Thursday, September 01, 2011

What a Night

I actually had good luck in the end, trapping at the old woman's place. I caught 16 adults. I left traps set because I saw at least three more.



I dug 18 kittens out of brush piles and grass, getting scratched up from branches and vines in the process.



After leaving the five kittens at Safehaven, two just borns and three three-week olds, I returned to find the mother of the two newborns, at least I think it's the mother, in a trap. Rather than release her, I went to where I'd seen her, or a cat who looked like her, carrying away the four kittens she wanted. She'd left two behind for hours and those are the two I finally picked up, fed and that Safehaven took.



I saw them way back in the brush pile and got down on the ground and crawled into the hole, reaching way back and grabbing all four. Now I had four newborns. I fed them again.



I then went to look behind the fence, where two more older kittens had been. This is where I"d pulled out the three before. They were nowhere to be seen, but I could still hear screaming inside the shed of the neighbor in front of the old woman's place. She and I went to talk to them.



They had placed 8 kittens in a box. The black mother's name is now Kate plus 8! Eight kittens to feed. There were only three left in the box. The neighbors were concerned about what had happened to the other five. I told them three of them were at Safehaven. They wanted the little Siamese girl and had already purchased KMR and looked up online how to care for her. I found the other finally, out in some berry vines next to the fence. Kate plus 8 had become overwhelmed it seems, caring for 8 kittens and decided five would be better, and abandoned three of them.



I don't blame her.



I took the two in the berry vines and the two in the box and called Safehaven again. Kitten juggling. They were about to close, but said if I would take the two newborns, to keep them with mom, they'd take the four three-week olds, if I got there quickly. Off I went.



I was down two at least. For the time being.



I did some stuff at home and went back. I was picking up cats when the old woman called to say some were caught. But this time, I heard more crying from the brush pile, only I couldn't place the location. It was almost dark. The brush pile is huge and full of cat holes.



I had no gloves or long sleeve shirt along. I just went for it, figuring I had their mother in a trap and they'd die if I didn't get to them somehow. I dug through and the kittens helped by crying. They were already losing body heat when I finally reached way down through piles of cobweb enclustered pine needles and dead branches and felt something soft. There were four. One is white. one is black. Two are black and white. I have no idea who their mother is. They were in the same general location as where I'd found the other four, after trapping their mom, but these are shorter in body length, even though the other six still had umbilical cords attached. Smaller mom, I figure, but who is she? No answers were forthcoming, other than trying to figure out who I had trapped in the three hours before I heard them cry.



I fed them.



I was also trapping at the Kind Man colony. However, more shit there. He knew I would be trapping but had piled food everywhere, including wet food. I could not believe it. Nonetheless, I netted one kitten and trapped another.



The old woman is over 85 years old. She's almost deaf and has no help. She's pretty spry for that age. Really spry for that age. But my gosh, to be that old and alone, now that is tough.



The neighbors in front and back of her are very nice. I was pretty happy to find that out, after the run in with another neighbor.



So I've got ten kittens. Safehaven took seven and a neighbor took one. 18 kittens out of there. I don't know if the ten newborns will survive. I immediately hutched the cat I think is the mother of the six newborns. I don't know because there are two who look exactly alike and I caught only one and I don't know which one I caught. I had no time to look for lactation. I was not going to take her to be fixed, but I need the vet to tell me if she is the mother and he will be able to tell, because her uterus will look like a cat who just had kittens.



He nailed the fact the black tux from the Albany street had just had kittens, even though she was not lactating. Later, I was told the couple who feed those cats killed the kittens just after they were born.



So I will let him sort out who the mothers are. If nothing else, I have Kate Plus 8 and after trying to nurse 8 kittens, she could nurse those four newborns, if I can't figure out who their real mom is. Kate Plus 8 is AWESOME! Except for the fact she decided to dump three of her brood.



Synergy, the Lynx Pt. Siamese, if she's the mom, dumped two of hers, to die. Boy.



Why do I get involved in such exhausting and demanding endeavors? That old lady was desperate for help. She's 86 years old! I helped her. I'm not sorry.



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