Thursday, January 31, 2008

Seven Cats to be Fixed Tomorrow

Tomorrow, seven cats will be fixed. I have donations to cover most of the fixes. Here is the list: One Sweet Home logger boys Lynx Point Siamese female. One BS colony gray female (this cat had gone missing from the colony mid summer and only recently reappeared--cat number 92 fixed there); orange tabby on white tom, from Waverly Waifs; Calico adult feral, from Waverly Waifs; Owned black and white Lebanon male; gray tabby on white male kitten, from Waverly Waifs colony (the other three kittens, two girls and a boy, were fixed Wednesday); Bucky, the long hair male white kitten abandoned on 34th street.

The latter two kittens I am taking to Greenhill to be fixed through fellow cat trapper/fixaholic Larissa, of West Fir, since they are underweight to do at Countryside. The other option is to take them clear to Tigard.

Larissa is unbelievable. She probably curses me nights, but I got her started in this cat fixing obsession. She answered an ad another friend posted at the West Fir post office, about barn cats I had. It was my ad. I was trying to relocate Koos warehouse cats. She took four I think, in the end. I explained to her what I do. So she gets a trap and starts out and now has eclipsed me.

She has her own nonprofit, FAN, in West Fir, and hooked up with Greenhill to do a lot of cats each week and is even paid by Greenhill for staying to work as a surgery assistant for the day. Oh, that this county had such programs.

My roots are West Fir. The mill she sometimes discusses in her own blog is the mill where my grandfather worked. An uncle died at 17 years of age when he was driving around the mill pond and his car plunged into the pond. My father used to talk of it, since this was an older brother he loved. He can still remember how the mill whistles blew.

I know about mill whistles, growing up in a mill town. They'd blow at shift changes and closing time and anytime they blew in between those times meant "accident". So everybody dreaded the sound of a mill whistle at off hour.

So my deep roots are West Fir. And Larissa lives next to the ruins of that mill my grandfather worked and where my Uncle died at age 17. My grandfather helped build the covered bridge there in West Fir, too, my father said. When she takes walks, she treads on ground my family worked and lived upon. She picks through artifacts of that mill and I wonder sometimes if what she picks up is something one of my family members touched long ago. My grandparents had ten or twelve kids. A set of twins died of measles when four years old. Then the other uncle died at 17. So three of them never made it to adulthood.

Anyhow......

Of Course Bush's Budget Cuts Target Poor People

Of course our President's budget cuts target poor people. He's cutting medicare and medicaid again, freezing reimbursement rates that are now so low many doctors won't take medicare and medicaid patients. The HMO's still get their cut of money. Instead of cutting out the middle man, the HMO's, he cuts at the end, reimbursement rates and coverage--hitting the poor and elderly. Of course. It's so Bush.

Heatlh care needs revamped in this country. One way to slash costs is to cut out the middle man take. That's one way. There are many other changes needing made. Not much trickles down through all the layers of insurers and HMO's and required paper work to cover actual care anymore. It's a really deep pile of bullshit. HMO"s exist only to take money and limit care so they can take money. They rejoice in denying coverage to people so they can make more off those sick people. It's a whole industry and an unneeded industry. Cut them out.

I was halfway over to Oak Creek road with Snowman, to the guy who wants to adopt him, when I turned around and came home with him. Why would I adopt him out to somebody who knows the predator situation in that area and still wants him to be indoor outdoor? He's a white cat. White cats are extremely visible to predators. And that road is deep predator territory. What was I thinking?

Stowaway Gets Her Chance--a Home


Stowaway is the little girl from the Gaffy Gang, fixed Monday, returned Tuesday, only to circle back around after I released her up in Turner, unbeknownst to me, and get into my car. I had luckily spotted her under my driver's seat at Winco foods, in Salem, where I'd stopped to get some groceries after returning the six Gaffy Gang cats fixed Monday. At least I thought I'd returned her, but she'd had other plans and snuck back into my car. I spent 40 minutes or so, digging her out of that awkward spot and did so with all my car doors closed so she wouldn't get out. I put her in one of the live traps, just emptied at her colony, where she lounged happily, trap uncovered, as I drove off. I couldn't take her back.

Today, a nice couple from Corvallis, who had originally been interested in adopting a young male, Mooki I'd hoped, fell in love with her and took her home. She pranced out flirting and rolling and purring. This is one cat with character who knows exactly what she wants and is not afraid to go get it. Too bad Mooki.

So Stowaway, the charmer, the risk taker, went off to a home.

Good for her. What a cat!

Six Cats Fixed Yesterday

Yesterday, 3 Logger Boys cats were fixed, all brown tabbies, one male, two females, one of them pregnant. All three had earmites, so I did dose them with Revolution and plan to clean their ears, too, one night when I'm up there and not so worn out. I also took in three kittens trapped at an Albany apartment complex--one boy and two girls. The Logger Boys paid for their cats to be fixed in full and the man who trapped the apartment cats also paid for their fixes. Blessed be!

The apartment complex dweller is excited and going to trap all the strays there for fixing. Yippee!

When I returned the Logger Boys cats last night late, they had one more of their females, one of the two Lynx Points, in a carrier. The other was in the house, but when I tried to net her, she slipped down and out the hole behind the water heater. I netted one of her three offspring in a bedroom. So I have two more. They weren't supposed to catch them until today, but they got the facts wrong, about when I have more reservations. So I'll house them today. They're really nice folks.

Vicki of KATA stopped by. She lives only two blocks away. I asked if they could borrow traps and she said she'd get them traps. There are four more needing fixed there--the second Siamese female, two of her kittens from last fall, and a male. Vicki was able to identify several of the other strays they see as fixed, knew who owned or fed them, even knew their names. I knew she would. So it was good she stopped by, so that we don't try to catch and fix already fixed cats.

The sick cat is going to the vet on Friday. The Logger Boys are taking him. I did give him fluids last night. He seemed slightly better since the ear cleaning of the day before yesterday.

On the way home, however, I reached my hand over towards my passenger seat and felt a sharp prick, twice, then pain. The cap had fallen off the 60 ml syringe, with needle I had used to give the cat fluids. My hand began to bleed. I sprayed it with clorox mix I keep in the car. But the damage was done.

