travel--and lives up the hill past Valarie and Craig (another vital Wildrun neighbor). People dump cats on her property (surprise) and she gets them all fixed.

Big heavy sigh of relief on my part--no kitties for me to take and get fixed!

However, a recently dropped mom had kittens, and two kittens had abscesses. She was in a quandry about what to do with them. I told her to bring them on down if she PROMISED she was getting the mom cat fixed.

Why would I take more kittens?

A) She's a neighbor, and Donna and Tim mentioned me to her and
B) She's a CARPENTER. A "built houses" sort of carpenter. And she said she'd be happy to help us out.

And anyone who has been here knows one thing we could seriously use is a carpenter. There's a ceiling downstairs that needs to be done, trim around all the windows, a new door for the downstairs, etc. etc. etc. Even ADVICE in this area would be a huge help. She already was giving advise on putting a plastic barrier up on the ceiling before covering it. And she emptied her wallet out to help with the kitten's vet bill. You can just tell when people you meet are "just get this problem out of my life and have a nice day" people, or when they are "help me with this problem, and I'll help you too" people.

However, the kittens don't have abscesses, they have cuterebra larvae, and unfortunately it appears the grubs may have died, which means they won't fall out on their own. I've got the kittens on antibiotics and will drag them into the vet with me Tuesday morning when I take the other kittens in to go into the vet's off-site adoption cage.

They are kind of puny but are eating fine on their own. I'm supplementing with KMR as well.

I've received quite a few emails from people asking me to take cats and kittens. I have an auto-response on my email saying I cannot. I now need to get in touch with Alden to see if he's interested in revamping my web site. I need to entirely redo it and get info sheets in .pdf in there, so I can send people there. There are enough resources around here now that people CAN get their own cats spay/neutered (this neighbor proves it) but they do need some help. I can send them to alleycat.org or neighborhoodcats.org, but it would help to have some local resource pages to save people some time.

On the continued up side, I am receiving more inquiries about adoptions. Thank goodness!

This week in rescue...

I figured I'd best update you all on the cats that came through this week. The Lockwood colony had three kittens and two females dumped on it. The kittens' mom is still drying up so won't be spayed until next Friday, but Winky, the other female, who has an injured eye went in this week.

It's so funny to try and explain thing to vets and vet staff. The hospital points out that Winky will be just fine the way she is. I point out that no one want to adopt a cat with a hole in her head, and we should consider removing the eye once she's available for adoption. They are concerned about unnecessary surgery; I am concerned about being stuck with a cat who could get eye infections and that no one will adopt for fear of future vet bills. Luckily I have a wonderful vet office that doesn't mind that give and take.



Handsome is from the Duboise Rd cats. Nancy set a trap for him (trap/neutered in 2006) and has decided perhaps to make him an indoor under-the-couch tiger. I took him in for a FeLV/FIV test and booster shots. The vet found this nasty thing growing on him:



So now he has absorbable stitches and no more nasty thing behind his ear.



This is the kittens' mom, Grey Lady. She's the one getting spayed next week.

Sadly, the two female cats will go back to the Lockwood colony until I have space for them here. Carol takes great care of her outdoor cats, but they ought not be there as they are too friendly. As soon as I adopt out two adults, they can come stay here. At least they will be spayed, vaccinated, have shelter, and be fed.

People who dump cats should be dropped naked in Siberia to see what it's like. Jerks.

Oh, and here are the kittens. How could I forget?



And Cheeto and Fiona take over Molly's crate

Phillip becomes an East Coast traveler

Phillip was adopted by Christy and Gordon, and immediately donned a collar tag and was off to Connecticut for an end-of-summer vacation.

I think Phillip is going to be a spoiled rotten happy little cat. What do you think?

Hay barn cats watch their new barn go up

Nancy stopped and took a photo of the progress on the Hay Barn Cats new barn. If you look around you can see what we mean about their not being any shelter. To the right there is a hedgerow. Otherwise the cats are stuck with cornfields.

I'll be so glad when this has a roof on it!

Hay Barn cats get a new barn

I don't think I posted that they determined the cause of the fire that destroyed the Haybarn Cats' barn was kids playing with fireworks.

Nancy reports that a new barn is already being built! It looks like the haybarn cats may have shelter for the winter.

And that is a load off my mind. It has been sad to drive by and see the cats forlornly standing on the cement pad in the evening. They are fed daily by the landowners, have some shelter boxes and some natural cover, but a barn will be oh-so-wonderful.

Burp, Fart, and Hiccup

Don't worry, they'll get better names, but right now these names fit them.



These kittens came from the Lockwood Colony. The original population of six cats was fixed in 2002. Of those, only one, Gray Boy, remains. (We caught all six of those cats in two hours). But someone dumped two female cats and these three kittens on the landowner, who is older and cannot afford to keep them. She discovered the kittens in her shed today just as I was getting ready to head out of town. She already had one in a box, and two were in a piece of drain tile pipe, and boy, did they hang on when we shook them out!

