A stray cats story – The Little Mother – Part 7

I am the little mother, my little ones were taken from me today………… the presence fed them, and whilst their tummies were full and they purring she picked them up and placed them in a box… she put more food down for me… and walked away with my babies!

I was frantic… I followed the presence… crying for my babies – who were crying out for me… they did not want to be in that box… they wanted me… they called to me…..

The presence crossed the street and walked up to a gate… walked through that gate and took them inside a place I do not know – it went inside and shut the door…. I was standing on the street looking at that place for a long time… hoping that they would escape…. they did not come out and soon I could no longer hear them crying….

Where are my babies?

What has happened to them!!!!!

I ran away, I found my other older daughter Tiny, her kittens were taken from her too.. and now we only have each other …. we lay side by side and groom each other to console ourselves…..

What now? I used to watch my babies play.. watch over and care for them…. but what now?

Later that night – the presence returns… we hiss at her… she lays down some kitty milk.. I have not eaten out of distress all day… I have not had anything to drink either… my daughter Tiny goes to the milk and drinks – I watch the presence walk away – only then do I drink…..

Each day, the presence returns…..each day it feeds us…..

I am a little cat, I looked after my kittens well, I was a good, hard working little mother…..

But again, one more unbearable time …. my kittens are gone……..

The food is given by the presence regularly, but each night it moves a little closer to the place that my kittens were taken….

We are so much more wary now….. but we do come for the food when the presence moves away…..

Something very strange is going on, the food starts to be placed on a verandah…….. the presence calls to us… she places the food in our same bowls… now just outside the door where my kittens disappeared in that box…..

My old beau – the old white gentlemen Tom, has also come to this door with us, he sleep in the garden there now every day… something happened to him, he has now become an even more placid and gentle boy …. he sleeps in one of the many dry and soft areas in that yard, that seem just right for a cat snug/hidey hole… he even lets the presence pet him now… but only when he eats…..and then he purrs and lets her rub his belly….. We are shocked… he should be more careful!

Of course – I must still stay alert, as there is always possible danger, so I must still be ready to move in moment.

Then one night… as I eat by the door – I hear a familiar sound… I run up to the door – I can barely see in thorugh the screen – but my ears and eyes tell me what my eyes can barely see….. there are my kittens!

They are still alive!

I call to them – they call to me….. I try to get my paw in under the door….

The door opens a crack and I am inside! There are my babies! The presence is close but I do not care – my only focus is my babies…

We all greet each other and I head butt them as they do me…. my babies… they are well, they are happy they are ALIVE!

I find myself purring loud… and the entity is sitting on the floor only a few feet away from us…. she is making soft sounds and not coming near or moving…. I spend time bathing my little ones…. I am so happy…. I lay with them for a while and they play and tumble around me…. and I am content…..

The presence has not hurt them, the presence waits for my babies to come back to her….as they tumble over her and greet her – I know that they are safe… and strangely I feel safer and happier – then I turn and I leave through the door…. and decide that while I do not want to live indoors with this presence and my babies…. that I will live in this yard with my beau Tom, and visit my babies any time I like through the lattice on their cat run….. my daughter Tiny also decides to live with us…. we never wish to be cats who live indoors – but we are now cared for… we have our own home, our own forever home.

We have fresh water, we have good fresh food every day…. we have no fleas, we have no grumbling tummy problems and since my visit to a strange and scary place… where I slept for a while… and then came home … I have no more kittens…

I am home, one day r, I too feel completely safe and loved, one day I too will purr and roll over to expose my little belly….. the presence I now greet when she walks up the path of my home – I even feel safe enough not to run away when others like the presence arrive – though no-one gets too close… I never take my eyes off them for a moment though…..only the presence is trusted….

Since I have lived in this place, . I have started to trust….my babies have taught me a lesson….

I am a little old cat – my kittens have grown up… tehy are well…. they are happy…. I have done my job…..

But now… they ar no longer as wary and they DO trust…..sometimes they will keep in the shadows… but now they also burst out into the open to play and enjoy the light

They do let others see them – those who delight in thir happiness and wellbeing!

I did the best that I could!

Life has changed for us all!

These babies of mine – now they:

Rejoice in the shadows and in the light!

Hide from all eyes – only when playing hide and seek!

Now they know to:

Be happy and joyful – relax and be loved!

Everything has changed for the better!

Now….

We BELONG….

I have an interesting cat balancing situation to work out and am going to the web for advice. No, I dont want anyone to take a cat.

We have 2 indoor/outdoor cats that live in the house and yard. Both are tame and OK with people/food/humans, and we have a wild cat that has been living outdoors for a while that we feed. All three cats are desexed. At one time we actually caught the wild cat and had her microchipped and desexed.

Here is the trouble, the wild cat would desparately like to feed in the house and we are happy for that as she needs to be tamed up and we are likely her only source of food in the area as around us is all dogs and middle aged white anglo saxon males (who probably own utes with shotguns) . . .

However, one of our own cats is very territorial and beats the hell out of the little stray whenever she gets near the house. I see her sneak in occasionally and get food however I can tell she is not getting enough.

To make matters worse, if we leave food out for her in other spots, within a very short timeframe we have a significant ant problem and they eat the food . . and when the cats go to eat the food they get bitten.

Our main goal is to make sure that the stray is getting fed and has an ongoing consistent quality of life. (No, I dont want anyone to take her). An option of course is to build an outdoor cat enclosure, however we are renting and a large maintainence project for obvious animal purposes will draw the attention of our dog loving redneck neighbors and landlord.

Up for advice, what do you recommend?

• What are some ideas and options for making sure they are both getting fed? Should I try at least first up to trap the stray and get her in and feeding. the trouble there is that she is “beyond feral” and this would be incredibly traumatic for her?
• Do I just bite the bullet and trap her and put her in a spare room for a while so she can be observed and safe?
• Has anyone experienced anything similar and made a solution?
• Is there an ant removal product or an ant free feeding system I can use. The ant proof bowls that use water dont work. Open to ideas here. I fed her by hand in the street last night at midnight, not practical.
• Any ideas on trapping a wild cat who is completely trap shy?