The needle had penetrated the joint on my right index finger. I can barely move it today. Very painful and swollen. I am soaking it in epson salts.

I also took in Weed to be seen by a vet. Weed is from the Hate Thy Neighbor colony and was adopted a couple months ago. The disabled Corvallis woman who adopted him said he sneezes a lot and has eye drainage. She couldn't afford to take him to a Corvallis vet, so I said I'd take him to Jefferson. She paid for his visit.

The vet felt he looked pretty good, no fever, and I never heard a sneeze. But she tested him and he was negative, as I knew he would be, and prescribed antibiotics. I will give this woman another fact sheet on herpes. And take her Lysine.

She says the second white cat there at the complex, also the place I trapped three cats last week, to be fixed, including one white one, has an eartip. I trapped cats there before, and I do remember trapping a white one. So if this is true, if the second white cat is one I fixed a couple years back, then I don't have to trap another white cat there. I'd be done.

So I asked her to watch carefully and described the white cat just fixed as the one with one blue eye and one yellow eye, so she'd know to check the white cat with same color eyes for an eartip. She sees them outside her window periodically.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Sweet Home Snow Night

Last night I drove up to Sweet Home, to pick up the logger boys cats. Just east of Lebanon, I got caught in a blizzard. Snow fell so hard, I couldn't see a thing. I slowed way down as did the other two or three cars I saw the trip up. Not many out in that last night.

By the time I reached the last hill and corners, the snow was blinding. I was a little on edge driving in that. But I made it to the logger boys cat house. They did not have the cats in carriers already, as I had expected. They didn't know if I'd come, because of the heavy snow.

Not rain, nor snow, nor dead of night, will keep the cat trapper from filling her appointed spay surgery appointments.

These folks were paying for the cats' fixes, which is why I went up. I am currently over my Poppa budget limit, so unless I find cats with caretakers who will pay or make some fixing money somehow, I have to cut back on the fixing. Sad. Man I wish I was better at making fixing money.

Anyhow, the men had a hard time getting two of the brown tabby girls into the carriers. They had three of their females inside but the Lynx Point Siamese slipped behind the water heater. I heard a thump and said "There's a hole back of that heater, isn't there?" They said there was and that the cats enter and exit from under the house there. So she was gone. I settled for another brown tabby male. I briefly set the trap out back. There was cat action galore. But, the wrong kind of action---breeding and fighting.

Inside, I had asked about a young unneutered male. "Oh, he's dying," they said. The grandmother was craddling him. His brother died a week ago they said. They are about a year old. The man said he thought they must have mad cow, because they stumble around, shake, turn in circles, lose weight, then die. I examined the dying young male. His ears were packed in earmite debris. I worked it loose with vegetable oil. He shook a lot out, and I gently flicked more out with a Q-tip.

I called Vicki from KATA, who lives only a couple blocks from these folks, hoping she'd be home. I was hoping she had test kits and could test this cat for leukemia. After I left with the three tabbies in my car, I began to worry about what that could be that the one brother died of and that this one soon will die of. Could be distemper. Could be leukemia, but what are the odds, if they were infected at birth of both brothers dying of leukemia within a week of one another, at a year old? The odds don't make that a credible cause of death. But what else could cause such symptoms? Maybe distemper, but I"ve never seen those neurological symptoms go along with distemper. My mind wandered to rabies, and then I became nervous over that possibility. No excess salivation, however. No change in personality. No high fever. But the possibility still tugs at me.

They were inseperable, always grooming one another, sleeping together, playing together. What could make them die within a week of one another if not something they either both caught, one from the other, or got into, ingested or otherwise?

What could cause these symptoms: lethargy, stiffness of the muscles and joints, neurolical trembling, shaking, vertigo, seizures, anorexia, swollen gonads, lack of appetite, dehydration (severe) and ultimately, death?

The cat will likely be dead tonight when I return the other three. I let the vet fixing the other three know about the boys symptoms, just in case there is a possibility of severe contagious viral infection, and to handle the other three with caution.

It is to me a curiosity also, to see such strange symptoms with accompanying death--the puzzle of it, the mystery, intrigues me and makes me want to figure it out.

I am, however, thinking of one certain toxin, that can cause such symptoms and death, even taking a week to ten days to kill, if a cat ingests the toxin in a very small dilute amount. Do you know what I am suspecting?

I drove home in even thicker snow. This morning I also picked up three feral kittens trapped at an Albany complex by a very cool man. That complex has long had a stray cat problem. He's up to take care of it, with the managers live trap. He wrote out a check, also, to cover the fixes of two female kittens and one male kitten. Yahoo!

So, there are four females and two males up being fixed today.

Seven Cats Fixed Monday

Below are photos of the seven cats fixed Monday courtesy of Poppa Inc. after the FCCO was unable to finish all the cats registered. Included is a photo of Stowaway, the girl I tried to return yesterday to the Gaffy Gang, and later, at Winco in Salem, found her hiding under the driver's seat of my car! And I had watched her exit the trap and run off with the gray teen, under the trailer. So, she had circled around, while the old man and I chatted and for some reason decided to get back into my car. I figured she wants a chance at a better life.

Corvallis feral Siamese, fixed Monday courtesy of Poppa Inc.Gray teen Gaffy Gang female, fixed Monday courtesy of Poppa Inc.
Stowaway, the Gaffy Gang female, who, after I released her yesterday, circled back around and hid in my car. She's in my bathroom currently. She badly wants a chance at a home.
In heat black and white female, fixed Monday, courtesy of Poppa Inc. funds.
And another in heat female, fixed Monday courtesy of Poppa Inc.
DLH black and white in heat female, fixed Monday courtesy of Poppa Inc.
This guy was the sole male of the six Gaffy Gang cats, not done at the FCCO clinic Sunday, fixed instead Monday courtesy of Poppa Inc.

Local Craigslist Pet List Full of Breeder Freaks

The Albany/Corvallis pet list is haunted by habitual flaggers and people infighting with one another over nonissues, even though the list is not for general discussion and has specific rules regarding breeders. Craig doesn't want breeders using his websites to promote their animals. That doesn't set well with the breeder crowd, who love to ignore rules.

