Real Costs of Creating a Cat Mess Like the Lebanon One and My Recurring Van Dream

People who don't fix their pets then dump it on others to humanely solve the mess they created also create costs, real ones, besides the heartache, for those who step in.

I don't know all the costs of the Lebanon Let Em Breed Colony, but I know some.

I know the woman who found the colony initially began grabbing kittens. I know she took some to her vet, but I don't know what it cost her.

She found three homes amongst friends.  At least one of those three died.

Safehaven took in ten more kittens from the colony, at least four of whom died, and I don't know the costs they have incurred with survivors.

KATA took in 12 of the colony kittens and I know have already incurred the cost of a vet visit for one or two of the kittens.  Vaccinations, flea treatment and worming for all 12 have been costs they incurred.  Eventually they will be fixed before they are adopted out.  If all 12 survived to fixing time, that's another $450 or so, depending on how many are girls.

I know KATA paid out to have ten of the adults fixed I trapped at Heartland.   Those costs are about $22 per male, of which there were five ($110) and $45 per female, and five were females.  $220.  That is $330 to fix the first ten.

I had made three trips out and back to the colony by then, to trap those ten.  Three trips out and back translate to about $7 in gas.  To go to Corvallis and back twice for the ten, to drop them at Heartland then return to pick them up, another 60 miles and another $7 or $8 in gas for me.  I used about $6 in bait to catch them.  I then transported five of them to Lacomb, another $5 in gas round trip.  Let's assume I spent about $30 on those first ten in gas and bait.

I then housed the other five in my bathroom for quite some time.  Food and litter, more expense on me.  Let's estimate $10 for those five, although I didn't keep track.

They climbed atop my bathroom over the mirror light and broke the fixture and bulb, which will need replaced.  They broke the mirror and damaged a towel rack.  These things will likely cost me in all around $25 to replace if I find the items at the Restore or thrift stores.

I trapped 17 more then.  More bait.  More gas.  I transported them up to the FCCO in Portland to be fixed.  I took along a check for $150 to get the 17 fixed.  That was a donation by a friend of the woman who found the colony.  Although the FCCO graciously agreed to fix 17 cats for that amount, they usually ask for a $30 per cat donation, which is a fair price to fix and vaccinate and flea treat a cat.  If that $30 per cat donation had been donated, which it wasn't, the 17 would have cost $510 to get fixed and vaccinated.

My gas and bait for trapping and transporting the cats to and from Portland came to $50.  I got $20 from a Lebanon friend for gas, which was kind of her.

I trapped another male same day as the others were being fixed.  I had left traps set.  I paid out to get him fixed at Willamette Humane.  Cost for the feral package there, that includes the fix, ear tip, droncit for tapeworms, vaccinations and Revolution, a really really really good deal--$43.  Gas up and back to Salem twice, same day---$7.  Another $50 gone.

Fortunately, a Springfield woman paid for that one to be fixed and the gas needed in transport.

I was back at the colony and drop trapped two more.  More gas and bait.  More holding them here, along with food and litter.   One of those two is still in my bathroom unfixed.  One was fixed yesterday, Willamette Humane, feral package, at $43 plus gas.  I trapped the calico too, who was fixed day before yesterday at Willamette for $43 plus transport gas.  I paid out for the calico while KATA paid out for Javi, the girl fixed yesterday.  In both cases, I paid out for gas to transport up and back.

Another will be fixed Monday, paid for by KATA, the gray boy in my bathroom, for another $43 for KATA plus gas on me.  And then there's the last cat out there at the colony who will need fixed, once caught too.

I put $50 into building the garage cage to hold the cats until barn homes can be found.  I will be holding most at least until the first of next month, for the Heartland staffer barn home. More food and litter costs. I still need to find one more barn home and will be holding probably six until that can be found.

When people don't fix their cats, it costs other people.  Do you think any of us are swimming in money? Hahahahaha.  I'm swimming in red ink if I were even afloat.

Do you think lots of people jump in to help, when a situation like this group of cats, arises?  Hahahahaha.  

That's a good one.  Hahahahahha.  You're kidding me, right, people help?   Hahahahahaha.

I was trapping this huge colony of mostly Siamese once.  The woman there told me she and her husband belonged to several of these lodges.  She said there it was the same, that the actual work, to raise money for the lodge or service organization, falls on just a handful of the membership.  The rest just show up for the free stuff they get from joining.  She said if that wasn't bad enough, it would be her husband who would volunteer, but then he'd leave the actual work to her and sleep.  Isn't that the way it is.

I'm just tallying the costs of caring so people don't think its free.

It's still a lot cheaper than the usual habits around here--smoking, including pot, which is not a cheap vice, drinking (the case a night people are common animals in these parts), and gambling, scratching off those tickets in a convenience store parking lot.

I would love to see a van drive up and offload cases and cases of wet cat food, dozens of bags of dry food, bags and bags of wood pellet fuel for litter and I could live on easy street for a few months time.  That won't happen, but I can dream it will, and I do dream the van dream often.  It's why I'm up right now, instead of snoozing.

I had that dream, woke up or partially woke up, and ran to my garage thinking I had to get the door open quickly for the van guys or they might think I wasn't home and leave.  I took a swig of Nyquil last night, to help me sleep and I often dream crazy on NyQuil.

I had the garage door opening, to darkness and pouring rain, before realizing, it was a dream.

How crazy is that?

 Not crazy at all I don't think.  It's a Santa dream.  Who didn't or doesn't dream Santa dreams in some form or another?  Speaking of which, the Batkid drama in S.F is magnificent!  That kid got his Santa and boy did he ever.   I loved it.

Grimm fans out there?  Anybody?  The last line left to viewers last night was a classic. I loved it.