Tuesday, June 20, 2006

6 More Corvallis Homeless Camp Cats Caught and Infected Finger

I caught six more Corvallis homeless camp cats who will be fixed tomorrow courtesy of POPPA Inc. (donation button for this wonderful nonprofit on left). I believe I have places for all six to go once fixed.

I also was up half of last night when the finger I smashed in the car door ten days ago or so, ballooned up and became intensely painful. I finally went to the doctor, who said I am losing my fingernail and infection got into and under the loose nail. He lanced the worst red bubbled part but only blood came out. I have to take antibiotics and keep my finger wrapped and he says this might be a long process. Fingernails take a long time to grow back.

Also, now I can't type very well.

I also have been doing massive heavy duty yardwork for my landlady for money off rent. Its extremely physical and a bit painful but I'm surviving it.

Also, a homeless camper I don't know from Albany left a message wanting me to find them an attorney, over the camp eviction next week. I don't think that is going to stop anything because they have no legal basis for a lawsuit. They believe they own the land under squatters rights. The camp has been in existence 40 years but I don't think any of them have lived there that long.

I'm very tired out and going to bed now.

Monday, June 19, 2006


Please don't bulldoze me! This little girl I trapped ten days ago, got spayed, and returned to the Corvallis homeless camp, is in danger. I found out later the camp is to be cleared for development in that area, perhaps a Home Depot. I didn't know development there was imminent, may even be happening right now. I was so tired last night, I didn't get out there to trap like I'd planned. There are nine cats out there, all of them from two litters of an abandoned pregnant female, from last year. Posted by Picasa

Sunday, June 18, 2006

The Old Hippy Pays Me Back

The old hippy formerly of the Cheshire cat colony, for whom I trapped originally 27 cats and relocated and found homes for all but six, gave me a donation today. Yahoo! He'd always said if he got some money he'd try to pay me back for all the work, time, and money I spent helping him. I will never get it all back, but for him to pay me back some now, is incredibly wonderful. He doesn't have much of anything as far as material possessions or money. I asked him if I could hug him, and he said "Well, ok but I'll be embarrassed." Then I hugged the shit out of him.

I ran into someone else I trapped cats for once in Philomath and he asked what I'd been up to. So I told him and he donated a few bucks. Yipee!!! Thank you Coby.

So, this has made me feel more confident that I will survive this month. It's not much I have in hand, but it's better than nothing, that's for sure.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Maine Coon


Bangor Posted by Picasa

Bangor


Bangor. Posted by Picasa

Deaf Miss Daisy


Miss Daisy Posted by Picasa

Kitten Jazz


Jazz in a box. Posted by Picasa

Hopi


Hopi, one of mine. Posted by Picasa

Misty's Boy Kitten "Ping"


Ping Posted by Picasa

PingPong--Misty's Boy


Ping and his new buddy, the water jug. Posted by Picasa

Pings Love


Ping, water bottle and peacock feather. Posted by Picasa

Vertical Calamity


Vertical Calamity. Posted by Picasa

Chin Shot


Miss Daisy's chin. Posted by Picasa

Spread of Claws


Claws Out! Calamity snags a peacock feather. Posted by Picasa

Jazz and Ping


Ping and Jazz, two of Misty's kittens. Jazz is allegedly spoken for, and will be adopted after she is spayed. Ping is a boy. Posted by Picasa

Friday, June 16, 2006


Jazz, hoping to climb my leg. Posted by Picasa

Kitten Butt and dead mouse toy. Posted by Picasa

Psychotic Teen Mother Stormy


Stormy eyes my cats, through the chicken wire gate, intent on spotting in like minded kitten stealing cats. The kitten beside her is one she stole from Misty. His name is Pingpong. Posted by Picasa

Kitten Stealing Mother Stormy


Mother Stormy. None of these three kittens are hers. They belong to Misty, but Stormy, psychotic little teen mother that she is, has "confiscated" Misty's kittens. Another way of saying it is, if they were human children, there would be an amber alert out on them. Posted by Picasa

Jazzarina--the big eyed kitten faces our world


"Jazz", Misty's little girl, very beautiful and playful and now spoken for. She'll go to her home as soon as she's spayed. Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Never Ending Day

The never ending day began early. I went to Albany and picked up BamBam, Dutch, Pebbles and Claws and took them to Heartland to be neutered, spayed and tested.

Then, after a short rest, in which I cleaned cat boxes, etc, I took Gizmo back to Rita in the homeless camps. I was so exhausted I could barely climb up and over the two train cars then down the trail with Gizmo in a carrier.

I vaccinated Rita's other female's four kittens, then was leaving and ran into a KVAL news crew coming down the trail in the rain. They saw me and wanted me to talk to the camera and I said no, that this wasn't about the cats as much as it was about these people and where are they going to go. Richard was wailing at them about pretty much everything. I went and got Rita because she is very smart and she took them back to her camp and they interviewed her. I had to get going.

