The rest of the end of the year wrap up

I leave you in 2011 with this series of photos of Lily and Jo having their own little New Year's party.

In addition to all my work at the colony, I also helped out with a few other cat projects. We got four cats off the spit, three into a barn and one into a home. Two sets of residential kittens were rescued and socialized and went off to good homes and the moms were TNRed. In my neighbourhood I TNRed four feral young cats (three females and one male) that are well cared for by a few homes. And farther away in a west end neighbourhood I TNRed three feral females, and two adults and two kittens were rescued. Somehow during that project I ended up with Buddy, who just ate our bacon off the counter. Oh, I almost forgot about Bruno, a neighbourhood semi-feral who is being fostered (hopefully forever) by Terry and Laird. Then there is Annie, a charming kitten living outside a few blocks away who Connie fostered and quickly fell in love with.

Whew, no wonder I'm tired. On the home front, Allie is improving but Maggie is now sick. We've discovered that we have Giardia in the house, what a nightmare, trying to syringe meds into all the cats except Maggie who we can't handle. One of the drawbacks of rescue and multiple cats. Right now, after a lot of illness, vet visits and vet bills, I am questioning taking in all these cats, but I'm sure once everyone gets better I'll get over that. Here's hoping for a healthy 2012 for all my guys.

Year end wrap up part 1

The day to day routine of feeding the cats goes on but in between I'm reflecting on all that has happened this year at the colony.

Here I am on a chilly day this week using our new extendagrabber to get bowls out.

2010 was the year we focused on spaying and neutering so I can happily report that were no kittens born at the colony in 2011, a huge triumph. Maggie and Henry, two adults, found their way out of the colony and into homes. Henry was clearly not a feral and is well loved by Pat and Linda. Maggie has ended up with me, and only loves me, but is very happy not to be living under a street sweeper every winter.
MC and Hank, trying to stay warm. Hank is nice and chubby now.

On the sad side, Ollie and Benji, when trapped to be fixed, had to be euthanized due to extensive health problems. Mo and Clyde both disappeared, we presume they are dead, probably hit by a truck. I mourn the loss of every one.
One of our UBs auditioning to be the MGM lion.

Our cats aging and the corresponding massive vet bills is an ongoing issue. Hank was not doing well in the fall, but after all his teeth were removed and a long recovery, he has rebounded and is doing well. Teddy needed to have a mass removed (thankfully benign) so he got an overhaul as well. A new orange cat appeared with an injured tail so he was trapped and had his tail amputated. Stubby is now a fixture eating from behind the fence. Socks was neutered and had teeth pulled and is a happy fat cat. I wish they could all have proper vet care, but we do the best we can.
The sky was filled with birds the other day. Why do we feed the cats?

With the arrival of a couple of new adults this year, our numbers are around 20. I remain committed to doing the best I can for these cats. It's not a resolution, but a renewal.

And to all a good night

This photo of Tina, Jackson and me was just named one of the the Toronto Star's favourite 2011 photos from their photo blogs.

Right now I am thankful for the mild weather and for the ability to care for these cats on a daily basis. My Christmas cat wishes are vast, from wishing that all cats have homes and that everybody spays and neuters, to hoping that these cats that I care for have the best lives that they can, that I can continue to feed them, provide shelter and vet care when needed. They are a part of my lives. I can't imagine having a day go by when they aren't fed so that is where I will be tomorrow, dishing out Friskies.

I have to admit I'm not feeling very Christmasy tonight. One of my home cats, Allie, a sweet little 14 year old, is very ill, and I may also end up spending part of tomorrow at the vet emergency clinic so tonight I will pray for my Allie to get better.

Happy Holidays to all of you and your feline friends.

Loving this weather!

Mid-December and hooray no snow and mild temperatures. A feral cat's dream!

As you can see, Hank is looking plump and ready for the winter. I'm hoping it holds off as long as it can.
All winter means to me now is cold cats, cold hands, frozen food, frozen water and shovelling paths for the cats so this weather has been a real gift. The boat people have all headed south or doing whatever people who own boats do in the winter so it's just us, the cats, and the garbage guys for the next couple of months.

Settling down

It feels like things are settling down a bit at the yard, the boats are all in and soon it will pretty quiet, other than the constant garbage trucks. Teddy is his usual self, happy to eat and get a pat. He's going to have a scar where the mass was cut out but he doesn't seem too concerned about it.

I made a few new shelters for the Madonna cats and placed them under boats. Of course, some guy doing repair work is upset, says the cats have peed on his stuff because the shelters are near his hut, so I had to move them. It's a shame, the cats were using them but I guess they will find the new location or somewhere else to sleep.
I worry all winter about them, though, so I've been thankful that it's been mild so far.
The cats are always happy for a sunny day, it feels so much warmer.
This UB had a bad limp earlier in the week but seems fine now. Whew, I was not looking forward to another vet bill.
It's pretty much hunker down, do our best to keep the cats alive through the winter, time.