Open to any feeding, trapping, segregating or any ideas at all (I wont euthanaise, ever).

author03@hotmail.com – Sue

A good news story for ‘feral cats’ who have been relocated by the Human Society of the USA.

At last there is acknowledgement that there are alternatives to mass euthenasia for so called ‘feral’ animals!

Watch the video, and see how some ‘ferals’ just tame down and become sociable in a short time, all by themselves….

once the stress of being caught and caged wears off of course!

Do great good!

Yes they do!

http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2009/11/san_nicolas_cat_habitat_dedicated_110309.html

Enjoy!

A stray cats story – The Little Mother – Part 6

I am the little mother, my little ones grow and play, I have seen them grower stronger and healthier than any of my little ones from other litters…..

The little ones are now becoming bolder and are eagerly awaiting the presence return each day…..

I am a little cat, I look after my kittens well, I have always been a good, hard working little mother….. life has been so hard up until now…….

My little daughter Tiny has lost her two kittens…… they were there one day….. and then, one night, they were caught in a strange metal trap…. we heard them mewling….we ran around trying to get them out……. but within a short time, that night………they were gone…..

The food still comes regularly to her as it does to me… but we are so much more wary now….. my little girl Tiny was beside herself looking for her kittens….

Then, she also went missing for a night…. caught in that same trap that still smelled like her kittens, she came back the next night, and she felt strange and she was smellling very alien and strange to me indeed, not at all like herself – she also has become more shy… but still she returns for her feeding by the presence every night as well…..

Something very strange is going on!

My kittens and I am eating regularly and so is an old beau of mine – the old white gentlemen Tom, who started to come along at feeding time…..

The presence saw him arrive one night, shockingly thin, emaciated really, she watched as he stood near me and my kittens and like the gentlemen he is, waited, salivating profusely, until we had completely filled up before he moved on in to eat the meagre leftovers…. the presence who saw him coming to eat, disapeared for a while…only to turn up not much later with more food for the old white gentlemen…. he gobbled it down….. and now also comes along to eat every night now too… he has his own bowl as do my kittens and myself…..

He has filled out from the skeleton he once was, where you could see every vertebrae and rib under his fur….he is no longer sickly, in fact he is much healthier now….

Once night, he too dissapeared into a metal trap, only to return the next day at meal time, he was also smelling like that very alien smell my daughter had the night she returned too…… he no longer smells like a big boofy boy now……….. I wonder what has happened to him…..

Things continue to change, something is happening, things are ………..very, very different….

Of course – I must still stay alert, as there is always possible danger, so I must still be ready to move in moment.

There is still that ongoing presence that I see everyday now…… it comes with food….. my babies now rub up against her………. she can even sit and they will climb in her lap……when she strokes and tickles them, the even purr and roll over to expose their little bellies….. it never hurts them…. but still I worry…. never taking my eyes off them for a moment when this is going on.

She put some strange smelling, strange tasting stuff on the back of their necks last night….. phew…. I try to lick it off, but stopped as it tastes foul……. it will wear off….. all these strange smells we get from that presenc always do – but I am not happy about it though!

I will not let it get too close to me – too many times other presences have yelled at me and tried to hurt me by kicking out or throwing things to hit me…. I will NEVER trust – I know too well how horrible they can be! In fact – I always move if it gets too close! I take no chances!

The consistent provision of food and water by the ‘presence’ has made my life easier, but how long will this last and …….and again, every day I ask myself, what does it want?

Little ones – stop trusting it!

I must continue to protect them…..they are my life… I will try to show them that they should be wary and not to trust…..keep in the shadows… don’t let anyone see you!

But it is impossible as they become more independent!

But I will always do the best that I can!

Tiny Cat, my daughter, now joins me and my kittens and the old gentleman as she no longer has her kittens……….. she is depressed, but we care for each other and for my kittens together…..life is still changing for us all!

These babies of mine – I am willing to protect them with my life – but they now don’t try to:

Keep in the shadows!
Hide from all eyes!

but still they know to:
Be silent!
Melt away into well known bolt holes and any cover should you ever be disturbed and…… trust no-one but your own siblings and me, your mother…
but now they trust the presence too……..

The presence, that someone is forming plans for the future of me and my babies……life is already changing for the better…….will it change more?

Will it change for the better?

A stray cats story – The Little Mother – Part 5

I am the little mother, I am still very wary, but now, I do not feel as old or as tired, or as hungry as the little old mother that I once was:

I am a little cat, but now I am now eating regularly and so am not as tired. Now I know rest – I still remain vigilant and brave as my little ones still need me, but I now have more time to teach them, to play with them and to groom them…. they grow healthier and stronger each day, as do I….

Something has changed, something is happening, things are ………..different….

I still stay alert, as there is always possible danger, so I must still be ready to move in moment.

There is that presence that I see everyday now…… it comes with food….. it still leaves the food and withdraws to a distance – it watches me and my little ones eat…… sometimes as we eat we allow it to come a little closer before we run away….what does it want?

I still bolt the food down as I keep my eyes turned towards that presence…. … I am not taking any chances – we will move if it gets too close!

Now there is more food left even though I gulp down my fill in seconds….. my kittens now come to feed too…. the presence leaves them different food to mine and puts down a delicious milky substance and this is so filling and good that we lap it up when we see it….. My kittens now relax more and after this food they play with the moving leaves and grass…. they groom more, and are more carefree and happier that I have ever felt…. I watch them over them…. they are my precious babies……

Even though I no longer suckle them, they still nuzzle into me, and we all settle down together as we all purr and groom each other – we all grow stronger……

I am feeling younger, although I am still an aged little mother cat. But now with a fuller belly, with my small frame filling out from the bone and sinew I once was, into a stronger, healthier frame I find that I am less stressed and happier….I have not known this feeling at all before in my life….… although my teeth are ruined with dirt from old foraging embedded between my teeth, I am now also grooming myself more…

For some reason, I am no longer bedevilled with fleas….. Nor are my babies…. the relief from scratching and having our blood sucked from our flesh by parasites makes us happier still…… life is improving…….I now do not know any aching void of a belly…..