So then I went back to Heartland and picked up the cats. They weren't quite ready, so I went and laid down in my car so exhausted. Wasn't twenty minutes before they brought the cats out to me. I told them how much I appreciated their help. All were negative. I paid them $30 for the three tests. They usually charge $20 per test.

Then I went home and began to get ready to take the three boys to their barn home out near Scio. I had to get the rabbit hutches and cut some carpet pieces to go in the bottom and get the two dishpan dollar store litterboxes for the containment cages they'll be held in for a few days until they understand that's their new home.

Then people starting calling wanting to adopt Bambam and I arranged to meet a nice woman who uses the same vet I do and I felt she'd be a good owner. I met her at Coastal on the way out to Scio with the boys. She gave me an adoption fee that will help cover the two bags of food I got to take the Scio woman and then some. She knew I would be needing a place for some of the cats and said she'd take four and she's got the property for it. It's like cat heaven and she cares for them really well. I was grateful. But she isn't rich and has two adopted daughters and so I bought her two bags of dry food just because I was so grateful.

I was out of dry cat food for my own cats here, so I stopped then with the adoption money and got two bags for me at Costco on the way home, dog tired.

The fosterer in Albany wasn't home, so I brought Pebbles and Dutch back here. I haven't returned the Corvallis homeless camp three either so I'll do that in the morning.

Tomorrow is day of rest. Then I'll do all the dirty smelly laundry. And sleep some more.

So four more homeless camp cats moved out and on with their lives today, after getting fixed. That's a good thing.

Boots is Negative and the Albany Homeless Camp Cat Tally

The big monster male "Boots" tested negative yesterday. Dr. Anderson, the vet at Countryside, thankfully treated him at no charge for earmites, which is the reason most of his right ear was missing, due to excessive tearing at his ears, in scratching those horrendous little mites.

I've incurred a lot of costs with these cats.

On Tuesday, June 6, at the request of Albany City council members, I went into the camps and removed five adults and six kittens. The cats were: Siskiyou: pregnant torbi adult female; Long Tom--6 month old black male; Siletz--gray/white Long hair female; Misty--brown tabby tux female with four kittens--two males (Shasta and PingPong) and two females (Jazz and Hiphop); Stormy--6 month old black female with two kittens (one of them stolen from another mother), both kittens female. I treated all these cats for fleas, wormed them for both roundworms and tapeworms, except for the two tiniest of kittens, who have not yet received Droncit for tapeworms, and vaccinated them.

On Saturday, June 11, at the request of Sharon Konopa, I again went into the camps and removed three 8 week old kittens--Dutch--male silver tabby; Bambam--Blue Point Siamese; and Pebbles--torti, and one adult male--Claws. I treated all four for fleas, tape and roundwormed them and vaccinated them, before they went to a fosterer in Albany. All four of these cats are being fixed today at Heartland at no charge--three males and one female. The cost for testing the three kittens for FIV/Felk to me will be $60 total.

I also Flea treated four other cats, while out in the camps, that are owned by campers and treated all of them for worms.

On Monday, June 12, I went into the camps again, netted one adult orange male (Jefferson) and trapped another (Boots). I also brought out a Siamese female (Gizmo), whom I will return. She and the two males were fixed yesterday. I vaccinated her and the males, treated them for fleas, round and tapewormed them and paid for the testing of Boots at a cost of $28 to me.

I flea treated four four-week-old kittens, while in the camps, who will be released to me at eviction and wormed them.

In all, I have permanently removed 17 cats.

Five of these 17 cats who will not return have been fixed courtesy of POPPA Inc. Another female from the camps who was pregnant was also fixed through POPPA (Gizmo).(www.poppainc.org). One adult and three kittens have been fixed courtesy of Heartland. (Dutch, Bambam, Pebbles and Claws) That's 10 fixes so far.

Where are the 17 cats who have been removed?

Of the first 11 removed, 7 cats--two mothers and five kittens, are still in my bathroom. None of them are fixed yet.

Two of the first 11, Long Tom, the male, and Siletz, the gray/white female, were taken in by SafeHaven, after I got them fixed through POPPA Inc. SafeHaven treated them for earmites, tapeworms and tested them (both negative).

Siskiyou, who was spayed pregnant, courtesy of POPPA, at a cost of $60 to POPPA (because of her pregnancy), went to a home in Mapleton. I got an adoption donation, which helps cover some costs I am incurring.

Shasta, one of Misty's male kittens, was also adopted to someone I know. I usually do not adopt out kittens unfixed, unless I know the people. Shasta was already vaccinated, flea treated and wormed, at my expense.

