A home for Henry!

Well the weekend was a little busier in the cat department than I would have wanted but it was all worth it. On Saturday we picked up Mo from the vet and returned him, all neutered and with an antibiotic injection to help his injury heal. Jo, his sister, was so happy to see him, she wouldn't let him out of her sight.

On Sunday I got a call from a couple who were interested in Henry. They sounded lovely and had three rescued cats, one of whom was just rescued from an area near our colony.

The problem was we couldn't find Henry. Then on Monday I heard from a feeder nearby who thought he had spotted Henry and when we went down there he was, he would have had to cross a large parking lot and a street to get to his new location. In further conversations, it sounded like maybe Henry had been going back and forth between two locations, totally dangerous.

I put Henry in a carrier, well, he actually walked in, I called the couple and they came to meet Henry. In true Henry fashion, he was happy to have them pat him and rolled over on his side for them. Best of all, they took him home that very day! I cried when they told me, no more worrying about Henry, no more having to feel so badly every time I lifted him out of the car. It seemed clear Henry really wanted to go home.

Henry seems to be doing well, has already sat in their lap. Soon he will be introduced to their other cats and I'm just crossing my fingers and paws that all goes well and Henry is in his forever home. I couldn't wish for nicer people to take him. I'm overjoyed we got him out of there, especially because we're missing two cats, Tibbs hasn't been seen for weeks and Clayton told us that Clyde, his orange cat, has been gone for a week. It's a hard life and not one I would wish for any cat but my prayers have been answered and at least Henry doesn't have to endure the cold, the rain or the hunger again.

Finally!

When I saw Mo last Sunday I noticed he had some kind of wound on his neck so for the next three nights Aaffien and I trudged out in the rain, trying to get him. We had tried last year repeatedly to trap him to get him neutered to no avail. Finally on Wednesday night, thanks to sardines, Luvs treats, and patience, we managed to nab him.

After the Ollie experience, we were on pins and needles yesterday, worried that the call from the vet would bring bad news but all turned out well. Mo's injury was an old one that was already healing so they neutered him and gave him an antibiotic shot.

I've been exhausted this week and when I did the math I figured out why. In the last two months between my colony and the other extra curricular cat projects I've been involved in I've trapped 8 adults, got them spayed and neutered, and 8 kittens, who all went to homes. No wonder I'm feeling a bit crispy around the edges. Nothing a four day weekend won't take care of. Some cat feeding, some gardening, and a bit of wine are in my immediate future.

Ollie - RIP

Today I have sad news. We made the difficult decision to euthanize Ollie.

Last night we were trying to trap Mo, who has a wound on his neck, but we caught Ollie instead. Ollie is only seen occasionally but also had an injury on his side and was unneutered so we were happy to get him.

The vet started his phone call saying he didn't have good news. Poor Ollie's left chest wall was infected from a chronic abcess and he was in bad shape, dehydrated, underweight, with nasty teeth. The vet placed him at at least 8 years of age and recommended some blood work. Well, the news only got worse, FIV positive, anemic, high white blood cell count and on close examination the wound showed to be very deep and filled with pus. With all that going on, there was a very good chance Ollie wouldn't be able to recover so we made the agonizing decision to euthanize him.

And yes, I cried. He may have just been a feral cat, but he was a feral cat that I felt responsible for, who most assuredly had a hard life. Feral cats only exist because of irresponsible pet owners who don't spay and neuter. It's one of the reasons I spend so much time and money spaying and neutering and making sure the kittens get out and find homes, because I know what the other option is for these cats, and it's not pretty. So excuse me if I sound upset but poor Ollie was never loved, was never patted and I can only be happy that he had a humane end to his suffering.

How do they find me?

Last week I was out for a walk in my neighbourhood, minding my own business, when I noticed three little kittens and the momma cat in the yard of a very run down house. For a moment, I contemplated just walking away, but of course I couldn't do that, so I sighed and knocked on the door of the house.

An elderly lady answered and when I asked about the kittens she said oh would you like them? She was going to sell the house and these cats were just living in her yard uncared for. A few days later Aaffien and I managed to trap all the kittens and the mom in under 15 minutes. Aaffien took the kittens for a few days and tonight they are going to a TCR foster home where I'm sure in a few weeks they will go to forever homes. I got Momma spayed and will be releasing her tomorrow, she seems too feral for adoption. I'm hoping to find a well meaning neighbour to feed her or I guess it will be part of my route.

There must be so many instances of this happening all over the city right now, unwanted kittens being born. Knowing what would happen to them if they weren't caught, socialized and adopted, there was no way I could walk away.

I really need to find a cheaper hobby than cat rescue, I realized this week after buying food for my cats, the ferals and the kittens plus paying the vet bills for the kittens and mom. I guess it's still cheaper than having kids or gambling.

Health problems for Hank?

We've been worried about Hank lately. He didn't seem to be eating much and his fur is not looking good. When he was neutered last year the vet ballparked his age around 8 and he did have bad teeth. Last week we considered taking him to the vet but this weekend he seemed better and was eating. Poor Hank may be just old. It was certainly a harsh winter and he has endured many of those. Here he is enjoying a feast of Whiskas with MC and a UBC.

On Saturday as we were leaving this very furtive looking tabby appeared. Another new cat! Henry chased him away from the food unfortunately. I hope he sticks around, there's enough food for everyone.

More happy updates, one more gray cat was caught and relocated to the barn. He will be confined for a couple of weeks then released to join his other two buddies, who have been seen living in this hayloft so the relocation was successful.

And two more of the porch kittens were adopted (4 out of 5 have been adopted), leaving just Bella to find a home. I'm sure it won't take long, everyone loves a cute kitten. I'm crossing my fingers to have a kitten free colony this year. Now that would be a real success.