I was contacted by the FCCO to assist a woman feeding a mom and kittens in Albany. I took out first a regular trap, tied open, to feed in, but was told only a couple kittens would go in at a time and the mom cat would just growl at the trap.
So I swapped it out for the drop trap, fastening it up so it couldn't drop, to get them used to eating under. The kittens were an easy sell, on eating under it.
The five kittens, somewhere near 12 weeks old, are adorable. Four boys and a girl. 3 of them are Siamese mixes. A Flame Point. A Torti Point. A Chocolate Point. The five are rounded out by two orange tabby boys. Mom is a torti, and very vocal. I guess she's been around the neighborhood quite awhile.
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| This is the torti point Siamese mix girl. |
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| There are two orange tabby boys. |
Yesterday, all six were fixed up at the FCCO, in quite a long day. I left at 6:30 a.m., arrived at 8:00 a.m., dropped off the cats, then went a few miles to a favorite parking lot, to have breakfast, snooze an hour, then go dork around to kill time til 4:00 when I could pick up the cats. However I arrived early at the clinic, thinking I'd snooze, did briefly, then saw others going in and was able to pick up a bit early.
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| The Chocolate Point little boy is the smallest of all the kittens. |
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| The torti mom is vocal, not that feral, and was a very good mom to this batch, although I've been told other litters have vanished. |
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| Flame Point Male, twice the size of the chocolate Point male. |
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| One of the two orange tabby boys |
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| The torti point girl kitten. She is darling. |
Traffic home was far worse than the traffic coming up. It's never really a good day anymore on Oregon's jammed up highways. There are too many people now I guess and the highways, built decades ago, have a tough time accommodating all the people with their cars.
It was bumper to bumper for endless miles. I don't know how people tolerate it who have to do the commutes daily. The nightmare didn't end as usual south of Wilsonville, but continued all the way to Albany, to a lesser degree. Often the traffic came to a near halt but more often slowed to 35 mph for miles stop and go. I was so glad to finally get home.
Thursday, I took Snowball to Heartland to be fixed. She did very well and tested negative for FIV/Felk. She got all her shots and a microchip too, for $40. It's a good deal.
The kittens missed her. Tomorrow, Snowball and the kittens are going to Cat Alliance Team Sanctuary. I couldn't find anywhere else for them.
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| The kittens, Eli and Rebecca, adore Snowball. This was taken yesterday morning, the day after her spay, before I left for Portland with the other six. |
Eli and Rebecca are not Snowball's kittens but that doesn't stop them from acting like she is their mom, or her from acting like their mom. It's beautiful.
On a sad note, Pepper, the mat cat from the Sweet Home trailer park, was found dead by her owner in Lebanon. Chelsea took her in first to groom off those horrible mats, that coats her like a suit of armor. But then decided to adopt her, give her a home, although she knew Pepper was very old. On June 1, I took both old girls, Lucy and Pepper, rescued from that trailer park, to the north coast vet clinic for extensive medical care. Pepper there was diagnosed with severe hyperthyroidism and the vet told me it likely had already damaged her heart. She was started on pills to slow that extreme metabolic rate caused by hyperthyroidism, but she died a few days ago, suddenly, apparently of a heart event. R.I.P. Pepper. So happy you could have love, food, kindness and a great last few months of life.
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| Pepper at the vet clinic |
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| I tried to get Pepper free of mats first, for hours, with scissors, but I failed, then called for help and Chelsea, a groomer, offered. Then she offered something even better, a home for old Pepper and I was thrilled. Pepper had a very loved life in the time she was there. |
Pepper had a blast her last months, at her home in Lebanon, with a loving family. She loved dogs and all cats too. Love you always, sweet girl.
In my ignorant days, I gave no thought to the mommy cats as I cuddled and found homes for the babies. Usually, the mom ended up in, what was THEN considered a shelter but was just another word for barbarism. How I hate the young me. YOUR BREAD RECIPE IS ON MY BLOG. The initial cost of gathering everything seems exorbitant, but as you make loaf after loaf, it works out cheaper than store bought. Today I'm making one loaf, and a small one full of cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisins. It will make great french toast if it lasts that long. xoxoxo your friend, dana joy
ReplyDeleteI know, the killing machines that are publicly funded shelters are barbaric and still exist across the country in many counties. It's still very difficult for me to trust a shelter, that, just a few years back, with many of the same employees, was nothing more than a killing machine. I wish things would change.
DeleteI know the recipe is on your blog and I will be making that bread from your recipe!! I can't wait to get it right and start enjoying. I used to make my own cinnamon rolled bread too and am going to get back to that. It's so yummy!
I'm so sorry to hear about Pepper, but she did have a good life at the end. One of the kittens with Snowball was still pretty sick last time you mentioned it. I assume that it is getting better like the other one? That trio makes me smile every time I see them.
ReplyDeleteIt's the little girl who was half dead when I took her in. With fluids she is far better, and antibiotics. However, she's still a bit congested. It's a new sort of cold cats get and you don't even know it until you get close enough to hear the congestion, as there is no runny nose and no runny eyes, but it runs down the backs of their throats.
DeleteI'm not sure I should admire you for your good deed or putting up with the traffic that went along with it.
ReplyDeleteThe traffic is like hell! I really don't know how the people up there, or even those going back and forth for work to Corvallis, on a smaller scale, can deal with it daily. They have to be far better people than I, with such great patience to do that, day in, day out. I think, besides adding so much time to a work day, unpaid, it must add stress too, besides costs. No wonder road rage is at an all time high, with traffic like it is here. I wonder how it compares to the rest of the country.
DeleteIt is both sad and sweet about Pepper. I can see she was affectionate.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad, that she lived most of her life in extreme hardship, matted so badly she could barely move. But sweet that in the end, she had redemption, if only for a few months, but those few months can erase a lifetime of horrors. I know all about that, from personal experience.
DeleteI am sad for Pepper, and so very happy that she had a few good months.
ReplyDeleteThank you, again, so much for all that you do.
That traffic congestion looks awful. I don't think I could cope. And certainly not on a daily basis.
Thank you EC and I couldn't cope on a daily basis either. I am lucky to only have to brave that now and then. It's bad down here too but I rarely drive far now, only when I'm doing cat business.
DeleteThank you so very much. You are a saint. Truly; I mean that. I pray for each one and for you. XO
ReplyDeleteThanks you McGuffy. I appreciate your kind words very much!
DeletePrecious photos. I have a tears in my eyes for Pepper. Thank you and to her adoptive family for the moments of happiness!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got home safely and got to pick up your charges a little early. Best wishes, my dear.