The consistent provision of food and water by the ‘presence’ has made my life easier, but how long will this last and ……. importantly, what does it want?

As my kittens grow older, they are becoming bolder – even letting the presence near enough to touch them!

When they do, I spring up to protect them and try to block the presence from getting too close – I sometimes hiss and hit at it so that it draws back a little – but it is persistent…. sometimes I growl at or hit my babies to show them to keep away from the presence…. but they are beginning to trust it… their trusting behaviour is becoming harder to contain – I must continue to protect them…..they are my life… I will try to show them that they should be wary and not to trust…..keep in the shadows… don’t let anyone see you!

But it is harder as they become more independent!

As my two kittens keep going out on their own….. I worry and keep vigil……. as I must…. I will always do the best that I can!

I am an old little cat now, and the only comfort I know is that a presence leaves me food and provides water each day…….but I am still very wary and scared and still have no real home….I am still ever fearful….

Tiny Cat, my daughter from my last litter, is also getting the same attention from the presence – her babies and she are also much healthier now….. life is changing for us all!

The presence comes to us daily, still making the low soft noises, calling to me, and it is still looks (discretely and respectfully) towards me…. trying to let me know it means no harm. Putting the food down, then backing away, speaking with me in that soft tone….. blinking its eyes slowly at me, “I am no threat” this says to me…. still I remain wary…

I stare at it – watching it always….. it always tries to gently coax me over!…. My kittens are now beginning to great its arrival with pleasure… tails pointing up to the sky in greeting, purring and sometimes making a mewl in greeting! Even running up the path to meet it!

These babies of mine – I am willing to protect them with my life – I am trying to teach them to:

Keep your distance!
Keep in the shadows!
Hide from all eyes!
Be silent!
Melt away into well known bolt holes and any cover should you ever be disturbed and…… trust no-one but your own siblings and me, your mother…

But that presence, that someone is forming plans for the future of me and my babies……life is already changing…….but it will change more…..

Forever…. and for the better!

Hi Kittymum and everyone. This is Derek, I am no longer CatRescue admin and stopped in my authoring duties a number of months ago. but have just so happened to log in today fixing a couple of things with the blog. Erica is writing articles now as we speak. There is a lot that CatRescue is doing with animals right now.

I am sorry that you havent seen much, but I know that CR are doing a lot and many new animals have come in (and out) of Catrescue.

Re the website issues, the commenting and linking new articles thing  was an issue, I had to remove the script that listed new postings on the front page, as every time that someone posted a long link (as was often the case) it caused the entire front page to go completely out of whack, and look terrible, and the easiest solution was to take the link out. This was commented on by a number of readers. Unfortunately there wasnt a way of fixing it.

KM – you are correct on comments. There was an incorrect setting in comments that didnt allow posting of comments on articles of over 14 days, I have now fixed this. You should now be able to comment on anything and everything.

Disclaimer - I am no longer CatRescue admin or committee, so any representations made by me dont reflect CR  etc.

Hi there!

I am just wondering why the blog log, which used to have the most recent blogs and comments shown as a banner on the right side of the home page, appears to no longer exist in it’s old form.

A few have commented to me that they have seen no new blogs for months now – even though there have been some new posts, I have suggested that they do as I do and type “blog’ in after the catrescue address in the URL. (the page reference)

I think we may have people not visiting as much due to what they feel is a lack of activity.

Also, I notice that the ‘comments’ seem to be turned off on new posts for some reason. When I post I ensure that this is on, but when I visit the pages, I see that the comments are off – strange….. (?)

Could someone let me know what is going on as I would love to see more activity on the site myself too….

I am sure that there are lots of people who would be interested in geting more involved if they could see that there is still actitivy…

Cheers, KM

From todays SMH. Readers will note that many of us have been campaigning for fixed price/low cost desexing. Miranda Divine has commented on the high cost of vet care in this weeks SMH

Our family finally succumbed to the entreaties of its youngest member and acquired a six-month-old mongrel, named Biggles, from a pet rescue outfit. Now we are living in a parallel universe of pet owners, full of dog whisperers, dog chiropractors, dog surgery, dog accessories, dog acupuncture, dog Prozac, people who sleep with their dogs, doggie day spas and vets who charge more than doctors. Pet humanisation is big business.

You can pay $75 to your GP for your child to have a 20-minute consultation and vaccinations, but a visit to the vet for dog conjunctivitis will have you reeling from the $187 bill, including eye drops.

Thankfully, as Biggles is a crossbred (the politically correct term for mongrel), accidentally conceived when his wanton labrador mother escaped through the fence of her farm to canoodle with her border collie boyfriend next door, he is less likely to have any of the expensive conditions that plague purebreds.

The BBC documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed, on ABC TV last week, showed inbreeding of dogs has caused painful genetic deformities, disabilities and disease which are costing pet owners around the world billions of dollars. Medical care for these purebred British mutants costs a staggering $19 million every week.

There were boxers with epilepsy, on six bottles of medication. There were poodles with disjointed kneecaps, German shepherds with backs so sloped they walked like rabbits, pugs with faces so squashed they can hardly breathe, not to mention curved spines and unrolling eyelids. There were Cavalier King Charles spaniels with heads too small for their brains which develop a neurological condition that causes them to scratch uncontrollably, walk peculiarly, act demented and suffer excruciating headaches.

One woman told the program she had spent $75,000 on her Cavalier, a breed also prone to genetic heart defects.

A Catalyst program on ABC TV this week found a similar situation in Australia, featuring one vet who said 90 per cent of the bulldogs born in his practice are delivered by caesarean section ($2000) because the dog has been bred to have such a large head it can’t fit through the birth canal.