Boots and Jefferson, neutered yesterday courtesy of POPPA, at a cost of $50 to POPPA and tested, at my expense, at a cost of $28 to me, plus Claws, being fixed today at Heartland, will go to a home this evening. I also had flea treated, wormed and vaccinated these three males at my expense.

So I still have seven cats in my bathroom, all vaccinated, flea treated and wormed at my expense and the three older kittens in foster--Bambam, Dutch and Pebbles, being fixed today at Heartland at their expense. Those three also I already flea treated, vaccinated and wormed at my expense. I have someone interested in Bambam, the male Siamese kitten. Four of the five young kittens in my bathroom are females.

Gizmo, the owned Siamese female, fixed yesterday at a cost of $40 to POPPA Inc. and vaccinated, flea treated and wormed at my expense, will return to her homeless camper owner today.

So, I have now placed five of the 17 cats I have removed in homes--Siskiyou, Shasta, Boots, Jefferson and Claws. Two more--Long Tom and Siletz--are at SafeHaven awaiting homes. One (Bambam) and perhaps all three of the older kittens might have homes to go to, leaving me the two moms with their five young kittens, to foster, fix and place.

Not bad, I'd say, for a week's worth of cat work. But, I could sure use a good night's sleep and some donations.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Gizmo---Albany Homeless Camp Owned Siamese Female


Here is Giz, the little tame pregnant Siamese female, treasured by her owner. The kittens Dutch, BamBam and Pebbles are from her last litter and are about 8 weeks old. She's pregnant again.

The other female this homeless camper owns, has four kittens, about 4 weeks old. I did treat them for fleas and roundworms when I picked up this female, who I must return following her spay, and that woman will turn over those four kittens to me, and let me spay her other female, just prior to the end of June, when the human campers will be evicted.

I worry about that woman. She's had such a rough life, been beaten and raped several times and talks about it matter of factly. She's sick herself a lot of the time. I worry she might have AIDS or Hep C and she could not live as a normal person now or hold a job. She's damaged from her hard life. She's rough around the edges, but she has a kind heart, a good heart in there, and I wish I wish I wish there was more kindness in this world. Posted by Picasa

Boots--Monster Male from Albany Homeless Camps


Boots again.

If he is positive, I fear for the little tame female Siamese. He's the daddy of her kittens, her owner pointed out proudly, unaware of the dangers of FIV and Feline Leukemia.

FIV is passed mainly through bite wounds, and hence is for the most part seen mostly in fighting males.

But females are often bitten during the act sex, when the male cat hold her by the neck. And in this manner, females get it, especially petite females mating with a big male, savage in the act of lust.

I won't be testing Gizmo, even if the male is positive, because there's nothing I can do, and I promised that woman I'd bring her back. I will tell her if Boots is positive and to watch her female and I'll tell her the symptoms of Feline Aids. It's such a preventible disease, if people would just fix their males. Posted by Picasa

Monster Male from Albany Homeless Camps


Monster Man, from the Albany Homeless Camps, probably weighs 15 pounds or more, missing most of right ear, from excessive fighting and being tested today, prior to his neuter, for FIV.

He likely will be positive and if so, he will be euthanized. I'm hoping he is not, because I have a place for him (his name is Boots), Jefferson, the orange male, and Claws, the black and white male, to go to, as an outside well fed, well housed home, if they are negative and neutered.

I don't have to test any other males if he is negative because this guy has fought every male over one years old out there. If he is negative, they're all negative. If he's positive, any male over two is going to be positive. Under two, and it'll be a maybe, maybe not.

I'm paying for his test, on a credit card. I am still waiting for the City of Albany to come through on the promised funds.

 Posted by Picasa

Corvallis Homeless Camp Young Black Male


Corvallis homeless camp all black little male, about five months old, like the other two I caught there yesterday.

I caught him young enough that he will never have to worry about getting FIV.

All three are up being fixed today courtesy of POPPA Inc. Please donate!!! Go to www.poppainc.org and click their Paypal button. They're helping make our communities better. Nobody gets paid in POPPA and it's a mere handful of volunteers raising the money to run a state wide assistance program. It's only right that communities who benefit donate back. Posted by Picasa

The Sweet Face of a young Corvallis Homeless Camp Kitty


Look at this face! Corvallis homeless camp short hair black and white kitty--green eyed beauty. Sex so far unknown. I am guessing female. Posted by Picasa

Long Hair young Brown Tabby Tux from Corvallis Homeless Camp


Brown tabby tux long hair from Corvallis Homeless Camp, up being fixed today courtesy of POPPA. Posted by Picasa

Corvallis Homeless Camp teen--brown tabby tux long hair. Sex yet unknown because she's up getting fixed today courtesy of POPPA. I'm guessing female. Posted by Picasa

Dog in the Road

 I went to get groceries yesterday morning fairly early. I was expecting visitors, brief ones, pop in and out, so I wanted to get done with ...