My posts about adoptible pets, spay/neuter clinics and my most recent one, requesting volunteers and help in fundraising for spay/neuter funds was flagged and removed within a very short time, probably by the habitual "issues" crowd and the breeders who are thick on that list. Typical Linn County crap. It is annoying and this area's list is the worst I've seen for ignoring rules and mean infighting.

And for removal of any post that mentions the horrible words "spay/neuter".

I believe there are a lot of bored people out there in this area who sit home angry and on the web day in and day out.

I have come to feel craigslist is fairly useless due to the fact so many malcontents, issued people and criminals have taken it over.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Crapola

I heard from someone ten days ago I hadn't heard from in awhile. She knew of some abandoned kittens and I told her I couldn't take them. Then I ran into her at the vet. She had one of the kittens she'd taken in. She showed him to me, then I had to get going. The next thing I know, she's calling me asking if she can house the kitten here, stating she'll come every day to take care of him. Yeah right. This woman lives literally ten minutes away and since I moved to Albany, she's come here twice, and hasn't been here for four months. I knew she would just abandon him here, and I'd not hear from her again.

Nice try, lady, I thought. She'd made her pitch to dump the cat here after saying we should do something fun, like go to a movie Thursday--like a bribe, although I knew well enough that she would never follow through with going to a movie either.

I'd said "no" once already, to these kittens and one "no" from me means "no". Then she wanted her rabbit hutch back. She gave it to me nine months ago, said she never wanted it back. Now she wants it back. Fine, I said, come get it. But she never came and got it. It's still sitting out there waiting. In about a month, I'll put it back in the garage maybe.

The seven cats fixed Monday put me over my limit with Poppa funds for the month. Darn it anyhow, since they were supposed to be fixed at that slow slow FCCO clinic. I am trying to figure out how I can make money for Poppa funded fixes. I'm not good at that at all. I'm no fundraiser. I wouldn't even know how to do it. I'm sure people would love to send suggestions, but I don't want suggestions. I would like some help. How about if you have a fundraising suggestion, you implement it and make some money for Poppa? That'd be wonderful!

I'm going to go check out the possible Snowman home, but it's not ideal in that it's high profile predator country and the man is going to let him be indoor outdoor, plus there is a very busy road nearby. So I am hedging on sending Snowman off to such a place and likely to his death. It's a very nice man who wants to adopt him, but it's not a good area for a cat to live safely. I know I should not send him there, but what am I going to do with all these cats in this house?

The Stowaway

I returned the last six cats to the Gaffy Gang Turner colony today, then went on to Winco, in Salem, to buy food and cat food. When I came out to my car and opened the driver's side door, I spotted the back of a cat under my driver's seat. I quickly shut the door. Rain was pouring down by this time, mixed with snow. I tore off my raincoat, opened the door a crack and draped it from the front seat down the side, to block the opening where the cat could shoot out, if I opened the door.

Then I sat back thinking, 'who is this cat and why is this cat in my car?'

Well, I spent 45 minutes digging her out. She's one of the Gaffy Gang I released this morning, who, for some reason, circled around and went back into my car, after I released her while I was chatting with the old man.

She wants to change her life!

So, I'm giving her the chance here, for a few days, to see if I can find her a home. She's tame, and cute as a button. A sleek black tux teen female, with a pink nose and a penchant for adventure. She's a risktaker, willing to take huge chances for a better life.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Good News

There is good news to report. I got a call out of the blue from someone I had talked to awhile back. Their story was in the newspaper. A neighbor had moved out and left about 16 cats. Some kittens were so sick they died in the yard. The neighbors were outraged over such behavior. They had just moved to Albany. They had called here, but I had too many cats lined up for fixing, and suggested several other outfits, like Spay Inc. and KATA, who had, at that time, access to county cat grant funds. Spay Inc. loaned them traps and they trapped the 16 cats. The woman told me a neighbor now dotes over the cats, feeding them and providing them shelter. This was a happy ending story and I loved hearing it.

Another good thing to hear is that a man, who used to hate cats, and now loves them, is trapping cats at another Albany complex with a chronic stray problem. I will help him arrange to get them fixed. He trapped the first one and has it in his bathroom. He will be fixed Wednesday.

When other people are getting involved, makes my heart warm up and I don't feel so alone in all this. Just makes me sigh with relief and get happy.

I got called by some real nice logger men, too, from Sweet Home, who feed strays but don't have the time to get them fixed, they said, since they leave for work before the sun even thinks about coming up and don't get home til late. They said they'd pay the full cost for each fix job if I'd get them to the vet for them. Again, my heart was fluttering to hear them talk like that, tough men, caring for strays. Made me very happy.

I also heard from the Hillsboro woman who took two BS cats last week. She says they're doing great and they're so happy with them. That was very good to hear, too.

It was like a godsend, getting all these good calls today, since I"ve been kind of down.

I might have a home for Snowman. Sounds like a real nice man interested. He might be leaving tomorrow, if I get it arranged ok. And Hope is going to get a real good home, too, but they can't come get her right away, so she'll stay here, but that good home is awaiting her and it's a real good one.

I returned 12 cats to the Gaffy Gang today. That is one nice old man who cares for them, I have to say. Very kind and funny and interesting. I'll be returning the other six Gaffy Gang cats tomorrow. Three of them were females in heat, then two other females and one more male.

The seventh cat, who didn't get fixed yesterday, who was fixed today, the Siamese from Corvallis, I believe also turned out to be a male. I have one more to trap there. I returned the two boys fixed yesterday to their Corvallis caregiver.

And the 34th street Boondoggies called to say three white kittens had been dumped off there, but that two were immediately run over and killed in the parking lot. They brought the third kitten inside and wanted me to pick him up. I did, and took them a bag of cat food. He's a long hair white male kitten, about three months old. Photo below.

21 Cats in Traps in One Scion

Driving to the clinic yesterday morning, not only did I have to deal with snow on the roads, something I had not expected, but also I had to get 21 cats in traps, somehow inside one Scion. It was a jigsaw puzzle, but I got them in.

Also, photos below the snow photos of two of the three Corvallis cats I had trapped. These are two boys. The third cat was not fixed yesterday, due to clinic problems. These boys are going home today.





