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.