When Carol had first called about the two females, I told I'd get them fixed, but that I could not take them now, as I was full up. I planned to bring over more shelters for her. But four-week-old kittens...well, they can't stay out there. I'd vowed I'd only take cats from my own colony caretakers, and guess what! Three kittens from a colony caretaker!

When I arrived home, the heavens opened up and it began to pour and thunder.

Luckily, the kittens all ate heartily of wet food, and one is even crunching away on dry.

Quiet visits, and an adoption!

Sometimes I like to visit colonies from the past. In north of Ithaca there are two. On my way to pick up kittens at my vet's office, I slowed down as I passed the home of The Motley Crew. They were snoozing on the porch. Could I sneak up and get some photos? I needn't have worried. They didn't even notice I was there.

Don't they have the life?

Speaking of which, this little one is going to be spoiled rotten.



Which is exactly what every kitten deserves. Thank you, Christy and Gordon! We hope Paatie stops hissing soon!

On Michael Vick. To resort to a cliche....

"...this is what is wrong with our country."

Michael Vick perpetuated horrors and promoted bloody violence utilizing animals. Research has shown over and over that violence against animals (let alone using violence for personal glory and benefit)is linked to violence against humans. Not just hitting some guy on a football field. But a disregard for the suffering of others. People who actively seek violence against animals are people who are broken. People who need help. Lots. Of. Help.

I have had a number of occasions to speak with animal hoarders. The denial hoarders exhibit, their smooth ability to lie, their charm, and their absolute disregard for reality, is absolutely frightening. The first few times I spoke with a hoarder, I was so baffled I was unwilling to accept what I was experiencing. After about the third or fourth time it became clear--these were people who were not like other people. And these were people who were not going to be "fixed" because there really was no mental health support system to help "fix" them. And because they did not think they needed help, they might go through their court-ordered ten sessions of counseling, but they weren't going to actively seek "help" after that.

Imagine a person who literally and regularly killed failed, torn dogs with his bare hands, to benefit gambling and the pleasure of watching animals die. We aren't talking a man who takes a job in a slaughter house to pay the bills and ignored the cries of animals because he is beaten down by the overall sensory and physical abuse of his own job.

In the face of the certainty that violence against animals is a frightening and insidious illness, the NFL nonetheless released Vick to be signed again, and the Eagles (not some desperate team grasping at straws to survive)felt free to take him.

They did not care if they were embracing and rewarding a person who had, with his own hands, tortured large, strong animals until they died. This wasn't just breaking the neck on a chihuahua. This was taking continued long bloody personal steps to destroy animals.

I have killed animals. When rabies went through, I killed a lot of snarling, sick raccoons. It isn't pretty. Even with rabid animals, taking on that continued responsibility takes an ability to suspend pity and accept witnessing an animal's suffering. I cannot even begin to understand the lack of compassion in a person who drowns or hangs a dog after forcing it to be torn apart by another dog.

Had Vick raped fifteen or twenty women, and "paid his debt to society" in prison and with fines, and agreed to go on the road mouthing platitudes about violence against women, would the Eagles be signing him up?

Absolutely not.

In other words, the Eagles are counting on....COUNTING ON...the American tendency to say "Oh, well, after all, it was just an animal..." so that they can profit from Vick's amazing ability to "scramble" on the field.

They are not accepting responsibility to shun him, as he should be shunned. Imagine the message they would have sent had they stood up and said "We considered signing Michael Vick. We realize he has paid a debt in prison. But research shows that this is a larger issue, and we feel it is important that--in a physical sport played for profit--that we not give the impression we are supporting bloody violence for pleasure. By not signing Vick, we wish to send the message to all dog-fighters, and all those who resort of violence over humans as well, that rehabilitation takes longer than a mere two years, and violence ought not be rewarded with multi-millions of dollars."

Whether or not Vick is "likeable" has nothing to do with it. If he's "likeable" then someone should be helping him. And helping him would include, as a society, not rewarding him for his fame. How would you be treating him if he were your neighbor? Maybe you might be speaking with him and being polite as neighbors ought But you'd be worried. You'd be slightly scared. You'd be keeping your eye out. You certainly wouldn't be inviting him over for beers and dinner and embracing him as your best friend. You'd be hoping he gets help. If he had been a friend, you might even be actively asking, even insisting, he continue to get help. You probably wouldn't be saying, if it happened next door to you "Well, at least they were just animals."

I have to say, I have mixed feelings about animal welfare organizations using Vick in their messaging. I feel that it is quite likely that the NFL looked upon the formalizing of Vick's relationship with the HSUS as an excuse to permit him to play again. It gave them the ability to foist their responsibility off on HSUS ("Would HSUS work with him if he were not rehabilitated?"). Just as the Eagles will likely foist their responsibility off on the NFL ("the NFL says it's ok")

Just as everyone will foist it off on US...expecting us to just sigh and say "Well, at least they were just animals."