Of course, all these deformities might be painful for the dogs and distressing for their owners, but the veterinary industry profits.

One Sydney journalist had to remortgage her house to pay an $11,767.60 bill for cancer treatment for her West Highland white terrier, which died soon after, anyway. The Labrador-kelpie cross of a friend was vomiting recently, so trips to the vet and an intravenous drip cost $800 in four days.

Dog parks are a rich minefield of vet bill horror stories. A Weimaraner owner in Centennial Park spent $4000 in vet fees in just one year because the dog kept breaking its toe.

Another owner at the vet for her pet’s routine check found her dog became agitated in the waiting room because he was trying desperately to get at a cat in a box nearby. When the vet examined the dog, he had a rapid pulse rate (hello!), and was sent for an MRI scan of his heart. Nothing was wrong, of course – he was just excited. But the bill was hundreds of dollars.

On Dogzonline, a forum on Australian purebred dogs, owners discuss vet fees, including more than $15,000 for one dog – $9000 for a fracture (multiple surgeries) and $4500 on cruciate ligament surgery. A purebred Staffordshire pup cost $5000 for two knee operations. A West Highland terrier that got a pig knuckle stuck in its oesophagus cost $900 in X-rays, surgery and medication.

The increasing tendency for dog owners to humanise their pets, to the point where they let them sleep in their beds, feed them human food and carry them in baby slings, means vets face higher expectations.

Where once a dog with cancer would be mercifully put down, now owners can opt for expensive chemotherapy and palliative care.

High-tech medical treatments for pets rival the human equivalents, with bone marrow transplants, pacemakers, kidney transplants, blood transfusions, skin grafts, brain surgery, heart surgery, root canal surgery, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, computer tomography, knee, hip and elbow replacements ($6000), physiotherapy, aromatherapy and acupuncture. The Australian Companion Animal Council reported in 2006 that Australians spend $1.16 billion a year on veterinary services, a quarter of the $4.62 billion a year we spend on pets.

Rising vet costs have made pet insurance popular, with owners paying up to $614 for a yearly premium, according to a Choice survey in July.

It quotes the case of a beagle that cost its owner $1500 in vet fees in its first 12 months, followed by specialist cruciate ligament surgeries. Last year it was diagnosed with malignant tumours and put down. But in its 10-year life it had cost his owner $16,500 in vet bills. Insurance paid 80 per cent of that.

Morally, it’s impossible to justify the obscene spiralling medical costs for dogs when children overseas are dying of preventable disease and elderly people in this country are suffering from squeezed health budgets. But equally, having taken responsibility for a dog and grown to love it, many owners find it impossible to say no.

devinemiranda@hotmail.com

A stray cats story – The Little Mother – Part 4

I am the little mother, I am the old, tired, hungry and scared little mother:

I am an old, very tired, very hungry little cat. I am so tired as I can never truly rest – I must always be vigilant and I have to be brave for I must carry on. My little ones need me, the pace of live never slows….. I am exhausted.

But something is changing, something is happening, things are ………..different….

I stay alert, still no time for rest, there is always possible danger, so I must be ready to move in moment.

There is a presence that I see everyday now…… it comes with food….. it leaves the food and withdraws to a distance – and yet it waits and watches until I have eaten….. what does it want?

I bolt the food down as I keep my eyes turned towards that presence…. I also take quick darting looks about me to make sure that this is not a trap…. these humans, these things have tried to corner me and trap and hurt me before… I am not taking any chances!

The food is gone, gulped down in seconds and the moment it is…. I am gone too…. I run to my babies, with a full belly….. I feed them, the nuzzle into me and suckle, their little paws kneading my tummy to help me let down the milk, we all purr and I groom them, they grow stronger……

I know, even with my hunger abatted for now that must be remain ever vigilant, I will, I must, always protect my little ones from danger….

I am an old girl now, I am an aged little mother cat, this litter, the latest in a long line of many, many litters, has driven my small frame into a pile of desperate sinuw and bone…… my teeth are ruined with soil embedded between my teeth and in my gums from foraging in the dirt and filth that was so often my only option for getting food in my aching void of a belly…..

Now, the provision of food and water by the ‘presence’ has made my life a little easier, but how long will this last and ……. importantly, what does it want?

As my kittens grow older, they are harder to contain and I must take them out with me to eat…..

The presence withdraws to a safe distance when we come to eat, and if it approaches, we withdraw by the same distance….. my kittens are taught to be wary and not to trust….. keep in the shadows… don’t let anyone see you!

My two kittens now begin to go out on their own….. I always keep my vigil to protect them, however, one day, my little ginger boy is exploring and gets cornered……. he is snapped up by a few children as they walk down the back lane, they scooped him up and he hisses – he musters up every y fibre of his 6 week old frame and hisses and spits – this takes one boy by surprise and as he has this kitten by the tail, he whips his hand hard with my kittens tail clenched in his cruel hand, my kitten is flung to the ground where his jaw is bruised and his lip is badly cut… dazed, terrified, he runs, for cover….and finds a bolt hole – leaving his tail – almost two thirds of it, in the clenched fist of the horrible boy who tormented him……

He is badly injured, and he comes to me slowly, mewling, low and crying in pain as the shock of this horrible encounter lets the pain rocket up from his tail stump and his injured jaw, he will not be able to eat well tonight as his mouth is bleeding and injured, and I lick his wounds and tend to him as best I can….his whole body is bruised and battered, but he lives, he has learnt a lesson…….we survived his encounter with a cruel and stupid human… not all of my kittens have been so lucky as to survive!

This day we are all much shyer of the presence that leaves us food and refreshes our water……. it will be many, many days before we let it come as close as it used to do… these things cannot be trusted and must be avoided!

I am an old little cat now, and the only comfort I know is that a presence leaves me food and provides water each day…….but I am still very wary and scared and still have no real home….

