A weekend of frustrations

My weekend turned into a weekend of frustrations.  Thankfully I had a couple of days "off" last week to lower my cortisol levels.  I hope you will indulge my rant today.

On Friday I dealt with the grumpy parking lot owner who doesn't want us to feed the cats there.  I managed to convince him to allow us to keep one box as he called it in the corner, so we set up a feeding station and hid the shelters.

At my colony Friday afternoon I had to worry about raccoons as usual eating the cats food and then when I got to Harry's I discovered the bowls full of moldy food.  When I confronted Harry he said he got the food from some woman who feeds cats at one of the piers, I hate that he lies.  I know he's mentally ill, but I didn't set out to help mentally ill people, I'm trying to help cats.  I bring him fast food twice a week, and I hate going in those places, all I want is for him not to sabotage the cats.

On to Saturday.  I managed to trap a male at one colony and really wanted the female, and twice she went into the trap and somehow managed to not trip it, meanwhile eating a copious amount of fried chicken.  Onto Scarborough where the female cats I wanted had vanished I left Michelle with traps and she later got two males (one who has turned out to already be neutered).

Also on Saturday I spent some time looking for a lost cat who belongs to one of my outreach projects.  I met this couple a while ago after seeing a free kittens sign in their window.  The apartment seemed full of cats running around, so I returned two weeks later to take four kittens and when I did suddenly there were three more who needed homes.  Two weeks later I went to get those three and there were four more who had appeared, it was like one of those Russian dolls.  In total I took out 13 older kittens, and I got three adult females they were keeping spayed.  They still had three un-neutered males stashed away somewhere.  Last week I got an email saying one of the cats who had been spayed had gotten out but they were going away.  So I went looking for her and found a cat around the corner that I thought was her.  Their granddaughter was staying in the apartment so I ran to tell her and suggested leaving food outside and opening the window so she would come in, she was so rude to me, it seemed that she didn't care.  Then I found out that some of their other cats go out and one went missing a month ago, clearly they can't be bothered to look for them, and it's a busy urban spot where they are.  When they open the door the cats get out, that was their response, well yes, cats will, you have to watch the doors.  I am so glad I got those other cats out of there.  I feel like that poor cat will never be found.

Then the topper was Sunday.  I got early to drive to Scarborough to pick up the two males, then to Connie's for the other guy, then to the clinic for 9 a.m.  Well that was the plan.  I discovered I had a flat tire.  It was pouring rain and you can't really call a taxi to pick up stinky feral cats in traps.  Thank God Michelle and her husband drove the cats, picked me up at Connie's and took us all to the clinic.  I met a woman there in the cat community with two cute social kittens who was planning to take them to a barn.  I begged her to give them to me, adoptable kittens do not belong in barns.  I keep hoping she will change her mind, I know they could get great homes.  I felt terrible thinking these kittens would never have a chance to have a real home.   It just isn't right.

I got home a couple of hours later, soaked and hungry and finally managed to book a rental car big enough to accommodate three traps and three carriers for the pick up later and I still had to feed the ferals.  Speaking of that, as I was leaving to do so, I got a call from the woman who was feeding Saturday, she was in tears, she forgot to feed them.  I know she felt horrible, but I felt sick to think of the cats sitting there all day Saturday waiting for food, not having eaten since late Friday.  If I had known, I would have gone down, no matter what time and fed them.

I got home after all my chores around 6:30 and thankfully had a lovely dinner (and some wine) and crashed into bed.  It's Monday, a new week, our car is at the shop getting a new tire, not just a repair, crap, cats to release, more cats to trap, but it's all ok because look how well Howie is doing at Connie's.

Howie before

Howie after

This is why I will fight for every cat, this is why I will persevere.  His life has been transformed from a future of living outside like a wild animal, cold and scrabbling for food, to a future where he will be a beloved part of someone's family.