Gaffy Gang Cats Fixed Sunday--12 in All

The following are photos of 12 of the 18 Gaffy cats I caught. These 12 were fixed Sunday along with two of the three I caught in Corvallis. Of the 12 Gaffy Gang cats fixed yesterday, four were females and eight were males. The two from Corvallis, fixed yesterday, were both males.

Dominant black tux short hair male, fixed Sunday.
Young short hair black tux male, fixed Sunday.
DSH black tux male, fixed Sunday.
DMH brown tabby tux male, fixed Sunday.
DLH brown tabby male, fixed Sunday.
DMH black and white male, fixed Sunday.
DMH black tux male, fixed Sunday.

DMH black female, fixed Sunday.
Another black shorthair female, fixed Sunday.
DSH brown tabby tux female, fixed Sunday.
Brown tabby short hair manx male, fixed Sunday.

Messed Up Weather

I need to get cats up to Jefferson this morning but the ODOT road report shows a crash on I5 just north of Albany and another just north of Commercial Street near Salem. The roads are pure ice. I don't know if I can get to the vet clinic. I will assume the route I take generally to be extremely hazardous driving. Wish I knew someone with four wheel drive, although I don't think four wheel drive does much to help traction on ice. Wish I knew someone with studded tires.

I can afford to wait another 40 minutes before heading out, at least.

Yesterday's clinic problems are now just a haze to me, except for having these seven unfixed cats to deal with, and now, 14 more I'm not sure I can return, due to hazardous roads. The old man, who feeds 18 of the cats I have in hand, six of whom didn't get fixed yet, lives at an elevation, southeast of Salem. I'm kind of worried about how I'll get them back.

I called people last night whose cats I was to pick up today and take to be fixed and cancelled with them, thinking I'd get at least four of these females, not fixed yesterday, done today. Good thing I did anyhow now, due to the bad weather conditions. As for the other three, I'll have to set them up in rabbit hutches for awhile. But now I don't think I can even get four up there, due to iced up roads, with more snow predicted.

I buried Scully last night.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Scully Has Died

My beautiful Scully died this evening. I loved her so.

16 Cats Caught so Far for Tomorrow's Philomath FCCO Clinic

I've caught 16 cats so far last night and today. I have 22 reservations for tomorrow's Philomath FCCO clinic. Last night late I went over and caught three of four cats being fed on Division street in Corvallis. Same area where I trapped about six before, including the Lynx Point medium hair Siamese male kitten Peter Piper. He was eating from a dumpster.

I caught one all white cat with one blue and one yellow eye. I caught a Lynx Point Siamese, allegedly a female. And I caught a brown tabby tux. There is one more white male to catch. I saw three of the cats I'd trapped a couple years ago and had fixed. They're kind of fat.

This morning after returning four Berliny Bunch cats, I went out to Turner and trapped 13 of the 20 or so in that colony--The Gaffy Gang. I left two traps set and three more traps for the kind old man to set, if the other two produced. I'm returning in a couple hours with my drop trap, which I thought I'd thrown in this morning, but hadn't. I think I could have had all 21 caught if I'd remembered it.

So if I catch no more at all, I have 16 to get to Philomath somehow tomorrow morning. I'll probably have a lot more than that, in the end. Today's trapping was effortless, I'd have to say. The rain was pouring and I just would set a trap, go get it when a cat got caught, and put another out in the same place. That worked bing, bing, bing, for about ten of the 13. Then I had to put out a little more effort to catch three more, but not much effort, to be honest.

A person who wished to remain anonymous put $50 on account for me at Countryside, which was very nice, and allowed me to get some Albon. Seems that may be Hopi's problem. I had bloodwork done. She had inflammatory response, white count high, and it is possible that she has coccidia. Her normal blood calcium level does not rule out lymphoma, but am hoping she is afflicted, as she has been before, with coccidia. Albon doesn't kill coccidia, just prevents its growth.

Friday, January 25, 2008

HTN Colony Today

Photo is of Goldie, a young orange tabby tux female, now spayed and ultra friendly. She is the next HTN kitty I want to place in a home.

The HTN Colony was a catastrophe in the making, when I arrived on scene, with my traps and my net and a desire to improve lives there for the cats, the cats' caretakers and that neighborhood. There were over 50 unfixed cats roaming the area. I set to work immediately. In the first five I trapped for spay/neuter surgery, was a young very pregnant female, from across the street. This prevented five more cats from being born into an immense problem. It also saved money for Poppa Inc. who is paying for these fixes.

Across the street, I also got fixed four teens, three of them females, and two big males. Many the old man feeds originate from the problem across the street, too.

The colony is almost entirely fixed now. But there are few holdouts. There is an adult long hair torti, with two of her kittens from last fall, one a torti tux and the other a black tux, now teens, and soon the torti tux kitten and her mother will be in heat. They don't come over much, to the old mans' place, and the shed they live in, is on the property of a man who is not very cooperative. He does not claim them as his, however.

Then, on the nice old man's side, there is still one long hair old tabby female, one long hair black female, a teen white with gray tabby blotches, like his mom, who is now fixed, and a skinny gray tabby of unknown sex. Seven left in all to catch and fix. Down from over 50. I'll be getting back to fixing there, getting the stragglers, next week.

I've found homes for some. Three kittens died, two after I brought them here, the third, shortly after I found it, pretty much frozen and very ill, in the berry vines there. A very sick large orange tabby male was euthanized. So was the gray and white long hair emacieated female, badly injured by a dog. I believe there was one more who died.

Mickey, the male with the exploded eye, whom I netted, now resides loved and pampered in British Columbia. Weed, the orange tabby kitten, who was so sick with pneumonia, along with his sister Tulip, that I had to sub cu them for fluids and force feed them for a week after they came here, got a home in Corvallis. Tulip is in Portland.

Ozzie, a sweet little black and white long hair male kitten, got a home. Chirp got a home and so did Elmo, his brother. Both were first neutered. Three other kittens were fostered by a friend in Oakridge, then got homes after they were fixed. Brambles, a black tux who had severe herpes conjunctivitis at neuter, had to remain with me, the vet said, or he would lose the eye. He is here, well, but hasn't yet found a home.

Ten so far have gone to homes then. Six have died or been euthanized due to disease. 16 less cats for the old man to feed, is the bottom line. And the rest, well they're doing much better.