I am still ever fearful, still tired, I can never relax, the need to survive and protect my babies continues to drive me….

Tiny Cat, my daughter from my last litter, who is still a kitten herself, started to run from her hiding spot with her babies to get some nourishment from the presence too…. I had led her to my bowl one night after the presence had moved some distance away, I noticed that the presence watched and waited to see where Tiny would run to after eating and no dout saw her kittens too… the presence then started to do the same food and water routine across the road where I used to live, and where my little girl still lived with her babies…..

Still we do not let the presence near us.

We are amazed by the strange actions of and remain untrusting of this presence. When it approaches we keep our distance…my Tiny little girl and I still help each other, we still head bump and great each other with pleasure, she is still my baby…….

Now, daily, I sit in the front yard of the house where we usually hide, waiting for that human presence to appear again, it is still making a low soft noises, calling to me, and it is still looks (more discretely and rspectfully) towards me…. trying to let me know it means no harm. Putting the food down, thn backing away, speaking with me in that soft tone….. blinking its eyes slowly at me, “I am no threat” this says to me…. still I remain wary…

I stare at it – watching it always….. it always tries to gently coax me over!…. It doesn’t work on me, but it’s tactics are starting to work on my kittens… they are gaining trust….. I just know it…. for when they hear her high pitched whistle call they know what it means and snap to attention and run to the call… they still keep their distance as I keep watch and vigil over them… if the presence gets to close – I bat them away and hiss at the presence…. these are my babies and I am willing to protect them with my life!

Keep your distance!

I know that I must still teach my babies… they must still learn:
Keep in the shadows!
Hide from all eyes!
Be silent!
Melt away into well known bolt holes and any cover should you ever be disturbed and…… trust no-one but your own siblings and me, your mother…

These growing kittens that I have left are my life…. I must still be the best little mother I can be to help them survive!

That presence, that someone is forming plans for the future of me and my babies……

life is changing……. it will change more…..

& Forever

http://video.hsus.org/index.jsp?fr_story=d4df627e42a64c870440fd639f0e34c24c00b4ed

This link is to a video from the HSUS (Human Society of the United States) that presents the appropriateness of TNR schemes with real world examples of an humane, successful TNR program.

As we know TNR WORKS – many of us have been involved in this for many years – and the numbers of free living (also known as feral) cats is controlled when we use a TNR methodology!

TNR – we can focus on this as the best way to manage and control a problem – TNR gets this done.

Have a look!

Cheers!

It is a community thing – we all need to work together – That is an important part of this message!

(I hop that ‘Comments’ is turnd on for this post)

One of Sydney’s most prolific and well known food, lifestyle and love bloggers has penned an article that I think captures a few of the issues facing the single rescuer.

Have a read clicking here

Exerpt . . .”One stereotype about single 30-something women is that we’re all sitting at home consoling ourselves for our miserable, lonely, childless lives by caring for a cat or five (insert off-colour Mrs Slocombe-style joke here)… That may be true for someone, somewhere but not for anyone I know. On the contrary, if a conversation I had the other day is anything to go by, it seems that there are many single women (and men) forgoing a full-time relationship because they care for cats.”

Make sure to add your comments on her site, always good to share your views.

For the past 2 years CatRescue has had a strong association with Kitty Sitter, a socially minded local business that offers in home Pet Minding in the Inner West. Well, with a new baby to look after and a growing business, Laurie is now selling the Kitty Sitter business. We’re happy to help with this community notice.

Kitty Sitter Cat Sitting & Cat Care business for sale – $9,500 www.kittysitter.com.au

Ever wanted to own your own business and work with cats all day?

A very regrettable sale due to family matters. Fantastic opportunity to purchase as all the set up and hard work has been done! The business is valued at a lot more than what we are selling at, as we are after a quick sale.

More importantly we want the right person to take over the highly valued brand, someone who can continue to serve our large client base at the high level they are accustomed to. We currently have a team of 4 who will continue to service our clients for as long as it takes to sell the business to the right person.

Business details

Fully established pet sitting company operating in the Inner West and Lower North Shore. Pet sitting involves visiting pets in their own homes while their owners are away.

• Registered business, including full company creation (sale includes business and company)
• Fully established business operating since 2006
• Fully insured
• Trademarked business
• Marketing & Advertising
• Top notch marketing, advertising and PR plan in place
• State-of-the-art website (one of the best in the industry)
• Website fully optimised for search engines
• Google Adwords account and history
• Google Analytics account and history
• Fantastic logo and stationery design
• Fully developed customer care formula, involving extensive market and customer research
• Stock & Client Database
• Toll free booking number and business mobile number
• Large quantity of pre-printed branded materials (envelopes, letterhead, compliment slips, writing pads, and magnetic business cards)
• Access to client database of 100+

Benefits

• Well established and respected brand across Sydney’s Inner West and Lower North Shore
• Huge growth potential into other areas in Sydney
• Very franchisable with opportunities to move into other cities, if desired
• Established third party partnerships and alliances where a large number of referrals come from
• Fantastic list of loyal, repeat customers
• Excellent opportunity for either a sole owner with a number of managed contractors, or a partnership

Interested parties can email us at info@kittysitter.com.au with any questions. No phone calls please, we want to gauge interest and will call you back in due course.

Today Priscilla left the world after spending the past 3 years of her life in warm comfort of carers and the last 2 years here.

She was brought in wild and very timid by a carer (called priscilla) and was always very afraid and scared. She had feline aids and as such, mixed with her timid nature was unrehomable unless a small miracle happened (EG, someone like me who would take in a feline aids, timid cat)

It became apparent that she would always be quite sick, but for the past 3 years she has had an idylic existence here, living in the house/yard/blankets/little warm cat beds.

For a long time, she had a lot of company, with 7 wild cats from Kirribilli and various other rescues living with her in the yard, sharing a couple of old couches in the garage by night and by day, sunning herself around the yard and sometimes around the street.

As the cats started to all find homes, she came out of her shell more as she was with the least rehomable ones. Her best friend (Whattacat) was rehomed a few months back, so she became close to the two ninja’s (impossible rehomes) and had her favourite place, a heated cat bed under a fully enclosed donated cat house on the balcony, overlooking the world.

Her obsession was BBQ chicken, she could hear the microwave and she knew that would be someone reheating her a treat. She was known to eat more chicken than a human then spend the day sleeping it off in the sun.

For the past few years, every day I would try a little more to bring her out of her shell, and very recently she started to begin to like humans.

But her illness was becoming more and more apparent.

Her last few days still showed some signs of hope, but the doctors tests, blood counts, xrays and things I cant debate . . more than my needs for her to live were conclusive.  She left with quiet meows, clearly distressed that she was very unwell.

My last words to her is that I would see her under better circumstances in the future, where I wouldnt let her down again. She will likely be stronger then and I will need her more than she needs me. I will explain that one later.

She would never be forgotten, and I will dearly miss Priscilla.  Derek

I am the little mother, I am the tired, hungry little mother:

I am a very tired, very hungry little cat, I must be brave, I must carry on, for I seem to have little ones to feed and care for all the time.

I have no time for rest, always alert to danger, ready to move in a heartbeat. I must be ever vigilant, for I must protect my little ones from danger…. I am no longer a kitten, I am an aging little mother cat, I grow old, not just older, I have had many, many litters, and my way of life and these countless litters have all taken thir toll on my small body. The many days all just fall into one long memory where I am always hungry and trying to seek safety and shelter from the so many threasts and the elements, the wet, or the cold or the heat… life as I know it is one of fear and hunger……

Yes I am an old little cat now, and I know of no comfort or home.

Now, it is hot, my new litter of kittens mewl from hunger, a ginger kitten and a black kitten are all that I have left now… only the other day, a large scary bird snatched away my little tabby kitten from her hiding place.. I made chase, but couldn’t stop her being carried off… and though I looked for her and looked for her, calling out, calling out…. I never heard her call back, she was lost to me… I tried to protect her, but the world is savage place, now, she is lost to me forever.

I grabbed my remaining kittens and hid them….. I cleaned them vigourously trying to wipe out the image of my little girl being carried off….. they start to purr and start kneading at my at my belly, hungry babies supping what little milk I have for them.

So, I work hard at finding food every day…. I find I am eating more and more from the dirt around the bins, having to dig down into the muddy area around them to find any morsels, my chin is often caked with mud and dirt no matter how much I try to clean it… I am so hungry, I am so tired….. still I go on…

I am ever fearful, ever tired, I can never relax, the need to survive and protect my babies continues to drive me, I am ground down and tired…….. still as always, my tummy grumbles with an overpowering hunger… the need to make milk for my babies means that my last reserves are being spent in its production…. I am starving…. I love my babies and as I groom the little ones, I can feel their bones through their skin easily, there is no baby fat to protect them… they are lean, there is no margin of safety in their need to eat, again I must go to look for food, I must leave them for now…

Tiny Cat, my daughter from my last litter, still a kitten herself, still lives in this same unused backyard with me, she too has kittens, two tabbies have survived from this her first litter… I help her, we help each other to look for food to forage in the school yard, but there is almost nothing, it is the childrens christmas school holidays and the rubbish we have lived from is no longer around…..even the bugs we normally eat are not as plentiful….

I am sitting in the front yard of the house where we usually hide, when a human appears, it is making a low soft noise and it is looking directly at me! I stare at it – in disbelief -it tries to coax me over!…. I, momentarily paralysed with fear….. stare at it…. I canot believe my eyes…… perhaps it will go away and leave me alone?

No! It approaches… is it talking to me? Why is it looking at me?

I am shocked… it has on of it’s hand extended out towards me…. it keeps coming towards me – I try to stand my ground, but still it approaches me!

I shudder with fear and quickly look around for an escape route…. I look back towards it… still it moves slowly towards me with its hand out……… is it trying to catch me? Hurt me? HURT MY KITTENS?????

I wait no more…. I run, bolting , zig zagging to a hideaway… I dash into the shadows……I stop and look back… the human has stopped moving, then slowly turns and walks away……that was close!

My heart is thumping in my chest, I feel sick and dizzy. My mind races…… should I move my kittens now, or when it gets dark? …… what is this cruel blow to my safety and the safety of my kittens when I am so weak with hunger?

What am I to do?

I am panicked and scared…….when I feel it is safe, I run to my babies, I do not want to be followed…..

I check that they are OK, they mewl and cry with hunger……even in my fear – I know I must still find food and eat so I can feed my kittens…..but I am also compelled to move them…… now!

I grab one of my kittens, and run to another place I know…. up over the fence hoping that no one sees.

I don’t know it yet but the human who approached me before is stealthily watching…. is noting where I am going and who I have in my mouth……

Humans have only yelled at me and thrown things at me before…… they terrify me had I know that I was being watched I would never have moved my babies yet.. but I was not to know…..

I am being watched…… After my two scares in so short a time, I know that I must teach my babies… they must learn:
Keep in the shadows!
Hide from all eyes!
Be silent!
Melt away into well known bolt holes and any cover should you ever be disturbed and…… trust no-one but your own siblings and me, your mother…

The kittens that I have left are my life…. I must be the best little mother I can be to help them survive!

What I don’t know yet.. is that someone has plans for me and my babies…… life will begin to change…..soon….. and…..

Forever

I am the little mother:

I am a little cat, I have the heart and courage of a mother cat, but even so, I am still a kitten myself, surrounded by my own little ones, my wiggling kittens around me.

My kittens mewl from hunger, their little paws work at my belly, kneading at my tummy trying to help me let down the little milk that I have for them.

I am constantly tired, my little tummy rumbles with a gnawing hunger as I groom my little ones. I gently draw my tongue over their bodies, and I can feel their little ribs sticking out as I rasp my tongue over their chests…

I know that they are hungry too… their constant cries for food stir me to action, even though I am bone tired…. I must go and find food or we will all starve….