I want to find Goldie a home, if possible. She's a young orange tabby tux short hair female, now fixed and is ultra friendly, to say the least. Goldie Long, is a long hair sweetheart male. Those are the next two I hope to place as I continue to make sure everyone there is fixed.

Today, a woman came down from Portland and took home two of the BS colony cats, which is two less cats that old couple have to care for now. Both were of course now fixed and she brought two bags of cat food for the couple, to help them out. It was a good chance for these two cats from such a large cat situation out there. At least they are all fixed out there now, too. 91 cats! But I have rehomed a ton of them.

This is one of the cats still unfixed. She's a female, with two teen kittens, still not fixed either.
This is Peppy, Brambles brother. Brambles is here with me, awaiting a home.

Hysterical Impersonation of George Bush Discussing Global Warming

This video is so funny, I couldn't stop laughing.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Six More Berliny Bunch Kitties Caught. Two Fixed Today.

Six more cats from the Berliny Bunch have been caught besides the six I caught the first night at the colony. Two of the latest six were fixed today. Both were females. The couple caught four more this morning. One is a massive male. These four, plus anymore caught tonight and tomorrow morning, will be fixed tomorrow. There is still a black and white kitten, a big black male and another orange male. In addition, there is a wide roaming white and gray cat, likely a male, that I've seen out there. So there are at least four more.

Female gray long hair, to be fixed tomorrow.
Black tux female, spayed today.
Torti tux, spayed today.
Brown tabby tux male, to be fixed tomorrow.
Black and white female teen, to be fixed tomorrow.
Massive tabby on white male, to be neutered tomorrow.

In other news, a new mayor was appointed by the city council today, to replace Mayor Killin, who died of cancer. In my opinion, it was a shady manuever pulled. An appointed council member, not an elected person, friend of the ultra conservative crowd that rules Albany, was proposed to be appointed major even before Mayor Killin died. He is a former mayor of Junction City. Sharon Konopa, long time ELECTED council member, also put her name in the hat for mayor, once Doug Killin died. Hasso Herring, the ultra ultra right wing local paper editor, pushed hard for Bedore to be appointed mayor and tonight he was, despite testimony from several citizens who pointed out Sharon Konopa's dedication to this community, her honesty, hard work for Albany, and the fact SHE IS AN ELECTED council person, not appointed, as was Bedore. But Bedore was shoved in as mayor, by the ultra conservative crew of four council members, including him voting for himself. What a sham of democracy.

How Sharon Konopa remains gracious through such baloney is beyond my ability to understand. I do respect her. She worked her butt off to help homeless folks who were run out of Camp Boondoggle. She lives her Christian faith. She's no hypocrit. Those other councilors are the reason Albany is what it is--a hub of crime and drug activity, judgemental, corrupt, apathetic. That's what I believe anyhow.


This man, Bedore, was never elected to anything. He's an outsider, too, manuevered in by the ultra ultra conservative crapola gang led by the local paper editor who wouldn't know balanced reporting from a Dr. Seuss book. Whatever. Just another reason to keep hope alive of getting out of here.

I must confess something about the massive tabby on white male trapped at Berliny Bunch: I feel like I know him. I mean, really know him. From where? I'll tell you where. From Camp Boondoggle. He looks like one of the huge males I hauled out of that Albany homeless camp, out and over two trains I climbed up then down, and out another 500 feet to the parking lot with my car. So I had a bit of hauling time, to get to know him. After his neuter he went to Lacomb. As the crow flies, that ain't far at all from the Berliny Bunch. I"m looking at him and saying "don't I know you?" And he's staring back at me in the same manner. Below is Boots from Boondoggle. Not quite the same cat as the Berliny Bunch big guy.

Scully is Dying

Old Scully, a river cat, who lived along the banks of the Willamette down from the Corvallis post office most of her life, is dying. She's a tough old gal who's had a tough life. She's been fading for a few weeks. I can't bring myself to take her to the vet to end it. I just can't. She's feral, you see, to everyone but me. She'd be scared and struggle and she's so old and frail. I can't see her fragile body being held down, as she struggles, and the needle going in while she's scared. So she's going on her own terms, and it's sad for me. I identify with old Scully. She survived by the skin of her teeth along those banks, the same banks I lived along. The kindness that kept her going came from a very old deaf woman, who lived in an upper apartment in the dilapidated rental building across from the post office.

Old Myrtle was 98 when she died. I took in Scully when Myrtle collapsed, I think four years ago. Myrtle lived another two years in a nursing home. I'd gotten Scully trapped and fixed 8 years before I took her in. She had lived as an adult along the banks a few years before that, putting out litters. So she's old, and tough, and wonderful. And now she's dying.

Hopi, my first cat, also from the banks of the Willamette, nine years old now, isn't doing well either. She's lost weight off and on, the last few months. I figured it to be stress caused from the move and being so confined inside here. She's not happy here. And hopefully that stress caused nothing else.

I took her into the vet tonight and she got bloodwork done. High calcium might point to cancer, like lymphoma, so common in cats, so I hope she's not got that. She has no other symptoms of diabetes, which can cause weight loss, or of hyperthyroidism. She's never been an overweight cat and always has hovered between 8and 9 pounds. She now weighs just over 6 pounds. She has no parasites.

So I've got two cats on the brink. Two cats I've loved forever. It's hard.

I've had a hard day of pain and wrenching lonliness.

Senior Dog Rescue Gets A Ton of Money

Senior Dog Rescue is getting a ton of money and a national news story done on them. Good for them. I guess I'm slightly jealous. I'm glad they're getting the money. I always feel like an outcaste, among the accepted animal people in the area. When I walk into Petco, they're always helping this animal group or that animal group, but not me. Why? Because I'm not a nonprofit. I'm not a nonprofit because it costs so much money to become one and you have to have at least three people for a board.

That Maddies' Fund money Senior Dog got? I saw that contest on petfinder. I couldn't go after it because I'm not a nonprofit.

I've helped thousands upon thousands of cats, never gotten an ounce of recognition or any community support locally unless I write letters to the paper. I never went nonprofit because I've never had the money to go nonprofit. And I've never been able to find even a second volunteer. Part of this is an inability to get press coverage. Never one story done on any of the hard luck kitties I've rescued. I've tried, but partly because of my past in the mental health system, my hard life, isolation, I'm not good in knowing how best to approach people, and the local papers seem almost hostile to the work I do with animals.

I guess this all really doesn't matter much to me, although sometimes I feel very much alone. Getting awards or paper articles means publicity and publicity means money and maybe more volunteers. Publicity is everything. Senior Dog Rescue gets publicity in the local paper often. I have never been successful at it. The last guy who ran the local paper in Corvallis hated me, mainly because of me speaking out about the mental health system. This goes way back. He was tight with NAMI.

Well, nice they're getting all that money. But I'm kind of jealous, like I say, not only because they get so much community support and publicity, but it kind of like, for some reason, still makes me feel unacceptable, all ties in to my past and all that. Not sure why.

But who needs to be accepted anyhow, right? It's not all its cracked up to be. I really am glad a local group got that big money. I will be watching the report on them on the national news, too, with enthusiasm.

I'm just in a bad mood. Don't like all this pain. Something happened to my left hand, too, can't grip anything, causes pain down the back of my middle finger into the back of my hand.

I remember really messing things up, trying to work on that overhead cat run, but not many specifics, except for the one big incident, when the heavy six foot piece of run, weighed probably 90 pounds or so, began to slip, when I was trying to tack it up. I had a safety rope on it, actually just dollar store laundry line, but one end got out of it.

I was on a light ladder, which also began to lean as I tried to keep the run from falling. It's all a blur memory now. But it all came crashing down, me with it, and there was pain afterwards. And much more pain later on.

Last night, I was awakened twice in screaming back pain, which roared in a line down to my knee, lighting it afire, then down the side of my calf to my ankle. I moaned and groaned and tried to shift the cats off me, so I could find a less painful position, and they'd get uppity then, over my shifting, and so I'd just go back to sleep. I had lots of ice bags I was sleeping on and around. And I slept ok, in the end, despite waking up a few times.

Here's a good thing: caught two more at Berliny Bunch last night, took them up when picking up the first six done, which were four girls and two boys, then they said they could do them today. So they're being done today. I'll return the first six later on. And the people caught four more this morning. She thinks they are done. They are not. I saw two more black and whites, two gray and whites, then there's the big black honking male and another orange male. So there were at least six left to catch. She caught four. That means there are at least two more. I told her to get a trap up there and set again. I believe the ones not yet caught are the latter two.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Photos of Berliny Bunch Colony Six Fixed Today

Six cats, from outside Lebanon, half the colony, are being fixed today, again, thanks to funds from Hillsboro based nonprofit Poppa Inc. If you can afford a few bucks, donate to Poppa (click Poppa donation link to left on my website to do so). The money goes directly into spay/neuter and, you can designate that the money remain in the mid valley, by asking that it be used to fund Jody's spay/neuter efforts right here, in Linn and Benton counties and it will be used here.

Young orange tabby tux male, being neutered today.
Gray tux, unknown sex, up being fixed today.
Muted torti, being spayed today.
Another muted torti, up being spayed today.
Muted calico, being spayed today.
Big orange tab adult male, being neutered today.

In other news, I'd contacted someone who rescued two male kittens and offered to get them fixed if it would help. She had agreed. But then I was contacted by someone who adopted one of them. I asked merely for a small copay and the woman came a bit unglued, saying she only adopted him because he was going to be neutered.

I wasn't sure how to handle this. I had asked if she was low income, then directed her to the SafeHaven voucher program and was telling her it was a great deal, and she could probably get her cat in right away for $10 through that program. But the woman wanted it done Monday for free.

I tried to explain I had offered the woman to get them neutered because they were strays, but adopting a cat is a responsibility and Poppa funds are made by the hard work of volunteers, so asking a small copay of someone who adopted a cat, even $5, for an owned cat, is reasonable.

She said she can't even afford cat food, and the woman had to give her cat food to feed the cat. So I don't understand how this would even be considered a viable home for a kitten, where the person cannot even afford to feed the cat. I don't know. It's touchy sometimes.

People get cats when they can't afford them, then expect others to pay the costs for food, litter, flea treatment, fixing. It'd be nice for people to respect the hard work and sacrifice of volunteers enough to make even a small copay for fixing and take on some personal responsibility, if they willingly adopt a cat and understand, adopting a pet takes commitment and some resources.

It's a tough call, since I did tell the rescuer I'd get the two fixed on Monday. I told her if she found them homes, to have the new adoptors call me about fixing. But when someone adopts a cat, I will ask for a copay.

It's another story if someone is attempting to help strays and find them homes.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Cat Yard Help and Six of Twelve Lebanon Cats Caught

My brother and his buddies arrived this morning to work on the cat yard. They are much better at it than I. I now have major neck and shoulder malfunction due to too much heavy overhead lifting once again (sigh). They also have working tools. Lots of them. This helps.

So the younger spry worked on the cat yard. And in the end, my brother went with me up to Lebanon, to trap that colony. They feed twelve cats.

I didn't sleep that well last night, due to pain issues. So I was kind of in a daze by the time we arrived up at the colony to set traps. Took awhile, but the cats started coming in, from a wide area. I caught six and left them one more trap. I could take in no more than six tomorrow. It took us about an hour and a half or maybe an hour, to catch six. My brother got cold, sitting in his work truck, but seemed to enjoy watching me do what I do.

I felt bad he left for home so late. It's over a three hour drive back for him. He would not be arriving home until about 10:00 p.m. or even later. He really went out of his way to come up and finish that thing. It isn't finished but soon it will be.

He bought wire on his credit card and the cost of the wire, to rim the yard, made me cringe. I just wish I could pay him back somehow. That's a lot of money right there, just for a hundred feet of two foot wide fence wire. Made me feel quilty. I usually scrounge stuff like that. So I never know how much things cost new. Well maybe I can pay him back.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Sure, I was Scared

Yeah, I was scared. I wanted to check on the homeless folks, where I trapped the cats before and then the cops ticketed me for parking. I was scared the cops were going to harrass me again. So I went in quick. I was hoping I wouldn't find them there, on this ultra freezing night. And I didn't. They were nowhere to be seen.