I come out of my hiding place, a stack of abandoned tyres in the backyard of a human who doesn’t care much about that place, so I am mostly left alone… it gives us some protection… it the best I can find.

I go into the streets and I forage for food, I have little strength for hunting, I nudge my nose through the dirt around the garbage bings, searching desperately for scraps that fell out of garbage bags… my teeth and chin become dirty and sometimes the sludge get into my lower teeth.. I hate it and rub at my face with my paw to dislodge the dirt… but over time, some will get lodged permanently in my lower teeth.

I find that the garbage bugs that are full of protien are the easiest prey as they go for the same bits of rubbish as me…. I crunch on their shells, I eat them often as they are the easiest thing to catch there are so many of them!

I hungrily lick up the old bits of cheese and meat that have been discarded…. sometimes I catch a slow old mouse, I just do the best that I can…

When I get back to the tyres, I find that one of my kittens doesn’t move anymore…. I try to groom him back into action, but after nudging him towards my belly, he remains limp… I groom the others, we sleep…. the next days he is stiff and I pick up his little body and take him to a pile of leaves to hide him, I place him there and cover him over….. I have no real time to mourn him I have so much to do….

I am so tired, so very bone tired…… but I have to go on, I must concentrate on the living, I have responibities that are greater than my loss, that are greater than my pain….. I am a little mother and I must do all I can to keep the rest of my babies alive….I do not forget my little boy in the leaves, I do check him a few times over the next few days, but soon I must give up, he is no longer my kitten… he is something else… one day, I no longer return…

I forage, I try to look after and protect my babies… I am as good a mother as I can be. My instincts are strong, and this pushes me on.

I keep away from humans, I teach my babies to be wary and fearful…..just ike my mother taught me…

I teach them:
Keep in the shadows!
Hide from all eyes!
Be silent!
Melt away into well known bolt holes and any cover should you ever be disturbed and…… trust no-one but your own siblings and me, your mother…

The kittens that I have left are now becoming more independant….. I start to notice the male cats are collecting around my mother and I, we are all being driven by our hormones, our instincts, it is our nature to keep creating new life… I find after a few weeks that I am once again my belly is swollen, not with food, but with more babies….

Pregnant, me and my mother, and the cycle of life begins again…. my kittens are growing up, and soon they will be able to become mothers and fathers too…… and I shall have a new little brood to care for as best I can…

Still ever hungry, fearful and vigilant…. no rest for me…

Many of my little ones will grow to think that their name is “scat” many will never know any kindness and will only know harm from humans, many will live in hunger and fear and die of their hunger and resulting illness…..

What I didn’t know was that I am to have another fate – one that I would never have thought possible….

The very thing that I have feared all my life…. may well be the thing that will rescue me and change my life….

Forever

Story sent in from Sillypucci.

It’s horrible and just why would anybody want to do it?

Scandal of tattoos on cats

Still dazed after being anaesthetised for three hours, a pedigree pet is hauled upright to show off its new tattoo.

The controversial “body enhancement” was carried out on Mickey – a rare Canadian Hairless breed also known as a Sphynx cat.

His female owner was said to be delighted with the Tutankhamun design inked on to his chest at a tattoo parlour.

She said: “I wanted something new and different for the times we live in.”

But horrified animal rights campaigners last night slammed the sick fad in Moscow as barbaric – and fear it could catch on among wealthy pet owners in the West.

An RSPCA spokesman said: “We are totally against using animals for purely cosmetic reasons just on the owner’s whim. Clearly the animal has no say in the matter.

“We do not believe in using pets as fashion accessories. It shows no respect for the animal whatsoever. So far we have only heard about this practice happening overseas – and we hope it doesn’t spread.”

Back in November 2008 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed includes a sales tax on all veterinary services.

Now he wants to kill pets faster.

See this story taken from http://www.dogmagazine.net/archives/2847/arnold-schwarzeneggers-shelter-kill-policy-condemned/

Although this story relates to dogs, the same policy will also relate to cats.

Animal Protection Groups Condemn Schwarzenegger Plans To Reduce Animal Home Hold Requirements: The Los Angeles Times has reported that California’s animal rescue system is to be the victim of government funding cutbacks during the recession. If a recent proposal is approved, California’s strays could be euthanised in as little as 3 days, down from the minimum 6 days they have to serve now.

A piece of legislation called The Hayden Bill that was made in the late 90’s states that dogs must serve this 6 day period before they can be euthanised. This legislation aims to increase animal adoption and reduce the amount of dogs put to sleep. A Legislative Analyst’s Office Report has said that there is little evidence to say that the legislation is worthwhile. The report claims the reported $24.6 Million annual figures could be better spent elsewhere.

Animal protection groups are understandably disagreeing with the assessment and are showing their opposition to suspending the 6 day mandate. These groups include: Humane Society of the United States, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, State Humane Association of California and the Californian Animal Control Directors.

Animal protection groups are saying that cats and dogs will be the victims of recession if the plan goes ahead to cut funds. Jennifer Fearing of the Humane Society has said; ”If shelters are no longer reimbursed by the state for animal holding, they will be forced to cut services. The savings generated by suspending this 6 day mandate is a paltry 0.1% of the $24 – Billion deficit. These funds are the only state dollars that presently go to assisting local governments with the costly problem of pet overpopulation.”

Jill Buckley of the ASPCA has said: ”Animal redemption and adoption rates have been steadily rising in California until the tidal wave of home foreclosures dramatically increased the number of surrendered animals.”

The groups are calling for an alternative to the 3-day holding – a year long programme to help shelters survive budget cuts in the short-term. This includes promoting animal adoption over buying a pet.

What elephants can teach us about family love

Lawrence Anthony with a member of the Thula Thula herd.

Railcorp/Snappy Tom/Gorgeous Boy

Our latest rescue, Railcorp a.k.a. Snappy Tom or Gorgeous Boy, depending on who is doing the talking, has settled down to a life of comfort, food, sunshine, petting, food, warmth, food, petting and our bed for the night.

An extemely affectionate cat, he is a cat who will need a stay at home Mum or Dad who likes to sit still enough for him to settle on their lap and who doesn’t have any cat competition for him to worry about.  He loves beds and food but not necessarily in that order.  He likes to do what he wants and is determined to do it and if you stop him you are likely to wear a scratch for a week or so, depending on the level of your immune system and repair status.  Mine is a bit slow and by that time is likely to have been added to by Larrikin because I insisted that his collar had to go back on.

Larrikin has strolled past Railcorp while he was in the holding cage without so much as a sideways glance because he was looking for where I had hidden ‘the girls’.  Larrikin is often  out looking for them so that he can play chasings but we usually monitor that situation. He tends to get a bit rough, mostly with Josephine who he likes to wrestle, but we can’t let that happen since he may give her a bite during play and he is FIV positive.

The neck wound is showing good progress at present (as I touch wood.)

Around February I think it was,   things were going  at a spectacular rate and we were getting ready to have it looked at in regard to being sewn up.  Larrikin around that time found a good way of getting his collar off and somehow did some damage to the wound which went backwards again, but we fixed it up and got it to go forwards once more!  Presently he has been getting in to a lot of mischief which is usually a good sign as to how he feels.

This fellow asserts his presence upon John more often now since he is more available than I am.  He asks for a scratch behind the ears and then leans a bit closer until he is sitting half on his lap.  If I enter the room to sit down he runs across to me.  We had a good laugh one night when Larrikin sat down next to me and then ran across to John and gave him a look as if to tell him something and then came back to me.  The ‘look’ was meant to say he still liked him and didn’t want to hurt his feelings but he had to give me a turn.  There is a little soft blanket next to me which our neighbor Judy crocheted (thanks Judy), who makes lovely cat blankets…. and Larrikin sits on this and treads it down whilst purring with shut eyes before curling up for a sleep.  Whilst he treads it down, every fifth or sixth tread reaches out and ‘treads’ me!

Larrikin and Melinda

Melinda is his roommate and if he tries to get too familiar with her she is pretty adept at running away.  Of late she has been screwing up enough courage to get up on the lounge but Larrikin thought this was overstepping a boundary and has been caught pushing her off with his paw.  He tries to get around John to get her off but John protects her so that she sits quietly confident and all Larrikin can do is to glare at her which he does.  Melinda is the quietest best behaved little cat a person could ask for.

Since we bought ourselves a new gas heater after the old one gave up the ghost I suggested that the girls might be allowed in of an evening and they might choose to sit by the warmth and not misbehave.

We have done that and on their entry Melinda’s eyes open wide in a sort of affronted expression and she high tails it back to her dishes to drink her water and have some food before they can try to steal it.
Then she will saunter back to John’s side on the lounge with a look of extreme disapproval at what the ‘riff raff’ are getting up to.  Getting up to is right.  Josephine climbs the cabinet and sits on top , then when she jumps off Ginger Megg is likely to find a more treacherous path to same and has to be stopped.  Angel goes disappearing behind a pile of books or dvd’s, then Larrikin gets down to wrestle Josephine and Melinda looks outraged at the antics and then we, weary of the whole thing, turf them out again to get some peace and quiet.

Josephine looking appealing and innocent

Ginger Megg and Angel

A story published in today’s Sydney Morning Herald for animal lovers:

Paws and effect

SINCE ancient times, people have flocked to animal-related shows to watch beasts perform tricks. Today, there’s a lot more concern about how animals are treated and performing-animal circuses are off-putting for some. But that hasn’t stopped our desire to see creatures on stage only now audiences flock to see a man show us how to stop a dog barking at the postman.

While circus owners struggle to get permission to stage their animal acts, on Sunday night at Acer Arena in Homebush, the “dog whisperer”, Cesar Millan, will play to a packed arena of pet owners eager to iron out naughty canine traits and to see their idol in the flesh.

“Ever since I was 13, I wanted to be the best dog trainer in the world,” says Millan, who originally arrived in the US as a Mexican illegal immigrant and scored his first job as an assistant in a dog-grooming salon in San Diego.

“Watching a TV show such as Lassie,

I knew I had to get to America to realise my dream.”

Moving north, Millan began working with pets for Hollywood big-hitters such as Will Smith, and in a place as obsessed with celebrity as Los Angeles, it wasn’t long before he had his own TV show, The Dog Whisperer.

Along the way, Millan says his “journey changed and I realised I had to train people”. Using some local errant pets, The Dog Whisperer’s success relies on Millan shifting the blame from nuisance dogs to what are usually over-indulgent owners unable to assert themselves as the alpha member of the pack.

“People either can’t or won’t do it,” he says. “Often it’s only when they hit rock bottom and are told they have to put the animal down that they take action.”

While Millan will enthral thousands with his behavioural training, the role of animals in showbusiness has changed significantly. Traditional circuses, for example, find it harder to perform at all, with many councils and the entire ACT prohibiting them from performing in their jurisdictions.

An animal-themed show is now more likely to feature a person in a dog costume, such as in the recent Scooby-Doo Live On Stage, than an animal from the wild veldts of Africa to jump through a flaming ring.

Damien Syred, who owns Geelong’s Circus Royale, says most Sydney councils refuse to let his act set up, even though he no longer uses “exotic animals”.

“Years ago we had exotic animals but we decided to switch to domestic acts,” Syred says, referring to his show’s cast of camels, cows and horses.

“But when councils hear we have any animal acts at all, they refuse to let us set up. The only places in Sydney we’ve been able to perform are St Marys, Earlwood, Bass Hill, Narrabeen and Castle Hill. And at each of those places, we had so many people show up we had to turn customers away.”

CESAR MILLAN
Sunday, 3pm, Acer Arena, 132 849, $80-$200.