There were, however, dozens of empty whiskey and beer bottles scattered about. Vodka bottles, too. I looked into the frozen brush and saw cat eyes. These cats only suffer the results of human addictions. But those homeless folk, full of their addiction issues, are all the cats have. Well, they have me, too, sort of. I try to watch over them, as best I can, from a distance, floating in to check on them and feed them, but only in the dark, and only if I feel it's safe from the cops.

I did adopt one of the ten out. That still leaves nine, and nobody in sight, to feed them. So I put out a ton of food, and, I left my creation.

I made something for them real quick tonight, knowing how god awful cold it was going to get. I made them an insulated housing unit that I ran down that slippery trail tonight, nervous the cops would be out there ticketing my car. I was happy to see some of them are still alive. They were eager to see me, actually, and began gulping food. I'm going to find places for more of the nine left, if there are nine left by now.

I intended, if one of the homeless folk were there, to talk them into letting me take them to a shelter to sleep for the night, out of the cold. But nobody was there, except the hungry cats. So the cats at least, had taken over the tent and sleeping bag, being as how nobody else was using it.

I hurt my shoulder doing it, or maybe when working on the cat run here. It's half froze up again and hurts bad. My knee hurts bad too. Same one, the right one.

I stopped by the Deli briefly, to get something to eat. I ended up watching chess games, getting into it, too. Was exciting, the last game. At least I thought so.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Join the Cat Trapper in Beating Kitten Season. Fix Everything!

Always in the back of my mind--kitten season. It's just around the corner. Kitten season equals massive suffering in the cat world. Someone from Dallas told me just this morning, that three litters were born to three females just on her block right after she'd moved to Dallas. She'd never in the world thought about what a huge issue cat overpopulation is. She got to thinking, if she knew just three people on her block who let their cats have kittens, if you magnify that just in the small town of Dallas, my gosh, what a problem it becomes. There are not enough homes for all these kittens born. That fact means thousands are doomed from birth.

In the meantime, I am trying to find a home for Snowman. He's my number one priority to place. Second priority is Hope, although she is quite happy here. Third priority--Mooki, who has completely come out of his shell. And of course I am always hoping someone will want Shady. Shady is a kick. She likes to carry things around in her mouth. She gets into it with every cat here, wanting to play with them and be near them all. Hope at first was put off by such outright friendliness. She'd swat and hiss at Shady who would just ignore her, move out of her way a bit, and try again to entice her into play. Shady is like an ambassador of goodwill. She's just delightful.

I don't have to do any work for tomorrow's cat load. Four boys are coming from Sweet Home, via their own rescuer/fosterer. And I'm picking up the last two tamies from the Millersburg Country Colony. One is the female who began it all. The male is one of her kittens.

Wednesday and Friday's cat fixes will, hopefully be the colony of 12 from Lebanon. Then for Sunday's 22 reservations at the Philomath FCCO clinic, I have the Turner colony of 20 or so, and three or four, backup, in Corvallis need trapped and fixed. Someone turned up another Albany 30 cat colony, many tame. S is bringing about half of them, hopefully to the Philomath FCCO clinic, then I will help clean up the remainders.

I still have five or six ferals to trap at the Lebanon Kind Hearted Woman colony. Five or six more at HTN and four or five more at Slophouse, too, although that other woman, with help from a friend of hers, is still planning on trapping that one to finish, if she can. I've trapped five there now and she has trapped three.

I have a message on my phone from someone wanting some cats fixed. The race is on now, to try to keep kitten season from resulting in massive suffering and death for the cats of Linn and Benton counties.

You can help. Start fixing cats, any you can, from going door to door, to trapping strays and getting them fixed through FCCO clinics, your own vet, or through the Neuterscooter, wherever you can. If dozens of people joined the effort, especially here in Linn and Benton counties, massive good could happen quickly and much suffering could be prevented.

Get to it, folks. We can do it, all together. But I can't find every unfixed cat alone. Come on.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Kind-Hearted Woman Colony---Aunt's Obit

The old woman, caretaker of cats I'm getting fixed, had a daughter die suddenly last week of cancer, although the cause of her illness was not discovered until the day she died, I don't believe. Anyhow, I've just gotten two males so far fixed there. There is another inside male and probably six outside ferals to get fixed, but I had to back off the fixing, due to their loss (obit below).

The granddaughter did take me to the other place today, she is connected to, where an older man feeds about 22 cats. I hope to catch all 22 to take to next Sunday's Philomath FCCO clinic. I took photos, but my battery was dying and deleted the photos I took today. Oh well. Next weekend, I hope to catch them all, except, a cold spell is moving in, supposed to be down in the teens.

I only met the woman who died once and she seemed very very nice. Her niece sure misses her.

Sandra L. ‘Sandy’ Pomeroy

July 7, 1943 — Jan. 16, 2008

Sandy Pomeroy, 64, of Albany died Wednesday at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center following a short bout with cancer.

She was born in Lebanon and graduated from Lebanon High School. Sandy had lived all her life in the Lebanon and Albany areas.

Sandy loved to play bingo, especially with her friends at the Lebanon American Legion Hall. Sandy also enjoyed trips to Spirit Mountain Casino. She was very fond of animals and had several cats that she loved.

She is survived by her husband, Marlin, and son Tod, both Albany, and mother Helen Bolman of Lebanon.

No services are planned.

Contributions in her memory may be made to SafeHaven Humane Society in care of Huston-Jost Funeral Home, 86 W. Grant St., Lebanon, OR 97355 (www.hustonjost.com).Fisher Funeral Home, 306 Washington St. S.W., Albany, OR 97321 (www.fisherfuneralhome.com).

Friday, January 18, 2008

Cat Run Progress. I Build Stairway to.........

I am climbing the stairway to Heaven. At least I am trying. Each step in completing the cat run from the house to the garage room puts me on better terms with the gods of the house. The cats. I've descended to status of cat slave. I have built my first cat stairway.

Check it out.




I've built this from scrap wood, some of it that I hauled from the old place, when I had to move.

My tooth is raging. It didn't hurt this morning much but then I ate some cold cereal and now it's killing me. I did call my dentist but she is off for the weekend. I left a message.

Three Boys in a Special Ball Game Today

Yup, three boys are playing ball my way today. They're getting neutered. In so doing, they'll get to use their upper brain, and won't be slave to their caboose brain, if you get my drift. They will no longer be slaves to their hormones, without an ability to break free. They won't be raping female cats and teens (feline rape is quite common). They won't be running blindly in front of cars. They will rarely back up and spray around the hood. They most likely won't wake the neighborhood in angry loud fence top face offs and drag out cat fights. They won't be as likely to spread disease anymore.

Today I helped them break free of hormone slavery and aggression. I probably saved their lives.

I tell each male in the car on the way to the vet... "You're not gonna miss playing that ball game, buddy. You'll get a life now. You'll get outside interests. You'll read books and maybe even solve world problems."

The females don't need such pep talks. Some of the older females I swear run into the traps, once some of the other females get spayed, anxious for their turn.

Think of their lives----putting out litter after litter after litter, no choices about it either. They get run down from the constant reproduction. How would you like to raise 15 or more kids a summer, be pregnant in the heat of summer, have scroungy flea ridden beat up diseased males after you constantly, and also have to provide for the kittens, once born, and for yourself when bulging pregnant? That's why they run into those traps with relief!

Male cats get and spread feline aids at high rates by fighting. For some reason the virus is better transmitted through the deep bite wounds males inflict upon one another when fighting. FIV deaths are not pretty and this disease is preventable, containable.

Does your neighbor let their unfixed male free roam? Tell them he's going to die but in so doing, if he's fighting even fixed cats, maybe even your fixed cat, because of hormone slavery and aggression, he might spread Feline Aids around, if he gets it himself from fighting.

So, herein lies rightful blame. Fix your males, or you, with your unfixed male, are a disease vector and possibly liable, if your unfixed cat gets FIV and spreads it by fighting a neighbors well cared for and fixed kitties.Slophouse Colony big gray tabby tux long hair male. This guy has a URI.
Gray tux manx who roamed into the Millersburg Country colony a couple weeks ago. The teen is finding him a home, or maybe has already, but wanted him fixed prior to adoption.
Orange tabby tux the neighbor kids, from Millersburg Country Colony, got unfixed at a pet store.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Sudden Death

The Kind Hearted woman colony, in Lebanon, sustained a loss last night. An old woman lives in a house and feeds strays. Her granddaughter takes care of her and also the cats. The granddaughter had told me her aunt, the old woman's daughter, had gotten sick about three weeks ago. Efforts to find out what was wrong were hampered by the fact the aunt's doctor had retired. Last night, she died, at the hospital. The family had not even found out she had cancer until yesterday.

She died gracefully, her niece told me tonight. I had called, because I had been scheduled to go over to trap cats there this evening. I won't be going. The family is in grief.

S said when she saw her last night, her aunt took her hand and squeezed it. With great difficulty, she said "I'll see you, on the other side." And then she smiled.

I met the now deceased woman Sunday night, when over to pick up cats at her mother's. She was in great pain and very ill, but would try to make light conversation. She was scared. Her husband of many decades must be lost today.

A little boy was struck and gravely injured just a couple blocks from where I live last night. I had come back early evening and saw a lot of flashing lights and turned to go home by a different street. Later, I went down to the Circle K to get a drink, and the street was still blocked off, with lots of police cars there. I asked the clerks what had happened. They were still in shock over it. They said they looked down, heard a huge "thump", looked up and a kid was flying through the air. He was lifeflighted out to Portland.

Guess he was struck in the crosswalk by a big pickup driving east on 34th street. The pickup driver said he couldn't see the boy in the crosswalk because a car was stopped at the stop sign at Marion, waiting to turn and he couldn't see around that car. I know it is very hard to see at that intersection, if you are on Marion, attempting to turn onto 34th street. But I've never had a problem seeing on 34th street itself.

The accident is still under investigation. I hope the little boy makes it. My heart goes out to the friend, who was with him, and to the boy's family.

In other news, I have a very uncomfortable toothache, upper right side. It is sore above the tooth also, and I think my cheek might puff out in absess fashionware to go along with the screaming pain. I want to get my snubnose pliers out, and yank the damn tooth out myself, but I'd need specially shaped handles to be able to reach this tooth. I want the thing out of there! I want it gone!

Oregonians, Forget Gitmo, What About Horrors in Oregon?

Click the post title to read Oregonian story about the feds scathing report of patient treatment and civil rights violations at Oregon State Hospital. These horrors have been going on forever. This is the place where I suffered horribly, and became so angry with the state I finally mustered the guts to read a letter detailing the abuses I endured at the state "hospital" to the director himself. He got nervous, offered me a cookie and left the room. I cannot believe they are allowed to call this House of Horrors a hospital.

What further frustrated me then and even now is the liberals focus on pain and suffering, abuses of civil rights, anywhere but in Oregon. They care about what happens to terror suspects held in Cuba, but seem to not blink at the gross abuses that go on right here in Oregon, to mental patients.

I'm sure it's much easier to claim to care about things far away. I have had it out with liberals before, who have told me, if the war is ended, then more money can be funneled to social programs. I had said, "Let me tell you some stories about some of those social programs." I talked about the abuse I'd received in the mental health system, but they weren't interested. "You say the government can't run decent foreign policy or war, but why would you think that same government could run efficient, humane, effective social programs?"

I get no answer to these questions.

Anyhow, it is wrong these abuses have gone on in our social system right here in Oregon, at a place labeled a "hospital". Needs changed. Find out more. Go here.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Photos of the Cats Fixed Today

Six cats were fixed today, courtesy of Poppa Inc. (thank you, as always, Poppa Inc). Here is the list: one tame in heat torti, from Corvallis; one black teen feral female and one gray teen feral male, from Millersburg Country Colony, finishing that colony; and from Hate Thy Neighbor colony---one long hair gray male, one short hair black tux male, and one teenage medium hair muted torti female. I am not including a photo of the tame in heat now spayed torti from Corvallis, didn't get a photo of her.


Millersburg teen black female.
Millersburg teenage gray male, brother of black female above.
The fighting males. This male and the black tux short hair male in next photo, were fighting tooth and nail, in the middle of the street out there, over the teen torti female in the last photo. All three are now fixed. Fitting that they were all fixed together.

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 ...